From his website stallman.org:

Richard Stallman has cancer. Fortunately it is slow-growing and manageable follicular lymphona, so he will probably live many more years nonetheless. But he now has to be even more careful not to catch Covid-19.

Recent video of him speaking at GNU 40 Hacker Meeting. Screenshots of video stream.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    2029 months ago

    Sad news about a pioneer of internet freedom. He has earned his fair share of criticism and detractors, but he has also given a lot to the Linux and free software ecosystem. I personally run [email protected] on all my rigs to support open-source cancer research, I hope one day we can finally cross cancer off the list of humankind’s foes.

    • Luccus
      link
      fedilink
      1129 months ago

      Stallman is like the friend you’ll never introduce to your family.

      • @eestileib
        link
        439 months ago

        The guy in your WoW guild who carries hard but you know you never want to meet.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      -81
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      I don’t think we’re too far away from AI’s that can refactor compiled code into any language of your choice; then all software will be open source.

      Edit: lul; at least 50 people are butt hurt over the idea that an AI can decipher assembler in 5-10 years

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        319 months ago

        stop getting all your info about AI and it’s current/upcoming capabilities from mainstream news media my dude lol

        We’re nowhere close to what you describe, and even we were, that wouldn’t be the same thing as “open source”, since you could only do it to code you have access to. You couldn’t - for example, use it to get a copy of the Reddit/Facebook server-side source code

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            49 months ago

            In my defense, apparently my phone auto corrects “its” to “it’s” 🙄

            Though that’s probably because I misuse it all the time myself lol

      • @Jumuta
        link
        89 months ago

        but the licensing and copyright is still an issue

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        49 months ago

        You should know the difference between free software, open source software and source-visible software.

        I rank it Free>opensource>source availiable

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        49 months ago

        Downvoted because phrased as a technical solution. There might be a technical solution one day but until then, if it ever happens, it’s a moral problem. By phrasing it otherwise we diminish the value and efforts of countless people, including RMS, who did invest their time in FLOSS for an ideal. Again it might happen but until then we must bet on what is right, not an idealized future that prompts idleness because it is genuinely dangerous.

      • WuTang
        link
        fedilink
        English
        49 months ago

        even if LLM were capable of this, don’t expect it to be any open. like everything we saw these last 25y, it starts free, it captivates you and you have to pay for. paying for is not a problem in general but the conditions how they delivers the service to you might be problematic.

        we don’t need AI for code, we need frugality and scope bounds.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        29 months ago

        I think we still have a long way to go before this is equivalent to “the preferred form for modification”. I’d give it at least 5 more years. It would be really cool if you could just say “Hello AI, please remove all ad code from Windows”. But I think it is going to be a long time until we get there.

        Also as this gets closer companies will get more defensive. It will become an arms race of obfuscating the code vs the AI understanding it.

        And still, free software that can be modified and the copies can be redistributed is a world away from being able to ask your AI to try and make these modifications yourself.

        On top of all of that don’t forget about DMCA where circumventing digital protections is a crime, even if you don’t commit any other crime.

      • notsharp
        link
        fedilink
        -29 months ago

        if AI can create code by its own, then that’s the day when every white collar jobs will be replaced by AI.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        -2
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        Someone still has to know how to query the AI for it to spit out the code that actually does what we want it to.

        The only way current AI models would gain the abilities you described in any practical sense is if they joined forces with the neuroscientists to invent a brain implant that would allow a human brain to exploit the advantages of human intelligence and artificial intelligence models while shoring up the weaknesses of both.

  • darcy
    link
    1399 months ago

    cancer is bloat

  • QuentinCallaghan
    link
    fedilink
    789 months ago

    Seeing him without his beard and hair feels so wrong and even uncanny. I hope he has a lot more years ahead of him and he kicks cancer’s ass.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    70
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    His page doesn’t load so it must be overwhelmed with visitors.
    Linux users all around the world who want to be close to him.
    When things matter, we are a good community guys <3

  • ptrck
    link
    fedilink
    659 months ago

    From what I read it slow growing and pretty manageable as far as cancer is manageable of course. Hope he’ll make a quick recovery, and start growing that magnificent beard back.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      26
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      If Hank Green is anything to go by, it’ll only come back stronger.

      Edit: His beard I mean.

      • palordrolap
        link
        fedilink
        219 months ago

        Yikes. Your comment was very easy to take out of context.

        Until I read back, it looked like you were saying Hank’s cancer was somehow back stronger than before (which would have to have been practically fresh breaking news), and not a comment on post-chemotherapy beard growth being different, perhaps stronger, than before.

        Follicular cancer doesn’t sound like it bodes as well for a beard as other kinds of lymphoma (like Hank’s was) but hey, you might still be right.

        (RMS is a controversial character in some regards. While I wouldn’t strictly wish the loss of a greybeard’s beard as cosmic correction of controversial behaviour, I’d much rather that than cancer. That’d be too far, Universe.)

  • katy ✨
    link
    fedilink
    489 months ago

    Eff cancer :(

    Hopefully some day we get to the point where it’s as rare as polio. I think that’s the same kind that Hank Green had though, IIRC. Hopefully it’s as manageable.

    • Deebster
      link
      fedilink
      179 months ago

      Your comment confused me since I thought you were saying the EFF was cancer at first.

  • aba
    link
    fedilink
    299 months ago

    RMS is a hero he will survive. I really respect this dude commitment to his beliefs and values and everyone know that he is right despite any personal biases against him. Foss is the way.

  • electromage
    link
    fedilink
    209 months ago

    Is he accepting medical treatments that require non-free software? Serious question, from what I know of him he would rather die. I don’t know if that changes when you’re actually faced with it though.

    • Captain Beyond
      link
      fedilink
      789 months ago

      Software freedom applies only to hardware you personally own. It wouldn’t even apply to machines you interact with but do not own (such as ATMs or kiosks) since you aren’t the one who agrees to the proprietary software license.

      Stallman himself explains it in his computing FAQ.

      • @merc
        link
        29 months ago

        If you would like to put my speech on the Internet, or distribute it in digital form, I insist on using the formats of the free software community: Ogg Vorbis or Ogg Speex

        Streaming is a kind of Internet distribution, so everything in the previous section applies. In particular, you must use only Ogg format or Matroska VP8 (Webm).

        http://xahlee.info/emacs/misc/rms_speech_requirement.html

        It seems reasonable to wonder if he’ll allow an MRI image of his cancer if that image isn’t saved in a Free format. I don’t know where he draws the line, but his requirements seem to go quite a bit beyond what he owns or interacts with.

  • Bali
    link
    fedilink
    English
    179 months ago

    Yes Stallman have issues but you dont wish someone dead! I know someone who is currently battling cancer and on chemotherapy and its an awful situation just to see it. I hope RMS can beat the cancer.