I had just encountered the internet for the first time, after coding every day for 6-7 years with the help of a few books and magazines, but having no idea there was a large electronic community out there. Nobody told me about the internet!
Then I found the GNU Manifesto as I was exploring GNU Emacs, and it changed my life.
I know it sounds strange now, 30 years later, but that was the first time I was really exposed to the idea of putting in significant work to help other people, backed by a persuasive argument. Doing something not just to learn, but to give away and design for other people's benefit. The way it was put in the GNU Manifesto felt empowering and inspiring.
It's informed how I've treated people for decades since.
(My thinking has evolved a lot since, and there have been other inspiring books, but that was a significant and memorable shift.)
I had just encountered the internet for the first time, after coding every day for 6-7 years with the help of a few books and magazines, but having no idea there was a large electronic community out there. Nobody told me about the internet!
Then I found the GNU Manifesto as I was exploring GNU Emacs, and it changed my life.
I know it sounds strange now, 30 years later, but that was the first time I was really exposed to the idea of putting in significant work to help other people, backed by a persuasive argument. Doing something not just to learn, but to give away and design for other people's benefit. The way it was put in the GNU Manifesto felt empowering and inspiring.
It's informed how I've treated people for decades since.
(My thinking has evolved a lot since, and there have been other inspiring books, but that was a significant and memorable shift.)