The lecture will take place on the 7th of May 2025 from 16:30 in the auditorium of building G at Technical university of Liberec.

The lecture by Mr. Richard Stallman will be focused on free software – a movement that Mr. Stallman himself founded in 1983. It will focus on the dangers of the constant proliferation of non-free software in our digital society, how such software limits us as users, and how we can fight against it with free software.

This lecture is organized by the Faculty of Mechatronics, Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies of the Technical University of Liberec. Like most of Mr. Stallman's lectures, this lecture is intended for the general public. There will be a voluntary admission fee only, after the lecture it will also be possible to purchase items with the theme of the GNU operating system and the Free Software Foundation.

Who is Richard Stallman?

Dr. Richard Stallman launched the free software movement in 1983 and started the development of the GNU operating system (see www.gnu.org) in 1984. GNU is free software: everyone has the freedom to copy it and redistribute it, with or without changes. The GNU/Linux system, basically the GNU operating system with Linux as the kernel, is used on tens of millions of computers today.

Stallman has received the ACM Grace Hopper Award and the ACM Software and Systems Award, a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award, and the the Takeda Award for Social/Economic Betterment, as well as many doctorates honoris causa, and has been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. If you are also interested in his other projects or ideas, you can visit his personal website, where he regularly adds new content.

Dr Richard Stallman
Founder of the Free Software Foundation
Founder and development leader of the GNU operating system

Lecture

The lecture will consist of a two-hour presentation followed by an interactive Q&A session. If you have questions for Mr. Stallman related to the lecture topics, please prepare them in advance. Questions can be submitted either on paper or through a dedicated website. Following the discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to take photographs with Mr. Stallman and have memorabilia signed.

We recommend arriving a bit early, as the auditorium will be open at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the lecture. You don't need to bring anything special, just your prepared questions and perhaps a drink if you'd like. Restrooms will be available, of course. Due to capacity limitations, we won't be providing refreshments, but there are several vending machines with drinks and snacks located throughout the building.

FAQ