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Richard Stallman

By SiddharthaSingh028

  • 1970 - Enrolls at Harvard University

    1970 - Enrolls at Harvard University
    Stallman starts his undergraduate studies at Harvard University.

  • 1974 - Receives Bachelor's Degree

    1974 - Receives Bachelor's Degree
    Stallman completes his bachelor's degree in physics at Harvard.

  • 1974 - Begins Graduate Studies at MIT

    1974 - Begins Graduate Studies at MIT
    Stallman begins his graduate studies in computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

  • 1983 - Founding of GNU Project

    1983 - Founding of GNU Project
    Stallman launches the GNU Project, which aims to create a free Unix-like operating system, as well as the GNU General Public License (GPL), which guarantees software freedom.

  • 1985 - Formation of Free Software Foundation (FSF)

    1985 - Formation of Free Software Foundation (FSF)
    Stallman founds the Free Software Foundation to promote the development of free software and advocate for user liberties.

  • 1985 - Emacs

    1985 - Emacs
    Stallman releases Emacs, a highly extensible text editor and one of the first examples of free software.

  • 1989: Releases the GNU

    1989: Releases the GNU
    The GNU General Public License (GPLv1), a cornerstone of free software licensing, is made available [gnu.org].

  • 1991: The GNU development almost finished

    1991: The GNU development almost finished
    Except for the kernel, the GNU development environment is nearly complete.

  • 1992: The Linux kernel

    1992: The Linux kernel
    Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel, which is compatible with the GNU system. The combination creates the GNU/Linux operating system, a popular free and open-source alternative to proprietary systems [Wikipedia: GNU Linux].

  • 1993: FSF launches

    1993: FSF launches
    The FSF introduces the GNU Privacy Guard (GPG), a free software tool for secure communication.

  • 1999: Stallman asks for free encyclopedia

    1999: Stallman asks for free encyclopedia
    Stallman advocated for the creation of a free online encyclopedia by asking people to submit articles.

  • 2009: FSF launches the "Respect Your Freedom" campaign

    2009: FSF launches the "Respect Your Freedom" campaign
    The Free Software Foundation (FSF) announces the "Respect Your Freedom" campaign to advocate user rights in the digital age [fsf.org].

  • 2015: Receives the ACM Software System Award

    2015: Receives the ACM Software System Award
    Richard Stallman receives the ACM Software System Award for developing the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC).

  • 2019: Resigns from the FSF board

    2019: Resigns from the FSF board
    Resigns after having some controversial opinions.

  • 2021 - Richard Stallman returns to the board

    2021 - Richard Stallman returns to the board
    Stallman continued to lead the GNU Project and rejoined the FSF board of directors in 2021.