The work of Richard M. Stallman literally speaks for itself. From the documented source code to the published papers to the recorded speeches, few people have expressed as much willingness to lay their thoughts and their work on the line.Such openness-if one can pardon a momentary un-Stallman adjective-is refreshing. After all, we live in a society that treats information, especially personal information, as a valuable commodity. The question quickly arises. Why would anybody want to part with so much information and yet appear to demand nothing in return?

this is a work of journalism, but it is also a work of technical documentation. In the process of writing and editing this book, the editors and the writer have weighed the comments and factual input of various participants in the story, including Richard Stallman himself.