Free Software SupporterIssue 74, May 2014 Welcome to the Free Software Supporter, the Free Software Foundation's monthly news digest and action update -- being read by you and 79,554 other activists. View this issue online here: https://fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2014/may Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by adding our subscriber widget to your web site.
Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter. #El Free Software Supporter está disponible en español. Para ver la versión en español haz click aqui: https://fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2014/mayo Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos números del Supporter en castellano, haz click aquí: https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=34&reset=1 Le Free Software Supporter est disponible en français. Pour voir la version française cliquez ici: https://fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2014/mai Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines publications du Supporter en français, cliquez ici: https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=34&reset=1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
FSF condemns partnership between Mozilla and Adobe to support Digital Restrictions ManagementFrom May 14th On May 14, Mozilla announced that it is reluctantly adopting DRM in its Firefox Web browser. In response, Free Software Foundation executive director John Sullivan made a statement condemning the move. Thanks for a great International Day Against DRMFrom May 7th On May 6, people all over the world spoke out against Digital Restrictions Management with flyering, rallies, teach-ins, and sales on DRM-free media. This post highlights some of the day's actions.
Press release: Tehnoetic wireless USB adapter now FSF-certified to respect your freedomFrom May 21st The FSF has awarded Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification to the Tehnoetic TET-N150 wireless USB adapter. The RYF certification mark is awarded to products that meet the FSF's standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and privacy. Interview with Ciaran Gultnieks of F-DroidFrom May 8th In this edition of our Licensing and Compliance Lab's series on free software developers who choose GNU licenses for their works, we conducted an email-based interview with Ciaran Gultnieks, the founder of the F-Droid project and the lead developer of fdroidserver, which is licensed under the GNU AGPL version 3 (or any later version). FSF seeks full-time senior GNU/Linux systems administratorFrom May 2nd The Free Software Foundation (FSF), a Boston-based 501(c)(3) charity with a worldwide mission to protect freedoms critical to the computer-using public, seeks a full-time senior systems administrator. Fall 2013 FSF Bulletin now available onlineFrom May 16th The fall 2013 Free Software Foundation Bulletin, which was mailed to our supporters in November, is now online. Check it out for interesting articles on free software and free software activism. "Imperfection is not the same as oppression"From May 30th In his latest article, Richard Stallman underscores this crucial distinction, and encourages all users whose particular needs are not being met by a free program to address the unmet need in a proactive, respectful, and constructive way. FSF statement on Court of Appeals ruling in Oracle v GoogleFrom May 27th The Federal Circuit has ruled in Oracle's favor, which has reintroduced confusion and uncertainty on a user's freedom to use APIs. Richard Stallman answers questions on Slashdot.orgFrom May 6th Richard M. Stallman (RMS) answers questions from Slashdot.org readers and discusses free hardware, deblobbing the kernel, legal reforms, and much more. FSF joins more than twenty other organizations in plan to "Reset the Net"From May 5th We are joining this day of action to protect Internet users from mass surveillance. Stay tuned to learn more about what we'll be doing to Reset the Net on June 5, 2014. Register now for the 2014 GNU Hackers MeetingFrom May 30th On the weekend of August 15 to 17, 2014 the people responsible for the GNU operating system will gather in Munich, Germany at the eighth GNU Hackers Meeting. The meeting is open to developers, users, and all people interested in GNU. It is an opportunity to share ideas and for social interaction within the GNU community. Open letter to European Commission: Stop DRM in HTML5By FSF Europe, from May 6th On this year's International Day against DRM, FSF Europe sent an open letter to the European Commission, asking the EC to prevent Digital Restrictions Management technology from being closely integrated with the HTML5 standard. Thirty-three Free Software Pact supporters elected to the European ParliamentBy April and FSF Europe, from May 28th The European elections have brought thirty-three free software supporters into the new European Parliament. Candidates across the political spectrum signed the Free Software Pact, promising to support free software and free standards during their time in Parliament. Google has most of my email because it has all of yoursBy Benjamin Mako Hill, from May 11th FSF board member Benjamin Mako Hill writes on the privacy implications of Gmail, even if you don't personally use it. Savannah VCS storage maintenance completedBy Bob Proulx, from May 14th Storage migration on Savannah has been completed. As a result, the vcs has returned to normal service and users can now enjoy a faster storage system. Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software DirectoryFrom May 30th Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions to version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing. The Free Software Directory has been a great resource to software users over the past decade, but it needs your help staying up-to-date with new and exciting free software projects. To help, join our weekly IRC meetings on Fridays. Meetings take place in the #fsf channel on irc.gnu.org, and usually include a handful of regulars as well as newcomers. Everyone's welcome. The next meeting is Friday, June 6 from 2pm to 5pm EDT (18:00 to 21:00 UTC). Details here: After this meeting, you can check https://www.fsf.org/events to see the rest of June's weekly meetings as they are scheduled. LibrePlanet featured resource: GPG guide reviewEvery month on LibrePlanet, we highlight one resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that could use your help. For this month, we are highlighting the review page for our GPG guide, which helps people go through the process of installing email encryption software. You are invited to try out and provide feedback for our guide. Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us know at campaigns@fsf.org. GNU Spotlight with Karl Berry: 22 new GNU releases!22 new GNU releases in the last month (as of May 26, 2014):
To get announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu mailing list: https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu. Nearly all GNU software is available from https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/, or preferably one of its mirrors (https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html). You can use the url http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/ to be automatically redirected to a (hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror. This month, we welcome: * Mohammed Isam Mohammed, author and maintainer of the new package GnuDOS. * Edscott Wilson, author and maintainer of the new GNU package libdb. * Vaibhaw Pandey, new maintainer of GNU groff. * Sebastien Diaz, new maintainer of gnukart, along with his work on many other GNU packages. * Amadeusz Slawinski, new co-maintainer of GNU screen. Thanks to all. A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint if you'd like to help. The general page on how to help GNU is at https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html. To submit new packages to the GNU operating system, see https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html. As always, please feel free to write to me, karl@gnu.org, with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments. GNU Toolchain updateFrom May 18th The GNU toolchain refers to the part of the GNU system which is used for building programs. These components of GNU are together often on other systems and for compiling programs for other platforms. This month features improvements to GDB, GCC, and GNU binutils. Richard Stallman's speaking scheduleFor event details, as well as to sign-up to be notified for future events in your area, please visit https://www.fsf.org/events. So far, Richard Stallman has the following events in June:
Other FSF and free software events
Thank GNUs!We appreciate everyone who donates to the Free Software Foundation, but we'd like to give special recognition to the folks who have donated $500 or more in the last month. This month, a big Thank GNU to:
You can add your name to this list by donating at https://donate.fsf.org. GNU copyright contributionsAssigning your copyright to the Free Software Foundation helps us defend the GPL and keep software free. The following individuals have assigned their copyright to the FSF in the past month:
Want to see your name on this list? Contribute to GNU and assign your copyright to the FSF. https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#dev Take action with the FSFContributions from thousands of individual members enable the FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at https://www.fsf.org/join. If you're already a member, you can help refer new members (and earn some rewards) by adding a line with your member number to your email signature like: I'm an FSF member -- Help us support software freedom! https://www.fsf.org/jf?referrer=2442 The FSF is also always looking for volunteers (https://www.fsf.org/volunteer). From rabble-rousing to hacking, from issue coordination to envelope stuffing -- there's something here for everybody to do. Also, head over to our campaign section (https://www.fsf.org/campaigns) and take action on software patents, DRM, free software adoption, OpenDocument, RIAA and more. #Copyright © 2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. --Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member Sent from the Free Software Foundation, 51 Franklin Street Fifth Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 United States Unsubscribe from this mailing list. Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter. |
Friday, May 30, 2014
Free Software Supporter - Issue 74, May 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
FSF seeks full-time senior GNU/Linux systems administrator
| Dear free software supporter, The FSF is hiring! We're fortunate to have a base of supporters that are both skilled and passionate, and I'm sure many of you would be an excellent fit for our Senior Systems Administration position. I hope you will pass around this email if you know of anyone who might be interested. Please share the job description on your favorite blogs, mailing lists, and social media sites. Best, William Theaker FSF seeks full-time senior GNU/Linux systems administratorYou can view this post online at https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-seeks-full-time-senior-gnu-linux-systems-administrator-1. The Free Software Foundation (FSF), a Boston-based 501(c)(3) charity with a worldwide mission to protect freedoms critical to the computer-using public, seeks a full-time senior systems administrator. The ideal candidate will be a well-rounded GNU/Linux systems administrator who thrives on constant broad-based learning and problem-solving. (S)he will be familiar with the free software community and how it works, and will be more interested in making a substantial contribution to software freedom and having employment consistent with ethical ideals than obtaining the highest salary. This is an opportunity to work for the organization that started the GNU Project, launched the free software movement, and safeguards the GNU General Public License. The position includes frequent contact and collaboration with many of the core GNU developers, and currently reports to the executive director. Together, the senior systems administrators have a great deal of influence over technology decisions within the FSF, and do crucial work empowering thousands of others to develop free software. With our small staff of twelve, each person makes a clear contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work environment. The FSF is a mature and growing organization that provides great potential for advancement; existing staff are prioritized for any new job openings. Example systems administration tasks include:
Programming is occasionally required, such as:
Useful specific experience includes:
Expected technical skills are:
We will prefer candidates with additional skills, such as:
We also require:
Benefits and salaryThe job must be worked on-site at FSF's downtown Boston offices, because it involves caring for equipment that is physically located there. It is a union position. The salary is fixed at $61,651 and is non-negotiable. Other benefits include:
Application instructionsThe position is available immediately, and we will be accepting applications until it is filled. To ensure consideration, please submit your application by 10am EDT (15:00 UTC), Monday, June 16th, 2014. Applications must be submitted via email to hiring@fsf.org. The email must contain the subject line, "Senior Systems Administrator." A complete application should include:
All materials must be in a free format (such as plain text, PDF, or OpenDocument, and not Microsoft Word). Email submissions that do not follow these instructions will be overlooked. No phone calls, please. An on-site interview will be required with the executive director and the technology team. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to promoting a diverse workplace, and do not discriminate based on gender, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. --Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member Sent from the Free Software Foundation, 51 Franklin Street Fifth Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 United States Unsubscribe from this mailing list. Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter. |
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Tehnoetic wireless USB adapter now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
| You can read this post online at https://fsf.org/news/tehnoetic-wireless-usb-adapter-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom. Tehnoetic wireless USB adapter now FSF-certified to respect your freedomBOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Wednesday, May 21, 2014 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today awarded Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification to the Tehnoetic TET-N150 wireless USB adapter. The RYF certification mark is awarded to products that meet the FSF's standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and privacy. The TET-N150 can be purchased from Tehnoetic's online store. "I founded Tehnoetic in order to give users the means to run fully free systems and to promote ethical businesses that support the work of the free software community. I hope that Tehnoetic will complement and support my work at Fundația Ceata, a Romanian foundation dedicated to defending and promoting digital freedoms and aligned with the philosophy of the GNU Project," stated Tehnoetic's founder, Tiberiu C. Turbureanu. Software certification of the device focused primarily on the firmware for the Atheros AR9271 chip used on the adapter. This firmware is packaged in Linux-libre, the kernel used by several free GNU/Linux distributions. This is the same chipset used by the ThinkPenguin TPE-N150USB USB wireless adapter which was also awarded RYF certification in April 2013. While others may sell wireless USB adapters with this same chipset, if they do not bear the RYF certification mark, the device may be packaged with or recommend the use of nonfree software. This is why FSF endorsement of a hardware product is on a per seller basis rather than a blanket endorsement of a particular hardware model or chipset. "The availability of freedom-respecting wireless networking devices is important because at present, the WiFi devices that ship with nearly all laptops and PCs require proprietary software. This is a major obstacle for users seeking to install a 100% free software GNU/Linux distro, because for most people, WiFi is an essential feature. So, it is exciting that we can now direct any such user from around the globe to two different sellers on two different continents that offer a small and convenient USB WiFi adapter," stated Joshua Gay, FSF Licensing & Compliance Manager. To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification, including details on the certification of the TET-N150 wireless USB adapter, as well as information on the driver and firmware for the device, visit https://www.fsf.org/ryf. Hardware sellers interested in applying for certification can consult https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria. Subscribers to the FSF's Free Software Supporter newsletter will receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom products. About the Free Software FoundationThe Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA. About TehnoeticTehnoetic is a Romanian technologically ethical online shop targeting the EU market, http://www.tehnoetic.com, and is owned and operated by Turbureanu Tiberiu-Constantin PFA. Media ContactsJoshua Gay Tiberiu C. Turbureanu ### --Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member Sent from the Free Software Foundation, 51 Franklin Street Fifth Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 United States Unsubscribe from this mailing list. Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter. |
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
FSF condemns partnership between Mozilla and Adobe to support Digital Restrictions Management
| You can read this post online at https://u.fsf.org/xk. FSF condemns partnership between Mozilla and Adobe to support Digital Restrictions ManagementBOSTON, Massachusetts, USA — Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 — In response to Mozilla's announcement that it is reluctantly adopting DRM in its Firefox Web browser, Free Software Foundation executive director John Sullivan made the following statement: "Only a week after the International Day Against DRM, Mozilla has announced that it will partner with proprietary software company Adobe to implement support for Web-based Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) in its Firefox browser, using Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). The Free Software Foundation is deeply disappointed in Mozilla's announcement. The decision compromises important principles in order to alleviate misguided fears about loss of browser marketshare. It allies Mozilla with a company hostile to the free software movement and to Mozilla's own fundamental ideals. Although Mozilla will not directly ship Adobe's proprietary DRM plugin, it will, as an official feature, encourage Firefox users to install the plugin from Adobe when presented with media that requests DRM. We agree with Cory Doctorow that there is no meaningful distinction between 'installing DRM' and 'installing code that installs DRM.' We recognize that Mozilla is doing this reluctantly, and we trust these words coming from Mozilla much more than we do when they come from Microsoft or Amazon. At the same time, nearly everyone who implements DRM says they are forced to do it, and this lack of accountability is how the practice sustains itself. Mozilla's announcement today unfortunately puts it -- in this regard -- in the same category as its proprietary competitors. Unlike those proprietary competitors, Mozilla is going to great lengths to reduce some of the specific harms of DRM by attempting to 'sandbox' the plugin. But this approach cannot solve the fundamental ethical problems with proprietary software, or the issues that inevitably arise when proprietary software is installed on a user's computer. In the announcement, Mitchell Baker asserts that Mozilla's hands were tied. But she then goes on to actively praise Adobe's "value" and suggests that there is some kind of necessary balance between DRM and user freedom. There is nothing necessary about DRM, and to hear Mozilla praising Adobe -- the company who has been and continues to be a vicious opponent of the free software movement and the free Web -- is shocking. With this partnership in place, we worry about Mozilla's ability and willingness to criticize Adobe's practices going forward. We understand that Mozilla is afraid of losing users. Cory Doctorow points out that they have produced no evidence to substantiate this fear or made any effort to study the situation. More importantly, popularity is not an end in itself. This is especially true for the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit with an ethical mission. In the past, Mozilla has distinguished itself and achieved success by protecting the freedom of its users and explaining the importance of that freedom: including publishing Firefox's source code, allowing others to make modifications to it, and sticking to Web standards in the face of attempts to impose proprietary extensions. Today's decision turns that calculus on its head, devoting Mozilla resources to delivering users to Adobe and hostile media distributors. In the process, Firefox is losing the identity which set it apart from its proprietary competitors -- Internet Explorer and Chrome -- both of which are implementing EME in an even worse fashion. Undoubtedly, some number of users just want restricted media like Netflix to work in Firefox, and they will be upset if it doesn't. This is unsurprising, since the majority of the world is not yet familiar with the ethical issues surrounding proprietary software. This debate was, and is, a high-profile opportunity to introduce these concepts to users and ask them to stand together in some tough decisions. To see Mozilla compromise without making any public effort to rally users against this supposed "forced choice" is doubly disappointing. They should reverse this decision. But whether they do or do not, we call on them to join us by devoting as many of their extensive resources to permanently eliminating DRM as they are now devoting to supporting it. The FSF will have more to say and do on this in the coming days. For now, users who are concerned about this issue should:
References
Media ContactJohn Sullivan About the Free Software FoundationThe Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA. --Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member Sent from the Free Software Foundation, 51 Franklin Street Fifth Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 United States Unsubscribe from this mailing list. Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter. |
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
International Day Against DRM is here!
| Dear free software supporter, This is a message from our Defective by Design campaign which focuses specifically on they key free software issue of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). We only cross-post from the Defective by Design campaign for special occassions like this, so join the campaign's email list if you'd like to be part of year-round activism against DRM. Though it isn't often discussed in the news, who controls digital media is an important question of our time. Powerful entertainment and technology companies use Digital Restrictions Management to restrict our use of it. We organize and build tools to protect our access to it. Our opponents are strong enough to have the government on their side in most countries, but when we come together, we are strong too.
Today we come together for the eighth International Day Against DRM, to insist on a future without restrictions on our media. This is the largest anti-DRM event in the world, and it's growing. Head over to DayAgainstDRM.org to take action against DRM with events, petitions and more, then meet the anti-DRM community and enjoy sales on DRM-free media. In addition to individuals taking action through DayAgainstDRM.org, nine organizations have let Defective by Design know they are participating. See a full list, including community groups, activist organizations and media stores, on the Web site. We expect more to join throughout the day. If you have a microblog account, make sure to let your followers know today that you care about ending DRM. Post with the hashtag #DayAgainstDRM and link to DayAgainstDRM.org. Happy International Day Against DRM, and good luck with whatever action you take. I hope to see you at one of the actions today, on the DRM-elimination crew discussion list or the #dbd IRC channel on Freenode. Zak Rogoff PS: If you don't have time to do anything, you can donate to Defective by Design, to keep us organizing the Day and make it even better next year. You can read this post online at https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/international-day-against-drm-is-here. -- Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member Sent from the Free Software Foundation, 51 Franklin Street Fifth Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 United States Unsubscribe from this mailing list. Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter. |
Monday, May 5, 2014
Nominate a free software initiative for the Chris Nicol FLOSS Prize!
| The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has established the Chris Nicol FLOSS Prize, which recognizes initiatives that are making it easy for people to start using free software. The prize will be awarded to a person or group doing extraordinary work to make free software accessible to ordinary computer users. Nominations will be collected until May 5, 2014. From APC: The APC FLOSS Prize has been established to honour Chris Nicol, a longtime free software advocate and activist who for many years worked with APC. Extraordinary initiatives that promote free software are those that:
The successful initiative will be awarded a cash prize of USD 4,000 at a reception event in Barcelona, Spain on June 6, 2014. In addition to the global prize, APC will also be recognizing exceptional work in free software promotion with a USD 1,500 award to an individual or organisation from within its network. The prize is open to any person or group anywhere in the world who supports or promotes user-oriented free software. The application form must be completed in either English or Spanish; however, there are no language restrictions regarding the language of the project. Small-scale activities are encouraged to apply. Nominations for the prize will be collected until May 5, 2014 at midnight UTC. About Chris Nicol Chris Nicol, an Australian educator and activist who made Barcelona his home in the early 1980s, was a member of the APC community from the mid-1990s until his untimely death on August 29, 2005. Chris believed that computers and the internet should be used for making the world a better place and that free software was a way in which the communications for social change movement could integrate sustainable and alternative choices in its use and development of tools and technology. About the Association For Progressive Communications (APC) The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international network and non-profit organisation founded in 1990 that wants everyone to have access to a free and open internet to improve lives and create a more just world. You can read this post online at https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/nominate-a-free-software-initiative-for-the-chris-nicol-floss-prize. --Follow us on GNU social | Subscribe to our blogs via RSS | Join us as an associate member Sent from the Free Software Foundation, 51 Franklin Street Fifth Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335 United States Unsubscribe from this mailing list. Stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter. |
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Free Software Supporter - Issue 73, April 2014
Free Software Supporter
Issue 73, April 2014
Welcome to the Free Software Supporter, the Free Software Foundation's monthly news digest and action update -- being read by you and 79,566 other activists. That's 1,470 more than last month!
View this issue online here: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2014/april
Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by adding our subscriber widget to your web site.
- Subscribe: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter
- Widget: https://www.fsf.org/associate/widget
Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter.
#
El Free Software Supporter está disponible en español. Para ver la versión en español haz click aqui: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2014/abril
Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos números del Supporter en castellano, haz click aquí: https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=34&reset=1
Le Free Software Supporter est disponible en français. Pour voir la version française cliquez ici: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2014/avril
Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines publications du Supporter en français, cliquez ici: https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=34&reset=1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Get your friends together for the International Day Against DRM (May 6, 2014)
- Please protest the "Windows 8 Campus Tour"
- GNU Press releases the classic GNU head shirt in gray!
- Free Software Foundation statement on Heartbleed vulnerability
- Document Freedom Day 2014 report published
- GCC 4.9 released
- GNU MediaGoblin campaign a massive succcess! What's next?
- Is Soverain Software a patent troll? Yes
- Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
- LibrePlanet featured resource: Day Against DRM 2014
- GNU Spotlight with Karl Berry: 30 new GNU releases!
- GNU Toolchain Update
- Richard Stallman's speaking schedule and other FSF events
- Thank GNUs!
- Take action with the FSF!
Get your friends together for the International Day Against DRM (May 6, 2014)
From April 23rd
On May 6, 2014, our global community will come together for the eighth International Day Against DRM. We'll be gathering, protesting, making and sharing, showing the world and the media that we insist on a future without DRM.
Please protest the "Windows 8 Campus Tour"
From April 17th
Microsoft is running "Windows 8 Campus Tour" events at many US universities. We're inviting free software supporters, associated with the universities in question, to mount simple nondisruptive protests at these events.
GNU Press releases the classic GNU head shirt in gray!
From April 17th
Replace your old GNU head t-shirt with an updated version of the classic, now in gray with maroon ink.
Free Software Foundation statement on Heartbleed vulnerability
In response to the news of the "Heartbleed" OpenSSL vulnerability, Free Software Foundation executive director John Sullivan issued a statement on free software as a necessary precondition for security.
April launches Free Software Pact for upcoming European elections
By April, from April 8th
April has launched a campaign during the upcoming European Parliament elections to inform candidates about free software.
Document Freedom Day 2014 report published
By FSF Europe, from April 24th
Free document formats were celebrated to the ends of the earth for Document Freedom Day 2014, with fifty-one events in twenty-two countries. The campaign for interoperability was enacted from Tokyo to Rio, and Birmingham to Taipei.
GCC 4.9 released
By GCC, from April 22nd
The 4.9.0 version of the GNU Compiler Collection is a major release, containing new features (as well as many other improvements) relative to GCC 4.8.x.
GNU MediaGoblin campaign a massive succcess! What's next?
By Christopher Allan Webber, From April 24th
GNU MediaGoblin has completed their fundraising campaign, raising over $62,000 for federated media sharing. In this post, Christopher Allan Webber reflects on the project's success and goals for the future.
Is Soverain Software a patent troll? Yes
By End Software Patents, from April 4th
The US Supreme Court recently declined to hear Soverain v. Newegg, prompting some to ask if Soverain should be classified as a "patent troll."
Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
From April 30th
Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions to version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing. The Free Software Directory has been a great resource to software users over the past decade, but it needs your help staying up-to-date with new and exciting free software projects.
To help, join our weekly IRC meetings on Fridays. Meetings take place in the #fsf channel on irc.gnu.org, and usually include a handful of regulars as well as newcomers. Everyone's welcome.
The next meeting is Friday, May 2nd from 2pm to 5pm EDT (18:00 to 21:00 UTC). Details here:
After this meeting, you can check https://www.fsf.org/events to see the rest of May's weekly meetings as they are scheduled.
LibrePlanet featured resource: Day Against DRM 2014
Every month on LibrePlanet, we highlight one resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that could use your help.
For this month, we are highlighting Day Against DRM 2014, which provides information about organized efforts against Digital Restrictions Management. You are invited to adopt, spread, and improve this important resource, as well as host an event in your local area.
Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us know at campaigns@fsf.org.
GNU Spotlight with Karl Berry: 30 new GNU releases!
30 new GNU releases in the last month (as of April 29, 2014):
- apl-1.3
- ccrtp-2.0.9
- cgicc-3.2.14
- cursynth-1.5
- dap-3.10
- denemo-1.1.4
- easejs-0.2.1
- gama-1.15
- gawk-4.1.1
- gcc-4.9.0
- global-6.2.12
- glpk-4.54
- gmp-6.0.0a
- gnubatch-1.11
- gnudos-1.0
- gnunet-0.10.1
- gsrc-2014.04.06
- help2man-1.45.1
- lightning-2.0.4
- liquidwar6-0.4.3681
- mcron-1.0.7
- mifluz-0.26.0
- motti-3.1.0
- parallel-20140422
- pspp-0.8.3
- pyconfigure-0.2.2
- screen-4.2.1
- ucommon-6.1.1
- units-2.11
- wdiff-1.2.2
To get announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu mailing list: https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu. Nearly all GNU software is available from https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/, or preferably one of its mirrors (https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html). You can use the url http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/ to be automatically redirected to a (hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.
This month, we welcome:
- James Cloos as the new maintainer of enscript and trueprint (with an eye toward merging them),
- Ramana Radhakrishnan as a new co-maintainer of gcc,
- Nick Ralabate as the new maintainer of solfege,
- Andrew Shadura and Daniel Valentine as the new maintainers of indent,
- Andy Wingo and Daniel Hartwig as the authors and maintainers of the new package guile-opengl. Thanks to all.
A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint if you'd like to help. The general page on how to help GNU is at https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html. To submit new packages to the GNU operating system, see https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html.
As always, please feel free to write to me, karl@gnu.org, with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.
GNU Toolchain update
From April 28th
The GNU toolchain refers to the part of the GNU system which is used for building programs. These components of GNU are together often on other systems and for compiling programs for other platforms.
This month features a new major release of GCC and improvements to the GNU binutils.
Richard Stallman's speaking schedule
For event details, as well as to sign-up to be notified for future events in your area, please visit https://www.fsf.org/events.
So far, Richard Stallman has the following events in May:
- May 02, 2014, 06:00 PM to 09:00 PM, San Francisco, California, "Copyright vs. community"
- May 09, 2014, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, "A free digital society"
- May 10, 2014, 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM, Taipei, Taiwan, "A free digital society"
- May 11, 2014, 02:00 PM to 04:30 PM, Puli Township, Taiwan, "A free digital society"
- May 13, 2014, 02:00 PM to 04:30 PM, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, "Your freedom and privacy: free/ziyou software and beyond"
Thank GNUs!
We appreciate everyone who donates to the Free Software Foundation, but we'd like to give special recognition to the folks who have donated $500 or more in the last month.
This month, a big Thank GNU to:
- Lowell Anderson
- Zak Knapper
- David Kleuker
- Christopher Grubert
- David Ayers
You can add your name to this list by donating at https://donate.fsf.org.
Take action with the FSF
Contributions from thousands of individual members enable the FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at https://www.fsf.org/join. If you're already a member, you can help refer new members (and earn some rewards) by adding a line with your member number to your email signature like:
I'm an FSF member -- Help us support software freedom! https://www.fsf.org/jf?referrer=2442
The FSF is also always looking for volunteers (https://www.fsf.org/volunteer). From rabble-rousing to hacking, from issue coordination to envelope stuffing -- there's something here for everybody to do. Also, head over to our campaign section (https://www.fsf.org/campaigns) and take action on software patents, DRM, free software adoption, OpenDocument, RIAA and more.
#
Copyright © 2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
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