[SIGCIS-Members] Fwd: When was first campaign for computer users' freedom

David Alan Grier grier at gwu.edu
Mon Aug 13 07:45:28 PDT 2012


Andrew
    I know that the users groups of the major vendors had resistance from members in the 60s and 70s, though I think it was slightly different from Stallmans movement. It was really a fight against vendors power in the early software age. IBM had announced that they would unbundle and that seemed to allow many options but the big vendors were slow to move. Especially when many believed that the hardware vendors would still provide tools such as compilers. My Dad faced a showdown in the Burroughs user group in the fall of 1969 or the spring of 1970. He was in touch with the IBM and Univac user groups an knew that they were having similar problems.  The users would disrupt the meetings and demand that something be done about it. It lasted for about a year. Dad restructured the user group meetings to address it.   This was also the time when the hardware vendors started to realize that they were not going control software. 

David



_______________
David Alan Grier
Fellow, IEEE
2013 President, IEEE Computer Society
Assoc Prof, George Washington University

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 12, 2012, at 10:49 AM, Andrew Russell <arussell at stevens.edu> wrote:

> Hello everyone - 
> 
> This question (via Dave Farber's list) seemed like a good one for SIGCIS members to think about.  My first thought is that answers would depend on one's definition of each of the operative terms (campaign, computer, user, freedom) :-)
> 
> Andy
> 
> PS you might cc Stallman and Farber on any responses that have examples of earlier 'campaigns.'
> 
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: "Richard Stallman" <rms at gnu.org>
>> Date: Aug 4, 2012 1:43 AM
>> Subject: When was first campaign for computer users' freedom
>> To: <dave at farber.net>
>> 
>> The free software movement, a campaign for computer users' freedom,
>> started in 1983.
>> 
>> Do you know of any other campaigns for computer users' freedom prior
>> to that?  I don't mean the same specific issue (free vs proprietary
>> software), I mean any issue of freedom from unjust power, specifically
>> in regard to computer users or computer use.
>> 
>> The reason I'm asking is that the free software movement might have
>> been the first such campaign, but I can't sure yet.
>> 
>> --
>> Dr Richard Stallman
>> President, Free Software Foundation
>> 51 Franklin St
>> Boston MA 02110
>> USA
>> www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
>> Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
>>   Use free telephony http://directory.fsf.org/category/tel/
>> Archives  | Modify Your Subscription | Unsubscribe Now 	 
> 
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