[HN Gopher] Dr. Richard Stallman to give free talk and QA at Geo...
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       Dr. Richard Stallman to give free talk and QA at Georgia Tech Jan.
       23rd 2-5pm
        
       Author : rockenman1234
       Score  : 48 points
       Date   : 2025-12-21 17:59 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (old.reddit.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (old.reddit.com)
        
       | rockenman1234 wrote:
       | The event is free and open to the public. This will be Dr.
       | Stallman's first talk at a U.S. college since his cancer
       | diagnosis and successful recovery in 2019. Seating is available
       | on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that we will be
       | accepting cash-only donations for our fundraiser at the event.
       | 
       | If you'll be in Atlanta that week - or simply want the
       | opportunity to see and meet Dr. Stallman - this is a rare chance
       | you won't want to miss!
        
       | gnerd00 wrote:
       | The first and only time I met Richard Stallman was at a small
       | private talk in Palo Alto at MacAurthur Park. About 20 people at
       | most I would say. His rigor and attentiveness to detail stood out
       | brightly, even amongst a room full of PhDs and others. I was
       | startled by the talk at the time and I have to say that those
       | ideas have never left me since then. The content of his careful
       | polemic have only grown in weight and relevancy today, whatever
       | your own views are.
       | 
       | It is an honor and achievement of a society that Richard Stallman
       | may speak and say what he chooses to say, in 2025.
        
         | rockenman1234 wrote:
         | Thank you! I agree - it's an honor to host RMS for a talk! We
         | will be posting video recordings of the event online afterward,
         | so please keep an eye out if you're interested in hearing what
         | he has to say in 2025.
         | 
         | > It is an honor and achievement of a society that Richard
         | Stallman may speak and say what he chooses to say, in 2025.
         | 
         | Georgia Tech, as a public institution, takes the First
         | Amendment very seriously (see:
         | https://provost.gatech.edu/academic-freedom-and-freedom-
         | expr...). Our student organization has worked hard with the
         | College of Computing and other members of the administration to
         | ensure that all of RMS's requests have been met.
        
       | schmuckonwheels wrote:
       | I believe Stallman's doctorate is honorary. Courtesy of
       | Wikipedia:
       | 
       | >With regard to the use of this honorific, the policies of
       | institutions of higher education generally ask that recipients
       | "refrain from adopting the misleading title" and that a recipient
       | of an honorary doctorate should restrict the use of the title
       | "Dr" before their name to any engagement with the institution of
       | higher education in question and not within the broader
       | community.
       | 
       | This, however, does not overshadow his contribution to computing
       | and I must say that as of 2025, he has been right about most
       | things (with the possible exception of secure boot).
        
         | Cpoll wrote:
         | He's considered and written about this very subject:
         | https://www.stallman.org/articles/dr-stallman.html
        
         | rockenman1234 wrote:
         | Dr. Stallman has received 15 honorary doctorates (see:
         | https://www.stallman.org/articles/dr-stallman.html). After a
         | certain point, the consistency of such recognition speaks for
         | itself. TBH after like 5 I would start seeing the point of
         | calling myself 'doctor'. Georgia Tech also awards honorary
         | doctorates through the statewide university system, and as
         | such, there is no institutional policy dictating how
         | individuals are to address one another.
         | 
         | I appreciate the concern and agree that RMS has been
         | extraordinarily influential in the field of computing. We will
         | be posting videos of the event afterward, so if you're
         | interested in hearing what he has to say in 2025, please keep
         | an eye out!
        
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       (page generated 2025-12-21 23:01 UTC)