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{{short description|2001 documentary film}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Revolution OS
| image          = Revolution OS.jpg
| caption        = Promotional poster for two disc edition of ''Revolution OS''
| director       = J. T. S. Moore
| producer       = J. T. S. Moore
| writer         = J. T. S. Moore
| starring       = [[Richard Stallman]]<br />[[Linus Torvalds]]<br />[[Eric S. Raymond]]<br />[[Bruce Perens]]
| music          = Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli
| editing        = J. T. S. Moore
| released       = {{Film date|2001}}
| runtime        = 85 [[minute|min]]
| country        = United States
| language       = English
}}

'''''Revolution OS''''' is a 2001 [[documentary film]] that traces the twenty-year history of [[GNU]], [[Linux]], [[Open-source model|open source]], and the [[free software movement]].

Directed by J. T. S. Moore, the film features interviews with prominent [[hacker (programmer subculture)|hackers]] and [[entrepreneurs]] including [[Richard Stallman]], [[Michael Tiemann]], [[Linus Torvalds]], [[Larry Augustin]], [[Eric S. Raymond]], [[Bruce Perens]], Frank Hecker and [[Brian Behlendorf]].

== Synopsis ==
The film begins with glimpses of Raymond, a Linux [[Initial public offering|IPO]], Torvalds, the idea of Open Source, Perens, Stallman, then sets the historical stage in the early days of hackers and computer hobbyists when code was shared freely. It discusses how change came in 1978 as Microsoft co-founder [[Bill Gates]], in his [[Open Letter to Hobbyists]], pointedly prodded hobbyists to pay up. Stallman relates his struggles with proprietary software vendors at the [[MIT]] Artificial Intelligence Lab, leading to his departure to focus on the development of [[free software]], and the [[GNU Project]].

Torvalds describes the development of the [[Linux kernel]], the [[GNU/Linux naming controversy]], Linux's further evolution, and its commercialization.

Raymond and Stallman clarify the philosophy of free software versus [[communism]] and [[capitalism]], as well as the development stages of Linux.

Michael Tiemann discusses meeting Stallman in 1987, getting an early version of Stallman's [[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]], and founding [[Cygnus Solutions]].

Larry Augustin describes combining [[GNU]] software with a normal [[personal computer|PC]] to create a [[Unix-like]] [[workstation]] at one third the price and twice the power of a [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]] workstation. He relates his early dealings with [[venture capitalists]], the eventual capitalization and commodification of Linux for his own company, [[VA Linux]], and its [[Initial public offering|IPO]].

Brian Behlendorf, one of the original developers of the [[Apache HTTP Server]], explains that he started to exchange [[Patch (computing)|patches]] for the [[National Center for Supercomputing Applications|NCSA]] web server daemon [[NCSA HTTPd|HTTPd]] with other developers, which led to the release of "a patchy" web server, dubbed Apache.

Frank Hecker of [[Netscape]] discusses the events leading up to Netscape's [[corporate officer|executives]] releasing the source code for Netscape's browser, one of the signal events which made [[Open-source model|open source]] a force to be reckoned with by business executives, the mainstream media, and the public at large.<ref>[http://www.openoffice.org/editorial/ec1May.html Community Articles: Interview: Frank Hecker] Openoffice.org. Louis Suárez-Potts, May 1, 2001. Retrieved 2007-04-22.</ref> This point was validated further after the film's release as the Netscape source code eventually became the [[Firefox]] web browser, reclaiming a large percentage of market share from Microsoft's [[Internet Explorer]].

The film also documents the scope of the first full-scale [[LinuxWorld Summit]] conference, with appearances by Linus Torvalds and Larry Augustin on the keynote stage.

Much of the footage for the film was shot in [[Silicon Valley]].

== Screenings ==
The film appeared in several film festivals including [[South by Southwest]], the [[Atlanta Film and Video Festival]], [[Boston Film Festival]], and [[Denver International Film Festival]]; it won Best Documentary at both the [[Savannah Film and Video Festival]] and the [[Kudzu Film Festival]].

== Quotes ==
{{Copy to Wikiquote|section=yes}}
{{blockquote|I bumped into him ([[Craig Mundie]] of Microsoft) in an elevator. I looked at his badge and said, "Ah, I see you work for Microsoft."<br>
He looked back at me and said, "Oh yeah, and what do you do?"<br>
And I thought he seemed just some sort of a tad dismissive, I mean here is the archetypal guy in a suit looking at a scruffy hacker.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. so I gave him the [[thousand yard stare]] and said, "I'm your worst nightmare."|[[Eric S. Raymond]]}}

{{blockquote|Giving the [[Linus Torvalds]] award to the [[Free Software Foundation]] is sort of like giving the [[Han Solo]] award to the [[Rebel Alliance|Rebel Fleet]].|[[Richard Stallman]]}}

{{blockquote|.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. and I realised he ([[Steve Ballmer]]) had read my document and understood it, and was now telling the press about this. Now, if you're like just a guy on the net who's not doing this for a job at all and you sort of write a manifesto and it spreads out through the world, and a year later the Vice President of [[Microsoft]] is talking about that, you'd think you were on drugs, wouldn't you? But that's what ''really'' happened.|[[Bruce Perens]]}}

{{blockquote|Think of [[Richard Stallman]] as the great philosopher and think of me as the engineer.|[[Linus Torvalds]]}}

== Reception ==
Every review noted the historical significance of the information, and those that noticed found the production values high, but the presentation of history mainly too dry, even resembling a lecture.  Ron Wells of ''[[Film Threat]]''  found the film important, worthwhile, and well thought out for explaining the principles of the free software and open source concepts.  Noting its failure to represent on camera any debate with representatives of the proprietary software camp, Wells gave the film 4 of 5 stars.<ref>[https://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=1820 Revolution OS] ''[[Film Threat]]''. Ron Wells, February 21, 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-23.</ref>  ''[[TV Guide]]'' rated the film 3 of 4 stars: "surprisingly exciting", "fascinating" and "sharp looking" with a good soundtrack.<ref>[https://tvguide.com/movies/revolution-os/review/135794 Review - Revolution OS] ''[[TV Guide]].com.'' 2002.  Retrieved 2007-04-22.</ref>
''[[Daily Variety]]'' saw the film as "targeted equally at the techno-illiterate and the savvy-hacker crowd;" educating and patting one group on the head, and canonizing the other, but strong enough for an "enjoyable" recommendation.<ref>[https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117917117.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 Revolution OS] Review. ''[[Daily Variety]]''.  Scott Foundas, March 1, 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-22.</ref>

On the negative side, ''[[The New York Times]]'' faulted the film's one-sidedness, found its reliance on jargon "fairly dense going", and gave no recommendation.<ref>[http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?_r=2&title1=&title2=Revolution%20Os%20%28Movie%29&reviewer=Stephen%20Holden&v_id=261234&pdate=&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes&oref=slogin&oref=login Heroes and Villains on a Cyberbattlefield] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017031844/http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?_r=2&title1=&title2=Revolution%20Os%20%28Movie%29&reviewer=Stephen%20Holden&v_id=261234&pdate=&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes&oref=slogin&oref=login |date=2015-10-17 }} ''[[New York Times]]''.  Stephen Holden, February 22, 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-22</ref>  
''Internet Reviews'' found it "a didactic and dull documentary glorifying software anarchy. Raging against Microsoft and Sun.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.", lacking follow-through on Red Hat and VALinux stock (in 2007, at 2% of peak value), with "lots of talking heads".<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/reviews/325/32591.html Revolution OS (2001)] ''InternetReviews.com''. Steve Rhodes.  Retrieved 2007-04-22.</ref>   ''Toxicuniverse.com'' noted "Revolution OS blatantly serves as infomercial and propaganda. Bearded throwback to the sixties, hacker Richard Stallman serves as the movement's spiritual leader while Scandinavian Linus Torvalds acts as its mild mannered chief engineer (as developer of the Linux kernel)."<ref>[http://www.toxicuniverse.com/review.php?rid=10005579 Introduction to Linux 101] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215125517/http://www.toxicuniverse.com/review.php?rid=10005579 |date=2006-12-15 }} ''ToxicUniverse.com''. John Nesbit, April 07, 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-22.</ref>

To Tim Lord, reviewing for ''[[Slashdot]]'', the film is interesting and worthy of viewing, with some misgivings: it is "about the growth of the free software movement, and its eventual co-option by the open source movement.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. it was supposed to be about Linux and its battle about Microsoft, but the movie is quickly hijacked by its participants."  The film "lacks the staple of documentaries: scenes with multiple people that are later analyzed individually by each of the participants" (or indeed, much back-and-forth at all). Linux itself and its benefits are notably missing, and, "[w]e are never shown anyone using Linux, except for unhappy users at an [[Installfest]]." The debate over Linux vs Windows is missing, showing the origin of the OS only as a response to proprietary and expensive [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]] and [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] software and hardware, and its growth solely due to the Apache web server. And Lord notes that the film shows, but does not challenge Torvalds or Stallman about their equally disingenuous remarks about the [[GNU/Linux naming controversy|"Linux" vs "GNU/Linux" naming issue]].<ref>[http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/04/19/1255213 Revolution OS Review] ''Slashdot.org.'' Tim Lord ''(timothy)'', April 19, 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-22.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[The Code (2001 film)|''The Code'']] – another documentary film about Linux
* ''[[Pirates of Silicon Valley]]''
* [[Open source]]
* [[Linux]]
* [[Free software movement]]
* [[Copyleft]]
* ''[[The Cathedral and the Bazaar]]''

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.revolution-os.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0308808|title=Revolution OS}}
* [http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/04/19/1255213  ''Revolution OS'']  [[Slashdot]] (20 April 2002)
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=Revolution_OS}}
* {{Metacritic film}}

{{GNU}}
{{Linux}}
{{FOSS}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revolution Os}}
[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:2001 documentary films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about free software]]
[[Category:Works about the information economy]]
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Works about computer hacking]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]