Z:gnu-www-ja-rms-nyu-2001-transcript--baf96c-In this respect, free software/en

In this respect, free software is a new mechanism for democracy to operate. Professor Lessig, now at Stanford, noted that code functions as a kind of law. Whoever gets to write the code that just about everybody uses for all intents and purposes is writing the laws that run people's lives. With free software, these laws get written in a democratic way. Not the classical form of democracy &mdash; we don't have a big election and say, &ldquo;Everybody vote which way should this feature be done.&rdquo; [Laughter] Instead we say, basically, those of you who want to work on implementing the feature this way, do it. And if you want to work on implementing the feature that way, do it. And, it gets done one way or the other, you know? And so, if a lot of people want it this way, it'll get done this way. So, in this way, everybody contributes to the social decision by simply taking steps in the direction that he wants to go.