Free software pioneer Richard Stallman recently revealed that he is undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of white blood cells, and currently feels the prognosis is good.
The 70-year-old RMS attended the GNU 40th anniversary celebration in Switzerland on Wednesday and delivered a closing speech. But what is different from his previous image is that his unique long hair and beard are gone, and his whole face has changed.
According to foreign media reports, RMS basically wore an anti-virus mask during his speech, and he also called on the audience to also wear masks. But because of this, his voice was basically covered by the mask, making it impossible for the audience to hear him clearly.
RMS who briefly pulled down the mask
RMS said she had follicular lymphoma , a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; a blood cancer that causes B lymphocytes to form clumps in the lymphatic system. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But there are many types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and RMS has one of the slower-growing types. He said that his prognosis is good and he hopes to continue to be active in GNU in the future.
Although RMS is a controversial figure with polarizing opinions, his contribution to free software is indelible; it can be said that without his efforts to formalize and promote free software, there would be no open source world today.
I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.