[vessenes]

I’m not a friend of RMS, although we have argued over email.

RMS has a unique super power I propose you admire: he is deeply committed to his convictions, and willing to construct his life around them.

He has autism so he finds himself in situations that you are politely calling tone deaf a lot; he has said in public that he can find the responses hurtful. But he still keeps on with his values, at times at great personal cost.

I think of him as a sort of national treasure; if we had 10 of him in the last twenty years the world would be a much better place.

[nineteen999]

I agree somewhat; having had dinner with him once with our local Linux organization when he was in our part of the world over 20 years ago, I think I learned a lot in that short time.

What I came away with was that SOMEONE needs to hold the points of view that he holds, at least as far as they pertain to software development and licensing, since almost nobody else does.

Whether he presents as well as he could is a different matter. The recently reported on comments he has made could and will be perceived as quite distasteful.

[13hours]

I greatly admire many if his achievements. My comment is that I'm surprised that he was able to be so successful while many times taking a position so at odds with a sentiment held by most of society. My opinion is that "picking your battles" seems to be a more successful strategy in general. I'm also not commenting on the ethics of being flexible about your convictions and how you express them.

[stephenr]

> But he still keeps on with his values, at times at great personal cost.

Until it's too inconvenient. He's said previously that he doesn't own a mobile (cell) phone - but will use someone else's.

He's the tech equivalent of a fucking anti-vaxxer. Doesn't want to deal with the realities and compromises of having convenient communications, but happy to ride on someone else's compromise for his own benefit.

> I think of him as a sort of national treasure

A man who wants pedophilia, child porn, bestiality and necrophilia legalised, is "a national treasure"?

I don't even want to know what nation you think should treasure people like that.