Champion of Freedom

Not usually one for being starstruck, Jonni Bidwell finds himself blushing and weak at the knees as he meets one of his heroes, the visionary Cory Doctorow.

Cory Doctorow is an award winning author, thinker and speaker. He has written many things, young adult novels, science fiction and non-fiction commentaries on the exigencies of modern society. They are all fantastic, available in DRM-free formats and released under Creative Commons licensing. He is Honorary Steward for the Shuttle worth Fellowship program and co-editor of the Boing Boing blog. He is a digital rights activist and serves as Special Advisor to the EFF. Through the Apollo 1201 project, he’s part of a mission to rid the world of DRM.

Linux Format: Without sounding too much like a hysterical screaming fan, I have to tell you that I am a huge fan of your work and it’s an absolute honour to be sat here with you.

Cory Doctorow: Thanks man, that’s very nice to hear [mutters oh Jeez, not another one quietly to himself].

LXF: I’m reading Homeland at the moment, really enjoyed Big Brother, but I think you’re collaboration with Charlie Stross, Rapture of the Nerds, has been my favourite. In all of these books there seems to be a spirit of rebellion—in your young adult novels this is the fight against the authorities, and in Rapture of the Nerds there’s Huw shunning all the exciting technology that everyone else has welcomed into their lives—this spirit of rebellion in many ways seems to be embodied in the open source movement. Going back to the days of the GNU commune and all those sorts of movements, that was a radical departure from the old way of doing things, they really turned things around. Can you speak to that?