Free Software Messiah Richard Stallman: We Can Do Better Than Bitcoin

Richard Stallman, the fervently committed founder of the free software movement, is discussing the term "Libertarian," when he stops talking abruptly and says, "Hello?".

In 40-ish words: GNU, which Stallman proposed in 1983, is an operating system using exclusively free software.

Many refer to packages combining the two as "Linux," but Stallman insists that the proper term is GNU/Linux or just GNU. He also wrote 3,000 words on the differences between free software and open source software.

The GNU Project, which Stallman founded, is working on an alternative digital payments system called Taler, which is based on cryptography but is not - forgive the hair-splitting - a cryptocurrency.

In a break with the anti-government ethos that has tended to characterize bitcoin and some of its peers, Taler's design explicitly tries to block opportunities for tax evasion.

Just as euros, dollars and yen could all be sent using Taler, so could bitcoin.

While Taler is not a blockchain, a blockchain-based system could take the place of a bank within the system.

For users to be able to move euros into the Taler wallet Taler exchanges will need to interact with the traditional banking system to withdraw that money.

Currently, Taler is in talks with European banks to allow withdrawal into the Taler wallet and also re-deposit from the Taler system back into the traditional banking system.

In principle, the "Register-based system" that Taler plugs into could be a bank account or, in theory, a blockchain, said Grothoff.