Groklaw: The Daemon, the GNU and the Penguin, Ch. 24

“Richard Stallman wrote The GNU Manifesto in 1984. As I said in
Chapter 12, ‘it marks the true beginning of the GNU Project.’ One
part of the Manifesto, ‘Why I must write GNU,’ has been a
‘favorite’ of mine for over twenty years. Let me quote it
again.

“I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a
program I must share it with other people who like it. Software
sellers want to divide the users and conquer them, making each user
agree not to share with others. I refuse to break solidarity with
other users in this way. I cannot in good conscience sign a
nondisclosure agreement or a software license agreement. For years
I worked within the Artificial Intelligence Lab to resist such
tendencies and other inhospitalities, but eventually they had gone
too far. I could not remain in an institution where such things are
done for me against my will…”

Complete
Story