faif-2.0

Stallman dressed as St. IGNUcius. The photo was taken by Stian
Eikeland in Bergen, Norway on February 19, 2009.
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“Emacs was initially a text editor,” says Stallman, explaining the
getup. “Eventually it became a way of life for many and a religion for
some. We call this religion the Church of Emacs.”
The skit is a lighthearted moment of self-parody, a humorous returnjab
at the many people who might see Stallman’s form of software
asceticism as religious fanaticism in disguise. It is also the sound of
the other shoe dropping – loudly. It’s as if, in donning his robe and
halo, Stallman is finally letting listeners off the hook, saying, “It’s OK
to laugh. I know I’m weird.” [RMS: To laugh at someone for being
weird is boorish, and it is not my intention to excuse that. But I hope
people will laugh at my St. IGNUcius comedy routine.]
Discussing the St. IGNUcius persona afterward, Stallman says he
first came up with it in 1996, long after the creation of Emacs but
well before the emergence of the “open source” term and the struggle