GNU turn thirty!

Dear ,

Can you believe it? The GNU system is thirty years old today!

In 1983, Richard Stallman launched the free software movement with the words, "Free Unix!" We've freed a lot more than that in the last thirty years. The GNU system is now a vast universe of fully free operating systems, window managers, and software that serves almost every imaginable purpose. More than 95 percent of the world's supercomputers run free software. A majority of web servers run free software. Even more impressive, there are estimated to be tens of millions of free software users worldwide.

That's a lot to celebrate. This weekend, the Free Software Foundation will be honoring thirty years of GNU with a celebration and hackathon in Cambridge, MA. Around the world, there are over eighteen celebrations planned on almost every inhabited continent. And online, people are showing their love for GNU by embedding the special 30th anniversary badge on their websites and donating to support GNU's future work.

Please join us in the celebration:

• Watch the livestream from the Cambridge celebration to see John Sullivan speak at 10am EDT (14:00 UTC) and Richard Stallman speak live at 5pm EDT (21:00 UTC) on Saturday, September 28.
• Find the celebration nearest you.
• Embed the special 30th anniversary badge.
• Donate to keep GNU going strong for another thirty years.

Happy Hacking,

The entire Free Software Foundation team

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Only two weeks until GNU turns thirty!

Dear ,

GNU turns thirty in less than two weeks! Wherever you live, we hope you'll join us for our big anniversary celebration and hackathon on September 28 - 29.

GNU lovers from all over the world will converge on MIT in Cambridge, MA for cake, coding, and a special address from Richard Stallman. If you want to attend the event in person, there is still time to register! If you'll be watching online, be sure to tune in to the event page on Saturday the 28th at 17:00 EDT.

Ten projects will be hosting hackathons during the celebration: Commotion, coreboot, Gnash, GNOME, GNU FM, GNU MediaGoblin, GNU Octave, GNU social, Tahoe-LAFS, and Tor. Most of these hackathons will have an online presence as well, so visit the event page on September 28th to participate virtually.

And for those of you who'd like to make sure GNU begins its next decade in its strongest financial position ever, we encourage you to consider donating or attending our special fundraising dinner on September 27th at Rendezvous in Cambridge.

Of course, if you're in it for the cake, you'll have to be at the celebration in person. And you won't want to miss the opportunity to meet many early contributors to GNU, project maintainers, privacy and security experts, and more. So, register today, book that last minute plane ticket, mark your calendars, and tell your friends. We'll see you in Boston!

Happy hacking,

Libby Reinish
Campaigns Manager

P.S. We are collecting well wishes for GNU from around the world. Send us a picture of yourself with an anniversary greeting (we recommend a sign that says, "I <3 GNU!").

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New iPhones put more polish on Apple's restrictions

Dear ,

The announcement of Apple's new iPhone releases marks yet another highly anticipated product launch from the technology giant. As expected, the new iPhones will be faster, more powerful, and continue to hide the various anti-user restrictions behind a sleek and seductive user interface. Each release of a product or operating system from Apple means the latest and greatest they have to offer, including the strongest Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technologies yet.

The beauty of Apple products is how cleverly they use smooth curves and a shiny design to lock users into an experience controlled by a single corporation. The inner workings (or non-workings as the case may be) of its operating system, the availability of applications, and the low-level control over hardware are all hidden away from the public and tightly secured by Apple.

As with previous iPhones, apps and devices come with a kill switch, third party peripherals are arbitrarily restricted, books and other media purchased from iTunes come with DRM, and all software must be cryptographically signed and approved by Apple. The iPhone 5s and 5c succeed in leaving their users at the mercy of Apple.

The most anticipated new feature of the iPhone 5s is the inclusion of a new fingerprint scanner, which is advertised as an enhanced security feature tacked onto a software platform that lacks transparency, accountability, and is inherently untrustworthy.

Rather than improving privacy and security, by encouraging users of the latest incarnations of the iPhone to use their fingerprints to unlock their device, Apple invites the possibility of verifying biometrically exactly who used an iPhone and at what time.

We have seen Apple grow to more and more effectively lock down their hardware and software platforms, and in turn, lock in their users. Would-be Apple customers should be warned about the dangers Apple products create, and informed about the alternatives, workarounds, and ways to resist Apple's control. We invite anti-DRM activists to visit the Free Software Foundation's iPhone action page and send an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook letting him know that you won't buy an iOS device because of its proprietary software and DRM. Once you've done that, look into ways to use mobile devices without surrendering your freedom, such as Replicant and F-Droid.

Sincerely,

Kẏra
Campaigns Organizer

You can view this post online at https://defectivebydesign.org/iphone5c-warning.

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Celebrate GNU's big "three-o"

Dear ,

30 years ago, Richard Stallman published the announcement that would launch the free software movement.

Celebrate software freedom online and at events being held all around the world. Visit our Web page to register for the big shebang in Boston, take action online, and learn about satellite events being held around the world.

Celebrate online with GNU-a-Days and more

Looking for an easy way to get in on the fun and support software freedom? Check out our GNU-a-Days, daily challenges you can take throughout the month of September. Show your GNU pride by grabbing our special 30th anniversary Web badge for your site or profile picture. You can also make a special 30th anniversary donation to ensure that the GNU system enters its next decade stronger than ever. It's all at our special GNU 30th Web page.

30th anniversary celebration and hackathon in Cambridge

Have you registered for the big anniversary bash on September 27 - 29 in Cambridge, MA yet?

GNU system founder Richard Stallman will be there, as will many of GNU's early participants and the maintainers of GNU projects.

In addition to cake and special remarks from Richard Stallman, the anniversary celebration will take the form of a hackathon. The hackathon will focus on important needs for free software in today's Internet-based world. Hackathon participants will include many GNU projects and other free software projects that fit the theme. They include: coreboot, Gnash, GNOME, GNU FM, GNU MediaGoblin, GNU social, Tahoe-LAFS, Tor, and others.

Satellite events

GNU supporters all over the world are planning their own celebrations, and we've listed them all on the 30th anniversary page. Events are currently in the works in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh; Kitchener, Canada; Prague, Czech Republic; Paris, France; and Tokyo, Japan. Check back often for new additions. To host a satellite event in your area, contact campaigns@fsf.org.

No matter who you are or where you live, we hope you'll find a way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the GNU system.

Happy Hacking,

Libby Reinish

FSF Campaigns Manager on behalf of GNU

You can view this post online at https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/celebrate-gnus-big-three-o.

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