LWM caught up with J.T.S. Moore to talk about Revolution OS, a David & Goliath story about the hackers and computer programmers who rebelled against Microsoft and the idea of proprietary software to create GNU, Linux, and the open source movement.

Shot on location in Silicon Valley, the documentary captures the history and spirit of Linux through interviews with Richard Stallman (known as RMS), Bruce Perens, Eric Raymond, Linus Torvalds, and other key figures in its birth and growth.

Produced, written, edited, photographed and directed by J.T.S. Moore, Revolution OS is a two-disc DVD set that will go on sale in September through Amazon.com and Borders.

Here's what Moore told LinuxWorld Magazine about his latest project...

LWM: What made you want to produce a documentary about alternative operating systems?
JTS Moore: Before I began making Revolution OS, I'd spent the previous three years working on and off as a screenwriter in Hollywood. However, I was really itching to get back behind the camera. That's when I began contemplating making a documentary.

Around that time in 1999, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine, Doug Bone. He jokingly suggested I make a film about the history of Linux. At first I thought that was a rather dry idea for a film, but then he told me about Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman and Netscape and the conflict with Microsoft. I quickly realized that there was something really interesting going on. As I started researching Linux, the thing that really hooked me in was the passion that hackers have for Linux and the open source movement.

LWM: Why isn't anyone from Microsoft in the documentary?
Moore: First and foremost, there's no one from Microsoft in the film because Microsoft refused my repeated requests to participate in the film. At the time I was shooting the film, Microsoft had taken the position that Linux was a trivial hobby project that was not worthy of their comment.

In the end, it was fine with me that Microsoft didn't participate because a random Microsoft spokesperson would have been out of place in the film. The key thing about Revolution OS is that everyone who appears in the film is a first-person participant in the events they are describing. The film is about the motivations, actions, and struggles of people such as RMS, Linus Torvalds, and Brian Behlendorf. A random Microsoft spokesman would not have had any personal insights to offer regarding the creation and evolution of GNU, Linux, and open source.

LWM: How accessible were the people you did interview for Revolution OS?
Moore: It took me a few months of constant e-mailing to persuade RMS to sit for an interview. I think he feels like he has been burned by the press on a few occasions. Linus was not easy to get either. A friend's wife who knew Linus's wife set up the interview with less than 24 hours' notice. However, once I was at Linus's house, he was incredibly gracious and let me film him and his family for hours.

LWM: How much did you know about Linux before you made Revolution OS?
Moore: I knew nothing about software coding before I started researching Revolution OS. My background is in history and filmmaking. All I knew about Linux was that it was an operating system like Unix, and that some young computer programmer had created it. I now know a lot about the history and politics of Linux, but I still can't write a line of code.

LWM: What are your thoughts about Linus and RMS and their subtle rivalry?
Moore: As a filmmaker, that was one of the elements of the subject that really appealed to me. To make an involving film you always need some sort of conflict, and the story of RMS and Linus has that in an offbeat, techie kind of way. One of the highlights of Revolution OS is the scene with Linus and RMS onstage together at the 1999 LinuxWorld San Jose. I think that moment really sums up their conflict and contrasting personalities.

LWM: When you finished the documentary, did you feel that you had made the movie too techie or not techie enough?
Moore: Neither. My goal all along with Revolution OS was to make a movie that had enough details to appeal to die-hard Linux users and an interesting enough big-picture story to engage non-techies. Ultimately, Revolution OS is a movie about ideas and the creation of a movement. You don't need to have a technical background to enjoy the film.

LWM: What surprised you the most about Linux and the open source movement?
Moore: The groupies.