Richard Stallman is a big wig in the free software arena. He’s been a driving force behind the octogenarian GNU Project and the open source movement, and has a number of interesting ideas to his credit. He’s also a philanthropist, as evidenced by his recent donation of a swanky office suite to the good folks at the Free Software Foundation.

Not to mention his contributions to the plethora of software he’s helped to release. One of his more notable projects is the eponymous Linux. In the spirit of the free and open source, he’s been a vocal advocate for Linux users everywhere, ensuring that no loners are left in the dust.

As a software aficionado, Richard Stallman is one of the few people who have the opportunity to see many of these technologies first hand. He’s also a pragmatist who believes in the virtues of a free and open society. This explains his enthusiasm for the open source ethos, and the free software community. His best contributions include the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), a de facto standard for free and open source software and the Linux kernel.

For this reason, it’s only natural that the man would be a fan of the latest and greatest in digital currency. Despite his stance on the matter, the aforementioned open source plethora has paved the way for a wave of innovative and useful open source software. Currently, he’s in the throes of a multi-year collaboration with a major player in the industry. And if that weren’t enough, he’s also in the early stages of a new open source venture of his own.

Richard Stallman’s GNU Project, and its numerous offshoots, has had its share of ups and downs, but it’s fair to say that he’s been more than generous with his time and aplomb.