back to article Thief open-sources Richard Stallman's laptop, passport, visa

Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, was distressed to find his personal belongings had been liberally distributed sans GPL - his prized laptop, wallet and passport were nicked at a conference in Argentina. The snatch happened as fans of the Emacs author shouted over each other in an attempt to talk to …

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  1. Echowitch

    With the current economy in Argentina its not really surprising this has happened. Argentina's President is lying to everyone about the state of the economy, and many people have no jobs or money. Theft is the least of the issues they have there. Kidnapping is the big money maker.

    (Married to an Argentine)

    1. eurobloke

      Tell to...

      Tell that to a certain Mark Weisbort of The Guardian. He sometimes writes articles that are so pro-Argentine that he writes directly from president herself.

  2. Tim Parker

    "Presumably the thief will have spent the day battling a command prompt and failing to install the right codecs and packages just to watch a YouTube video."

    Oh do grow up...

    1. David Neil
      Paris Hilton

      So the thief wouldn't have to do that?

      1. Tim Parker

        @David Neil

        "So the thief wouldn't have to do that?"

        Do what ? Use the command line to not install working codecs ? That's not even wrong. No, what i'm objecting to is this supercilious bit of FUD towards the end of a rather meely-mouthed article. Frankly I don't give a shit about what operating system or tools people choose to use - there are plenty enough of them out them to suit pretty much anyone doing anything, and what they decide to use is entirely their affair. Pathetic little jibes such as this - based on ignorance, the desire to show some section of the audience how super-hip they are, or whatever - just get right up my nose.

        El Reg staff and supporters seem awfully quick to jump on the band-wagon that just how the site is, and always has been, 'biting the hand that feeds IT' - but there's a difference (in my mind) between between biting wit and humour, and spouting age-old, ill-informed, inflammatory and un-necessary twaddle. It's just like being back in bloody infants school, hence 'grow up'.

        1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

          Re: @David Neil

          Hi Tim - I'm not sure many Argie bag thieves would know how to install a video codec on a fairly obscure MIPS64-powered netbook..

          1. Tim Parker

            Re: @David Neil

            "I'm not sure many Argie bag thieves would know how to install a video codec on a fairly obscure MIPS64-powered netbook.."

            ..and i'm not sure if that was the inference of the comment - if so, I would apologise - taken in the context of this article, and having had enough of this sort of pointless remark from enough places inside and outside of the editorial staff, I thought not.

            Like I say - if i've got it totally wrong, i'll apologise... perhaps Anna could elucidate - although i'm an easy mark now, aren't I ?

            1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

              Re: Tim

              That was pretty much the sentiment of the comment: Stallman's netbook isn't well-known hardware, doesn't have a particularly user-friendly setup (gNewSense and Emacs), and is altogether not a particularly great environment for an opportunistic thief.

              I dunno about Anna's past experiences with FOSS, but I know that pissing about with codecs wasn't particularly enjoyable - so I just couldn't resist inserting the jibe.

              C.

              1. Tim Parker

                Re: Tim

                "I dunno about Anna's past experiences with FOSS, but I know that pissing about with codecs wasn't particularly enjoyable - so I just couldn't resist inserting the jibe."

                Well then I owe Anna an apology - i'm not sure about adding stuff to other peoples articles without notice or attribution though, and given what you just said - I guess I don't owe you one.

                We've all had head-aches with codecs, particularly on open source software platforms in the past - but that's pretty much exactly where it happened... in the past. Let it go man, it's just not funny any more, and the internet, and the world in general, will actually survive without another 'EVERTHING is done on the COMMAND-LINE !!! - and you can't watch videos !!!' comment about FOSS... trust me on that one.

                I may have had a slight *cough* over-reaction to the comment - but trolling like that is not new, certainly not clever, now is it ? Come on...

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              @Tim Parker

              Don't worry, there probably won't be any need to apologise. There are next to 100% chances that the laptop was encrypted, this is standard practice on GNU/Linux and a Reg hack should know that.

              So I guess it's pretty safe to assume that her comment was indeed derogatory.

              1. This post has been deleted by its author

              2. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: myself 15:45

                Whoops, didn't see diodesign's comment before posting mine (that's what I get for not refreshing the comments page before posting).

                My point is still valid though, even though the actual perpetrator is not the author of the article.

        2. Marshalltown
          FAIL

          Reading skills

          You need to pay more attention. Stallman is notoriously cranky about the purity of his computing environment. The knot head who stole his computer stole a device that is nonstandard in the extreme - from the BIOS up. The passage you complain so piteously about was what in English lit is known as "ironic humour." So, what you really need to do is not read stuff that gets up your nose.

          1. Tim Parker

            Re: Reading skills

            "You need to pay more attention."

            Nope.

            " Stallman is notoriously cranky about the purity of his computing environment. The knot head who stole his computer stole a device that is nonstandard in the extreme - from the BIOS up. "

            Yep.

            "The passage you complain so piteously about was what in English lit is known as "ironic humour.""

            No it wasn't - it was a jibe about the pain of installing codecs at some point in time, according to the author of the comment (not the article) when they weren't saying the intention was something else.

            " So, what you really need to do is not read stuff that gets up your nose."

            Yeah - that's why I spend a great deal less time around here.

            1. Tim Parker

              An apology

              When I made the initial comment that started this thread, I did so having read the whole article. It's seems from the comments that a few others, including myself, thought the article somewhat gloating or insensitive, and in that context I took the line about installing codecs from the command-line to be the 'usual' dig.

              In hind-sight I now think that somewhat rash, and ultimately quite wrong.

              My only excuse is perhaps that having heard almost the exact same line ad-nauseum, when meant very deliberately to be insulting or in some cases 'instructional', my tolerance has decreased somewhat.

              To those that were pointing out dramatic irony, I understood quite clearly that the situation could fit into that construct, but I did not believe that was the intention - and such things are notoriously easy to justify a posteriori. I did not give the author of the line (who I initially thought the author of the article) much, if any, benefit of the doubt. To do that was wrong, even if I felt at the time it was justified.

              In the end, I think I got it wrong - i've already apologised here to Anna as she had nothing to do with it, so this is to the rest - and diodesign (Drew ?) if I take you at your word.

        3. Gordon Fecyk
          Thumb Down

          One reader's biting wit and humour...

          ...is another reader's unnecessary twaddle.

        4. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Hey Tim! - Re: @David Neil

          Looking back I don't see you moaning at "Foxxconn Rebadging"?

          Diddums...

          1. Tim Parker

            Re: Hey Tim! - @David Neil

            Looking back I don't see you moaning at "Foxxconn Rebadging"?

            Hey A.Coward - although an insult, it is at least not factually incorrect, and it was the first time i'd heard it. I don't use it, nor will I in the future I expect, but I found it amusing one time. Repetition of that would get on my fucking nerves as well. Notice a trend here ?

            1. wayward4now
              Linux

              Re: Hey Tim! - @David Neil

              Yeah, I can spot the trend as well. It's the same ole same ole. The article merely commented that the thief would have one helluva time trying to use it as a consumer toy. It's a Stallman Machine, from the bios up. Ergo, IF the thief could even get into it, there the likelyhood that whatever he finds in it will be non-standard kit in just about every fashion there is. Ergo, no watching YouTube for lack of codex that would work on such a machine. That's all there was to it. If it isn't written, it didn't happen. Yet, we'll get these raving Stallmanites raising hell about any percieved slight to their Master, who was busily punching himself in public. Oh NO! Don't look at the man behind the curtain! Jeeeeeezzzz. the lack of humor within FSF is appalling, as well as embarressing. It could happen to anyone.

    2. Quxy
      FAIL

      I agree...

      This is one of the rare cases where the juvenile level of the El Reg article itself manages to start out lower than the tone of the comments in the forum.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The author's

    ill concealed glee is a bit distasteful... May she too meet a similar fate.

    1. The BigYin
      Thumb Down

      Re: The author's

      I'll agree on the tone, but not on the punishment. Being robbed is a total shit.

      Trust me.

  4. Turtle

    Callous....

    "He started [...] punching himself in the head."

    In his moment of need, no one offered to do it for him?

    People can be so callous.

    1. eulampios

      Re: Callous....

      I hope that people around you would be more generous to you.

  5. tiggertaebo

    Not pleasant :(

    I'm no fan of Stallman's - in fact I think he is borderline demented but this isn't something I'd wish on the guy.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Not pleasant :(

      You have to watch the demented ones.

      One anorexic loony in a loincloth and we lost a whole sub-continent !

      1. Paul_Murphy

        Re: Not pleasant :(

        >lost

        To be fair it's not as if we found it first.

        ttfn

  6. The BigYin

    Shitty thing to have happen

    No matter what you may think for RMS or his ethos, being robbed is not amusing and not something I would wish on anyone.

    I hope he gets a replacement netbook (or other device) and I hope he does not suffer from losing his meds etc. Actually, I hope they find his property and the thief! Or the thief just turns everything back in.

    But a salient lesson to one and all:

    1) Backup, backup, backup!

    2) Keep important documents in a secure place (e.g. hotel safe, concealed pocket, money wallet)

    3) Secure bags where possible (e.g. lock and chain, Pacsafe, trusted person/location)

    4) Backup!

    1. Bronek Kozicki
      Unhappy

      Re: Shitty thing to have happen

      ... even worse is being robbed of passport while abroad. Of course this kind of thing do happen and I would guess US consulate will not delay granting him a new one. It's likely to severely disturb his travel plans, though.

    2. Chuunen Baka

      Re: Shitty thing to have happen

      Abroad I always keep passport, some cash and a spare credit card in one of the those over the shoulder money belt thingies tucked well away under my clothes. Leaving your passport out of sight is negligent.

      But anyway, we shouldn't be mocking another's misfortune.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shitty thing to have happen

      Totally recommend the pacsafe. I used one when I recently did some travelling solo around Australia. Especially useful if you're going to the beach, or whatnot... and especially useful when travelling solo though, gives much more peace of mind.

      Being a bit paranoid about losing stuff, or damaging it, I had sealed wallets inside a waterproof money wallet for the really important things. The mesh net pacsafes aren't totally fool proof, as I worked out a way to rummage through the top part of my rucksack without taking the pacsafe off, but that's more a fault in my rusksacks design than the pacsafe. Though, I did have a lower lockable section of the main sack so I just placed the passports, etc in there if I really needed to take it off.

      To add to the 'backup, backup, backup'. Always keep copies of your passports, visas, etc on you. I kept copies stored in my email, in my money wallet and at my grandparents place... backups don't apply just to computers. Having those available even as duplicates speeds up getting replacements.

      1. The BigYin

        Re: Shitty thing to have happen

        @AC "Always keep copies of your passports, visas, etc on you. I kept copies stored in my email, in my money wallet and at my grandparents place... backups don't apply just to computers. Having those available even as duplicates speeds up getting replacements."

        I'd almost agree to that, but if travelling with someone else I would swap the copies. If one person gets robbed, the other(s) act as a back-up.

        Also, never carry credit cards in the same wallet as money and other common sense precautions.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shitty thing to have happen

      5) Encrypt your disks, lock down your BIOS.

      We all know the BIOS password is easily circumvented, but at least your data will be safe in most cases.

    5. M Gale

      Re: Shitty thing to have happen

      5) A remotely addressable neon driver connected to the keys.

      6) A remotely addressable lump of C4.

      Okay okay, I can see problems with this from the get go. Still though, of all the laptops to steal, I really wouldn't want to steal one from a hacker, whatever colour their hat.

    6. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Shitty thing to have happen

      >I hope he does not suffer from losing his meds etc

      That's what he's like WITH the meds !!!

      < whinney manc voice=on > the drugs don't work .....

  7. Rufus McDufus

    I've been through Buenos Aires airport and can confirm that if you blink you will get all your belongings stolen. I tried not to blink but know a lot of people who did.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yep, we blinked and then had the deeply unpleasant experience of having to buy our passports from the bastards who had just 'found the bag' they were in.

      We had an onward plane to catch and the police didn't give a shit, so no real choice.

      I will never go to argentina again in my life, quite apart from being married to a paraguayan, who have a nice little chip on their shoulder about argentina (and some funny jokes about where all the dogs in Buenos Aires went in the late nineties)

      Ho hum.

  8. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

    Rotten thing to happen.

    I have not been to Buenos Aires, but I have been to other places so riddled with pickpockets that I was tempted to put a live mousetrap in my coat pockets or bag. In one place whenever some little kid asked me the time, I told them whilst swiping my hand over my back pocket rapidly. I always connected.

    They didn't get anything (except a slap on the wrist).

  9. sugerbear

    I hope he has learned his lesson

    He will now be buying an apple laptop and uploading all his data to the (i)cloud.

    Where it's safe :)

    1. Shane8
      Joke

      Re: I hope he has learned his lesson

      your forgot the joke icon....there fixed!

    2. jonathanb Silver badge

      Re: I hope he has learned his lesson

      There's no reason why he can't rsync his data to one of the FSF servers.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: I hope he has learned his lesson

        Real men don't backup - real men just upload their important stuff on ftp, and let the rest of the world mirror it

  10. OzBob
    Facepalm

    Can we at least be a little bit smug?

    While evangalising about open source and high level issues (and quite rightly BTW), RMS seems to have forgotten a little bit of pragmatism about security and mitigating data loss.

    Lets not forget, while RMS was talking, Linus was actually doing and was also winning the PR battle (watch the last scene of "Revolution OS" for an example).

    1. Tom 38

      Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

      Never thought I'd see 'RMS' and 'pragmatism' in the same sentence, except when separated by 'has no'.

    2. Nick Kew
      Facepalm

      Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

      RMS has a long and distinguished history of doing. Much longer than Linus's. RMS in the early days did more than anyone to persuade the world free software could mean something other than useless crap on a floppy attached to a magazine.

      Dammit, have I been trolled?

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

      To be fair to RMS, some of the many things he did included the GCC compiler and the GPL - both of which were pretty essential to getting Linux going. On the shoulders of giants and all that...

      1. OzBob

        Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

        RMS did have the idea, full credit for that, but Linus made it into something workable and popular. Again, I would rather admire an Engineer that an Evangelist.

        1. eulampios

          Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

          Little or no engineering might have been possible without proper evangelism. And why the Harvard graduate is not an engineer? gcc and emacs?

          As Linus points out himself , the story of the Linux kernel would have been very different if he did not embrace the GPL back in 1991: "best thing I ever did."

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @OzBob

          RMS did have the idea, full credit for that, but Linus made it into something workable and popular.

          Linus only wrote the kernel, mind you, and it takes a lot more than just a kernel to have a working OS. The whole GNU stack, for example.

          1. Mint Sauce
            Pirate

            Re: @OzBob

            Linus only wrote the kernel, mind you, and it takes a lot more than just a kernel to have a working OS. The whole GNU stack, for example.

            Then there's the small matter of Andrew Tanenbaum and Minix of course... I still have that book :)

      2. eulampios

        Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

        Please don't forget about GNU Emacs.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. Tom 7

        Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

        What you young'uns fail to realise is that not long prior to MS et al all software was free. It was regarded as research and shared.

        The people that accuse him of being demented are living on the results of 40 years of exactly the philosophy they're trying to ridicule and without which we'd be having this discussion over steam fax machines.

        1. Eddie Edwards
          Devil

          Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

          I guess you've never heard of AT&T UNIX. Stallman's petulance far predates Microsoft.

          Anyway, his software isn't free in the sense that research is free. No research paper says "you can use the results of this research so long as you give away the complete design for any product you make with them". This idea is a clever invention of Stallman's which serves his political purpose. Equating it to old-style giving-away of research is profoundly disingenuous on his part.

          If Newton had done that and set a precedent, never mind steam fax machines, we'd have had almost no progress at all. Stallman seems hell-bent on making this happen in computing. Thankfully, the talented are now moving to MIT and BSD licenses, so we have things like LLVM compiling to iOS, and the world is a much better place for it.

          1. Displacement Activity

            @EE Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

            Agreed. As someone who started on Unix 25 years ago, and who uses gcc, emacs, and Linux every day, I can't help wondering if RMS is the one person who *really* screwed Unix.

    4. DavCrav

      Re: Can we at least be a little bit smug?

      "RMS"

      Root mean square?

  11. Nick Kew

    Different culture

    The only person to have told me in unprompted email that he has a 'pirate' copy of my book is an Argentine. Coincidence?

    (though to be fair, he is also a bona fide developer of open source software and has evidently made good use of the book in that work).

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hey RMS

    I have a nearly-gnu Macbook you can have.

  13. OzBob
    Thumb Down

    Tell me this is not churlish and petulant behaviour

    http://youtu.be/CjaC8Pq9-V0?t=1h12m29s

    "giving the Han solo award to the rebel fleet."

    1. Uncle Siggy
      FAIL

      Re: Tell me this is not churlish and petulant behaviour

      This documentary becomes propaganda at the 8 minute mark, as the sinister music is queued and the girl characterized Bill's voice. I am a proponent of (F)OSS and grateful for all the contributions to my career. I don't really use Windows because I want to, but company has me in both worlds. Are there other professionals out there uncomfortable when the "community" geekily emerge into the sunlight spewing dogma while squinting and blinking?

  14. Spoonsinger
    Paris Hilton

    The thief was only being positive in the freedom dimension!

    Paris - because she is too, (apparently)

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Divine Justice, in a way

    For so many years he was telling me it was immoral to earn money the way I did.

    Remember Stallman, Property is Theft!

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If the thief is as brainless as most seem to be then perhaps the story will end well, like for this defcon hacker:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U4oB28ksiIo

  17. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Joke

    Silly boy!

    He should have held a public referendum amongst the users of his bag, just to tell the Argies that said users were determined to remain the owners.....

  18. Simpson

    If they were ever to make a movie about Stallman, I can't decide if he should be played by Alvin, Theodore, Simon, Chip, or Dale.

  19. Chad H.
    Trollface

    Emacs?

    Thats that Vi clone, right?

    1. Mint Sauce
      Pint

      Re: Emacs?

      Eight Megs And Constantly Swapping.

      Oh, happy days. ELIZA, where are you now? ;-)

  20. feanor

    Don't mess with RMS! The man will rightly be regarded as the equivalent of Alan Turing in the future. an odd personality certainly; ridiculed because of it and worse. But when people gain a proper perspective of the approach to technology he has championed he will be nominated for a nobel prize.

    1. dlc.usa
      Mushroom

      Maybe

      "But when people gain a proper perspective of the approach to technology he has championed he will be nominated for a nobel prize."

      Unless the Bill Gates of our planet buy up enough influence to quietly outlaw free software while everybody is busy kicking the champion, especially while he's down. Then MS will finally rule the Net and everybody will live happily ever after.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Turing invented computing. RMS invented the worlds worst vi clone and shat on software reuse.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Argentinians are well known for wanting ownership of things that the current users would rather keep hold of.

    1. Jeebus

      Not very good in an actual fight though.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    10 years in the pokey should be fair punishment

    It's bad enough to steal but to add insult to injury deserves an appropriate punishment. Ten or more years in a hard labor prison should be a useful means to educate the thief.

  23. PassiveSmoking
    Unhappy

    While this isn't as bad as The Inquirer's gloating over Rieser and making light of what he did to his victims, it's still pretty despicable. As much as I don't like the guy, and believe me I don't, I wouldn't derive any pleasure from anybody having valuables stolen, especially not important travel documents and CERTAINLY not medication.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh say it is not so!

    Seeig how stall man gleefully loves to bless the death of everyone famous it is a shame it was not a thief but a gun wielding crack head who shot the fat soap-free Buddha of free tardians and the world would be such a great place now that he was gone.

  25. Anomalous Cowturd
    WTF?

    @AC 22:45 GMT

    You Sir, are an arse.

    1. DavCrav

      Re: @AC 22:45 GMT

      "You Sir, are an arse."

      I had hoped that the bold 'arse' was a hyperlink to a definition.

      1. M Gale

        Re: @AC 22:45 GMT

        I imagine the moderators would look down on hyperlinks to Goatse and quickly hit the "zap" button.

        Well, after a quick chuckle.

  26. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    For Control of Worlds, One Needs/Feeds/Seeds/Breeds Power with Words in Entangling Strings

    You have to watch the demented ones.

    One anorexic loony in a loincloth and we lost a whole sub-continent ! ….. Yet Another Anonymous coward Posted Tuesday 12th June 2012 20:19 GMT

    And the current metadatamorph of that past reality is, Yet Another Anonymous coward …… In these postmodern times, you have to try and watch the really smart ones. One fool false move to oppose them and you have lost control of the earth and planets! ....... and there would surely be those who would say that is already the reality and actuality.

    Do you know who/what controls your existence and prepares your future environment? Care to hazard an informed guess?

    Care to dare raise the reality bar to new enlightening heights and provide global lead, El Reg, or are you content to follow such outlandish/alien/novel/noble/Nobel events from the safe and secure rump that is for camp followers hailing support in the obscurity of the rear?

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      Re: For Control of Worlds, One Needs/Feeds/Seeds/Breeds Power with Words in Entangling Strings

      And in support of the above, here is a tasty tester of virtual hors d'oeuvre which was prepared earlier, and as long ago as yesterday .......

      <blockquote>amanfromMars on June 12, 2012 at 2:13 pm said: …. in a reply and a muse on http://heddinout.com/?p=7312

      Hmmm?

      Would this here ……. And whenever any assurances that may be sought and/or given, Comrade Agent Revolver, are not from just any roadmap master(s)/developer(s) but from Command and Control of Cloud Centres/Core CodedD Source Nodes in the Greatest of Great Games, is IT Really Serious Stuff guaranteeing Virtual Roadmap Master Developments …… SMARTRu AIMissions?

      For those who would care dare share in order to win win and never ever lose, is IT not just still a Game for Immaculate Power and Commendable Control of Live Operational Virtual Environments, for IT also Creates the Future with Zero Need of the Past in its Present Phorms. …… be an Advanced IntelAIgent Development of that there ……. http://www.tradeaidmonitor.com/2012/06/state-us-foreign-journalists.html

      An alien view on such matters would posit it most certainly is at least that, and so much more too, although a great deal of all of that would be yet to be said because of the MkUltraSensitive Compartmented Information nature of the Intellectual Property to be Presented in Future Reality Virtual Derivatives, and which are an Absolutely Fabulous Fabless Hedge with an Infinite Variety of LOVE* Options for Prime Time Protection from Controlled CyberSpace, against Past Pitifully Primitive and Pedestrian Performances with Failed Programs in Poor Projects.

      *Live Operational Virtual Environments </blockquote>

      And a little something different for type Silicon Valley Bankers to invest in/throw flash fast ca$h at to ensure point lead in stealthy invisible sorties? Or should that be a pleasure the Bank of £ngland would be remiss in not supplying if a Mighty Blighty CyberSpace Flight Operation? Certainly the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street has proven to be a tad catastrophically slow in getting to grips with global events and Man management of late.

    2. PassiveSmoking
      FAIL

      Re: For Control of Worlds, One Needs/Feeds/Seeds/Breeds Power with Words in Entangling Strings

      Looks like Stallman isn't the only guy to have had his meds stolen recently.

  27. Sceptic Tank Silver badge
    Boffin

    All your tough handbook is belongs to us.

    Well, looking at this review, I'd also have tears in my eyes if my Lemote Yeelong said "so long":

    http://bestlaptopnews.com/lemote-yeelong-a-100-open-source-netbook/

    I mean, it has "impressive eyeglasses" and all.

    "a 160GB οf tough handbook аrе void" - Presumably the EMACS quick start guide?

    <<== Impressive eyeglasses.

    (P.S. Best of luck to RMS. South of the equator ain't no picnic).

  28. bailey86

    Donate for a new one

    Could someone find and post the link to where we can donate towards a new one?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Donate for a new one

      Very noble. That "someone" could be you - try www.google.com or www.fsf.org in order to satisfy your altruistic fervour.

      1. bailey86

        Re: Donate for a new one

        Ummm... oh yes, Google, seems to be some sort of search site - v good.

        Nope - still can't find a donation site anywhere - so I still thought I'd ask if anyone knew where a donation site was located.

        Let's be clear on this - if RMS wasn't around and FOSS didn't exist your world would be very different. Probably, no free internet, IBM or MS controlled paid-for email, etc etc

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "Let's be clear on this"

          More search terms for you to try out now that you've learned how to use google (in the interests of balance, should point out there are other search engines that could be used):

          FreeBSD

          DARPA

          sendmail

          Note that I'm not questioning RMS' contribution - I'm perfectly "clear" on what it amounts to.

          I suspect that your best bet is to contact fsf.org to see if a way to donate already exists. If not, I suggest you set up your own site and send the proceeds to them.

  29. Ross K Silver badge
    FAIL

    Keep Taking Those Meds Richard

    "He started yelling and punching himself in the head."

    Sounds like the actions of a sane person. Was he off his medication that day or something?

    And WTF was wrong with leaving his passport and money in a hotel safe?

    Yeah having your stuff stolen is no fun, but from the article it sounds like this guy has no common sense whatsoever...

    1. Soruk
      WTF?

      Re: Keep Taking Those Meds Richard

      > And WTF was wrong with leaving his passport and money in a hotel safe?

      I don't know about Argentina, but some countries' laws (e.g. China) require visitors to carry their passports with them at all times.

      1. Ross K Silver badge
        FAIL

        Re: Keep Taking Those Meds Richard

        There's no law requiring a passport to be carried at all times in Argentina, so that's a moot point.

        Indeed, the Foreign Office says:

        "Passports should be left in a hotel safe or security box except when being used for identification purposes such as purchasing expensive items or cashing travellers’ cheques. Keep a photocopy of the details page of your passport with you at all times. Passports are required as identification for internal flights."

        Anyway, did Your Mum never tell you not to carry all your valuables together when travelling?

        Or put another way, "Don't keep all your eggs in the one basket"...

      2. Tom 38

        Re: Keep Taking Those Meds Richard

        Must be some different China to the one I just visited.

  30. moonface

    He started yelling and punching himself in the head

    I always thought 'beating yourself up' was just a turn of phrase! I suppose at least he picked on someone his own size but I hope he had time to remove his spectacles, as hitting a guy with glasses is just low.

    1. Ross K Silver badge

      Re: He started yelling and punching himself in the head

      Classic autistic self-abusive behaviour.

      You'll find that a lot of autistic people are drawn to programming as they like repetitive, fiddly tasks.

      Wired wrote an interesting article on the prevalence of autism and Asperger's in Silicon Valley:

      http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers_pr.html

      "It's a familiar joke in the industry that many of the hardcore programmers in IT strongholds like Intel, Adobe, and Silicon Graphics - coming to work early, leaving late, sucking down Big Gulps in their cubicles while they code for hours - are residing somewhere in Asperger's domain. Kathryn Stewart, director of the Orion Academy, a high school for high-functioning kids in Moraga, California, calls Asperger's syndrome "the engineers' disorder." Bill Gates is regularly diagnosed in the press: His single-minded focus on technical minutiae, rocking motions, and flat tone of voice are all suggestive of an adult with some trace of the disorder. Dov's father told me that his friends in the Valley say many of their coworkers "could be diagnosed with ODD - they're odd." In Microserfs, novelist Douglas Coupland observes, "I think all tech people are slightly autistic." "

  31. sisk

    Presumably the thief will have spent the day battling a command prompt and failing to install the right codecs and packages just to watch a YouTube video.

    Ok Anna. I realize it's a joke, but it's also a cheap shot and really reveals your ignorance about the current state of OSS. Ten years ago it might have been a fair statement, but these days codecs, and many other things for that matter, are easier to install on OSS systems than on Windows.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I don't know why he's so upset...

    It's not like he paid for it. Or anything else, for that matter. The man has literally not had to pay for anything since he was in his 20s.

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