Recently, there’s been a member of LowEndTalk who’s been asking some very strange questions.

• Which providers don’t require JavaScript for their control panels?
• Which providers use PGP encryption for all email communication?
• Which providers accept cash?
• Which providers don’t require a phone number?
• Which domain registrars don’t require JavaScript?

The rationale given for these questions is a mix of personal privacy and a maximalist view of free software.

This reminds me of Richard Stallman, the head of GNU and the author of the GNU Public License.  Stallman is famous for refusing to interact with any technology that is not based on free software.

For him, this includes

• Not browsing any web pages that contain non-trivial, non-free JavaScript (which is virtually the entire Internet). I’ve always thought this was a bizarre point.  The HTML, CSS, images, etc. are copyrighted by the publisher of the page, and you’re allowed to read it.  JavaScript, being software, is copyrighted also and you’re given a license to read it.  What really is the difference?  He doesn’t object to the non-free nature of the HTML, CSS, and images.
• Not connecting to most hotel wifi, as that requires either JavaScript or some kind of identifying access.
• Not owning a cell phone.
• Not streaming any music or video.
• Not using 99.999% of laptops made, since they have non-free BIOS or drivers.
• Not taking many forms of public transit.
• Or ride-sharing services.
• Not ordering from Amazon or online merchants.
• Including food delivery.
• And forget about AI.

Etcetera.  Read his travel rider for some more examples.

This what I would call a “free software maximalist” lifestyle.  It’s taking the stance that one will not compromise principles regardless of the impact on one’s own life.

But Is It Rational?

I don’t share Stallman’s views, though I certainly have my own ethical red lines.  But when you reach the point that you’re completely rejecting all of modern society, being a technologist might not be for you.  If you reduce modern technology down to a few isolated ethically pure implementations, perhaps you’d just be better off as a monk.

There are plenty of people who live a technology minimalist life, even a high-tech-free life.  It’s fundamentally weird to say “I reject nearly everything about modern technology, but I want to be deeply involved in the technology community.”

What Drives This?

I’m sure some people think Stallman is rational, just hyper-principled.  But I think there’s something deeper.

So what drives this psychology?

• Autism Spectrum Disorder: I don’t think anyone doubts that Stallman is “dialed perhaps a little higher on the autistic spectrum than most hackers” as one person who encountered him stated.  But plenty of autistic individuals have cell phones.  A feature of autism is sometimes that people develop intense, rules-based interests and derive comfort from absolutes and drawing black vs. white lines.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Traits:  People with OCPD often have very rigid moral or ethical codes and a perfectionistic need to live “the right way.”
• Paranoid Personality Traits: Distrusting institution, corporations, big tech, and the government fit.  There’s a fear of being tracked, spied on, or manipulated.

Even without  a diagnosable disorder, some folks derive their entire sense of identity from moral purity or ideological consistency.  If you asked Stallman who he is, being an ideologically pure free software advocate is going to be the first thing he says, much as a Catholic priest is going to say “I’m a priest” as their first response.

There are plenty of free software advocates in the world.  The difference is flexibility: a passionate free-software advocate can still function in normal life; someone with a mental-health driver can’t stop even when it makes life miserable.

raindog308

Raindog308 is a longtime LowEndTalk community administrator, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, Raindog runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.

Beyond the command line, Raindog is a lover of German Shepherds, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.

His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.

You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.