Coding for Nothing (Visit Days '09)

Click on "more info" for lyrics!

The UW CSE Band is a computer science parody rock band composed of grad students (and a postdoc!) from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. We perform mostly at department events, and our music makes fun of anything and everything relating to computer science, programming, and life as a grad student. This performance took place during the 2009 Visit Days for prospective students. As of spring 2009, the band consists of:

Alex Colburn (lead guitar)
Laura Effinger-Dean (vocals)
Andrew Guillory (bass guitar and vocals)
Chloé Kiddon (sax)
Natalie Linnell (keyboard)
Kristi Morton (drums)
Pradeep Shenoy (vocals)

Huge thanks go to Jon Hsieh for recording this video and to Peter Henry for being our sound guy.

Coding for Nothing (to the tune of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits):

I want my software free

Now look at Stallman, that's the way you do it
Writing free software like GCC
His code's open, that's the way you do it
Coding for nothing and your software free
Copy-left license, that's the way you do it
Or compatible, like those guys from vim
Pine it used to have a BSD license
And a recursive acronym

(Chorus:)
We got to install Microsoft Windows
Get a license and pay the fee
We got to buy the upgrade to Vista
Because the code is proprietary

Chorus

I shoulda learned to code in Emacs
I shoulda learned GDB
Now look at it this way, software should be free as in freedom
How hard can that be?
And he's up there, who's that? Saint IGNUcius?
The patron saint of the Church of Emacs
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Coding for nothing and your software free

Chorus

Now look here, that's the way you do it
You write free software like GCC
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Coding for nothing and your software free
Coding for nothing and your software free
I want my, I want my, I want my software free

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• computer
• science
• rock
• stallman
• free
• software
• open
• source
• gcc
• copyleft
• windows
• dire
• straits
• money
• for
• nothing
• parody

[codyt5]

lol that's hilarious. I wasn't even aware we had a "CSE Band" at UW! When are your next shows?

[CSEBand]

It looks like we'll be doing a TGIF on May 15 most likely. Thanks for watching!

[Himurder]

Do ya'll have any recorded mp3s or albums? Great music!

[GalacticGuardian]

@jkalderash Record yourself. You'll only need professionally recorded drum tracks. The rest can be done from your bedrooms and have a studio sound. Just plug directly into your sound cards and hit record, then master and mixwith Audacity or Adour. For free. With free software. Did I mention is was free, as in free beer?

[johnnylifeson]

You really need a better guitarist...

[jkalderash]

Not yet... we are trying to raise the money to do a recording.