Richard Stallman has published a a new guide on gnu.org titled License compatibility and relicensing. Gnu.org is home to a whole host of resources on free software licensing, including frequently asked questions about GNU licenses and our list of free software licenses. Our license list contains information on which licenses are compatible with the GNU General Public License as well as a brief description of what it means to be compatible. This latest article by Stallman provides a more in–depth explanation of what compatibility means and the different ways in which it is achieved.

As Stallman states, "In general we say that several licenses are compatible if there is a way to merge code under those various licenses while complying with all of them." Even where two licenses are crafted in a such a way that they cannot naturally be combined, however, explicit relicensing provisions can enable code combinations that otherwise wouldn't be permitted. The guide covers all of this and more in depth and clarity.

Resources like this guide are made possible by donations from our community and help from our volunteers. Here is what you can do to help make sure everyone has quality tools for understanding and using free licenses:

• Volunteer on the licensing team or as a GNU Webmaster. There are many other ways to volunteer as well.
• Help fund our work by making donation to the FSF or join as an FSF member.

Join the FSF and friends Friday, February 5th, from 12pm to 3pm EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC) to help improve the Free Software Directory.

Participate in supporting the Free Software Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on freenode.

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 providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the Free Software Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world over the past decade, it has the potential of being a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly FSD Meetings pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.

This post was written by FSF board member and co-founder of CivicActions Henry Poole.

But, as we imagine into the future, it is clear that operating systems are becoming embedded in everything. Our homes, our automobiles, and even our bodies. While a stand for free software was impersonal thirty years ago, in another thirty years it will be very personal. Operating systems will likely be embedded in our bodies, and the rights to use, study, modify, and share that software to stay alive and connect with others should be a fundamental human right. The last thirty years wasn't easy -- maintaining a state of integrity is often difficult and lonely. The next thirty years are likely to be just as difficult (or more).

Don't retire so young -- make a personal commitment today to become a lifetime FSF supporter. Stand with us for another thirty years. In the years ahead, people around the world will celebrate that stand.

And if you are fortunate enough to have a job at a company that uses free software, ask your company to increase patronage of free software by supporting the FSF. The FSF has a patron program for businesses that support and use free software. Of the 18,000 new US businesses that start every day, it would be great to see a new patron each day support the FSF.

We've received nearly 6,000 donations and have signed up more than 400 new members during this fundraiser. Your donation or membership will help us make 2016 a shining year for software freedom.

To those of you who have given, for the first time or many times, thank you. The Free Software Foundation relies heavily on individual donors in order to continue fighting for computer user rights. We couldn't do this without you.

As the fundraiser comes to a close, we are turning our attention to our goals for the coming year. We want to:

• analyze and respond to the results of our Vision Survey (open until Monday, February 1 at 05:00 UTC)
• make this year's LibrePlanet better than ever, kicking off with a remote conversation with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
• launch a new, updated site to put the best face possible on free software
• invest in more staff so we can expand the Respects Your Freedom certification program, bring the free software philosophy to more people, aid more free software development in high priority areas, and deftly enforce the GNU General Public License
• keep up the momentum we've built in the fight against the Trans Pacific Partnership, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's anti-circumvention rules, and the FCC-instigated lockdown of wireless devices
• continue to campaign for the abolition of software patents
• resist plans for an official Digital Restrictions Management extension to HTML5
• create and improve upon free software advocacy materials, including videos
• grow and update the FSF and GNU Project infrastructure, allowing us to accommodate more GNU projects
• improve the FSF's development infrastructure, email, code hosting, and other services for GNU developers and FSF members, and incorporate more community members in FSF sysadmin and Web development projects

We need financial resources to get things done for you, but we also need your advice and guidance. Tell us how you feel about the free software movement and the work we do by responding to our survey by Sunday. Your compliments and criticisms will help us plan another thirty years of work.

We are so close to raising $450,000 by Sunday, January 31st, ensuring that we can make great things happen in 2016. Will you help us meet -- or even exceed -- that goal? Make a one-time donation now, or make a long-term commitment to supporting the FSF by becoming an associate member for as little as $10/month (student memberships are further discounted). Membership offers many great benefits, including gratis admission to LibrePlanet.

Read more about the recent accomplishments and upcoming goals of our campaigns, licensing, and tech teams.