The Code

This Finnish documentary is about how Linux came into being and how the free software movement turned into a community. When the idea of open source code, a kernel written by a university student and contributions from volunteers all over the world came together, what emerged was one of the most widespread operating systems in the world. The documentary tells that story in the words of the people who wrote the code. Richard Stallman, Eric S. Raymond, Miguel de Icaza and Jon Hall are among those talking in Hannu Puttonen's film. The disagreements between them are not hidden either; the argument over whether the system should be called Linux or GNU/Linux stands as a summary of two different approaches inside the movement. In fifty-eight minutes, without drowning in technical detail, the film tries to understand why people write code for nothing.