Richard Stallman is the founder of the Free Software Foundation, begun in 1984 to promote freedom in computing by releasing free software. The review succinctly summarizes Stallman’s appeal and oddity:
Most broadly, Williams’s book is about a disappearing personality type, that of the individual who stands on principle alone, who does not bend to pressure, succumb to convenience, or compromise his beliefs. It’s an investigation of just how viable such an ethically unyielding character is in a morally relativist world of bargains, trades, and deals.
I confess to being the pragmatist who is willing to use whatever tool works best, whether it be proprietary or free software, but I find Stallman’s dedication an admirable goal for all of us to emulate.
