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Open source philosophy is actually counter productive, he said: “It tends to close people’s minds to the idea of free software. It even tends to cover up our existence.”

He likes the use of “libre” instead of “free” as it causes less confusion, and mentions LibreOffice, a free software project which split from OpenOffice over the inclusion of closed software within the open source office suite.

Looking to the future

Stallman still wants to stamp out proprietary software, but predicts it may not be possible: “In almost 200 years of abolitionism we haven’t totally eliminated slavery.”

But what about the reverse possibility, of free software being effectively killed? “The biggest threats to free software are legal prohibitions, such as software patents in some countries that have foolish policies.”

There are some laws that “explicitly censor free software,” he said, “such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act in the US which censors the free software you can break digital handcuffs with.”

Manufacturers still use the “unethical practice” of having hardware that can only be used with specific software, and bundling software, he said. And donating copies of non-free software to schools is wrong: “Bill Gates’ idea of charity is to get schools to get their students hooked on Windows so he can make more money. That’s not charity!”

If all this sounds heavy, it is. Stallman attacks issues with a rigorous approach and is engaged in a campaign that most people would say is impossible. Despite this, he is  not hostile or confrontational.  If he can’t change someone’s mind, he says, he walks away.

He is happiest writing song parodies, of which he is proudest of  Guantanamero, the story of a Guantanamo prisoner to the well-known cuban tune Guantanamera. “The best bit about it is I recorded it in Cuba, with Cuban musicians – I believe it has been on the radio,” he said. “I hope it struck a blow against the empire, but I can’t measure how much of a blow it struck.”