# articles

feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-december-30th-2016
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for December 30th, 2016
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-December-30th-2016
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-december-30th-2016
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished on the Friday,
December 30th, 2016 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme was looking back on 2016 and working on some of the
projects we started throughout the year. There was a good long
discussion about improving tools for working on the Directory.
Particularly, the need for a bug tracker for working on feature
requests and reporting issues with the Directory. <em>mattl</em> offered to
help set one up for the Directory. There was also Discussion about
particular features that could be added to the Directory, such as the
ability to upload pictures. More discussion will have to happen on
these topics in deciding what new resources would be most useful.</p>
<p><em>ballpen</em> also joined us and was trained on how to work on the
Directory, and we look forward to them joining us again at future
meetings. The meeting and year wrapped up with adding many new
packages, which will be the theme of the first meeting of 2017.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-four-new-gnu-in-december
title: Twenty-four new GNU releases in December
uri: Twenty-four-new-GNU-releases-in-December
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-four-new-gnu-in-december
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/8sync/">8sync-0.3.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/">coreutils-8.26</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/denemo/">denemo-2.0.14</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/">gcc-6.3.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/global/">global-6.5.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gmp/">gmp-6.1.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnucash/">gnucash-2.6.15</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.0.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnumach/">gnumach-1.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.1.17</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/grep/">grep-2.27</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gsl/">gsl-2.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/">hurd-0.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/icecat/">icecat-45.5.1-gnu1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libgcrypt/">libgcrypt-1.7.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libunistring/">libunistring-0.9.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.9-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/">mailutils-3.1.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mig/">mig-1.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.7.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20161222</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/taler/">taler-bank-0.2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/tramp/">tramp-2.3.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/unifont/">unifont-9.0.06</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the url
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-december-23rd-2016
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for December 23rd, 2016
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-December-23rd-2016
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-december-23rd-2016
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished on the Friday,
December 23rd, 2016 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme was software for connecting people. We focused on
software that foster connections among users of whatever sort that
they might take. We had a very productive meeting, updating over 50
entries.</p>
<p>We also had numerous volunteers looking to update and create entries.
<em>mangeurdenuage</em>, <em>jorgesumle</em>, <em>‎Alejandroindependiente</em> and
<em>‎Genium</em> all contributed greatly. During the meeting there were
discussions on asking the maintainer of LibreVideoJS to complete an
entry for their project. The meeting wrapped up with <em>mangeurdenuage</em>
committing to finish making changes the next day. </p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2016-november-barcelona-seville-salamanca-alcaladehenares
title: November 2016: Photos from Barcelona, Seville, Salamanca, Alcalá de Henares
uri: November-2016-Photos-from-Barcelona-Seville-Salamanca-Alcalá-de-H
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2016-november-barcelona-seville-salamanca-alcaladehenares
content:
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<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:2px;text-align:center; margin: 4px 50px 4px 50px; padding-top:4px;">

<p>RMS was at the Institut Ausiàs March, in
<strong>Barcelona,</strong> on November 11<sup>th</sup>, to give his
speech<br /> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdDcksyf3DWUdDAXxH-QYqtkQXAOd5SDi">&ldquo;El
Software Libre y tu libertad&rdquo;</a> to over 300 people.</p>

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<img src="media/ca60ce98.20161111-barcelona-01.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161111-barcelona/20161111-barcelona-01.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0c2da123.20161111-barcelona-02.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161111-barcelona/20161111-barcelona-02.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/65061411.20161111-barcelona-03.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161111-barcelona/20161111-barcelona-03.png" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/27374408.20161111-barcelona-04.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161111-barcelona/20161111-barcelona-04.png" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of the Institue Ausiàs March.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>Later in the month, on November 26<sup>th</sup>, he was in
<strong>Seville,</strong> at the University of Seville's Escuela
Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática, to speak at <a href="https://www.secadmin.es/congreso/">SecAdmin</a>, an event that
seeks to &ldquo;combine system administration and information security
and provide its attendees with knowledge and opportunities for
professional development&rdquo; and sharing and networking. Over 400
people attended his speech.</p>

<img src="media/b16a2a9c.20161126-seville-000-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-000-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/46d7aae8.20161126-seville-001-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-001-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3b1370df.20161126-seville-002-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-002-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/26a9c289.20161126-seville-013-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-013-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b071defa.20161126-seville-014-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-014-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7f781f29.20161126-seville-019-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-019-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ec621274.20161126-seville-025-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-025-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/13c86d57.20161126-seville-033-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-033-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2ad9c0ea.20161126-seville-049-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-049-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/021541c0.20161126-seville-053-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-053-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/89d39063.20161126-seville-073-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-073-thumb.png" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/da6fb984.20161126-seville-076-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-076-thumb.png" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/15bb8a18.20161126-seville-077-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-077-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5766c06d.20161126-seville-085-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-085-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/797f62b3.20161126-seville-092-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-092-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b4c4252c.20161126-seville-110-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-110-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/eb0863af.20161126-seville-112-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-112-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4794f657.20161126-seville-113-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-113-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/49f7b2bc.20161126-seville-116-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-116-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6991f119.20161126-seville-117-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-117-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6619f8e4.20161126-seville-123-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-123-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/515eaaa4.20161126-seville-124-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-124-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/cd7d054d.20161126-seville-126-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-126-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3df75353.20161126-seville-127-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-127-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3ed3192f.20161126-seville-139-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-139-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/782e4ed4.20161126-seville-142-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-142-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c5753e5b.20161126-seville-146-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-146-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7c72c186.20161126-seville-144-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-144-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/05c9f9f2.20161126-seville-150-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-150-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/69981061.20161126-seville-185-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-185-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/132d1554.20161126-seville-192-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-192-thumb.png" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e626371c.20161126-seville-194-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-194-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3e5d333d.20161126-seville-195-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-195-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d8ef7aa7.20161126-seville-197-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-197-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1be15e79.20161126-seville-214-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-214-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4d62271c.20161126-seville-215-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-215-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/047659bb.20161126-seville-221-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-221-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/09d04aa2.20161126-seville-224-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-224-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7a0a5dbe.20161126-seville-228-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-228-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/cbd542b3.20161126-seville-234-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-234-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3cca3e6f.20161126-seville-401-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-401-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/95f6470b.20161126-seville-404-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-404-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f20dfa13.20161126-seville-406-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-406-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of SecAdmin.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>Then, on November 29<sup>th</sup>, RMS was in
<strong>Salamanca,</strong> to give his speech &ldquo;El Software
Libre en la ética y en la práctica&rdquo; to an audience of about 600
people.  According to Emilio Cobos Álvarez, who organized the visit,
&ldquo;free software adoption is still a ways away at the university,
where, for instance, certain compulsory courses require the use of
proprietary software to complete the corresponding work (and to pass
the course), and the use of certain Google services for mail and
authentication is completely necessary.&rdquo; Free software advocates
at the school invited RMS &ldquo;in the hopes that his energy and his
speech would improve free software adoption at the USAL.&rdquo; As a
result of his visit, some students and professors have just formed <a href="https://libre-usal.org">Libre-USAL</a>, a group that aims to
provide free alternatives within the university.  Libre-USAL is still
in its incipient stages, and the members are &ldquo;working on setting
up all the infrastructure, but [they] hope be able to help.&rdquo;</p>

<img src="media/221a6171.20161129-salamanca-01.jpeg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161129-salamanca/20161129-salamanca-01.jpeg" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below --> <p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px
20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;"> <em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>
and courtesy of Emilio Cobos Álvarez.<br />  
More photos available <a href="http://www.salamanca24horas.com/album/universidad/ponencia-software-libre-cargo-richard-stallman/20161129123833753662.html">here</a>.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>And, finally, RMS ended the month speaking at the University of
Alcalá's Escuela Politécnica Superior, in <strong>Alcalá de
Henares,</strong> on November 30<sup>th</sup>.<sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup></p>

<!-- End of image+caption block -->

<p>Please fill out our contact form, so that we can inform you about
future events in and around <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=84&amp;reset=1">Barcelona</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=458&amp;reset=1">Seville</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=460&amp;reset=1">Salamanca</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=69&amp;reset=1">Alcalá
de Henares</a>.  Please see <a href="http://www.fsf.org/events">www.fsf.org/events</a> for a full
list of all of RMS's confirmed engagements, and contact <a href="mailto:rms-assist@gnu.org">rms-assist@gnu.org</a> if you'd like
him to come speak.</p>

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to the organizers for having hosted RMS!</strong></p>

<hr /></hr>

<div align="left">
<div style="margin-left:4px;">

<sup id="fn1">1. The recording of RMS's speech at Alcalá de Henares
will soon be available in our <a href="http://audio-video.gnu.org/video/#2016">audio-video
archive</a>.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the
text.">↩</a></sup>

</div>
</div>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2016-november-podemos-barcelona-bilbao-sansebastian-seville
title: November 2016: Photos from speeches for Podemos: Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Seville
uri: November-2016-Photos-from-speeches-for-Podemos-Barcelona-Bilbao-Sa
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2016-november-podemos-barcelona-bilbao-sansebastian-seville
content:
<!-- Start of image + caption block -->
<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:2px;text-align:center; margin: 4px 50px 4px 50px; padding-top:4px;">

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
<!-- Adjust the width="150" part to change how wide the image appears on the page  -->

<p>Last month, RMS gave a four speeches in Spain that were sponsored
by the left-wing political party Podemos.</p>

<p>The first was at the civic center Cotxeres de Sants, in
<strong>Barcelona,</strong> on November 12<sup>th</sup>, and was
organized by Podemos in cooperation with the Pirate Party of
Catalonia.  Podemos and the Pirate Party invited RMS because they want
to introduce the general public, and in particular the public sector,
to free software.  About 150 people came to hear RMS's speech "La
informática y la libertad," in which he presented the free software
philosophy and also spoke about political parties' e-participation
tools and their effects on government, democracy, citizen
participation, transparency, and privacy when the programs used are
not free.</p>

<img src="media/f789a3c1.20161112-barcelona-01-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161112-barcelona/20161112-barcelona-01-thumb.png" alt="" width="530" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4ecaceba.20161112-barcelona-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161112-barcelona/20161112-barcelona-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6f31b272.20161112-barcelona-05-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161112-barcelona/20161112-barcelona-05-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/dd7f19bf.20161112-barcelona-02-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161112-barcelona/20161112-barcelona-02-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f3f023bb.20161112-barcelona-04-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161112-barcelona/20161112-barcelona-04-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Podemos.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>Óscar Fonseca Quesada of Podemos Catalunya, who helped organize the
visit, underscored his own commitment to free software and expressed
his hope that Podemos might one day be in power and work closely with
the FSF to ensure the region's migration to free software.</p>

<p>Later in the month, RMS was in <strong>Bilbao,</strong> to give a
speech to a small audience at La Morada Bilbao, on November
21<sup>st</sup>.  Maru Díaz, spokesperson for Podemos in the Aragonese
Corts, the regional parliament for the Spanish autonomous community of
Aragon, also spoke, about the successes and difficulties in promoting
the use and advancement of free software in Aragon.</p>

<img src="media/9eaa1803.20161121-bilbao-02-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161121-bilbao/20161121-bilbao-02-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5982410d.20161121-bilbao-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161121-bilbao/20161121-bilbao-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Podemos.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>In <strong>San Sebastián,</strong> right before he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEnQ1ktxDwk&amp;t=3s">spoke</a> at
the San Telmo museum, RMS showed up at the Centro Carlos Santamaría to
take questions live and in person from an audience that had just
watched a <a href="http://audio-video.gnu.org/video/2016-05-16--rms--software-libre-en-los-gobiernos--valencia-spain.ogv">recording</a>
of a speech he had given earlier this year, on free software in
governments.<sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup></p>

<p>On November 26<sup>th</sup>, at the Moraita de Bellavista, in
<strong>Seville,</strong> RMS spoke to about 60 people, at the
invitation of the Podemos Information Technology and Communication
circle.  Salvador Muñoz, speaking for Podemos, said they invited RMS
because they are "activist citizens and want new technology to serve
the common good of all society," and "to reduce the digital divide, to
spread the use of free software, and to improve democracy through IT."
"Much work remains to be done."  Aside from raising awareness at the
state level, Podemos's ITC circle has started a project to catalog
recommended free software tools and applications, which they organize
by categories for use at different levels (party, circle, association,
social movement, or at the level of any group or sector interested in
transitioning to free software).  "We wish to demonstrate that there
are free ("libre") alternatives for everything we wish to do with a
computer and IT."</p>

<img src="media/4d8049ae.20161126-seville-02-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-02-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/88136667.20161126-seville-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f045efcb.20161126-seville-04-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-04-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/59e71363.20161126-seville-05-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20161126-seville/20161126-seville-05-thumb.png" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Podemos.)</em>

<!-- End of image+caption block -->

<p>Please fill out our contact form, so that we can inform you about
future events in and around <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=84&amp;reset=1">Barcelona</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=464&amp;reset=1">San
Sebastián</a>, and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=458&amp;reset=1">Seville</a>.
Please see <a href="http://www.fsf.org/events">www.fsf.org/events</a>
for a full list of all of RMS's confirmed engagements, and contact <a href="mailto:rms-assist@gnu.org">rms-assist@gnu.org</a> if you'd like
him to come speak.</p>

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to all the organizers for having hosted RMS!</strong></p>

<hr /></hr>

<div align="left">
<div style="margin-left:4px;">

<sup id="fn1">1. <a href="http://tecnologia.elpais.com/tecnologia/2016/11/23/actualidad/1479924453_987198.html"><em>El
País</em></a>, <a href="http://www.abc.es/tecnologia/informatica/software/abci-richard-stallman-ciudadano-debe-participar-lucha-contra-espionaje-201611251245_noticia.html"><em>ABC
Tecnología</em></a>, and <a href="http://www.publico.es/ciencias/richard-stallman-espana-reprime-mas.html"><em>Público</em></a>
all interviewed RMS in advance of the speech, which itself was in
advance of the <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2016-november-pamplona-sansebastian">speech
he gave, later that day, for Diálogos Europeos</a>.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>

</div>
</div>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-6th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for January 6th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-January-6th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-6th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
January 6th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme was drafting new entries. We focused on finding new
and useful software to add to the Directory. One example of this is a
search engine that provides instantaneous system-wide results. We had
a very productive meeting, adding and updating over 50 entries.</p>
<p>We also had numerous volunteers looking to update and create entries.
<em>mangeurdenuage</em>, <em>‎Alejandroindependiente</em> and <em>‎Genium</em> all
contributed greatly. We had a new volunteer show up, <em>mwalim</em>, he
updated his own program and began to work on some historical entries. </p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


uri: Friday-Fight-for-Freedom-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-January-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-fight-for-freedom-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-13th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

title:
Friday Fight for Freedom Free Software Directory IRC meetup: January 13th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-fight-for-freedom-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-13th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week's theme is focusing on software to help people fight for a
cause. Activists need software for organizing and communicating, and
for protecting their privacy from spying eyes. We want the FSD
to be a great tool for anyone working to improve the world, so we have
to have all the software they need listed and up to date in the
FSD. Come help build the future with us this Friday!</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that
everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each
meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/computing-is-changing-so-is-fsfs-high-priority-projects-list
title: Computing is changing -- so is the FSF's High Priority Projects List
uri: Computing-is-changing-so-is-the-FSF-s-High-Priority-Projects-List
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/computing-is-changing-so-is-fsfs-high-priority-projects-list
content:
<p>We want a world in which all computer users can do everything they
need to do on any computer using exclusively free software. To achieve
that mission, we need to make sure that free software fulfills users
needs, and we also need to grow the free software community by making
it, and the software it creates, welcoming and accessible to
all. Until those needs are met, we will use the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/">HPP list</a> to mobilize
people and resources to support those projects and to improve the
workings of the movement itself.</p>
<p>In 2014, a committee of free software activists with expertise in
areas including security, copyleft, design, and development assembled
to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-commences-review-of-high-priority-free-software-projects-list-your-input-is-needed">revise the HPP list</a>. They spent a year soliciting feedback
from the free software community about projects of great strategic
importance to the goal of freedom for all computer users. Today, we
share their conclusions regarding what free software initiatives can
change the world.</p>
<p>Check out the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/">updated list</a>, which encompasses software projects,
advancements in free software-compatible hardware, and efforts to
expand and deepen the inclusivity of the free software community. Read
a <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/a-preliminary-analysis-of-high-priority-projects-feedback">full explanation of the committee's work</a>, which several
committee members <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/the-state-of-free-revising-the-high-priority-projects-list/">expanded on</a> at last year's <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2016/">LibrePlanet
conference</a>. We are also introducing a <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/changelog">changelog</a> that makes it
easier to track revisions to the list.</p>
<p>The HPP list offers up some meaty challenges for the free software
community, and has seen success since its launch in 2005. The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050525233616/http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html">first
version</a> of the list included only four projects, three of them
related to <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html">Java</a>. Eighteen months later, Sun began to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html">free Java
users</a>.</p>
<p>While the FSF does not ask to run or control these projects, we seek
to use our position and visibility in the community to help bring them
beneficial help and attention, including directly supporting
development for some.</p>
<p><strong>You can help these projects move forward!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>If you're a developer, consider <strong>contributing code</strong> to one of these projects.</li>
<li>Or help with their <strong>documentation</strong> or <strong>community organizing</strong>.</li>
<li>If you have money, <strong>make financial donations</strong> to them.</li>
<li>Everyone can help <strong>publicize</strong> these recommendations so that these
projects get the attention they need.</li>
<li>And <strong>feedback on the HPP list</strong>, including suggestions for future
revisions, is always welcome at <a href="mailto:hpp-feedback@gnu.org">&#104;&#112;&#112;&#45;&#102;&#101;&#101;&#100;&#98;&#97;&#99;&#107;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>In the coming months, we'll be taking a closer look at each priority
and highlighting more specific ways in which the community can
help. We're eager to celebrate work that advances the aims of the HPP
list, so let's get started!</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 3rd starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-3rd-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-3rd-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-3rd-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week's theme is focusing on software devoted to web authoring.
The ubiquity and importance of the web in modern society is hard to
understate. It is the medium for many of the conversations conducted
in regards to the status of society. Whether it's a what you see is
what you get editor, a full site management system, or a bookmark
platform, these web authoring tools are of paramount importance. Tools
such as these enable one to not just listen passively to the
conversation, but rather it provides users the freedom to lead the
conversation, without sacrificing user freedom.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that
everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each
meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/licensing-resource-series-the-fsf-compliance-lab-team
title: Licensing resource series: the FSF Compliance Lab Team
uri: Licensing-resource-series-the-FSF-Compliance-Lab-Team
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/licensing-resource-series-the-fsf-compliance-lab-team
content:
<p>The FSF receives thousands of licensing questions a year from free
software users and developers. The staff on the FSF Compliance Lab
would not be able to handle all these requests on their own. That is why
we are so grateful to our volunteers who assist us in our efforts.
Volunteers are one of the most important resources an organization can
muster. <br />
</p>
<p>The license volunteers are an amazing group of people, but they are
often working behind the scenes. With all the hard work they do, they
really deserve some time in the spotlight. That is why this
installment of our licensing resource series is focusing on the
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/team">Compliance Lab Team</a>. Here you can find out a little bit more
about the volunteers, their backgrounds, and areas of interest. These
volunteers assist in handling free software licensing questions
submitted by the public to <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. Volunteers also review
licensing publications and aid in keeping our educational materials
relevant. In addition, volunteers collaborate in investigating alleged
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html">GNU General Public License (GPL) violations</a> reported to
<a href="mailto:license-violation@gnu.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#101;&#45;&#118;&#105;&#111;&#108;&#97;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. We wanted to take a moment to publicly
thank our volunteers and share their work with the rest of the world.</p>
<p>If you're interested in <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer">becoming a licensing volunteer</a> just write
to <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> and tell us a bit about your background, both
legal and within the free software world. Please also take the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/cgi-bin/license-quiz.cgi">GPL
quiz</a> and let us know how you did. Once accepted, and suitably
trained, volunteers join the team and are on the front line answering
free software questions from the public.<br />
</p>
<p>We hope you take a chance to meet our volunteers, and possibly
consider joining the team. But even if you're not ready to be a licensing
wizard, there's plenty of other ways to help. Here's what you can do:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>You can keep up to date on this series and more free software news 
by subscribing to our newsletter, the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss">Free Software Supporter</a> 
and subscribing to our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/static/fsforg/rss/licensing.xml">RSS feed</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>You can help fund our work in creating these licensing resources by 
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">becoming a member</a> or by <a href="https://donate.fsf.org/">making a donation</a>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Enjoy this article? Check out our previous entry in <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/licensing-resource-series-the-most-popular-resources-for-2016">Licensing 
resource series: The most popular resources for 2016</a></em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-two-new-gnu-releases-in-january
title: Twenty-two new GNU releases in January
uri: Twenty-two-new-GNU-releases-in-January
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-two-new-gnu-releases-in-january
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/8sync/">8sync-0.4.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/">auctex-11.90</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/datamash/">datamash-1.1.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ed/">ed-1.14.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/freetalk/">freetalk-4.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcal/">gcal-4.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/">gdb-7.12.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glpk/">glpk-4.61</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.1.18</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gperf/">gperf-3.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/kawa/">kawa-2.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libtasn1/">libtasn1-4.10</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.9.5-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/m4/">m4-1.4.18</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mcsim/">mcsim-5.6.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.7.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170122</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/screen/">screen-4.5.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/">sed-4.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/userv/">userv-1.2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/vc-dwim/">vc-dwim-1.8</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the url
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>This month, we welcome Alex Naumov as a new co-maintainer of Screen,
Graham Percival as a new co-maintainer of Lilypond, Arash Esbati as a
new co-maintainer of AUCTeX, and Yijun Yu as a new co-maintainer of
Bison.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-27th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for January 27th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-January-27th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-27th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
January 27th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This past week the meeting was about getting new entries added to the
directory. Towards that end, we focused on shrinking the backlog of
submitted but unapproved pages. While the meeting was sparsely
attended, <em>mangeurdenuage</em> and others were able to process a large
chunk of the backlog. The unapproved pages backlog declined by over
thirty during the course of the meeting. There was also a lot of work
done outside the meeting by people who couldn't make it this week.
There are still more entries seeking entry to the FSD, however a
sizable chunk appear to be actually approved pages that are showing as
unapproved due to being moved. We'll investigate the issue and
continue working to add more and more entries until the backlog is
gone.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: January 27th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-January-27th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-27th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-27th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week's theme is going to focus on adding new packages to the FSD.
We've done a lot of work on cleaning up various categories and
improving the FSD, but we have to keep it growing! This week we'll
work on approving pages that have been added, but also getting more
packages into the FSD as well.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-20th-2017-1
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for January 20th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-January-20th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-20th-2017-1
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
January 20th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This past week the meeting focused on games and game development
tools. Games are integral in the human experience, and as such are a
worthy subject for the Directory. Game development tools are of
interest following the adage of "teaching a person to fish," as well
as serving as a means of expression. These tools include those
necessary to create the art for the game and not just to the tools
that aid in the writing of code. In addition to updating numerous
existing entires, some new games were added as well.        <br />
</p>
<p>The meeting included a lively discussion of free software in game
development. Our discussion included the role of art files in games,
including their licensing. It even touched on what is the meaning of
free software. </p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


uri: Friday-Game-Night-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-January-20th-sta
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-game-night-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-20th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

title:
Friday Game Night Free Software Directory IRC meetup: January 20th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-game-night-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-20th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week's theme is going to focus on gaming software. Games have
been an important aspect of society since time immemorial. They serve
a multitude of purposes from entertainment to education. The FSD
should fully reflect this fact. So come this Friday, it's game on.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-13th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for January 13th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-January-13th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-january-13th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished on the Friday,
January 13th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme was working on packages useful for activism. We
mainly focused on tools for protecting privacy. For activists all
around the world being able to communicate and organize in private is
unfortunately of paramount importance. Fortunately we were able to
work through and update most of the packages in the privacy category.
For several packages we were able to file issues with their
maintainers to correct problems with their licensing. More work will
need to be done on other types of tools for activists.</p>
<p>The meeting finished with a discussion about gaming on free software.
Once you're done fighting for freedom you need a good way to unwind,
which is why making sure Directory entries on free software games are
up to date is also important. We'll be working on gaming in the next
upcoming meeting.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 10th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-10th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-10th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-10th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week again we are focusing on adding entries to the FSD. We have been making great progress on improving and updating existing entries, but we want to keep the FSD growing even as it improves. There is still a backlog of entries awaiting approval that we need to get through, and new packages are announced every day as well. </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that
everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each
meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-february-3rd-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for February 3rd, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-February-3rd-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-february-3rd-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
February 3rd, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme focused on web authoring tools. These are the
programs that enable users to shape the contours of web. With over
five hundred entries in the web authoring tools category alone, there
was no way that a single meeting could cover all the entries. The
meeting, while lightly populated, got right down to work on the weekly
theme. Time was spent looking at light web servers as well as web
proxy programs. The entry review spread to cover web site management
programs too. By the end, entries were consolidated, others updated,
and a few removed. This was all done with the goal of improving the
Directory.</p>
<p>If you would like to help improve the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-january-february-michigan
title: January, February 2017: Photos from Michigan
uri: January-February-2017-Photos-from-Michigan
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-january-february-michigan
content:
<!-- Start of image + caption block -->
<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:2px;text-align:center; margin: 4px 50px 4px 50px; padding-top:4px;">

<p>RMS was in the US state of <strong>Michigan</strong> this month,
to give stand-along speech on three different campuses.  He
was&#8230;</p>

<p>&#8230;at <strong>Kalamazoo College,</strong> in Kalamazoo, MI, on
January 30<sup>the</sup> as a guest of the college's Department of
Physics, and Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, to
give his speech <a href="https://vimeo.com/kalamazoocollege/review/203166957/41490a2135">&ldquo;Computing,
Freedom, and Privacy&rdquo;</a> to the local students and faculty and
to some computer professionals from the Kalamazoo community.</p>

<p>&#8230;at <strong>Wayne State University, </strong> in Detroit, MI,
on January 31<sup>st</sup>, he gave his speech <a href="https://lcessprod.cc.wayne.edu:8443/ess/echo/presentation/417e63ef-4a6b-455e-9c28-eb43ffeb3cab">&ldquo;Freedom
for Computer Users: Free Software&rdquo;</a> to WSU students, other
people from of the local community, as well as to students from the
University of Windsor's Department of Computer Science in Toronto,
Ontario, via live stream.  Professor Loren Schweibert, interim chair
of WSU's computer science department, shared that he wanted to host
RMS as a speaker,</p>

<blockquote>because I think there is not a general understanding of
the extent to which proprietary software undermines our privacy, but
even I was not aware of some of the examples presented. I think there
were a lot of good questions from the audience, which indicated that
they also care about these issues. It definitely gave people food for
thought. And, I know that it has encouraged people to make more effort
toward making sure that the software developed here is released as
free software.</blockquote>

<p>He added, &ldquo;The only significant software project I have was
already released with a license of Version 3 of the GPL Version or
later, based on the recommendations of your website.&rdquo;</p><sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
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<img src="media/a1e74dfb.20170131-detroit-01-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-01-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d4b37ebd.20170131-detroit-02-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-02-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/023d520c.20170131-detroit-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d4a6c057.20170131-detroit-04-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-04-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/91b5c7e3.20170131-detroit-05-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-05-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/50e0ec79.20170131-detroit-06-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-06-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1b8d967a.20170131-detroit-07-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-07-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/65bbebca.20170131-detroit-08-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-08-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/69b101c5.20170131-detroit-09-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-09-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5ea0d934.20170131-detroit-11-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-11-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ec2b3c3a.20170131-detroit-10-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-10-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7915234b.20170131-detroit-12-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-12-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/24547e39.20170131-detroit-13-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-13-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8cb23b12.20170131-detroit-14-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-14-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e879b1f5.20170131-detroit-15-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-15-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/49774f1f.20170131-detroit-16-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-16-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/dd665ccc.20170131-detroit-17-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-17-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1b2a71b4.20170131-detroit-19-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-19-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/fa3a1837.20170131-detroit-20-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-20-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6c314822.20170131-detroit-18-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-18-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6df0aa8f.20170131-detroit-21-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-21-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/95a01baa.20170131-detroit-22-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-22-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f4b50100.20170131-detroit-23-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-23-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7b1ce972.20170131-detroit-24-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-24-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3852caeb.20170131-detroit-25-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-25-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/57cb2f72.20170131-detroit-26-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-26-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/facad18c.20170131-detroit-28-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-28-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/87af8eab.20170131-detroit-29-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-29-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2ec2f87f.20170131-detroit-27-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-27-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e72672e3.20170131-detroit-30-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-30-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ea980640.20170131-detroit-31-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170131-detroit/20170131-detroit-31-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photo under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Loren Schwiebert.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>&#8230;and at <strong>Calvin College,</strong> in Grand Rapids, MI,
where RMS gave his speech <a href="media/1bfc3f4d.Stallman1Feb2017.ogg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/&lt;https://cs.calvin.edu/courses/cs/x95/kvlinden/videos/Stallman1Feb2017.ogg">&ldquo;Free
Software and Your Freedom&rdquo;</a> to about 350 people, on February
1<sup>st</sup>.  After the talk, the Department of Computer Science's
Professor Keith VanderLinden said,

<blockquote>We invited RMS to speak at Calvin College because of his
long-standing, compelling work on behalf of free software, and he
delivered a talk that was both engaging and challenging. We're very
pleased to have hosted him. I believe that his talk motivated a number
of students to consider working on free software. And although the
institutional inertia strongly favors the use of commercial software
in our courses, our department is considering making an effort to move
to free platforms.</blockquote>

<!-- End of image+caption block -->

<p>Please fill out our contact form, so that we can inform you about
future events in and around <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=470&amp;reset=1">Kalamazoo</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=468&amp;reset=1">Detroit</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=469&amp;reset=1">Grand
Rapids</a>.  Please see <a href="http://www.fsf.org/events">www.fsf.org/events</a> for a full
list of all of RMS's confirmed engagements, and contact <a href="mailto:rms-assist@gnu.org">rms-assist@gnu.org</a> if you'd like
him to come speak.</p>

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to everyone who made
these appearances possible!</strong></p>

<hr /></hr>

<sup id="fn1">1. You can find instructions on how to use GNU licenses
for your program <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-howto.html">here</a>.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/whats-a-cryptovalentine
title: What's a cryptovalentine?
uri: What-s-a-cryptovalentine
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/whats-a-cryptovalentine
content:
<div style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 20px 50px 25px; padding: 4px; text-align: center;"><img alt="A valentine's day crypto robot" src="media/1897a96c.cryptovalentine.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/cryptovalentine.png" width="250" /></div>

<p>Happy Valentine's Day! If you're tired of giving people little candy hearts or anxiously scrolling through dating sites, we have something fresh for you to try.</p>
<p><strong>Ask someone you like—romantically or otherwise—to be your cryptovalentine. If they say yes (yikes, nervous!) use the free program <a href="https://www.gnupg.org/index.html">GnuPG</a> to set up private and encrypted communication with them.</strong></p>
<p>If one or both of you is new to GnuPG, we recommend our beginner-friendly <a href="https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org">Email Self-Defense guide</a>. Setting up encrypted communication is a quick activity you can do together whether you are across the room or across the world. And what better way to show love than by helping someone defend their security, privacy, and freedom? The guide is available in 15 languages, so you can't use your valentine's preferred language as an excuse not to encrypt with them!</p>
<p>This is a fun activity, but it can also make a difference. The right to encrypt is endangered around the world, with governments threatening our security and freedom by demanding legal or technological weakening of encryption. Resist with the power of love—encrypt with your valentine, and tell the world!</p>
<p>As we've discussed at length, free software is necessary for privacy online. Because nonfree software's code can't be audited publicly, we can never trust it to be free of back doors inserted by accident or by design. We're thankful to all the hardworking free software developers who give us a fighting chance at digital privacy. It goes without saying, but we love free software and the people who make it.</p>
<p>For more free software Valentine's day fun, like sharable graphics and an #ilovefs photo gallery, visit the <a href="https://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs">Free Software Foundation Europe Web site</a>.</p>
<p>&lt;3<br />
</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 17th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-17th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-17th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-17th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week we will continue to hammer away at new entries awaiting
approval. We've returned to this theme because one week was not 
enough to verify all of the new packages that are awaiting approval. 
Working on these entries helps ensure that the FSD keeps pace with 
the ever expanding world of free software and remains a valuable tool 
for free software users and developers.   <br />
</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-february-10th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for February 10th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-February-10th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-february-10th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
February 10th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme focused again on new additions to the Directory. We
focused on working down the backlog of unapproved pages, only to find
that it had actually increased since the previous meeting dealing with
new entries. That's actually good news, as it means that people are
continuing to add new packages to the Directory. But while it is great
that so many people are taking the time to add entries, we need to
work more on getting them all approved so that users can actually
enjoy the work being done. During the meeting, <em>mangeurdenuage</em> also
brought up the issue of translating the Directory. While there are
thousands of entries available, for many users those entries are not
easy to understand, as they are all in English. Translating the
Directory into more languages will be of great use for users all
around the world, but it is quite the undertaking. We will have to
work towards launching a project or working with other groups to help
make the Directory usable by all. </p>
<p>If you would like to help improve the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/heres-a-sneak-peek-at-libreplanet-2017-register-today
title: Here's a sneak peek at LibrePlanet 2017: Register today!
uri: Here-s-a-sneak-peek-at-LibrePlanet-2017-Register-today
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/heres-a-sneak-peek-at-libreplanet-2017-register-today
content:
<p><strong>Don't delay: <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=47&amp;pk_campaign=2017-LibrePlanet&amp;pk_kwd=email">Register today</a> to ensure that you will attend
LibrePlanet 2017: The Roots of Freedom.</strong> Remember, FSF <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=2017-LibrePlanet&amp;pk_kwd=email">members</a>
and students attend gratis.</p>
<p>Hundreds of people from across the planet will gather at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet
2017: The Roots of Freedom</a> at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
This year's <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/speakers.html">conference speakers</a> will examine the foundations of
software freedom and the ideas and projects they inspired.</p>
<p>Four keynote speakers will anchor the event. <strong><a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/speakers.html">Kade Crockford</a></strong>,
director of the Technology for Liberty program of the American Civil
Liberties Union of Massachusetts, will kick things off on Saturday
morning by sharing how technologists can enlist in the growing fight
for civil liberties. On Saturday night, Free Software Foundation
president <strong><a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board">Richard Stallman</a></strong> will present the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards">Free Software
Awards</a> and discuss pressing threats and important opportunities
for software freedom.</p>
<p>Day two will begin with <strong><a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2017-keynote-announcement-author-and-tech-activist-cory-doctorow">Cory Doctorow</a></strong>, science fiction author
and special consultant to the Electronic Frontier Foundation,
revealing how to eradicate all Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) in a
decade. The conference will draw to a close with <strong><a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/sumana-harihareswaras-keynote-will-close-libreplanet-2017">Sumana
Harihareswara</a></strong>, leader, speaker, and advocate for free software
and communities, giving a talk entitled "Lessons, Myths, and Lenses:
What I Wish I'd Known in 1998."</p>
<p>That's not all. We'll hear about the GNU philosophy from Marianne
Corvellec of the French free software organization April, Joey Hess
will touch on encryption with a talk about backing up your GPG keys,
and Denver Gingerich will update us on a crucial free software need:
the mobile phone.</p>
<p>Others will look at ways to grow the free software movement: through
cross-pollination with other activist movements, removal of barriers
to free software use and contribution, and new ideas for free software
as paid work. Speakers will include Software Freedom Conservancy's
director of strategic initiatives Brett Smith, blind free software
activist Chris Hofstader, and Micky Metts of the Cambridge,
Massachusetts Web development collective Agaric. The full program will
be published soon. <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/speakers.html">In the meantime, you can see the list of confirmed
speakers.</a></p>
<p>Each year at LibrePlanet, we gather software developers, activists,
policy experts, and computer users to share accomplishments, learn
skills, and address challenges to software freedom. Newcomers are
always welcome, and LibrePlanet 2017 will feature programming for a
broad range of experience levels, including students.</p>
<p>When planning your travel, keep in mind that while the conference
proper will be Saturday and Sunday, there will be social events on
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening.</p>
<p><a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017</a> is produced in partnership by the <a href="https://www.fsf.org">Free Software
Foundation</a> with the <a href="https://sipb.mit.edu">Student Information Processing Board
(SIPB)</a> at MIT.</p>
<img alt="LibrePlanet 2017 T-shirt" src="media/fa803b4c.final-front-lp-2017-t-shirt.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2017/final-front-lp-2017-t-shirt.png" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<h3>Pre-order a LibrePlanet 2017 t-shirt by March 6th</h3>
<p>You can also <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/tshirts-hoodies/libreplanet-2017">pre-order a LibrePlanet 2017 commemorative t-shirt</a>
in the GNU Press shop. <em>Order your shirt by March 6th, 7am EST/13:00
UTC to guarantee availability in your size.</em> If you will be picking up
the shirt at the conference, use the code LP17 to waive shipping
costs. If you want it shipped to you, don't use that code, and expect
it to arrive after the conference.</p>
<h3>Volunteers make LibrePlanet awesome</h3>
<p>LibrePlanet has grown in scope and attendance over the years—it
started out as a Free Software Foundation membership meeting. This
conference would never have become the highly-anticipated event it is
today without the help of dozens of volunteers who make things happen,
before and during the conference—and it's a great way to meet
fellow community members. There are even ways to help if you can't
attend in person! If you are interested in helping out with
LibrePlanet 2017, email <a href="mailto:resources@fsf.org">&#114;&#101;&#115;&#111;&#117;&#114;&#99;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. We show our appreciation
for our volunteers by offering gratis conference admission and a
LibrePlanet t-shirt.</p>
<p>Don't miss out on your chance to explore the roots of
freedom. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=47">Register for LibrePlanet 2017 today</a>!</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-february-17th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for February 17th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-February-17th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-february-17th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
February 17th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>We focused this past week on clearing the stack. The Directory
continues to expand. This has led to a backlog of entries awaiting
approval. Drilling through this backlog has been a reoccurring task
for the Directory. Between us and progress were some seriously dense
programs, in terms of their source code, which we powered through
during the meeting. This cleared the way for simpler approvals in the
future. A conversation came up regarding the user access controls for
the Directory, and we also discussed the history of the formatting of
licensing files.<br />
</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 24th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-24th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-24th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-24th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week we will continue to hammer away at new entries to the FSD.
Over the past 6 months we've done a terrific job of updating entries,
with thousands of pages receiving some sort of update. That work must
continue as well, but we want to make sure the FSD grows while it is
improving. </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-february-germany
title: February 2017: Photos from Berlin, Munster, and Cologne
uri: February-2017-Photos-from-Berlin-Munster-and-Cologne
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-february-germany
content:
<!-- Start of image + caption block -->
<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:2px;text-align:center; margin: 4px 50px 4px 50px; padding-top:4px;">

<p>RMS was in <strong>Germany</strong> this month, to give his speech
&ldquo;Free Software, Your Freedom, Your Privacy,&rdquo; in three
different cities, all on the invitation of the <a href="http://www.gi.de">Gesellschaft für Informatik</a> (GI), the German
Informatics Society, a &ldquo;network of professionals&rdquo; whose
shared goal is to &ldquo;motivate for informatics, develop the
scientific discipline and promote the impact informatics has on the
economy, business and, society.&rdquo; GI arranged for RMS to make
appearances&#8230;</p>

<p>&#8230;in the Architekturgebäude of the Technische Universität in
<strong>Berlin,</strong> where he addressed<sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> a full house, on February
10<sup>th</sup>&#8230;</p>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
<!-- Adjust the width="150" part to change how wide the image appears on the page  -->

<img src="media/5c3cb1a4.20170210-berlin-01-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170210-berlin/20170210-berlin-01-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6edccd1d.20170210-berlin-02-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170210-berlin/20170210-berlin-02-thumb.png" alt="" width="230" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/97424225.20170210-berlin-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170210-berlin/20170210-berlin-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="310" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below --> <p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;"> 
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a> and
courtesy of the Gesellschaft für Informatik.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>&#8230;at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, in
<strong>Münster,</strong> to about 150 people<sup><a href="#fn2" id="ref2">1</a></sup>&#8230;</p>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
<!-- Adjust the width="150" part to change how wide the image appears on the page  -->

<img src="media/d26a67c4.20170213-munster-01-gi-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-01-gi-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/cdb73c9d.20170213-munster-02-gi-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-02-gi-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/78682213.20170213-munster-03-gi-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-03-gi-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/625188ed.20170213-munster-04-gi-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-04-gi-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/bcf18248.20170213-munster-05-gi-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-05-gi-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6ff053f2.20170213-munster-25-gi-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-25-gi-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/01c4741b.20170213-munster-27-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-27-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c5583140.20170213-munster-29-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-29-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f8d723a0.20170213-munster-30-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-30-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e5a65078.20170213-munster-32-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-32-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2919e0e3.20170213-munster-35-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-35-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d5899df9.20170213-munster-37-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-37-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/701a28d2.20170213-munster-38-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-38-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/85a2a85b.20170213-munster-39-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-39-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5b80ac89.20170213-munster-41-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-41-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/fd27d987.20170213-munster-43-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-43-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2a4964c4.20170213-munster-44-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-44-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0734d2c0.20170213-munster-45-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-45-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0f4fdbfd.20170213-munster-57-voss-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170213-munster/20170213-munster-57-voss-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below --> <p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;"> 
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a> and
courtesy of the Gesellschaft für Informatik and courtesy of Holger
Voss (see individual photo file names for owner's name).)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p>&#8230;and at the Universität zu Köln, in <strong>Cologne,</strong>
on February 14<sup>th</sup>, to a full lecture room.

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
<!-- Adjust the width="150" part to change how wide the image appears on the page  -->

<img src="media/56eee51d.20170214-cologne-01-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-01-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7739750b.20170214-cologne-02-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-02-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8beadde3.20170214-cologne-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ac6930ac.20170214-cologne-04-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-04-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2e355e1e.20170214-cologne-05-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-05-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/814a6d52.20170214-cologne-06-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-06-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f877c1c8.20170214-cologne-07-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-07-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9ac3917d.20170214-cologne-08-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-08-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6c0dd097.20170214-cologne-09-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-09-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/405f2a82.20170214-cologne-11-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-11-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c2426948.20170214-cologne-12-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-12-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e0bb24fa.20170214-cologne-14-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-14-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d835c334.20170214-cologne-13-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-13-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e398c021.20170214-cologne-15-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-15-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0009da31.20170214-cologne-17-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-17-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d5680282.20170214-cologne-18-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-18-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c92e4d98.20170214-cologne-19-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-19-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/faffe404.20170214-cologne-20-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-20-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8fe4eb06.20170214-cologne-21-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-21-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1bb4f457.20170214-cologne-22-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-22-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b5b1061c.20170214-cologne-23-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-23-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/df4a640f.20170214-cologne-24-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170214-cologne/20170214-cologne-24-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below -->
<p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;">
<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a> and
courtesy of the Gesellschaft für Informatik.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to everyone who made
these appearances possible!</strong></p>

<!-- End of image+caption block -->

<p>Please fill out our contact form, so that we can inform you about
future events in and around <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=210&amp;reset=1">Berlin</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=474&amp;reset=1">Munster</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=475&amp;reset=1">Cologne</a>.
Please see <a href="http://www.fsf.org/events">www.fsf.org/events</a>
for a full list of all of RMS's confirmed engagements, and contact <a href="mailto:rms-assist@gnu.org">rms-assist@gnu.org</a> if you'd like
him to come speak.</p>

<hr /></hr>

<sup id="fn1">1. See <a href="http://www.schattenblick.de/infopool/computer/report/crin0001.html#seite3">here</a>
for the write up (<em>ger.</em>) of the interview RMS gave the
electronic newspaper <em>Schattenblick</em> while he was in Berlin.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the
text.">↩</a></sup><br />

<sup id="fn2">2. See <a href="http://www.wn.de/Muenster/2696996-Richard-Stallman-in-Muenster-Internet-Aktivist-Windows-Apple-und-Co.-sind-Spione">here</a>
for the <em>Westfällische Nachrichten</em>'s reporting on the speech
(<em>ger.</em>).<a href="#ref2" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the
text.">↩</a></sup><br />


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/meet-the-libreplanet-2017-speakers-gordon-hall-1
title: Meet the LibrePlanet 2017 Speakers: Gordon Hall
uri: Meet-the-LibrePlanet-2017-Speakers-Gordon-Hall
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/meet-the-libreplanet-2017-speakers-gordon-hall-1
content:
<p>Gordon Hall will be joining us at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017</a>, sharing his
analysis of mass surveillance and how it connects to other issues. He
spoke with us recently about himself, his interests, and why free
software.</p>
<p><strong>Would you tell us a bit about yourself?</strong></p>
<p>I wanted to be a filmmaker when I was young. I managed to win a
sizable scholarship to attend an arts college in Atlanta in my junior
<img src="media/6ccab6ed.gordan_hall.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2017/gordan_hall.jpg" style="float: left; width: 100px; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;
background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius:
3px; -moz-border-radius: 3px; padding: 7px;" alt="Photo of Gordon
Hall" /></img>year of high school for two short films I wrote, directed, and edited
with friends. I switched my major at the last minute to graphic design
and lasted a semester before dropping out and helping some friends who
were opening a skate park with graphics and their website. This was
what ultimately got me into hacking. Some years later, I married my
wife Libby and we had our daughter, Ruby who refuses to be in a car
unless she can listen to hardcore.</p>
<p><strong>How did you get interested in the relationship between surveillance
and ecology?</strong></p>
<p>Murray Bookchin's critical theory of Social Ecology has been very
influential for me. The assertion that most ecological problems stem
from social problems provides a wealth of relationships to
explore. Given that mass surveillance is such a pressing social issue
right now, I thought it would be interesting to connect the dots
between it and the ongoing destruction of the environment.</p>
<p>Additionally, I have been working on the <a href="https://storj.io/">Storj</a> project for over a
year now, which aims to replace the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.en.html">"cloud"</a> with a peer-to-peer
encrypted object storage network capable of running on low-power and
outdated hardware. Given that this project's primary qualities are
securing data and promoting ecological sustainability by reducing
electronic waste, it seemed like a good case study for ways we can
tackle these problems.</p>
<p><strong>What are you looking forward to at LibrePlanet?</strong></p>
<p>This will be my second LibrePlanet, my first being last year. I don't
enjoy attending technology conferences. Walking into a place that's
promoted as a place to learn and then walking into a host of vendors
trying to sell their proprietary software strikes me as a very hostile
environment for learning. LibrePlanet, though, is something very
special. It's something we all engage in together constructively, not
the ruthless marketing machines I have attended in the past. Last year
I left LibrePlanet feeling energized and motivated to keep hacking the
planet and I expect the same this time around!</p>
<p><strong>Do you have any skills or talents you wish more people knew about?</strong></p>
<p>I play the ukulele and the cajón in a "band" with my wife and friends
called Pukulele. We also have another "band" called Jellyfist in which
I just yell obnoxiously.</p>
<p>Interested in learning more? <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=47">Join us at LibrePlanet 2017</a> to
attend Gordon's talk as well as <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/">dozens of others</a>! As always, FSF
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=2017-LibrePlanet&amp;pk_kwd=email">members</a> and students attend gratis.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: March 3rd starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-March-3rd-starting-at-12-p
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-3rd-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-3rd-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>We are continuing our focus on adding new entries to the FSD. Over the
last few weeks, we have chiseled away at the new entires waiting for
approval. There are still quite a few programs looking to be added to
the FSD. This Friday we will further whittle down the queue and expand
the FSD.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/sixteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-february
title: Sixteen new GNU releases in the month of February
uri: Sixteen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-February
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/sixteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-february
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/">ddrescue-1.22</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ed/">ed-1.14.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ggradebook/">ggradebook-0.92</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glibc/">glibc-2.25</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.0.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/grep/">grep-3.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/">guile-2.0.14</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/">libiconv-1.15</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libsigsegv/">libsigsegv-2.11</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.10-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.7.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/">octave-4.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170222</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/">sed-4.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/">wget-1.19.1</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the url
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>This month, we welcome Christopher Dimech as the maintainer of the new
GNU package Behistun and Mathieu Lirzin as the new maintainer of Mcron
and Automake.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-march-3rd-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for March 3rd, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-March-3rd-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-march-3rd-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
March 3, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we returned to clearing the backlog of approved entries.
During the meeting we were joined by a developer looking to discuss
the licensing of their software developed under contract with an
institution of higher learning. The issue of license compatibility
came up and we talked about how <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#GPLv2">GPLv2 or later can upgrade to
GPLv3</a>. All the while we plugged away at the backlog getting it to
drop somewhat over the course of the meeting.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/its-international-womens-day-celebrating-women-in-free-software
title: It's International Women's Day: Celebrating women in free software
uri: It-s-International-Women-s-Day-Celebrating-women-in-free-software
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/its-international-womens-day-celebrating-women-in-free-software
content:
<h2>Sacha Chua</h2>
<p>The FSF loves <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU emacs</a>. Its extensibility and customizability
are unparalleled. We also know that there's a need for high quality
documentation at all levels, especially introductions for people
coming from a variety of technical and nontechnical backgrounds.</p>
<p>That's where <a href="http://sachachua.com/">Sacha Chua</a> comes in.</p>
<p>A self-professed "emacs geek," Sacha, in her own words, "really,
really like[s] the Emacs text editor." She's written <a href="http://sachachua.com/blog/category/emacs/">extensively on
emacs</a>, and has combined her love of art with her love of this GNU
Project by creating these nifty hand-drawn guides on <a href="http://sachachua.com/blog/2013/05/how-to-learn-emacs-a-hand-drawn-one-pager-for-beginners/">How to Learn
Emacs</a> and <a href="http://sachachua.com/blog/2013/09/how-to-learn-emacs-keyboard-shortcuts-a-visual-tutorial-for-newbies/">emacs keyboard shortcuts</a>. Of course, these are
available for use and reuse under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution
license</a>.</p>
<h2>Sumana Harihareswara</h2>
<p>It almost feels like cheating to talk about <a href="https://www.harihareswara.net/ces.shtml">Sumana Harihareswara</a>
and all the work she has done for free software. Harihareswara will be
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/sumana-harihareswaras-keynote-will-close-libreplanet-2017">delivering the closing keynote</a> at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017</a> and I
couldn't be happier to have <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">the conference</a> ending on such a
note. She helped the volunteer and engineering communities of the
Wikimedia Project reach new heights between 2011 and 2014, and has
since become a stellar developer in her own right, contributing to a
number of projects including <a href="https://wiki.list.org/">GNU Mailman</a>.</p>
<h2>Shari Steele</h2>
<p>After fifteen years as executive director of the <a href="https://eff.org">Electronic Frontier
Foundation</a>, Shari Steele became the executive director of the <a href="https://www.torproject.org">Tor
Project</a>. The FSF has a lot of admiration for the Tor Project and
the work they do. (The <a href="https://libraryfreedomproject.org/">Library Freedom Project</a> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/library-freedom-project-and-werner-koch-are-2015-free-software-awards-winners">won the 2015 Free
Software Award for Projects of Social Benefit</a> for their
outstanding work bringing Tor to libraries.)</p>
<p>Steele brings to Tor—a project using <a href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/tor.git/plain/LICENSE">free software licenses</a>—a
skill set rarely talked about when we talk about contributors to free
software projects. Directing a nonprofit, working with a board of
directors, and managing the wide range of operations is a more than
full-time job.</p>
<h2>Jessica Tallon</h2>
<p>Jessica Tallon became involved with <a href="http://mediagoblin.org/">GNU MediaGoblin</a> as an
<a href="https://www.gnome.org/outreachy/">Outreachy</a> intern. Federation has been a major goal for GNU
MediaGoblin for several years. In order to push their federation
efforts further, the team offered an internship to Tallon and later
hired her full time. Tallon joined the <a href="https://www.w3.org/Social/WG">W3C Social Working Group</a>,
drafting recommendations for the standards that will define aspects of
how the Web works. I know she's there representing the values of free
software and working hard to make sure the future of the Web is free.</p>
<h2>WOCInTechChat</h2>
<p>One of my favorite projects that has come out in support of women in
technology is <a href="http://www.wocintechchat.com/">#WOCINTECHCHAT</a>, or Women of Color in Tech Chat.
One of their efforts was to create this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wocintechchat/">beautiful, high quality photo
set</a>. They took over 500 photos representing women of color in
technical settings, around offices, and using some <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wocintechchat/25167805464/">great pieces of
free software</a>. (Click through to see a photo of GPL project
<a href="http://www.audacityteam.org/">Audacity</a> in action.) One of the great things about this photo
set is their use of a free [Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution
license][20].</p>
<h2>More resources</h2>
<p>It would be impossible to mention all the women who work hard for free
software and serve as inspirations for people both in and outside of
the community. We use <a href="https://status.fsf.org/fsf">GNU Social</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/fsf">twitter</a>, so message
us, because we'll have opportunities to highlight them and their work
in the future!</p>
<p>In the past, the FSF has celebrated Ada Lovelace Day with posts on
other great women in free software.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/ada-lovelace-day-2015">Marina Zhurakhinskaya and Outreachy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/for-ada-lovelace-day-highlighting-fsf-sysadmin-lisa-maginnis">Lisa Maginnis</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/recognizing-an-inspiring-woman-for-ada-lovelace-day-audrey-tang">Audrey Tang</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/ada-lovelace-day-karen-sandler">Karen Sandler</a></li>
</ul>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: March 10th starting at 12 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-March-10th-starting-at-12-p
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-10th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-10th-starting-at-12-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>We are continuing our focus on adding new entries to the FSD. Over the
last few weeks, we have chiseled away at the new entries waiting for
approval. There are still quite a few programs looking to be added to
the FSD. This Friday we will further whittle down the queue and expand
the FSD.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/schedule-posted-explore-the-roots-of-freedom-at-libreplanet-2017
title: Schedule posted: Explore the roots of freedom at LibrePlanet 2017
uri: Schedule-posted-Explore-the-roots-of-freedom-at-LibrePlanet-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/schedule-posted-explore-the-roots-of-freedom-at-libreplanet-2017
content:
<p><strong><a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=47&amp;pk_campaign=2017-LibrePlanet&amp;pk_kwd=email">Register now</a> to ensure your admission at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017: The
Roots of Freedom</a>. As always, <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=2017-LibrePlanet&amp;pk_kwd=email">FSF members</a> and students attend
gratis.</strong></p>
<p>Need a little more convincing before you register? The LibrePlanet
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/">program</a> is now available for your perusal.</p>
<p>Read on for more information about volunteering, the program, the
LibrePlanet email discussion list, or engaging with the conference if
you can't make it to Cambridge.</p>
<h3>Volunteering (get gratis admission!)</h3>
<p>We can't say it enough: LibrePlanet would be impossible without the
help of dozens of volunteers. The free software enthusiasts who give
their time and energy to LibrePlanet, both before and during the
conference, are crucial to its success. Volunteering is a great way to
meet fellow community members and give back to the free software
movement. There are even ways to help if you can't attend in person!
If you are interested in helping out with LibrePlanet 2017 email
<a href="mailto:resources@fsf.org">&#114;&#101;&#115;&#111;&#117;&#114;&#99;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. We show our appreciation for our volunteers by
offering gratis conference admission and lunch, plus a LibrePlanet
t-shirt.</p>
<h3>Program</h3>
<p>This year, the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/">LibrePlanet program</a> will include more than 50
speakers, an array of practical workshops, the opportunity for any
attendee to give a lightning talk, and for the first time, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_a_feather_(computing)">Birds of a
Feather (BoF) sessions</a>, informal conversations based around shared
interests—another great way for anybody at LibrePlanet to explore
ideas important to free software, whether they're something not
already on the program, or a deeper conversation jumping off of a
LibrePlanet talk.</p>
<h3>Want more LibrePlanet? Take it to the mailing list</h3>
<p>Looking to coordinate travel with other LibrePlanet attendees?
Brainstorm ideas for lightning talks? Organize a get-together after
the conference? Join the <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss">libreplanet-discuss email list</a> and
the #libreplanet IRC channel on Freenode to connect with other
LibrePlanet attendees. The list and channel are active year-round as
part of the <a href="https://www.libreplanet.org">libreplanet.org</a> community.</p>
<h3>LibreLuna: LibrePlanet 2017 comes to you</h3>
<p>We know not everybody can get to Cambridge to participate in
LibrePlanet. So the FSF works hard to make conference proceedings
available to the global free software movement. We will livestream all
keynotes and most other sessions—the link will be available on the
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">conference homepage</a> during LibrePlanet. And we're bringing back
LibreLuna—self-organized LibrePlanet satellite events hosted by free
software fans across the planet. You can <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?id=67&amp;reset=1">register your LibreLuna
event</a> now and we'll help promote your gathering.</p>
<p>LibrePlanet 2017 is produced in partnership by the Free Software
Foundation with the <a href="https://sipb.mit.edu">Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) at
MIT</a>.</p>
<p>Explore the roots of freedom with us. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=47&amp;pk_campaign=2017-LibrePlanet&amp;pk_kwd=email">Register</a> for LibrePlanet
2017 today!</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/do-githubs-updated-terms-of-service-conflict-with-copyleft
title: Do GitHub's updated terms of service conflict with copyleft?
uri: Do-GitHub-s-updated-terms-of-service-conflict-with-copyleft
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/do-githubs-updated-terms-of-service-conflict-with-copyleft
content:
<p>GitHub recently updated their <a href="https://help.github.com/articles/github-terms-of-service/">terms of service</a> (ToS). Users of
the site are raising many concerns over the new terms, fearing that
the ToS could be incompatible with the copyleft licenses on works
uploaded to GitHub. In particular, section D of the new terms, which
handles rights granted to GitHub and GitHub users, makes many hackers
very uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Section D.4 states, "You grant us and our legal successors the right
to store and display your Content and make incidental copies as
necessary to render the Website and provide the Service. " At first
glance that might appear to grant permissions on your work without the
concomitant protective guarantees found in copyleft licenses like the
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html">GNU General Public License</a> (GPL). Users who care about ensuring
that their software never becomes proprietary would not want to give
such unconditional permission. And those uploading works that
incorporate third-party copylefted code may not even be able to grant
such permissions.</p>
<p>But licenses like the GNU GPL already give the necessary permissions
to make, use, and modify local copies of a work. Are the new GitHub
ToS asking for more than that? It's not fully clear. While the grant
language could fit within the scope of the GPL, other words used in
the section like "share" or "distribute" could be understood to mean
something that wouldn't line up with the GPL's terms.</p>
<p>We find a similar situation in D.5 of the ToS, which states, "you
grant each User of GitHub a nonexclusive, worldwide license to access
your Content through the GitHub Service, and to use, display and
perform your Content, and to reproduce your Content solely on GitHub
as permitted through GitHub's functionality." Again, looking at the
terms, one could get the impression that GitHub is asking you to grant
unconditioned permissions on your work, this time to other users of
GitHub. But once more, licenses like the GPL already allow users to
download a covered work and make their own local modifications. It
isn't clear that GitHub is asking for anything more than that. Further
to the point, the new terms do not appear to be radically different
from those found in the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161229071023/https://help.github.com/articles/github-terms-of-service/">previous ToS</a>. </p>
<p>We understand why users are concerned; the terms are difficult to
parse. This is a general problem with terms of service and end-user
license agreements. With the protections provided by copyleft licenses
at risk, users are particularly cautious. Because it's highly unlikely
that GitHub intended to destroy their business model and user base, we
don't read the ambiguity in the terms as granting or requiring overly
broad permissions outside those already granted by the GPL. It would
be inconsistent with <a href="https://github.com/github/choosealicense.com/issues/335">changes they made last year</a> on
choosealicense.com to treat copyleft better. The relevant sections of
the ToS seem to be just restatements of typical free license terms.
But some added clarity—to say that if the uploaded work already
comes with a license granting GitHub the permissions it needs to run
its service, no additional license is required—would go a long way
towards quelling the confusion, and we hope GitHub will do another
revision soon to add it.</p>
<p>If you are concerned, then by all means stop uploading your code to
GitHub. GNU previously granted GitHub a grade of "F" according to its
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria-evaluation.html">Ethical Repository Criteria</a>, for a number of reasons important to
those seeking to have their freedom respected as users and to respect
the freedom of others, including that important functionality on the
site requires the use of proprietary <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.en.html">JavaScript</a>. </p>
<p>The FSF has been in contact with GitHub about both the ToS and the
other software freedom issues. We will continue to do what we can to
get the ToS ambiguities clarified, to remove doubts about their
compatibility with the important protections provided by copyleft
licenses. Here's what you can do to help:</p>
<ul>
<li>Use an <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria-evaluation.html">ethical repository</a> for your hosting needs.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/contact">Contact GitHub</a> to share your concerns.</li>
<li>Support our work on ensuring there are freedom respecting hosting
  services by making a <a href="https://donate.fsf.org/">donation</a> or becoming an <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">associate
  member</a>.</li>
</ul>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: March 17th starting at 12 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-March-17th-starting-at-12-p
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-17th-starting-at-12-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-17th-starting-at-12-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>We are continuing our focus on adding new entries to the FSD. Over the
last few weeks, we have chiseled away at the new entries waiting for
approval. There are still quite a few programs looking to be added to
the FSD. This Friday we will further whittle down the queue and expand
the FSD.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


title: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews Defense Digital Service about eMCM
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-Defense-Digital-Service-ab
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-defense-digital-service-about-emcm

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-defense-digital-service-about-emcm

content:
<p>In this edition, we interviewed the <a href="https://www.dds.mil">Defense Digital Service</a> (DDS)
about the release of their first project, <a href="https://github.com/deptofdefense/eMCM">eMCM</a>, on their recently
launched free software platform <a href="https://github.com/deptofdefense/code.mil">Code.mil</a>. The DDS is a team of
private sector tech experts who serve as Federal employees on "nerd
tours of duty" at the Pentagon to solve problems of impact within the
Department of Defense (DoD).</p>
<img alt="Defense Digital Service logo" src="media/0f492db5.DDS_Logo.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/DDS_Logo.png" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<h2>First off, what is Code.mil?</h2>
<p>Code.mil is a federal free software platform we created to inspire
collaboration between the DoD and the free software community. DDS
General Counsel, Sharon Woods, and DDS lead engineers Brandon Bouier
and Tom Bereknyei, worked in consultation with FSF, OSI, and the
broader engineering community to craft a developer-centric strategy to
codify a legal pathway for contributors who wish to collaborate on DoD
projects.</p>
<h2>You recently released your first project, eMCM. What is it?</h2>
<p>eMCM is a web-based viewer of the Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM). The
MCM is the official guide to the conduct of Courts-Martial in the U.S.
military. eMCM modernizes the process military attorneys (Judge
Advocates) follow to edit and maintain the MCM, while improving the
experience for users who interact with the MCM.</p>
<p>The eMCM was developed by Nick Small, Tom Bereknyei, and Andrew
Lovett-Barron, members of the DDS. DDS was established by the
Secretary of Defense and functions like a SWAT team of developers,
designers, product managers and bureaucracy hackers who work on high
impact challenges at DoD. We’re an agency team of the <a href="https://www.usds.gov">United States
Digital Service</a> at the White House.</p>
<h2>What inspired the creation eMCM?</h2>
<p>The Joint Service Committee on Military Justice (JSC) engaged DDS to
modernize the maintenance and user interaction of MCM for Judge
Advocates, legal professionals, and military members.</p>
<p>We were introduced to Maj Jesse Schweig (U.S. Marine Corps), a Judge
Advocate who recognized the dire need for an easier way to edit,
update and access the MCM. Maj Schweig taught himself the basics of
coding and built the foundational prototype for a web-based viewer. He
then partnered with DDS to gather knowledge from domain experts about
the needs of users and creating a simpler raw format that became what
is now eMCM.</p>
<h2>How can people access eMCM?</h2>
<p>Anyone can go <a href="http://mcm.mil">http://mcm.mil</a> and take a look. The eMCM is still in
beta so we welcome any suggestions for the viewer; you can check out
the repository at <a href="https://github.com/deptofdefense/eMCM">https://github.com/deptofdefense/eMCM</a>. For changes
to the MCM itself, i.e., the legal code, please contact the JSC at
<a href="http://jsc.defense.gov/Contact/">http://jsc.defense.gov/Contact/</a>.</p>
<h2>What features do you think really makes eMCM important for your users?</h2>
<p>Simple search and a search syntax for users to find particular content
is really important for legal professionals. We learned that most
users would already know the number of the specific rule or article in
question, but the old format prevented them from finding that content
quickly. With eMCM, they can now directly navigate to the section in a
few keystrokes. With the content in HTML, it will also become much
easier for both the public and Service members to engage and make
improvements and fix bugs.</p>
<h2>Why did you choose the AGPLv3 as eMCM's license?</h2>
<p>The eMCM takes the raw MCM and presents it to the user after some
manipulation. Every military member has the right to know how their
governing legal code will be transformed or manipulated by the eMCM
when it is referenced. Applying AGPLv3 is just a small way to help
ensure the public has full freedom and transparency to the process.</p>
<h2>Can you talk a bit about the legal thought process behind selecting the AGPLv3?</h2>
<p>Free software was always the goal, but code developed by federal
employees presents us with unique challenges. After investigation,
research, and lots of coffee, we found that there was a previously
un-utilized avenue for the DoD to release software to the public by
reusing current free software licenses. This is part of a larger
effort at Code.mil, where we are encouraging more projects in DoD to
follow suit. The focus on ensuring users have the freedom to examine
the source led us to consider copyleft licenses. However, AGPLv3 was a
natural choice because the eMCM is generally a web-service.</p>
<h2>How can users (technical or otherwise) help contribute to eMCM?</h2>
<p>The source is hosted as a public repository at
<a href="https://github.com/deptofdefense/eMCM">https://github.com/deptofdefense/eMCM</a> where anyone can suggest
improvements.</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for eMCM?</h2>
<p>Court proceedings have specific requirements for what version of the
legal code applies in a particular situation depending on factors
including the date of alleged offence or date of arraignment. If you
can believe it, the version of the legal code that applies to
evidentiary rules versus penalties versus elements of an offence can
actually differ for the same case. Navigating between different
versions is difficult with printed or static documents. We foresee a
future iteration that would take advantage of modern version control
systems to make it easier to comply with these requirements.</p>
<p>However, there is no plan set in stone - and that’s the point of
releasing software to the public. eMCM will now be steered by the
collective effort of crowd-sourced talent towards a success trajectory
we likely haven’t anticipated. Empowering individual developers to
create and enhance services for the DoD is an endeavor that we’re
incredibly excited about!</p>
<p><em>Enjoy this interview? Check out our previous entry in this series,
featuring <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-bjorn-schiessle-of-nextcloud">Björn Schießle of Nextcloud</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Defense Digital Service logo used with permission.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/your-guide-to-libreplanet-2017-wherever-you-are-march-25-26
title: Your guide to LibrePlanet 2017, wherever you are, March 25-26
uri: Your-guide-to-LibrePlanet-2017-wherever-you-are-March-25-26
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/your-guide-to-libreplanet-2017-wherever-you-are-march-25-26
content:
<p>If you are planning to attend <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet</a> in Cambridge, we encourage
you to <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=47">register</a> in advance through Tuesday morning at 10:00 EST
(14:00 UTC) -- advance registration helps us plan a better event. Walk
ups are also welcome. Students and FSF <a href="https://www.fsf.org/jf">members</a> receive gratis
admission.</p>
<p>The LibrePlanet <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/">program</a> offers something for everyone in the free
software movement, from newcomers concerned about preserving their
digital privacy to longtime free software developers.</p>
<p>Keynote speakers will include Kade Crockford, Director of the
Technology for Liberty Program, ACLU of Massachusetts; Cory Doctorow,
Special Advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation; Sumana
Harihareswara, Founder of Changeset Consulting; and Free Software
Foundation Founder Richard Stallman.</p>
<p>On Sunday, the FSF Licensing and Compliance team will host a special
edition of the weekly <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/libreplanet-free-software-directory-sprint-irc-meetup-sunday-march-26th-starting-at-2-p-m-edt-18-00-utc">Free Software Directory meetup</a> in person at
LibrePlanet. Whether you're attending at MIT or participating from
afar, this is your opportunity to contribute to a valuable free
software resource.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Can't make it to Cambridge? <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/live">Bookmark LibrePlanet's livestream
now</a>, and tune in Saturday, March 25th and Sunday, March 26th - and
if you can't watch this weekend, videos of most talks will be posted
at <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org">https://media.libreplanet.org</a> in the days following the
conference.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Each year, we livestream and record LibrePlanet proceedings in order
to make the event accessible to all. This requires significant staff
time and equipment purchases: please make a $25 donation at
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a> to support this effort.</p>
<p>Another way to participate if you can't make it to Cambridge is to
join the conversation around the conference on the libreplanet-discuss
mailing list. <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss">Subscribe now and start a conversation.</a></p>
<p>Finally, we'd like to express our excitement about working with the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's <a href="https://sipb.mit.edu/">Student Information
Processing Board</a>, our organizing partner for LibrePlanet 2017.</p>
<p>We hope see you at LibrePlanet 2017 this weekend, whether in Cambridge
or on the Web.</p>


uri: LibrePlanet-Free-Software-Directory-Sprint-IRC-meetup-Sunday-March
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/libreplanet-free-software-directory-sprint-irc-meetup-sunday-march-26th-starting-at-2-p-m-edt-18-00-utc

title:
LibrePlanet Free Software Directory Sprint & IRC meetup: Sunday March 26th starting at 2 p.m. EDT/18:00 UTC

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/libreplanet-free-software-directory-sprint-irc-meetup-sunday-march-26th-starting-at-2-p-m-edt-18-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be in room 26-142 at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/">LibrePlanet</a> and on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>LibrePlanet is finally here, and that means we get to have an
in-person Directory sprint. If you are attending LibrePlanet, please
join us to help train new volunteers and help get them up and running
on the Directory. Make sure to bring your laptop so you can edit and
improve the Directory. Both Donald and Ted will be there to guide the
session so please come by and join the fun in room 26-142. If you
can't be there in person, then make sure to join us on IRC to help
welcome all the new friends. </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it on Sunday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/meet-the-libreplanet-2017-speakers-denver-gingerich
title: Meet the LibrePlanet 2017 Speakers: Denver Gingerich
uri: Meet-the-LibrePlanet-2017-Speakers-Denver-Gingerich
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/meet-the-libreplanet-2017-speakers-denver-gingerich
content:
<p><strong>Would you tell us a bit about yourself?</strong></p>
<p>I was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, and although I currently live in the New York City area, I am undeniably a West Coast boy at heart. I was always an extremely quiet and shy kid, but had no problem making friends with computers. So naturally, my high school socializing involved a lot of LAN parties, which is where I discovered that installing Apache on GNU/Linux was MUCH easier than on Windows. That was where my interest in free software really began, and it has been a big part of my life ever since. When I'm not sitting at a computer, I love traveling, and generally being outdoors as much as possible&#8212;hiking and skiing are favourite pastimes, as well as exploring new places I have never been before. I am also a transit enthusiast; I love learning about the history of subway systems, transit networks and infrastructure, and trains of all kinds. I generally find it fascinating to learn about how things work, and how things came to be the way the are, and because of that, I often fall down Wikipedia rabbit holes. I will also eat just about anything, and never turn down a free conference T-shirt, no matter how hideous the colour.</p>
<p><strong>How did you first become interested in having your cell phone be fully free?</strong></p>
<p>I first got a cell phone number in mid-2009, but I didn't have a cell phone&#8212;the number was hosted by Google Voice. I was mostly able to use the number with free software (using email for SMS and SIP for calls) so I didn't think a lot about the freedom implications of cell phones then.</p>
<p>I purchased a Nokia N900 and used it when I wasn't near a computer. It still ran a lot of non-free software. Later I learned that the most significant piece of this non-free software was the baseband firmware.</p>
<p>A few years ago I started my transition away from all Google services. I wanted my computer to remain my primary device for SMS and calls, so I needed a Google Voice replacement. I tried to find an equivalent service, but could not find one. So I decided to write my own.</p>
<p>That led to the first version of <a href="http://soprani.ca/">Soprani.ca</a>, which I use to this day. I've recently created a newer version of the software, called <a href="https://jmp.chat/">JMP</a>, which is easier to use for the average person. Both allow a person to use phone features like SMS and calling without a cell phone (and thus without baseband firmware). And both are free software, licensed under the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.en.html">GNU Affero General Public License, version 3</a> or later.</p>
<p>I'm still interested in this topic because people still use phone numbers and cell phones, even though they have certain "reprehensible" features, as RMS puts it. I hope by showing people ways to communicate with cell phone users that do not require a baseband firmware that we can take back control of our communication from the cellular companies and proprietary firmware makers.</p>
<p><strong>Is this your first LibrePlanet?</strong></p>
<p>No, this will actually be my fifth LibrePlanet in a row! I'm looking forward to chatting with all the wonderful people that I know I'll find there, and hearing some great ideas for how we can advance the free software movement.</p>
<p>In particular, it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy a computer that will function with only free software. I've met people at past LibrePlanet conferences who are building their own hardware so they can continue to run exclusively free software (such as the <a href="http://rhombus-tech.net/">EOMA68</a> CPU card). These efforts are critically important, since existing computer manufacturers will no longer create the hardware we need. I hope to learn more about these efforts and ways I can contribute to them so that we'll still be able to run free software even after the last ThinkPad without a Management Engine stops working.</p>
<p><strong>How can we follow you on social media?</strong></p>
<p>I'm @ossguy on many social media sites, including <a href="https://identi.ca/ossguy">Pump.io</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ossguy">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p><strong>What is a skill or talent you have that you wish more people knew about?</strong></p>
<p>My wife says that if stubbornness and perfectionism could be counted as Olympic sports, I would win all the gold medals... She is smarter and much better looking than me, so she is probably right.</p>
<p><strong>Want to hear Denver and the other <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/speakers.html">amazing speakers</a> Join us March 25-26th for <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017</a>!</strong></p>
<p><em>Edited for content and grammar.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/meet-the-libreplanet-2017-speakers-christian-fernandez
title: Meet the LibrePlanet 2017 Speakers: Christian Fernandez
uri: Meet-the-LibrePlanet-2017-Speakers-Christian-Fernandez
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/meet-the-libreplanet-2017-speakers-christian-fernandez
content:
<p>His session, <em>Pentesting loves free software</em>, takes place on Saturday, March 25th in session block 5A (15:40 - 16:25).</p>
<p><strong>Could you tell us a bit about yourself?</strong></p>
<p>I moved to the US in 1997. Since then I been traveling around and moving to different cities. I've been into social justice movements in the past. I started into hacking in the late 80s with BBS’ FidoNet, exploring and trying to sniff out all the information I could. </p>
<p>At the same time I got into hacking, I got into free software after that&#8212;. Most people I knew online were also involved in both since they go hand by hand.</p>
<p><strong>How did you first get interested in penetration testing with free sotware?</strong></p>
<p>I've seen a lot of newcomers to the security field from academia. As with any other tech field, they learn commercial, proprietary, non-free tools.</p>
<p>I like to point out and show people that you can get the job done even better using free tools. I'm very passionate about this as a free software activist.</p>
<p><strong>Have you been to LibrePlanet before?</strong></p>
<p>Yes, I am a longtime Free Software Foundation member and have been to a number of <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanets</a>.</p>
<p><strong>How can we follow you on social media?</strong></p>
<p>I have A LOT of handles...some nobody knows. :)  I use <a href="https://twitter.com/rek2fernandez">@rek2fernandez on Twitter</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/b1naryfreed0m">B1naryFreed0m</a> is the one I use for politics.</p>
<p><strong>What is a skill or talent you have that you wish more people knew about?</strong></p>
<p>In order to make things better first you have to break them apart and study them.
Learning is not about reading a book and going to school, it is about passion and practice, and a lot of frustration sometimes. :D</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-day-2-drm-contributing-and-advice
title: LibrePlanet Day 2, DRM, contributing, and advice
uri: LibrePlanet-Day-2-DRM-contributing-and-advice
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-day-2-drm-contributing-and-advice
content:
<p><img src="media/fdff2b34.cory_keynote-01.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2017/day-2-photos/cory_keynote-01.png" alt="Cory Doctorow stands at a podium in front of a lecture hall. He is wearing a white and navy striped blazer and a black shirt with the text 'Ellsberg &amp; Nikitin &amp; Manning &amp; Snowden.' He has short, dark hair and large, dark glasses." style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p><a href="http://craphound.com/">Doctorow</a> presented "Beyond unfree: The software you can go to jail for talking about." Related to his current anti-Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) work, he addressed the wide range of risks threatened by copyright, trademark, and patent laws, as well as the use and institutionalization of DRM. But he did not just paint a bleak image, instead reminding the audience that the <a href="http://boingboing.net/2015/01/20/announcing-apollo-1201-eradic.html">fight against DRM and similar restrictions is ongoing</a>. "My software freedom," Doctorow said, "is intersectional."</p>
<p>The day also saw LibrePlanet's first birds of a feather (BoF) sessions. BoFs are self-organized sessions that gather people around a shared interest. Sessions this year included:</p>
<ul>
<li>Liberating the education system</li>
<li>Free and open source geospatial technology</li>
<li>Peer-to-peer crypto-social networking</li>
<li>Collective action for political change</li>
<li>A look at <a href="https://snowdrift.coop/">Snowdrift.coop</a></li>
<li>and a cryptoparty</li>
</ul>
<p>Over the course of the weekend, there were two raffle drawings and door prizes courtesy of free software/open hardware companies including <a href="https://www.alephobjects.com/">Aleph Objects</a>, <a href="https://www.technoetic.com/">Technoethical</a>, and <a href="https://www.thinkpenguin.com/">ThinkPenguin</a>, as well as DRM-free publisher <a href="https://www.nostarch.com/">No Starch Press</a> and local brewery <a href="https://www.harihareswara.net/">Aeronaut</a>.</p>
<p>The conference closed with <a href="https://www.harihareswara.net/">Sumana Harihareswara</a>'s discussion of things she wishes she had known in 1998, when she first got involved in free software. Drawing inspiration from the work of the theater company the Neo-Futurists, she invited the audience to help her choose from a list of 35 topics by calling out by number the item they wanted to hear about next--until a timer set for 35 minutes ran out. Her topics ranged from technical to personal to the importance of welcoming communities, and she closed by discussing the value of harm reduction in free software. <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/lessons-myths-and-lenses-what-i-wish-i-d-known-in-1998/">Video of her talk is available now.</a></p>
<p><img src="media/9a6076ce.sumana_keynote-01.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2017/day-2-photos/sumana_keynote-01.png" alt="Sumana Harihareswara stands in front of a lecture hall. She is standing away from the podium and speaking into a microphone. The audience is standing and applauding." style="float: left; height: 300px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px;" /> </p>
<p>Nearly 400 people participated in LibrePlanet 2017, which was powered by 41 amazing volunteers, who did everything from hanging signs, stacking chairs, and sweeping floors to introducing speakers, fielding questions, and running the video streaming system. </p>
<p>Between Saturday and Sunday, there were more than <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/speakers.html">fifty speakers</a>, and <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/program/index.html">almost as many sessions</a>. Some videos of this year's talks are <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/tag/libreplanet-2017-video/">available now</a> and the rest will be added in the next few days.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: March 31st starting at 12 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-March-31st-starting-at-12-p
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-31st-starting-at-12-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-31st-starting-at-12-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">FSD</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the FSD 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.</p>
<p>While the FSD 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!</p>
<p>This week we hope to be welcoming back some of the new friends we made
at <a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017</a>, and continue on with the process of adding
new entries to the FSD. We hope we'll be joined by our regular
volunteers as well, as there will still be a need to help train up new
volunteers. </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
FSD today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">FSD Meetings pages</a> that everyone
is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-march-26th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for March 26th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-March-26th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-march-26th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Sunday,
March 26th, 2017 meeting at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/">LibrePlanet</a>.</p>
<p>This week featured a special in-person meetup at the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/">LibrePlanet</a>
conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Joined by our usual crew in
IRC, we welcomed some new friends to the Directory. Many stopped by
just to get some training and ask questions about the Directory, but a
few were able to stick around and start hacking. This was the second
time we were able to have an in-person meetup, and we hope to do more
in the future. For now, we're getting back to our regularly scheduled
Friday meetings via IRC.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.freenode.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT (16:00
to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-two-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-march
title: Twenty-two new GNU releases in the month of March
uri: Twenty-two-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-March
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-two-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-march
content:
<p>(as of March 24, 2017)</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/8sync/">8sync-0.4.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/apl/">apl-1.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf-archive/">autoconf-archive-2017.03.21</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/binutils/">binutils-2.28</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/">coreutils-8.27</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/denemo/">denemo-2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gdbm/">gdbm-1.13</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.0.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.1.19</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.10</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/">guile-2.2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/icecat/">icecat-45.7.0-gnu1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/jacal/">jacal-1c4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.10.5-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/">mailutils-3.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/">octave-4.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170322</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/scm/">scm-5f2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/screen/">screen-4.5.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/slib/">slib-3b5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/units/">units-2.14</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/wb/">wb-2b3</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the URL
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help. The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like to
offer to the GNU Project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: April 7th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-April-7th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-7th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-7th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>This week's theme is going to focus on adding new packages to the
Directory. We've done a lot of work on cleaning up various categories
and working through the new entries. This week we'll work finishing
things up and start looking towards future improvements to the
Directory.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meetings pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-march-31st-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for March 31st, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-March-31st-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-march-31st-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
March 31st, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we were back to online only mode for our Directory meeting.
Leading up to the meeting, <em>iankelling</em> did a bunch of work using a
new script to enable working offline on the Directory. Using the new
tool they created, they were able to go through and approve pending
changes for a massive number of packages, virtually wiping out the
backlog on unapproved changes. We also discussed an ongoing issue with
the Directory where re-directs show up as new entries that can't be
approved in the normal fashion. While you can still go through and
approve from some places (like the <a href="http://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special:ApprovedRevs&amp;limit=500&amp;offset=0&amp;show=unapproved">unapproved pages listing</a>),
it is not intuitive when first encountering the issue. </p>
<p>The meeting was also joined by our friend <em>jgay</em>, who previously led the
Directory meetings when they worked at the Free Software Foundation.
They helped give some background on a discussion of operating systems
being in the Directory. While the Directory is for particular packages
rather than an entire distro (if you're looking for a free distro
check out our list of <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.en.html">endorsed GNU/Linux distros</a>) but they can
be helpful for tagging other projects. In addition, some operating
systems for small devices in a way do make sense to be treated as a
single package that users might want to find. We are still sorting
through the issues on that front on how exactly operating systems
should be treated in the Directory.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: April 14th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-April-14th-starting-at-12-0
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-14th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-14th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>For the folks in the U.S., mid-April often brings dollars and cents to the mind as the tax-filing deadline looms. To help anyone frantically looking for some last minute free software to help them calculate or keep track of their money, we'll be focusing on software for financial and other math-related uses. </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meetings pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-7th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for April 7th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-April-7th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-7th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
April 7th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>We focused this week on expanding the Directory and we added scores of
projects to it.  It wasn't all the work though! </p>
<p>We talked some about how to evaluate a piece of software to determine
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Requirements">whether it is free</a> and <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">what is free software</a>.  Attendees of the
meeting discussed organizing a new campaign to encourage the release of
free software for certain pieces of hardware.  The conversation centered on brain storming action
plans, naming, and other process-type matters.<br />
</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/congress-kills-fcc-internet-privacy-rule-help-states-resist
title: Congress kills FCC Internet privacy rule: Help states resist
uri: Congress-kills-FCC-Internet-privacy-rule-Help-states-resist
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/congress-kills-fcc-internet-privacy-rule-help-states-resist
content:
<p>On April 3, Trump signed in to law <a href="media/795bc29c.BILLS-115sjres34es.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/sjres34/BILLS-115sjres34es.pdf">Senate Joint Resolution 34</a>,
nullifying <a href="media/577577fa.FCC-16-148A1_Rcd.pdf" data-original-source="https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-16-148A1_Rcd.pdf">broadband privacy rules</a> that were to take effect at
the end of 2017, and preventing the FCC from introducing similar rules
in the future. This leaves Internet users in the United States with
little recourse if their Internet service providers (ISPs) want to
collect and even sell information about their Internet activity. By
2015, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/business/2015/01/comcast-now-has-more-than-half-of-all-us-broadband-customers/">more than half of all broadband customers in the United States
purchased from a single company</a>, in part due to monopolization of
broadband offerings.</p>
<p>The right to use the Internet without fear of indisciminate bulk
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/surveillance">surveillance</a> is an important aspect of software freedom. We've
spoken out against <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-prism-revelations">mass surveillance by governments</a> before, and
when people's options for Internet access become limited to a few huge
companies, they become more vulnerable to the possibility of having
records of their Internet activity collected.</p>
<p>The new rule would have required ISPs to protect individually
identifiable customer proprietary network information (like
application usage and geolocation), personally identifiable
information (including physical address, date of birth, and government
ID numbers), and content of communications (like the text of an email
or the audiovisual information in a video chat). It would have
prevented your ISP from selling that information to marketers,
redirecting your searches (presumably in exchange for payment by a
third party), and doing other uncomfortable things without having to
tell you what they are up to, as <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/five-creepy-things-your-isp-could-do-if-congress-repeals-fccs-privacy-protections">EFF describes</a>. Not having such
protections in place is doubly creepy because many ISPs require the
use of modems that only work with proprietary software that keeps you
from knowing everything the modem does.</p>
<p>The good news is, some state lawmakers have already stepped up to
secure Internet privacy for their constituents at the state level. In
<a href="https://www.twincities.com/2017/03/29/minnesota-senate-passes-passes-internet-privacy-protections/">Minnesota</a>, Senator Ron Latz successfully added an <a href="https://www.senate.mn/chamber/amendment/amend.php?amend_name=ss1937a51">amendment
addressing the collection of customers' personal data by ISPs</a> to a
bill under consideration. In Washington state, <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/state-lawmakers-move-to-secure-internet-privacy-after-changes-to-federal-law/">bills in a similar
spirit have been introduced</a> in the <a href="media/ad46fabc.5919.pdf" data-original-source="https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2017-18/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5919.pdf">Senate</a> and <a href="media/c9b291d0.2200.pdf" data-original-source="https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2017-18/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2200.pdf">House</a>. The
Center for Democracy and Technology reports on <a href="https://cdt.org/blog/states-step-up-to-protect-privacy-in-wake-of-fcc-ruling/">several other
state-level efforts to counter Joint Resolution 34 currently under
way</a>.</p>
<p>If you live in the United States, you can support these state level
efforts by calling, writing, or emailing your legislators:</p>
<ul>
<li>If a bill has been introduced, and they support it: thank them and
tell them why this issue matters to you</li>
<li>If a bill has been introduced and they do not support it (yet): tell
them why they should</li>
<li>If no bill has been introduced (or your legislature is not currently
in session): tell them why they should introduce a measure</li>
</ul>
<p>And wherever you are, now is a good time for a refresher on how to
protect your privacy online. Here's three easy but important steps to take:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The FSF's <a href="https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/en/">Email Self-Defense Guide</a> will help you learn to protect
your email communications by using GnuPG to encrypt them.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Always use HTTPS to encrypt your Web traffic from being read by
anybody but the browser and the server of the site you're
visiting. EFF's <a href="https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere">HTTPS Everywhere</a> is a browser extension that
will help you do this automatically.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Use <a href="https://www.torproject.org">Tor</a>. <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-free-software-awards-announced">Recipient of the 2010 Free Software Award for Projects
of Social Benefit</a>, Tor may offer the greatest protection from
tracking by your ISP. You must still take precautions to encrypt your Web
traffic in concert with Tor. </p>
</li>
</ul>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-14th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for April 14th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-April-14th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-14th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
April 14th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week the theme was financial, accounting, and math software. We were helped
out by some regular volunteers who had the categories nicely updated recently.
<em>jorgesumle</em> looked at a payment platform, but found some issues and they were able to contact the maintainers about. <em>tfisgnag</em> also joined in to get some training on updating entries in the Directory. We hope to see them back again this week, and hope you'll join us too.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: April 21st starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-April-21st-starting-at-12-0
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-21st-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-21st-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>After last weeks focus on financial software it seemed like a good chance this
week to break its monopoly. This week we are going to work on games, and not just
any kind of games. This week we'll be taking a big risk by focusing on table top
ones. Although there are currently over <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Game/board-game">thirty games listed</a>, this section
needs to grow big like a battleship. Come this Friday, we hope you'll deal
yourself in and play a round with us.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meetings pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/get-your-gnu-on-at-the-gnu-hackers-meeting-in-hessen-germany
title: Get your GNU on at the GNU Hackers' Meeting in Hessen, Germany
uri: Get-your-GNU-on-at-the-GNU-Hackers-Meeting-in-Hessen-Germany
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/get-your-gnu-on-at-the-gnu-hackers-meeting-in-hessen-germany
content:
<p>You are invited to the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/ghm/">2017 GNU Hackers' Meeting</a>, which will take
place at <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4781456398">Tagungshaus Mühlrain</a>.</p>
<p>The GNU Hackers' Meeting is a friendly, semi-formal forum to discuss
technical, social, and organizational issues concerning free software
and GNU. This is a great opportunity to meet GNU maintainers and
active contributors. This year, accommodation and all meals are
included in the cost of registration.</p>
<p>The program is yet to be finalized, but attendees should anticipate
organized events that last until late afternoon each day. (Here's
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/ghm/2016/">last year's program</a>, including recordings of sessions.) In the
evening, there will be opportunities for impromptu talks, informal
demonstrations, conversation, and walks in the forest. Many people
will arrive on the evening before the first day of the meeting.</p>
<p>Contributors and attendees from all backgrounds and with all levels of
technical expertise are welcome. Those from under-represented
backgrounds are particularly encouraged to attend.</p>
<p>The call for participation is also <a href="https://www.gnu.org/ghm/programme.html">open now</a>. Presentations can
cover a wide range of subjects, both technical and social, related to
the GNU project or to the Free Software movement as a whole.</p>
<p>To register, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/ghm/register.html">follow these instructions</a>.</p>
<p>You will find full details on the meeting, including a detailed
schedule TBA, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/ghm/">here</a>.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: April 28th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-April-28th-starting-at-12-0
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-28th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-april-28th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>This week we're back to our usual task of adding even more new software to the Directory. </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meetings pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-21st-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for April 21st, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-April-21st-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-21st-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
April 21th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week the theme focused on table top games. There are entries for
many table top games in the Directory. The entries aren't just
limited to playable games though. This week we also looked at code 
which fosters the development of new table top type game software.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews the MegaGlest Project
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-the-MegaGlest-Project
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-the-megaglest-project-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-the-megaglest-project-1

content:
<table width="255" align="right" style="background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="250" src="media/1cb9879e.Megaglest_logo.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/logos/Megaglest_logo.png" alt="MegaGlest logo" /></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td style=" text-align: center; line-height: 1em; padding: 4px; margin: 0px; border: none;"></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p><a href="https://megaglest.org/">MegaGlest</a>, currently at version 3.12, is a free software
real-time strategy computer game set in a fantasy world, mixing elements
of re-imagined past civilizations, magic, and steampunk. The world of MegaGlest has seven factions: Magic, Tech, Indian,
Egyptian, Norsemen, Persian and Roman. Each faction comes with its own
set of units, buildings, upgrades, advantages and disadvantages. This
allows for variation in strategy, while keeping game play balanced.<br />
</p>
<h2>What inspired the creation of MegaGlest?</h2>
<p>MegaGlest started in January, 2010, as a vision from a long-time
community member, Titus Tscharntke (<em>Titi</em>). Joining Titus as the
project developer was Mark Vejvoda (<em>SoftCoder</em>). In
late 2010, Tom Reynolds (<em>tomreyn</em>) joined the team in an IT and QA
capacity. In early 2015, <em>filux</em> started with the team as a  GNU/Linux
scripting automation guru. While there are now numerous
other contributors, the core team remains intact.</p>
<p><em>Titi's</em> vision was to take the original game, Glest, and turn it into
an addictively fun experience with a broader scope. Once <em>Titi</em>
released the Megapack which consisted of four additional factions, it
became clear that the game had massive potential. This was the
inspiration for the Mega in MegaGlest.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Glest was a raw diamond in the free software world and I was
fascinated that I had full access to such a 3D game and its source
code. I was so sad when I saw that the original developers stopped
development because I already had put so much time into making more
content for this game (the Megapack). There were some efforts to take
on development by some others and I tried to help, but the results did
not make me happy. After more than a year, I decided to try for myself
and I forked the original Glest. This was the start of MegaGlest. For
me it was always important to play the game and this always was and is
my primary motivation to work on the game." 
-- <cite><em>Titi</em></cite></p>
</blockquote>
<h2>How are people using it?</h2>
<p>MegaGlest is more than just a game! While the core game ships with
seven unique factions, the engine itself has been used to produce
other stand alone spin-off games such as <a href="http://annexconquer.com/">Annex: Conquer The
World</a>. A more complete list of mods can be found on the <a href="https://docs.megaglest.org/Mods/List">MegaGlest
wiki mods list</a>. A built in downloadable content (DLC) system
provides access to additional community game art. MegaGlest also
offers a 'scenario' mode where users can enjoy <a href="https://docs.megaglest.org/Scenarios/List">story driven
adventures</a>. Most importantly community members agree that the
network play provides the most enjoyment - offering players a chance
to join with up to seven others online and compete for bragging rights
(the AI is nearly impossible to beat, especially at Ultra level and
higher). </p>
<h2>What features really set MegaGlest apart from other 3D real-time strategy games?</h2>
<p>MegaGlest features a robust and complex opponent AI. This AI is
unpredictable and dynamic in responding aggressively to players. An
exciting feature of MegaGlest is that players can work cooperatively
to battle against the AI, which allows for a powerful social component in
the game. The game works across various operating systems so users can
play one another regardless of their system. </p>
<p>A compelling component of the game is the ease at which the game
files can be developed. The modification to the game occurs
through XML files.  This allows for the rapid creation of such work. Maps
are also easily made with the built in <a href="https://docs.megaglest.org/Maps/Editing#MegaGlest">map editor</a>. Acquiring these
new game publications is straight forward in MegaGlest due to the built-in
DLC center.</p>
<h2>Why did the project choose GNU GPLv3 as MegaGlest's license?</h2>
<p>The original Glest developers used <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.en.html">GNU GPLv2 or later</a>. After we
had some discussions with the Debian games team, we decided to change
the license. As a result of those conversations, we decided to upgrade
to <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html">GNU GPLv3 or later</a>. Our game art is licensed under
CC-BY-SA 3.0. Together they ensure that users are free to use, modify,
and share all aspects of the game.<br />
</p>
<h2>How can users (technical or otherwise) help contribute to MegaGlest?</h2>
<p>The most fun way to contribute is to play the game, which is
especially true when talking about multiplayer mode - maybe at your
next LAN party? Related to this is that while playing the game report
any bugs you find and if possible dedicate some time to testing out
the software. We are set up to receive, and truly appreciate,
<a href="https://megaglest.org/donations.html">donations</a> to help defray the cost of the game servers and other
infrastructure matters. We don't have a marketing budget so spreading
the word is of great help. </p>
<p>Another major way that users can contribute is by helping <a href="https://docs.megaglest.org/Modifying_Glest">develop new
game art</a> such as maps, tilesets, models, and factions.
<a href="http://translate.megaglest.org">Translations and localizations</a> are always a work in progress and
could use assistance. Hacking on the <a href="https://github.com/MegaGlest">game engine code</a> is another
great way to participate. We would welcome game engine contributions
by OpenGL / SDL2 experienced C++ developers who can demonstrate
earlier work in this area. <br />
</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for MegaGlest?</h2>
<p>Some of our tentative plans for the coming year are to produce a
lightweight headless server, roll out player accounts and increase our distribution outlets.</p>
<p><em>Enjoy this interview? Check out our previous entry in this series, featuring <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-defense-digital-service-about-emcm">Defense Digital Service and eMCM</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>MegaGlest logo is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported</a>.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/seventeen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-april
title: Seventeen new GNU releases in the month of April
uri: Seventeen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-April
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/seventeen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-april
content:
<p>(as of April 26, 2017)</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/acct/">acct-6.6.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/bc/">bc-1.07.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">emacs-25.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/freedink/">freedink-data-1.08.20170409</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnubik/">gnubik-2.4.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/">grub-2.02</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/">guile-2.2.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-ncurses/">guile-ncurses-2.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/icecat/">icecat-52.0.2-gnu1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/less/">less-487</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libcdio/">libcdio-paranoia-10.2+0.94+1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/#libidn2">libidn2-2.0.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libmicrohttpd/">libmicrohttpd-0.9.53</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.10.12-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.8.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ocrad/">ocrad-0.26</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170422</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the URL 
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>This month, we welcome Hans Haberg as the maintainer of the new GNU
package MLI (Metalogic Inference), David Pirotte as the maintainer of
the new GNU package Guile CV, Adam Bilbrough as the new maintainer of
GNU OrgaDoc, and David Sefert as a new co-maintainer of GNU a2ps.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: May 5th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-May-5th-starting-at-12-00-p
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-5th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-5th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>This week we're going to look at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/System-administration/backup">system backup tools</a> with the goal of adding new software as well as updating those older entries.  Whether its incremental file archiving, differential backups or system snapshots its all fair game.  Join us this Friday so we aren't left unattended as we run the backups! </p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meetings pages</a> that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-28th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for April 28th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-April-28th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-april-28th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf
on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This
recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday, April 28th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week was all about the new. We added many new entries, but also welcomed a
newer version of the Directory itself. We had been using an older version of
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/MediaWiki">MediaWiki</a> for quite some time now. But last week one of our great
sysadmins, <em>sudoman</em>, upgraded us to a more recent version. This is going to
unlock all kinds of new possibilities in improving our work and the Directory.
This first week though there were some growing pains unfortunately. We ran into
an issue where it wasn't so easy to edit new, unapproved entries with form. You
can always edit the source for the page, but the form makes things much easier.
Luckily <em>sudoman</em> was around to help sort out the issue.</p>
<p>The new update also highlighted some pages that had issues with their approval.
But luckily those pages were for an aborted project, and could simply be
removed. Thanks to <em>jgay</em> for helping to sort out that problem. <em>tfisgnag</em> was
also back again learning and helping to improve the Directory.</p>
<p>Finally, we'd also like to highlight that we have dumps of Directory that users
can take and use for analysis or other projects. Data from the Directory is
available at <a href="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/directory/directory.xml">http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/directory/directory.xml</a> and in
compressed form at <a href="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/directory/directory.xml.bz2">http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/directory/directory.xml.bz2</a>.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every Friday in
<a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT (16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/reintroducing-theodore-teah-copyright-and-licensing-associate
title: Reintroducing Theodore Teah - Copyright and Licensing Associate
uri: Reintroducing-Theodore-Teah-Copyright-and-Licensing-Associate
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/reintroducing-theodore-teah-copyright-and-licensing-associate
content:
<p>I started with the Free Software Foundation (FSF) while
completing my doctoral course work in Sociology at Boston
University, back in the early 2000s. During those formative
years, I learned the importance of freedom when it comes to
talking about software as the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.html">FSF copyright assignment
administrator</a> and the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page">Free Software Directory</a>
maintainer. Moreover, I was blown away with the manner in which
copyleft inverts the copyright paradigm to ensure freedom when
normally it builds fences. Motivated to not be a player in the
tragedy of the commons, I became deeply interested in
alternatives during law school. What interested me most about
this component of the law was that it was set for rapid
development, as well as its cyclic nature. Initial copyright
rules stemmed from a technological shift, the printing press, and
it seems that this was to be the case again.</p>
<p>Leaving the FSF, I trained as a trial lawyer. I worked at the
Committee for Public Counsel Services, Children and Family Law
Program (CAFL). At CAFL, I represented parents accused of, and
children alleged to be suffering from, abuse and/or
neglect. There are no higher stakes than the loss of one's child
to the government, or the exodus from an abusive
situation. During this period I came to see the complex family
dynamics at play when issues pertaining to family are hotly
contested. Following this, I entered private practice. Throughout
this period I was in the courtroom nearly every day presenting
evidence, examining witnesses, and making oral arguments.</p>
<p>Although I felt my work was important, something left me
longing. When the opportunity presented itself to return to the
FSF I jumped at it. My time away from the organization confirmed
for me the importance of the mission and my passion for the
work. I've returned to the FSF renewed and excited to continue to
help cement the framework of free software by serving as the
copyright and licensing associate.</p>
<p>As the copyright and licensing associate, I coordinate all of the
software copyright documents for the FSF. Also, I work on
analyzing discrepancies in copyright and generally working to
ensure the protection necessary for the enforceability of FSF
copyrights. In addition, I'm part of the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/team">Compliance Lab team</a>
and assist in advancing the FSF's free software licensing
advocacy and compliance efforts, through such activities as
background research on licensing policy and investigating license
violations.</p>
<p>This is a very exciting time for free software and I am amped to
be a part of it!</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: May 12th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-May-12th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-12th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-12th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>This week we're going back to the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Participate/oldies">golden oldies</a>, looking to
update entries that haven't been reviewed in a while. As we add more
and more software to the Directory, we can't forget about the entries
that have come before. Software can change locations, or the license
could be updated, so we want to make sure every entry is up to date
and useful.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meetings pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-5th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for May 5th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-May-5th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-5th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
May 5th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week the theme centered on backup tools. As always, the conversations
weren't limited to that though. This meeting saw graphical desktop
sharing software and remote administration configurations being
discussed. Also, the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Live-communications/conferencing">conferencing</a> and <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Business/telephony">telephony</a> categories
got a shout out during the meeting as someone was looking for video
communication programs that they could suggest to their university in
the hopes of moving the school towards free software. The topics may
change but the chance to talk free software remains the same.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/free-software-video-streaming-hubangl-powered-libreplanet-2017
title: Free software video streaming: HUBAngl powered LibrePlanet 2017
uri: Free-software-video-streaming-HUBAngl-powered-LibrePlanet-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/free-software-video-streaming-hubangl-powered-libreplanet-2017
content:
<p><em>This guest post from David Testé discusses the video streaming
 package he debuted at LibrePlanet 2016, while a Free Software
 Foundation (FSF) intern. The new version was deployed at
 LibrePlanet 2017.</em></p>
<div style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 20px 25px 25px; padding: 4px; text-align: center;">
<img src="media/e092bd40.hubangl_welcome_screen.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/hubangl_welcome_screen.png" alt="The welcome screen for the HUBAngl video streaming package. The background is black and white static, with an abstract illustration of a humpback anglerfish, orange in color, with a single antennae at the top. The caption on the screen says 'Choose audio and/or video source'." style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> 
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;"><em>HUBAngl welcome screen</em></p></div>

<p>During LibrePlanet 2016, the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/abyss-the-genesis-of-a-fully-free-streaming-software-package-used-at-libreplanet">ABYSS</a> package was used to livestream
sessions from the conference. This year, at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017">LibrePlanet 2017</a>, we
used a new version of this free package...with a new name. It's now
called HUBAngl, which stands for HUBAngl Uses Broadcaster Angle. This
name sticks with the idea of depth: the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpback_anglerfish">HUmpBack Anglerfish</a> lives
in the abyss.</p>
<p>As I mentioned, HUBAngl was used for LibrePlanet 2017,
successfully streaming and recording around 50 sessions. Those
sessions are already available on the LibrePlanet's <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/tag/libreplanet-2017/">GNU
MediaGoblin instance</a>. HUBAngl behaved well despite its
experimental state -- we used the v0.1 release for the event.</p>
<h2>Using HUBAngl</h2>
<p>Wanna give HUBAngl a try? Grab a camera and/or a microphone and then
clone the <a href="https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/hubangl">project repository</a>. Follow the very straightforward
instructions to start a session. That's all. Just remember that
HUBAngl is a streaming client: if you want to stream a session you
must direct your feed(s) to an <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Icecast">Icecast</a> server instance. Since the
package is in experimental state, if you encounter any problem or
have bugs when running HUBAngl, please open an issue on the project
repository, or even better make a pull request to fix the problem,
that's very helpful.</p>
<div style="float: left; width: 250px; margin: 10px 25px 25px 20px; padding: 4px; text-align: center;">
<img src="media/b4578829.hubangl_working_screenshot.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/hubangl_working_screenshot.png" alt="An image of the HUBAngl video streaming interface. The words 'PREVIEW' are in the top left corner, and a menu bar of icons is at the center-bottom of the screen. Dominating the image is the torso of a person wearing a maroon sweatshirt that reads 'Free Software Free Society.'" style="float: left; width: 250px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px;" /> 
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;"><em>The HUBAngl interface</em></p></div>

<h2>Next features/releases</h2>
<p>Although HUBAngl v0.1 is an improvement on ABYSS, some key components
and features are missing. Nevertheless, a bunch of them should be
implemented in forthcoming releases, like the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Streaming placeholder screen:  useful when you want  to warn viewers
through the video player (instead  of displaying a black screen) about
an upcoming session. <em>v0.2 release</em></li>
<li>Tuneable camera settings: will allow you to change settings like
resolution, color space, white balance, and others. <em>v0.2 release</em> </li>
<li>IP camera support: currently only USB camera input is
supported. <em>v0.3 release</em></li>
<li>Screencast from a selected screen: will allow you to display a
screen feed (for instance, this could be used to display slides from a
presentation). <em>v0.3 release</em></li>
<li>JACK audio support: currently only PulseAudio server is supported.</li>
<li>Audio input mixer and equalizer: will allow multi-source audio
input to be streamed.<br />
</li>
<li>Live subtitles: will allow you to display subtitles during a
streaming session.</li>
<li>Monitoring mode: will allow a control-room HUBAngl instance to do
most of the heavy lifting for the configuration phase and then the
data processing.</li>
<li>Control-room mode: will allow you to have control over a pool of
monitoring HUBAngl instances.</li>
<li>Many more...</li>
</ul>
<p>If you have any ideas about features to implement into HUBAngl, just
ask for it by opening an issue on the project repository.</p>
<h2>LibrePlanet 2018</h2>
<p>Since day one, the FSF and especially its tech team, put trust in this
project by running it for the LibrePlanet conference. Each time, it
has been a big deal for me, because this is a great proving ground for
HUBAngl (4 instances running in parallel for a whole
weekend). LibrePlanet 2018 will again be the HUBAngl's real-life
proving ground, and I'll be there in person to ensure everything works
as planned.</p>
<p>Thanks to the FSF for all their hard work to make LibrePlanet
possible. Special thanks to Andrew Engelbrecht and Ruben Rodriguez for
their feedback and their help during the development of HUBAngl:
without them the package wouldn't have been ready for LibrePlanet
2017.</p>
<p>If you want to contribute to the project or if you just want to talk
about HUBAngl send me an email soonum[at]gnu.org. All contributions
are welcome.</p>
<p>If you live in Paris and want to grab a drink while discussing HUBAngl
(or anything else), shoot me an email. In any case, see you in Boston
at LibrePlanet 2018.</p>
<p>Happy (deep-sea) diving!</p>
<p><em>David received travel assistance from the LibrePlanet 2017 scholarship
fund -- consider <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=33">contributing to the fund</a> for LibrePlanet 2018
today. You will help more people afford to attend this annual free
software conference. Learn more about <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">FSF internships</a> here.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-comment-on-gpl-enforcement
title: RMS comment on GPL enforcement
uri: RMS-comment-on-GPL-enforcement
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-comment-on-gpl-enforcement
content:
<p>Bradley Kuhn's talk at LibrePlanet 2017 on <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/understanding-the-complexity-of-copyleft-defense/">enforcing
the GNU GPL at the Software Freedom Conservancy</a> explains the
challenge of enforcing the GPL against today's violators.</p>

<p>The Conservancy provides various kinds of <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/projects/services/">administrative
services</a> for free software projects, while <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/companies-free-software-and-you-ae2f/">promoting
the free software ethical ideals and the use of copyleft</a>. It also
does <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/">GPL
enforcement</a> for Linux and some other non-GNU, GPL-covered software
packages. In doing so, it undertakes a crucial job.</p>

<p>The Conservancy, like the FSF, follows the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/enforcement-principles">community-oriented
enforcement principles</a> that adopt the goal of bringing redistributors
into compliance, so that users will have the freedom they are supposed
to have. This implies starting with private conversations in a civil
tone, and taking legal action only as a last resort.</p>

<p>However, as I wrote long ago, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/pragmatic.en.html">the GPL is not
Mr. Nice Guy</a>. When a redistributor obdurately persists in
violating the GPL, a lawsuit may be the only way to make it respect
the freedom users are entitled to. In this last-resort situation,
going to court is justified if it's necessary.</p>

<p>The FSF urges people to become <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/supporter/">supporters of the
Conservancy</a>.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: May 19th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-May-19th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-19th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-19th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>There are many rituals and traditions associated with the spring season. One of
these traditions is graduation. The theme this week gives a chance for all
graduates to look back as we focus on <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Education">education software</a>. Improving the education category of
the Directory could increase the chance that free software is introduced to
students and helps support teachers.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-12th-2017-1
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for May 12th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-May-12th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-12th-2017-1
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
May 12th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we returned to the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Participate/oldies">golden oldies</a> again, working on entries that had not been reviewed in some time. It appears someone has been making quite a bit of progress on those old entries, leaving behind only ones where source code could no longer be found. It's unfortunate when a package disappears from the internet, but if the code is no longer available we want to clear it out of the Directory. <em>AlKamoD</em> made their first appearance at the Directory meeting and saw that they could automate some tasks. They're putting together a script to scrap entries and do some analysis on them. We're looking forward to seeing the outcome of that project. <em>aubreyr</em> also dropped by to say hello and we were able to get them up to date and hacking away at old entries in no time.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/use-your-web-skills-to-protect-users-rights
title: Call for a volunteer--Use your Web skills to protect users' rights
uri: Call-for-a-volunteer-Use-your-Web-skills-to-protect-users-rights
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/use-your-web-skills-to-protect-users-rights
content:
<p>To help you protect yourself, we host a <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/webmail-systems">list of Web-based email services which respect your rights</a> better than the big services such as GMail and Yahoo Mail. With thousands of unique visitors per month, this page is an important resource for the free software community and beyond.</p>
<p>Though the FSF hosts the page, we do not perform the evaluations. For more than three years, a community member named Ryan White has carried on these duties on a volunteer basis. Ryan has done an outstanding job, but the volume of requests for evaluations of Webmail systems has recently outstripped the time he is able to commit.</p>
<div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 440px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; font-size: 75%;">
<img alt="The text 'GNU Signal//Call for volunteers' in a night sky above the silhouette of a city, with a GNU symbol projected on the sky." src="media/b90a07db.gnu-signal.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/gnu-signal.png" width="440" /></div>

<p>Are you able to help Ryan evaluate Webmail services and maintain the page on fsf.org? You will need:</p>
<ul>
<li>Intermediate knowledge of JavaScript and Web development</li>
<li>A working understanding of free software licensing</li>
<li>A willingness to learn and analyze new issues</li>
<li>Enough free time to generally respond to emails within one week</li>
<li>The ability to write with correct grammar in English</li>
<li>About 5 hours a month to devote to this project</li>
</ul>
<p>This is a one-person, four-month volunteer commitment, after which you will meet with FSF staff to review your experience and let us know whether or not you'd like to continue working with Ryan to maintain the page.</p>
<p>If you'd like to help, please email <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> with a paragraph explaining that you meet the requirements above. Unfortunately, we will only be able to pick one volunteer for this project, but if we don't pick you, we promise to help get you started with other projects.</p>
<p><em>The image is in the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">public domain</a>, copied from <a href="https://openclipart.org/detail/139507/homer-postal-pigeon">https://openclipart.org/detail/139507/homer-postal-pigeon</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="https://openclipart.org/user-detail/rones">rones</a>.</em></p>
<p><meta property="og:title" content="Call for a volunteer--Use your Web skills to protect users' rights" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/gnu-signal.png" /></p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: May 26th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-May-26th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-26th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-may-26th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>A lot of great work is being done keeping the Directory up to date. But it must keep growing if it is to be a useful resource. This week we'll be working on adding new entries to the Directory, and reviewing packages that haven't been reviewed yet. We'll also be looking to launch a new project that could greatly increase the number of works in the Directory.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-19th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for May 19th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-May-19th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-19th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software
Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday,
May 19th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week the Directory meeting looked at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Education">education software</a>.  During the meeting, we had numerous pieces of software being offered up for inclusion.  In addition, new software was added to the Directory, as well as some older entries getting an update.  The meeting also spent some time exploring the relationship between software and educational institutions.  The dialogue centered on how these educational institutions indoctrinate dependence on nonfree software and ways to shift this paradigm.  <em>AlKamoD</em> returned this week and was getting ready to run tests to automate certain tasks, the results of this are anticipated.<br />
</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews AJ Jordon of gplenforced.org
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-AJ-Jordon-of-gplenforced-o
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-aj-jordon-of-gplenforced.org

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-aj-jordon-of-gplenforced.org

content:
<p>In this edition, we interviewed AJ Jordon, the founder of
<a href="https://gplenforced.org">gplenforced.org</a>, a project for hosting easy to use badges for
copyleft licenses. By using the badge, a project can share their
values and the importance of copyleft enforcement with all their
users.</p>
<h2>What inspired the creation of the GPL enforced badge?</h2>
<p>So basically <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2017/feb/13/bkuhn-fosdem-keynote/">Bradley Kuhn gave a talk at FOSDEM</a> '17 about GPL enforcement
and I was like, wow, it sucks how many companies and people think that
enforcing the GPL is a bad idea. I mean, if you disagree with copyleft
that's fine (though I personally would argue with that position), but
then you should use a suitable license. Like MIT. The very idea that
we shouldn't enforce the GPL just doesn't make sense to me because it
suggests that the text of the license is watery and unimportant. I
don't know about you, but when I say I want my programs to respect
users' freedom, I mean it.</p>
<p>So GPL enforcement is important. It seemed to me that there are
probably a lot of developers out there who want to support GPL
enforcement but don't have a good way to voice that
support. <a href="https://gplenforced.org">gplenforced.org</a> is essentially a quick and dirty hack I wrote
 to make that dead-simple.</p>
<h2>Tell us more about gplenforced.org</h2>
<p><a href="https://gplenforced.org">gplenforced.org</a> is a small site I made that has exactly two
purposes: host a badge suitable for embedding into a README file on
GitLab or something, and provide some text with an easy and friendly
explanation of GPL enforcement for that badge to link to.</p>
<p>Putting badges in READMEs has been pretty trendy for a while now &mdash; 
people add badges to indicate whether their test suite is passing,
their dependencies are up-to-date, and what version is published in 
language package managers. <a href="https://gplenforced.org">gplenforced.org</a> capitalizes on that trend
to add the maintainer's beliefs about license enforcement, too.</p>
<h2>How can projects make use of the GPL enforced badge?</h2>
<p>It's super easy! All you have to do is add some Markdown to your
README.md file (or some AsciiDoc, etc.). Then it will show up on your
code hosting site and link to the website. That's it. Instructions are
on <a href="https://gplenforced.org">gplenforced.orhg</a>.</p>
<p>That's what makes this project work, I think: as I alluded to above,
it's such an easy process there aren't really a whole lot of reasons
not to do it as long as you support the message. It gives people a way
to support GPL enforcement who otherwise wouldn't have time to do
something more involved.</p>
<h2>Are there plans to create badges for other copyleft licenses?</h2>
<p>Absolutely (it's <a href="https://github.com/strugee/gplenforced.org/issues/3">bug #3</a> in the issue tracker). The current plan
is to add badges for the LGPL and AGPL only &mdash; this will allow us to
keep the site 100% static, which makes it dead-simple to host.</p>
<p>Letting people use arbitrary badges would require making the site
dynamic. So I might consider doing that if there's a need for it, but
for right now the plan is to add badges on an ad hoc basis, as people
want them. Not letting people use arbitrary badges also means that
they couldn't make, say, an "MIT enforced" badge which maybe doesn't
really make sense.</p>
<h2>How can users or developers help out?</h2>
<p>Send patches and encourage adoption! There's a small list of TODOs in
the <a href="https://github.com/strugee/gplenforced.org/issues">issue tracker</a> that people can work on, and of course if
anyone has ideas about how to improve the project, they're welcome to
add to that list. I take issues and patches via email too.</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for gplenforced.org?</h2>
<p>Adoption! In particular when I get around to adding the other licenses
I plan to send patches to prominent GPL'd/LGPL'd/AGPL'd projects on
GitLab and GitHub suggesting they add it. This project is about
raising awareness &mdash; and the best way to do that is to spread it as far
and wide as possible.</p>
<p><em>Enjoy this interview? Check out our previous entry in this
 series, featuring <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-the-megaglest-project">the MegaGlest Project</a></em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/sixteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-may
title: Sixteen new GNU releases in the month of May
uri: Sixteen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-May
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/sixteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-may
content:
<p>(as of May 25, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/artanis/">artanis-0.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/">diffutils-3.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emms/">emms-4.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/">gcc-7.1.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/global/">global-6.5.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.1.21</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.12</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-cv/">guile-cv-0.1.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/icecat/">icecat-52.1.0-gnu1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/kawa/">kawa-2.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/">libidn2-2.0.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libmicrohttpd/">libmicrohttpd-0.9.54</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.11.2-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.8.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/orgadoc/">orgadoc-0.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170522</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the URL
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>This month, we welcome Bernhard Voelker as a new co-maintainer of GNU
Findutils and John Darrington as maintainer of the new package GNU
spread-sheet-widget.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: June 2nd starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-June-2nd-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-2nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-2nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>It was June 2nd, 1998 that the CIH computer virus was discovered in
Taiwan.  This virus resulted in wide spread damage.  An insecure
system is still a problem for many. This week we are going to look at
software for <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Security">security</a>.  There are hundreds of programs in this
category that need some attention.  We hope you'll join us and add you
favorite security software to the Directory, and if it's already there
you can help improve the entry by expanding and updating the
information.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-26th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for May 26th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-May-26th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-may-26th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, May 26th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Our most recent meeting was focused on adding new entries. A new
feature of the recent update to the Directory played a big
role. Occasionally when sorting through unapproved pages (new pages
that haven't been reviewed), we would would come across a page that
was actually just a redirect. Sometimes a package will change names,
or a variation in naming would cause multiple entries to end up in the
Directory. Having the old page redirect to the correct one helps to
keep the Directory clean and easy to navigate. But it turns out these
redirects were making for a messy log of unapproved pages, as they
would end up generating a new page that required approval. With the
recent update, these redirected pages are now highlighted, which
enabled us to get through about thirty of them during the meeting on
Friday.</p>
<p>In the spirit of adding more to the Directory, we also launched a
volunteer project for importing large amounts of entries. The project
enables us to import package information from free software
repositories. Long ago a friend put together scripts that we used to
import thousands of entries. But thousands upon thousands more could
be added if we update the import scripts.</p>
<p>The project has been sitting idle for a while now at
<a href="https://savannah.gnu.org/p/directory">https://savannah.gnu.org/p/directory</a>, just waiting for volunteers to
jump in and refine it. The scripts are in Python, so if you're a
seasoned Python hacker this would be a great way to contribute.</p>
<p>While it will take quite a bit of work, the effort will have a truly
profound effect on the Directory. If we can get the project up and
running, it will greatly expand the number of entries and in the
future can help to keep them up to date.</p>
<p>If you are interested in lending a hand, please email
<a href="mailto:directory@fsf.org">&#100;&#105;&#114;&#101;&#99;&#116;&#111;&#114;&#121;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> with the subject "Directory Import Volunteer" and
tell us a bit about yourself.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/motion-to-dismiss-denied-in-recent-gnu-gpl-case
title: Motion to dismiss denied in recent GNU GPL case
uri: Motion-to-dismiss-denied-in-recent-GNU-GPL-case
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/motion-to-dismiss-denied-in-recent-gnu-gpl-case
content:
<p>A case in the United States involving the GNU GPL made headlines
recently with a denial of a motion to dismiss. The case,
<a href="https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2016cv06982/305835/32/0.pdf?ts=1493193904">Artifex Software, Inc. v. Hancom, Inc.</a>, involves a piece of
software licensed under the GPL version 3 or later, called
Ghostscript. It is a project from Artifex for handling PostScript,
PDFs, and printers (<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ghostscript/">GNU Ghostscript</a> is a separate version of the
project, and is not involved or implicated in the case).</p>
<p>Artifex runs a business of <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/selling-exceptions">selling exceptions</a> to its GPL-licensed
software. They offer the software for no cost under the terms of the
GPL but then also let others pay to avoid the conditions of the
license. If someone doesn't pay for the exception, however, then they
may only use the work in accordance with the terms of the GPL.</p>
<p>That is apparently where the problem arose in this case. Artifex’s
complaint alleges that Hancom incorporated Ghostscript into its own
proprietary software without following the terms of the GNU GPL or
paying for an exception. In its suit, Artifex claimed two counts based
on Hancom's inclusion of Ghostscript: (1) a violation of copyright;
and (2) a breach of contract based on the GPL. Hancom filed a motion
to dismiss the case. A motion to dismiss under U.S. law is a motion at the
start of the case arguing that the facts the plaintiff presented do
not support the counts alleged. The court denied the motion, finding
that Artifex could move forward with both the copyright and contract
counts.</p>
<p>A few characteristics of the U.S. legal system need to be understood
to place this ruling in the proper context. First, a motion to dismiss
does not determine the truth of the facts. In other words, a judge
making a ruling on a motion to dismiss determines whether the law
would provide the complaining party with the relief it requests if all
facts alleged in the complaint were true. If the law says that the
plaintiff has no case (even if all facts were true) then the case can
be dismissed without the need to introduce or weigh evidence.
Otherwise, the case proceeds to trial to determine the truth of the
complainant's allegations. Secondly, rulings at this initial lower
court have limited precedential value. Other courts presented with a
similar question don't have to follow the decision here, though they
will likely read and consider whether they agree with the reasoning of
this judge if confronted with a similar case. This judge could also
be deemed wrong if the case is appealed and reviewed by a higher
court. For now, the opinion presents us with an interesting
situation: a GPL enforcement lawsuit is proceeding under both a
contract and copyright theory.  This case is one to watch as it moves
forward.</p>
<p>With that context in place, the opinion does present a fascinating
question in terms of breach of contract. While a violation of a free
license giving rise to a copyright violation is now old hat, whether
violation of a license like the GPL could be treated as a breach of
contract has been long a topic of discussion among licensing
geeks. Long ago, those who opposed the GNU GPL claimed that it was not
enforceable where a violator had not agreed to its terms. Since you
couldn't breach a contract you hadn't agreed to, the terms of the
license lacked any way to force compliance. But the
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/enforcing-gpl.en.html">GPL is a license</a>. The only thing that gave you permission to
distribute the work was the GPL, and without that permission, you
cannot distribute the work without violating the copyright on the
work.</p>
<p>In this case, the judge found that Artifex had adequately stated facts
that support its breach of contract claim. Hancom attacked the
contract claim on two fronts, first that Artifex had not properly
demonstrated that there was agreement to the GPL, and secondly that
Artifex properly plead any harm that resulted from the alleged
breach. On the first front, the judge found that "[t]he GNU GPL
&hellip; provides that the Ghostscript user agrees to its terms if the
user does not obtain a commercial license." (We disagree with the
judge's terminology here -- the GPL is a commercial license; there is
no problem charging money for providing someone a copy of GPL-covered
software as long as they are also provided with full rights under the
GPL including access to the source code.)  Artifex also claims that
Hancom publicly stated that its use of Ghostscript was licensed under
the GNU GPL.  This was enough to claim the existence of a contract.</p>
<p>On the latter, the judge found that the business model of Artifex
indicated a loss of revenue, but also noted that harm could be found
even where money isn't involved. The judge, quoting a prior case,
noted that there are "substantial benefits, including economic
benefits, to the creation and distribution of copyrighted works under
public licenses that range far beyond traditional license royalties."
While not dispostive, this last note is particularly interesting for
many free software developers, who generally share their work at no
cost.</p>
<p>There is more to the ruling, regarding pre-emption and international
aspects of copyright, that will likely be of interest to law
geeks. But this section on treating the GPL as a contract truly makes
this a case that free software activists will want to keep an eye
on. We'll be following the case closely and publishing regular updates
as it progresses. To stay in the loop, here's what you should do:</p>
<ul>
<li>Subscribe to our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss">Free Software Supporter</a> mailing list to keep
  up to date on the latest in free software licensing world.</li>
<li>Follow our Licensing &amp; Compliance blog via <a href="http://www.fsf.org/static/fsforg/rss/licensing.xml">rss</a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.fsf.org">Donate</a> or become an <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">associate member</a> to help support our
  licensing team.</li>
</ul>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: June 9th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-June-9th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-9th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-9th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the 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!</p>
<p>This week we're focusing again on adding new entries, with a
particular focus on getting the Directory import project up and
running. While the Directory is a great resource for finding
packages that may not be in your repositories, using the
information contained in those repos to fill out the Directory
can make it an even more robust tool. So while we'll be helping
maintainers to add their own projects and reviewing entries that
have been recently added, we'll also be discussing how the import
project is going to work as well as looking into recruiting more
volunteers for the project.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-2nd-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for June 2nd, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-June-2nd-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-2nd-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="https://h-node.org">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, June 2nd, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>For this meeting we looked at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Security">security software</a>. As usual we worked
through the entries, updating and improving them as needed.
Unfortunately, one entry had to be retired since the code couldn't
be found, even in archives.  Balancing this winnowing though was the
addition of some new programs to the Directory.</p>
<p>During the meeting we looked at some ways to improve the categories of
the security software in Directory. Participants looked at others
security taxonomies for inspiration. These breakdowns were then
presented and refined.  The final proposal was submitted for
group discussion at the end.</p>
<p>We talked some of ways to improve forensic analysis of file systems,
including changes to the data recorded by the file system.  The
meeting also provided some guidance to an individual on hardware
selection along with suggesting they look for detailed information on
<a href="https://h-node.org">h-node.org</a>.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://h-node.org">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: June 16th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-June-16th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-16th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-16th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential of being a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>Back on this week in 1999, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
stated that merely "space-shifting", transferring and encoding those
files that already reside on a user's hard drive, to a digital audio
player is OK.  This placed digital audio players in a similar stead as
the "time-shifting" video cassette recorder.  This week the theme of
the meeting commemorates this decision by looking at
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Video/manipulation">audio/video manipulation software</a>.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-9th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for June 9th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-June-9th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-9th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, June 9th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we were again focusing on adding new entries to the
Directory. We worked through another good chunk of unapproved
packages. Some were ready to go, while others needed bugs filed with
their package maintainers to sort out some licensing issues. We also
found some licensing issues of our own in the Directory, as some free
software licenses are not properly displaying in our form. While it's
possible to edit entries directly, we use a form to keep everything
formatted properly, and to highlight what information is needed for a
useful entry. So making sure that all our free software licenses are
an option in the form will make it easier to add packages that may be
using those licenses.</p>
<p>We also worked on getting ready for the import project, taking a look
at previously imported entries and filing bugs when needed. So far its
only been some formatting issues, but it's good to get even simple
bugs filed.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/a-new-challenger-to-twitters-walled-garden-mastodon
title: A new challenger to Twitter's walled garden: Mastodon
uri: A-new-challenger-to-Twitter-s-walled-garden-Mastodon
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/a-new-challenger-to-twitters-walled-garden-mastodon
content:
<p>With <a href="https://about.twitter.com/company">313 million active users each month</a>, lots of people,
organizations, and bots communicate in 140 characters or less on
Twitter. While the Free Software Foundation <a href="https://twitter.com/fsf">does use
Twitter</a>, the platform is saddled with ethical pitfalls like
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/twitter">nonfree JavaScript and privacy threats</a>. We encourage using
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/decentralization-federation">decentralized</a> microblogging options, like <a href="https://gnu.io/social/try/">GNU social</a> or
<a href="https://mastodon.social/about">pump.io</a>.</p>
<p>Another program speaking the same protocol as GNU social made a huge
splash this spring. It's called <a href="https://mastodon.social/about">Mastodon</a>, and its growing
popularity was in part spurred by positive posts about it by Twitter
users with large numbers of followers, like tech writer <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mastodon-is-like-twitter-without-nazis-so-why-are-we-not-using-it">Sarah
Jeong</a>. That momentum is still strong.</p>
<p>Free software advocates can get excited about Mastodon because
widespread adoption of federated, decentralized free software for
social networking allows more people to break free of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_platform">walled
gardens</a> like Twitter and Facebook and avoid using nonfree
JavaScript without having to give up on connecting and conversing with
friends on the Web. Federation lets people talk to each other from
different sites, and decentralization lets many people do this without
everyone depending on one giant server that is a single point of
failure. You can even self-host a Mastodon (or GNU social) instance
for your friends or anybody who chooses to join. All instances of a
program like Mastodon use the same protocol -- so if I'm
fsf@status.fsf.org and you're libregnuser@mastodon.fr, we can follow
each other's accounts and communicate, even though our accounts aren't
registered to the same domain. You can't do that with Twitter.</p>
<p>Decentralization and federation are on the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/">FSF's High Priority
Projects</a> list because a decentralized Web built on free software
can be more secure, more respectful of your privacy, and
community-built and shared. Centralized servers might seem like a good
option at first, but they tend to eventually abuse their users'
freedoms (if they don't right away). These platforms require the use
of nonfree software, they don't distribute the software they use, and
they are poor platforms for activist communication -- like the free
software movement -- because single gatekeepers control and filter
everything. For example, Twitter has adopted various rules that
restrict Twitter clients and apps in order to prioritize the needs of
advertisers over individual users. Twitter has also become notorious
for abusive behavior by some of its users -- free software for social
networking sometimes takes a more stringent stance toward community
standards (Mastodon, for one), though <a href="https://dustycloud.org/blog/possible-distributed-anti-abuse/">more work does need to be done
to address these problems for decentralized systems</a>.</p>
<p>The Web's governing body, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is
taking interest in this, as well. Its <a href="https://www.w3.org/Social/WG">Social Web Working
Group</a> has spent the last three years working to "develop
standards to make it easier to build and integrate social
applications with the Open Web Platform." Earlier this month, a
decentralized social networking protocol that has been developed
by the Social Web Working Group, <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/#social-web-working-group">ActivityPub</a>, advanced to
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium#Specification_maturation">W3C Candidate Recommendation</a> status, meaning that its
significant features are mostly set, and the protocol is open to
feedback from those who would implement it. GNU MediaGoblin
developer Christopher Webber is a member of the Working Group and
has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium#Specification_maturation">discussed ActivityPub on his blog</a>. The FSF is hopeful
that this will build on current momentum and enable more exciting
developments in this area in the future.</p>
<h2>Join the federation!</h2>
<p>Want to encourage decentralized, federated social interaction on
the Web? Start participating!</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Create your own account on a <a href="https://gnu.io/social/try/servers.html">GNU social</a> or <a href="https://instances.mastodon.xyz/list">Mastodon</a>
  server. (Don't forget to <a href="https://status.fsf.org/fsf">follow the FSF</a>!)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Set up your own instance of <a href="https://karp.id.au/social/en/admin/">GNU social</a> or other social
  microblogging site. This may be challenging, but it's rewarding
  and helps move the world toward true decentralization.</p>
</li>
</ul>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/a-free-software-filled-weekend-in-bellingham
title: A free software filled weekend in Bellingham
uri: A-free-software-filled-weekend-in-Bellingham
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/a-free-software-filled-weekend-in-bellingham
content:
<p>Over the weekend of May 6th &amp; 7th, the FSF invaded Bellingham, WA, for
the annual Linuxfest <sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup>
Northwest conference. Several of our crew had talks accepted at the
conference, which draws over 1500 attendees each year. FSF executive
director John Sullivan gave a talk addressing claims that the GNU
General Public License (GPL) is in decline (hint: there's no evidence
this is true), Molly de Blanc (who has since joined our staff as a
campaigns manager) gave a talk on ageism in free software, FSF board
member Benjamin Mako Hill participated on a panel with the American
Civil Liberties Union, and I talked about GPL compliance for devices
and the <a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">Respects Your Freedom</a> (RYF) certification
program. Sullivan also had the chance to be interviewed on Bryan
Lunduke's show the "Lunduke Hour."</p>
<p>The weekend kicked off with a meetup on Friday night. We try to
schedule social gatherings at all the events we attend to catch up
with local FSF members and friends. It was a smaller group at this
weekend's meetup, but it's still fun to catch up as well as meet new
people. We actually had one attendee drive two hours just to come
check out the gathering. They had only learned about free software
recently and were excited to go to their first event. If you want to
be notified when events like this are happening in your area, make
sure to be signed up for the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss">Free Software Supporter</a> and share
your location.</p>
<p>We also had a table in the expo hall, operated by a large group of
wonderful volunteers. We don't always have the resources to have staff
at all the free software conferences that happen all around the world,
so we often rely on volunteers to help table at events. I may be a bit
biased, but I think the Northwest crew of volunteers is simply one of
the best, and I always enjoy catching up with them at events like
this. Tabling may not seem like a terribly important thing, but it
makes a huge difference for our mission. Many people become <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">FSF
associate members</a> for the first time thanks to the efforts of
volunteers at expo halls, and for some people, coming to a conference
like this is their annual reminder to renew their membership. Even
when their membership is up-to-date, many members decide to donate
more after catching up with other activists at these events. Since the 
FSF gets the overwhelming majority of its budget from our membership
program and individual donors, tabling at an event provides a
substantial boost to the work we're able to do. Sales at the expo hall
of merchandise from the <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/">GNU Press Shop</a> also help a lot. Seeing a
<a href="https://shop.fsf.org/gear/stuffed-baby-gnu">baby GNU</a> in person can often tip the scales in favor of adoption.
Our volunteers in Bellingham had great success, and lots of people were
able to support the FSF as a result.</p>
<p>One of the great things about tabling beyond the fundraising is simply
the chance to meet new people and make new friends. Given that my talk
was on RYF, I was excited to meet and chat with several past and
future applicants about the program. I also got to meet and hang out
with several members of the <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing/team">FSF Compliance Lab Team</a>. I work with
those volunteers via IRC all year, so it was great to be able to catch
up in person.</p>
<p>The talks we gave were all well-received, we raised a good amount of
funds for the FSF, and had a great time catching up with old friends
and making some new ones. If you want to join in on the fun at
upcoming events, here's what you can do:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Make sure you're signed up for our newsletter, the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss">Free Software
  Supporter</a> and provide your location so you can be notified about
  events and volunteer opportunities.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Check out our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/events/">calendar of upcoming events</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Support our ability to speak at events like this by <a href="https://donate.fsf.org">donating</a> or
  <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">becoming a member</a>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><sup id="fn1">1.</sup> Because this conference is such a great place
 to meet free software activists, it really is unfortunate that its
 name does not give due credit to the work of the hackers in the GNU
 Project &mdash; we hope that in the future they'll join SeaGL and
 become a GNU/Linux Fest.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote
 1 in the text.">&#x21A9;</a></p>


title: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews Jonathan Thomas of the OpenShot Video Editor
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-Jonathan-Thomas-of-the-Ope
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-jonathan-thomas-of-the-openshot-video-editor-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-jonathan-thomas-of-the-openshot-video-editor-1

content:
<table width="65" height="70" align="left" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:00px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="65" height="70" src="media/cac221f3.OpenShotMaintainer.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/logos/OpenShotMaintainer.jpg" alt="Maintainer" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>In this edition, we conducted an email-based interview with Jonathan
Thomas, the developer of the
<a href="http://openshot.org/">OpenShot Video Editor</a>.  The <a href="http://www.openshotvideo.com/2017/05/new-website-new-233-release-new.html">current version</a> was
just released at the end of Spring 2017.  This was one of the biggest
updates ever to OpenShot, and was filled with new features,
performance improvements, and tons of bug fixes!</p>
<h2>First off, tell us a little about yourself.</h2>
<p>My name is Jonathan Thomas, and I am Texas-based software developer
who has invested the past 9 years building 
OpenShot Video Editor. OpenShot is a free software video editor
for GNU/Linux.  It creates films, edit videos, builds amazing
animations, all with a simple user interface and a few clicks. I
actually live in rural Texas (about an hour away from Dallas), on a
ranch near cows, horses, sheep, goats, and donkeys. We get our
Internet via a radio antenna on the side of our house. It's a fun and
strange combination of outdoors and high tech.</p>
<h2>What inspired you to create OpenShot?</h2>
<p></p>

<table width="255" align="right" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="250" src="media/55936934.OpenShotLogo.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/logos/OpenShotLogo.png" alt="OpenShot Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>I have loved creating videos and short films for as long as I can
remember. About 9 years ago, I discovered GNU/Linux and fell in
love. After many failed attempts creating a video with existing free
software projects, I decided I would just develop my own video editor
(or at least attempt to). It was a huge challenge, and I was almost
certainly going to fail, but as I said, I love video editing, and I
just couldn't resist the adventure.</p>
<p>Fast forward back to present and OpenShot is used by millions of
people around the world, taught in schools, published in textbooks and
magazines, and getting more <a href="http://www.openshotvideo.com/2010/10/statistics-showdown-best-linux-video.html">popular</a> each day. I am still shocked
by how quickly it has grown, and I'm thrilled others are enjoying my
work and passion.</p>
<h2>How are people using it?</h2>
<p>OpenShot is used primarily by hobbyists, free software enthusiasts,
and students.  It has been used on a huge variety of projects ranging
from commercials to local public television station and college
productions.  I can't forget to mention it has been used on my own
projects.</p>
<h2>What features do you think really sets OpenShot apart from similar software?</h2>
<p>One of the biggest challenges with video editing software is how
complex the user interface tends to be. Hundreds of buttons, sliders,
curve editors, panels, menus, tracks, stacked toolbars, multiple video
players, and so forth.  With OpenShot, I have attempted to keep things
as <a href="http://www.openshot.org/screenshots/">simple as possible</a>, while still enabling many
<a href="http://www.openshotusers.com/help/1.3/en/">advanced and awesome capabilities</a>. Minimal buttons, well
organized menus, and lots of preset animations and effects. Using
OpenShot, you can trim a video, add a soundtrack, watermark, and
animate some moving text with just a few clicks. No training needed.</p>
<h2>Why did you choose GNU General Public License version 3 as OpenShot's license?</h2>
<p>I selected the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GPLv3</a> license to encourage contributions, and
establish a strong identity. It just spoke to me, and it seemed to
accomplish what I was needing.</p>
<h2>How can users (technical or otherwise) help contribute to OpenShot?</h2>
<p>We are always looking for help with OpenShot, in any areas people are
interested in contributing. Translations, testing, ideas, artwork,
user interface design, and of course programming. If you are
interested in getting involved with OpenShot, please email
<a href="mailto:jonathan@openshot.org">&#106;&#111;&#110;&#97;&#116;&#104;&#97;&#110;&#64;&#111;&#112;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#104;&#111;&#116;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> directly.</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for OpenShot?</h2>
<p>I am working on some really exciting improvements to frame by frame
animation support in OpenShot. We already have some great animation
features, but we still lack a strong user interface to support the
work-flow of hand-drawn, frame by frame animation. That will be
changing very soon, and I hope to establish OpenShot as a leader in
that area!</p>
<p>The works "OpenShot Logo" and "OpenShot Maintainer picture" by
<a href="http://www.openshot.org/developers/jonathan/">Jonathan Thomas</a> are used under the
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a></p>
<p><em>Enjoy this interview? Check out our previous entry in this
 series, featuring <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-aj-jordon-of-gplenforced.org">AJ Jordon of gplenforced.org</a></em></p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: June 23rd starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-June-23rd-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-23rd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-23rd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential of being a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>This week we are kicking off summer school by focusing on <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Education">educational software</a>. While summer is just kicking off with fun and freedom for most students, others are buckling down for some extra credits to get a jump start on the next school year. We want to help them have all the tools they need to succeed by updating current entries on educational software, as well as adding new entries to the category as well.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-16th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for June 16th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-June-16th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-16th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, June 16th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This past week we remembered the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
stating that "space-shifting" was acceptable.  As a result, the
theme of the Directory meeting this week was
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Video/manipulation">audio/video manipulation software</a> and we spent some time updating
these programs. People also popped in to discuss the
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/a-new-challenger-to-twitters-walled-garden-mastodon">post about Mastodon</a> that was published the past week by
<em>geographic</em>.  Part of this included talking about hosts for this
decentralized federated microblogging platform as well as
configuration issues.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-three-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-june-1
title: Twenty-three new GNU releases in the month of June
uri: Twenty-three-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-June
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-three-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-june-1
content:
<p>(as of June 26, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/">automake-1.15.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/cgicc/">cgicc-3.2.18</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/dr-geo/">dr-geo-17.07</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/">gdb-8.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glpk/">glpk-4.62</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuastro/">gnuastro-0.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/health">gnuhealth-control-3.0.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.13</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gsl/">gsl-2.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-gnome/">guile-gnome-2.16.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libextractor/">libextractor-1.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libffcall/">libffcall-1.13</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libgcrypt/">libgcrypt-1.7.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libmicrohttpd/">libmicrohttpd-0.9.55</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libtasn1/">libtasn1-4.12</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.11.7-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/motti/">motti-3.1.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.8.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/">octave-4.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170622</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/taler/">taler-0.3.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/">texinfo-6.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/unifont/">unifont-10.0.01</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the URL
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>This month, we welcome John Darrington as the maintainer of the new
GNU package spread-sheet-widget and Bernd Edlinger as the maintainer
of the new GNU package Mempool.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: June 30th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-June-30th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-30th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-june-30th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential of being a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>Back on this day in 2000 then U.S. President Clinton signed into law
the legislature that generally provided for the initial validity of
electronic signatures and contracts in the U.S. Legislation like this
enacted the world over laid the groundwork for a sea change in
transactions.  This week the Directory meeting is dealing in
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Business/ecommerce">ecommerce code</a>. Be it a shopping cart or authorization system its
all in the basket this week.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-23rd-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for June 23rd, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-June-23rd-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-23rd-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, June 23rd, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>While some enjoy summer by studying its rays, this past week the
Directory laid out for summer school by looking at education
software. During the Directory meeting we added and updated in the
education category.  In addition, <em>yeehi</em> stopped by to discuss
proposed categories for the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Security">security section</a> of the Directory,
building on their work from previous weeks, which they had previously
supplied to the <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/directory-discuss">directory-discuss mailing list</a>.  There was also
the opportunity during the meeting for participants to discuss libre
systems on a chip. <em>pikurasa</em> also came through adding a free software
project that they hack on which teaches programming through a musical
paradigm.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/gnu-gplv3-turns-10
title: GNU GPLv3 turns 10!
uri: GNU-GPLv3-turns-10
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/gnu-gplv3-turns-10
content:
<p>Ten years ago today heralded the <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/gplv3_launched/">release of the GNU General Public License version 3</a>. Through several iterations over two years, <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/gplv3_launched/">public drafts</a> enabled the community to develop a license that better addressed the changing software freedom landscape. From Tivoization, to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to the rise of software patents, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/rms-why-gplv3.en.html">many threats to software freedom had arisen since the creation of GPLv2</a>. These threats still exist today, but hackers have for the past ten years had the right tool in their tool kit to fight back, with the GPLv3 being one of the most widely used free software licenses in the world.</p>
<p>More and more developers turn to the GPLv3 every day to meet their needs, as we've documented via our <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing">interview series</a>. Whether to ensure the work always remains free, to protect against modern threats to software freedom, or simply to set an ethical compass for their project, maintainers of thousands of projects chose GPLv3 over the past decade. The <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">Free Software Directory</a> lists nearly 2,000 GPLv3 projects,  with thousands more still to be added.</p>
<p>It's been a great first decade for version 3, with many more great years to come. Happy birthday, GPLv3!</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/goodbye-to-bob-chassell
title: Goodbye to Bob Chassell
uri: Goodbye-to-Bob-Chassell
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/goodbye-to-bob-chassell
content:
<p>It's fortunately more common now in Free Software communities today to properly value contributions from non-developers. Historically, though, contributions from developers were often overvalued and contributions from others grossly undervalued. One person trailblazed as (likely) the earliest non-developer contributor to software freedom. His name was Robert J. Chassell — called Bob by his friends and colleagues. Over the weekend, our community lost Bob after a long battle with a degenerative illness.</p>

<p>I am one of the few of my generation in the Free Software community who had the opportunity to know Bob. He was already semi-retired in the late 1990s when I first became involved with Free Software, but he enjoyed giving talks about Free Software and occasionally worked the FSF booths at events where I had begun to volunteer in 1997. He was the first person to offer mentorship to me as I began the long road of becoming a professional software freedom activist.</p>

<p>I regularly credit Bob as the first Executive Director of the FSF. While he technically never held that title, he served as Treasurer for many years and was the de-facto non-technical manager at the FSF for its first decade of existence. One need only read the earliest issues of the GNU's Bulletin to see just a sampling of the plethora of contributions that Bob made to the FSF and Free Software generally.</p>

<p>Bob's primary forte was as a writer and he came to Free Software as a technical writer. Having focused his career on documenting software and how it worked to help users make the most of it, software freedom — the right to improve and modify not only the software, but its documentation as well — was a moral belief that he held strongly. Bob was an early member of the privileged group that now encompasses most people in industrialized society: a non-developer who sees the value in computing and the improvement it can bring to life. However, Bob's realization that users like him (and not just developers) faced detrimental impact from proprietary software remains somewhat rare, even today. Thus, Bob died in a world where he was still unique among non-developers: fighting for software freedom as an essential right for all who use computers.</p>

<p>Bob coined a phrase that I still love to this day. He said once that the job that we must do as activists was “preserve, protect and promote software freedom”. Only a skilled writer such as he could come up with such a perfectly concise alliteration that nevertheless rolls off the tongue without stuttering. Today, I pulled up an email I sent to Bob in November 2006 to tell him that (when Novell made their bizarre software-freedom-unfriendly patent deal with Microsoft) Novell had coopted his language in their FAQ on the matter. Bob wrote back: "I am not surprised. You can bet everything [we've ever come up with] will be used against us." Bob's decade-old words are prolific when I look at the cooption we now face daily in Free Software. I acutely feel the loss of his insight and thoughtfulness.</p>

<p>One of the saddest facts about Bob's illness, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, is that his voice was quite literally lost many years before we lost him entirely. His illness made it nearly impossible for him to speak. In the late 1990s, I had the pleasure of regularly hearing Bob's voice, when I accompanied Bob to talks and speeches at various conferences. That included the wonderful highlight of his acceptance speech of GNU's 2001 achievement award from the USENIX Association. (I lament that no recordings of any of these talks seem to be available anywhere.) Throughout the early 2000s, I would speak to Bob on the telephone at least once a month; he would offer his sage advice and mentorship in those early years of my professional software freedom career. Losing his voice in our community has been a slow-moving tragedy as his illness has progressed. This weekend, that unique voice was lost to us forever.</p>

<hr />

<p>Bob, who was born in Bennington, VT on 22 August 1946, died in Great Barrington, MA on 30 June 2017. He is survived by his sister, Karen Ringwald, and several nieces and nephews and their families. A memorial service for Bob will take place at 11 am, July 26, 2017, at The First Congregational Church in Stockbridge, MA.</p>

<p>In the meantime, the best I can suggest is that anyone who would like to posthumously get to know Bob please read (what I believe was) the favorite book that he wrote, An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp. Bob was a huge advocate of non-developers learning “a little bit” of programming — just enough to make their lives easier when they used computers. He used GNU Emacs from its earliest versions and I recall he was absolutely giddy to discover new features, help document them, and teach them to new users. I hope those of you that both already love and use Emacs and those who don't will take a moment to read what Bob had to teach us about his favorite program.</p>

<p><i>Originally posted at <a href="http://www.ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2017/07/03/Chassell.html">http://www.ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2017/07/03/Chassell.html</a> under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License</a>.</i></p>


title: Fifteen new devices from Technoethical now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: Fifteen-new-devices-from-Technoethical-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-yo
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/fifteen-new-devices-from-technoethical-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/fifteen-new-devices-from-technoethical-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom

content:
<p>Last week we happily <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fifteen-new-devices-from-technoethical-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">announced</a> that we awarded
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">Respects Your Freedom</a> (RYF) certification to fifteen new devices
from Technoethical (formerly Tehnoetic): the TET-N150HGA, the
TET-N300, the TET-N300HGA, the TET-N300DB, the TET-N450DB, the
TET-BT4, the TET-X200, the TET-X200T, the TET-X200S, the TET-T400, the
TET-400S, the TET-T500, the TET-X200DOCK, the TET-T400DOCK, and the
TET-D16. While Technoethical is based in Romania, they are able to
ship to many countries around the world. The RYF certification mark
means that the products meet the FSF's standards in regard to users'
freedom, control over the product, and privacy.</p>
<p>This is a vast expansion of the currently available RYF products, more
than doubling the present count. Users now have more options than ever
when it comes to devices they can trust. We hope to repeat the feat
accomplished this week with even more big launches in the
future. Technoethical should be very proud of what they've
accomplished here, and we look forward to seeing even more new
hardware from them.</p>
<p>These of course are not the first devices from Technoethical to
receive RYF certification. Technoethical's
<a href="https://tehnoetic.com/tehnoetic-wireless-adapter-gnu-linux-libre-tet-n150">Mini WiFi USB adapter TET-N150</a> was certified in 2014. With these
additions, Technoethical is now home to an incredible breadth of
devices that users can trust to respect their freedom. They use their
expansive portfolio of hardware to help fund their passion for free
software, donating a portion of their proceeds to the FSF as well as
other free software projects.</p>
<p>Last week's certifications include multiple laptops: the
<a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-X200">TET-X200</a>, the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-X200T">TET-X200T</a>, the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-X200s">TET-X200s</a>, the
<a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-T400">TET-T400</a>, the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-T400s">TET-T400s</a>, and the
<a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-T500">TET-T500</a>. Technoethical was not the first to have laptops that
Respect Your Freedom, but this entry breaks new ground by introducing
a tablet to the mix. The TET-X200T has a convertible screen that
allows it to change from a laptop to a tablet, the first such laptop
to be certified. In addition to introducing a tablet form factor,
Technoethical is bringing slimmer and sleeker laptops with the
TET-X200S and TET-T400S, both of which are narrower and lighter than
their non-S labelled counterparts.</p>
<p>Technoethical also received certification on two docking stations: the
<a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-X200DOCK">TET-X200DOCK</a> for X200 series laptops and the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-T400DOCK">TET-T400DOCK</a>
for T400 and T500 series laptops. The <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-D16">TET-D16</a> is now the second
mainboard certified by the FSF. Technoethical offers a wide range of
RYF-certified WiFi USB adapters, adding the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-N150HGA">TET-N150HGA</a>, the
<a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-N300">TET-N300</a>, and the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-N300HGA">TET-N300HGA</a> to its line-up. They also
have two internal WiFi devices: the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-N300DB">TET-N300DB</a> and the
<a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-N450DB">TET-N450DB</a>. Finally, Technoethical now offers the first
certified Bluetooth device &mdash; the <a href="https://technoethical.com/TET-BT4">TET-BT4 USB adapter</a>.
Certification details for all these devices, including certified
source code, can be found at
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/technoethical">https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/technoethical</a>.</p>
<p>Certifying devices isn't a simple process. That is why it was great
that the folks from Technoethical were able to join us at
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/">LibrePlanet 2017</a>. It was wonderful to be able to work with them
in person in making our initial review. Because RYF is a global
program, we often only get to interact via email and the post. Doing
an in person meet up is obviously a lot more fun, and also enabled
them to showcase their work at the conference itself.</p>
<p>RYF makes it possible for people with less technical knowledge who
care about user freedom to identify which products they should
purchase. Its continued growth is an important step towards making a
world where it is easy for users to control their own
computing. Technoethical's work is the biggest leap forward we've made
so far, but we can't just rest on our laurels. To be successful, we
have to keep developing and strengthening the program. Here's what you
can do to help support the RYF program:</p>
<ul>
<li>Purchase <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">RYF-certified devices</a> and recommend them to your friends.</li>
<li>Support our work on RYF by becoming an <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">associate member</a> or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate">making a donation</a>.</li>
</ul>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: July 7th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-July-7th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-7th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-7th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential of being a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>What is old is new again as we return to adding new packages to the
Directory. We've really done some great work in smashing through the
backlog of pages awaiting approval, so now it's time to finish that
backlog and add even more new packages. We'll also be discussing more
about the importation project, which has the potential to add
thousands of packages from Debian in one fell swoop.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-30th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for June 30th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-June-30th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-june-30th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, June 30th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This past week the Directory looked at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Business/ecommerce">ecommerce software</a>
and remembered the authorization of digital signatures in the
U.S.  For some of the entries in the ecommerce section it was
time to close up shop since the code for the project had
vanished, but some entries survived thanks to the Internet
archives. <em>d3crypt</em> came by and helped improve the Directory, as
did <em>adfeno</em> who also added to the conversation on <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Talk:Riot-im">dependency
and protocol interaction</a> between nonfree/free software.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/today-july-12th-day-of-action-for-net-neutrality
title: Today: July 12th Day of Action for net neutrality
uri: Today-July-12th-Day-of-Action-for-net-neutrality
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/today-july-12th-day-of-action-for-net-neutrality
content:
<h1>Tell the FCC that we need net neutrality</h1>

<p>A free net is necessary for a free society, and free software cannot thrive in a world where access to the Internet is controlled by people who work hard every day to restrict our freedom. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai is looking to hand control of the Internet over to companies like AT&amp;T, Comcast, and Verizon, who are much more interested in their own profits than protecting your freedoms. Spread the word&mdash;tell your friends why we need to defend net neutrality today.</p>

<p>Net neutrality is the idea that the net should provide the same services to all of its users, without discriminatory practices like paywalls that restrict your access to specific sites, or throttled network speeds. Without network neutrality, you can't trust the Internet to connect you honestly to the sites you wish to talk with. You may be charged extra, hampered, or blocked entirely from sites that the Internet service provider (ISP) does not like.  When it does allow you to communicate with a site, it may alter the data sent to and from the site.</p>

<p>Net neutrality is a <a href="https://defectivebydesign.org">Digital Restrictions Management</a> (DRM) issue; it impacts the collaboration that makes free software possible; and it creates an unequal field of digital engagement in which there is no guaranteed way to make sure your freedoms are being respected.</p>

<p><strong>With the support of large ISPs, Chairman Pai is looking to tear down the already fragile network neutrality in place.</strong></p>

<p>Today, the Free Software Foundation joins <a href="https://demandprogress.org/">Demand Progress</a>, <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">Fight for the Future</a>, <a href="https://www.freepress.net/">Free Press</a>, and <a href="https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/">dozens of other organizations</a> in an Internet-wide day of action to save net neutrality.</p>

<p>We all need unfettered access to the Internet. In the last 30 days, over 700,000 people have left comments on <a href="https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/Query.do?numberFld=&amp;numberFld2=&amp;docket=17-108&amp;dateFld=&amp;docTitleDesc=">Docket 17-108</a> (the misleadingly named "Restoring Internet Freedom," which in truth is designed to inhibit Internet freedom). Docket 17-108 is the FCC proposal to slash Title II protections for net neutrality.</p>

<p>We really want you to send comments to the FCC. But they've joined the ranks of government agencies whose comment submission process requires running proprietary JavaScript on your computer. If you want to submit a comment without using their Web-based submission form, there is an option to use a <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/public-api-docs.html">public API to submit comments</a>. You can <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/about/contact">read about other ways to contact the FCC</a> on their website.</p>

<p>We're asking you to share this post with your friends. In the battle for Internet freedom, our best hope is having as many people as possible aware of the importance of net neutrality and the risk it is currently facing. Please post on social media, share this (and similar e-mails and blog posts) with your friends, or write your own messages. Tell the people in your life not just that net neutrality is important to you, but why. Grassroots organizing can make a difference, and you're an important part of that.</p>

<p>You can read more below about why we at the Free Software Foundation care about net neutrality.</p>

<h1>Why does net neutrality matter?</h1>

<h2>DRM thrives without net neutrality</h2>

<p>Media distribution giants that use Digital Restrictions Management and proprietary software to control what's on your computer have also been fighting for years to control the network. Without net neutrality, DRM-laden materials could be easier to access, while DRM-free competitors could be stuck in the slow lane. Web-based free software projects like GNU MediaGoblin could also suffer the slow treatment while competitors like YouTube shell out big bucks for speedier service. The bottom line: an Internet where the most powerful interests can pay for huge speed advantages could push smaller free software projects right off the map and make it harder for decentralized projects to flourish. That's not good for free software, and it's not good for other innovative voices for change in the digital world.</p>

<p>Sir Tim Berners-Lee recently <a href="http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/tim_bernerslee_approves_web_drm_w3c_member_organizations_have_two_weeks_appeal">ratified the inclusion of Encrypted Media Extensions (a form of DRM) into Web standards</a>. While not all hope is lost, since member organizations still have time left to appeal the decision&mdash;this is an example of why net neutrality is so important. DRM is finding more footholds for itself on the Web, and we need to reinforce the protections we have against it.</p>

<h2>Net neutrality and free software</h2>

<p>Free software can't survive without net neutrality. Donald Robertson III, from the FSF Licensing team, explains why:</p>

<p>When the free software movement started decades ago, the primary means
of sharing software was via physical media. While selling or lending
tapes or disks helped build the fledgling movement, today we all expect
to send and receive software via the Web. Whether you are downloading updates, pushing a patch back upstream, or even finding a new distro for your laptop, you rely on the Internet for access to software and documentation. Without net neutrality, all that could go away. The new
distro that you would come to love wouldn't come into existence, because
the volunteers creating it could not only be limited in their ability to
share it with you, but they themselves could be limited in their ability
to download the packages that comprise the operating system. We could of
course all go back to sharing tapes and CDs, but the explosion in growth
and development that rose along with the rise of the free Internet would
be hindered. No one, except greedy telecoms, wants to go back in time
twenty years to when getting free software involved a postage stamp.</p>

<p>It is impossible to enforce net neutrality without free software. Unless we're able to examine and study the software used to keep the net free, we're unable to ensure that it is actually respecting net neutrality. Similarly, without net neutrality, it is unlikely that ISPs will ever use freedom-respecting software.</p>

<p>Ian Kelling, of the FSF Tech Team, highlights the ways in which the ideologies of free software and net neutrality are related:</p>

<p>Free software enables us to have software that works for us,
and developers of free software get to really dig deep on what is in the
best interests of the user. ISPs, on the other hand, are acting for themselves, and there are many examples of them doing things that are clearly against their customers' interests. Net neutrality provides some basic
rules of the road, and there are more ways we should make ISPs act in
our interests. But we can't develop a better ISP like we can with
free software.</p>

<h2>Words from Richard Stallman, President of the FSF</h2>

<p>25 years ago, there were so many ISPs that competition discouraged
abuses.  Since then, the US government has allowed so many mergers
that competition between ISPs is almost nonexistent.  It is no
deterrent nowadays to abuses of any kind.</p>

<p>The FCC's network neutrality regulation does not go far enough.  Full
network neutrality means that the ISP cannot take note of which site
you are communicating with, except under a specific court order aimed
at you.  But that is a battle for another day.  Today we must defeat
the attempt to abolish the limited network neutrality we already have.</p>

<h2>Net neutrality as an international issue</h2>

<p>Net neutrality is very much an international issue. There are the <a href="https://www.savenetneutrality.eu/">BEREC net neutrality guidelines</a> in the European Union. <a href="https://gigaom.com/2014/07/31/facebooks-internet-org-unveils-free-limited-web-access-such-opportunity-but-at-what-cost/">Internet.org was rolled out in Zambia</a>, which provides gratis Internet in exchange for allowing Facebook control of what users see and access. TRAI, India's regulatory body, <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/telecom-regulator-bans-differential-pricing-for-data-supports-net-neutrality-1275030">tackles issues of net neutrality</a> by banning differential pricing for data.</p>

<p>United States policy has impact far beyond its borders&mdash;and with net neutrality this is no different. By allowing US-based companies to restrict access within the US, those companies are more easily able to extend those restrictions elsewhere. There are social and economic impacts of a non-neutral net&mdash;<a href="https://www.freepress.net/blog/2017/04/25/net-neutrality-violations-brief-history">even now net neutrality violations exist</a>.</p>

<p>Digital rights are a global issue. Moving forward, we need to work together to make sure that there is equitable access to freedom-respecting technology across the globe. Keeping the Internet accessible with the help of net neutrality is the next step. Let's take it together.</p>

<h1>We need you to protect net neutrality. Tell the people in your life, tell the FCC, tell your story.</h1>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: July 14th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-July-14th-starting-at-12-0
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-14th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-14th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential of being a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>This week the Directory recognizes Bastielle Day in France.  Back on
this day in 1789 the storming of the Bastielle fortress marked the
beginning of a revolution. Revolutions require organized action.  With
this in mind the theme of the Directory this week is 
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Use/organizing">software for organizing</a>.  This category covers software that can
help bring together information, people, collections, and even
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=wine+cellar&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;go=Go">wine</a>.  Come Friday let's eat cake while we improve the
Directory.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-7th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for July 7th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-July-7th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-7th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, July 7th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we returned to new, focusing on adding new packages and celebrating our new extension enabling users to thank each other.  Now when you come across a well made entry or useful update you can thank the user who added it via the history page. We thank <em>sudoman</em> for adding the feature. During the meeting we found a broken entry. We had imported it from the Debian repositories, but the robust work done there in cataloging the many licenses proved too much and the entry currently doesn't render. <em>sudoman</em> has what he thinks is a fix, so we should be implementing that soon. We are still looking for help on the import project, so make sure to join us in upcoming meetings to discuss joining.</p>
<p>While we hope to be able to add many new packages, sometimes entries have issues. Often a package will have a few bugs in its licensing, and this week saw no exception as we filed half a dozen issues with various projects. While the purpose of the Directory is to make finding free software easy, the review process has the benefit of helping projects keep their licensing in tip top shape. </p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: July 21st starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-July-21st-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-21st-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-21st-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>This week we'll be doing some cleaning up, focusing on entries that haven't had an update in a while. We are doing a great job at getting new packages listed, but if we don't take the time to go back and update older entries, the Directory risks becoming stale. Making sure entries are up to date is just as important as expanding the Directory, since an out-of-date download or listing isn't super useful. So, come join us this week in freshening up those golden oldies!</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-14th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for July 14th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-July-14th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-14th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This blog recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, July 14th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we looked at software for organizing. <em>mutante</em> cleverly pointed out
that there was great software in the Directory for organizing the
software, namely the Directory software itself! A new program was
added that allows you to submit links to the Internet Archive for
storage.  In addition to working on organizing software, some time was
spent on unapproved entries.  The backlog of entries is now down to just a
limited number of smaller extensions for web browsers. Participants
also discussed the conditions under which computer languages are
Turing complete, as well as similarities between sheet music and source
code.<br />
</p>
<p>This coming week, efforts to expand the Directory import
project will take the forefront.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: July 28th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-July-28th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-28th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-july-28th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>It was on this day in 1983 that NASA launched the Telstar 3A into
geosynchronous orbit at 96 degrees W. With this in mind the Directory
is going to look at the tangentially related category of
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Science/astronomy">astronomy software</a>.  Stellar examples of such software allow for
the simulation of astral bodies, and there is also the well-known
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuastro/">Gnuastro</a>, an official GNU package that enables the manipulation and analysis of astronomical data.  We hope to see you there on Friday when we blast
off for the stars!</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-21st-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for July 21st, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-July-21st-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-21st-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This blog recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, July 21st, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we returned to the classics, looking at entries that haven't had an update in a while. <em>eric23</em> worked on many older entries, and <em>jxself</em> helped to track down source and Web pages when they were hard to find. <em>Juesto</em> joined the channel randomly but got into the mix, learning how to update entries. <em>aindilis</em> also made an appearance and was excited to get started on the import project. They had been working on their own project for cataloging free software, and so they had the know-how to jump in and get the import working for the Directory. We look forward to working with them in the future to hopefully add thousands more packages to the Directory!</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-28th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for July 28th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-July-28th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-july-28th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come
together in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This blog recaps the work we
accomplished at the Friday, July 28th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>It was a very special Directory meeting this time, since it coincided
with the eighteenth annual SysAdmin Day. This day gives us a moment to
collectively pause and acknowledge the invaluable work done by these
individuals. With that said, we'd like to give a special shout out to <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/User:Quidam"><em>quidam</em></a>,
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/User:Sudoman"><em>sudoman</em></a>, and <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/User:Iank"><em>iank</em></a>, who all strive tirelessly to keep the FSF running smoothly.</p>
<p>This week also saw <em>alkamod</em> providing the program for a new entry.  The
most relevant point is that this program provides license-checking
from repositories, as well as other valuable features.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-may-june-campinas-curitiba-brasilia
title: May, June 2017: Photos from Curitiba and Brasilia
uri: May-June-2017-Photos-from-Curitiba-and-Brasilia
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-may-june-campinas-curitiba-brasilia
content:
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<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:2px;text-align:center; margin: 4px 50px 4px 50px; padding-top:4px;">

<p>RMS was in <strong>Brazil</strong> from late May to mid-June.  In
addition to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20170529-belohorizonte">speaking in
Belo Horizonte</a>, on May 29<sup>th</sup>, he visited
<strong>Campinas,</strong> where he gave a free-standing speech,
&ldquo;Your Freedom as a User of Computers and Cell Phones,&rdquo; on
May 31<sup>st<a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup>, at the Universidade
Estadual de Campinas.  The talk was organized by <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/securedrop-and-alexandre-oliva-are-2016-free-software-awards-winners">Alexandre
Oliva</a>, and in conjunction with Professor Islene Calciolari Garcia,
and was part of a university course that has students contribute to a
free software project of their choice, and then give a lightning talk
on the project and their contribution to it.  The speech was open to
the general public and most of the people who attended, from other
departments in the school, from federal institutes from neighboring
cities, <em>et al.</em>, were not formally enrolled in the class.</p>

<p>He then went on to <strong>Curitiba,</strong> where he was a guest
of the Universidade Federald do Paraná.  On June&nbsp;2<sup>nd</sup>,
2017, he gave his speech &ldquo;Free Software and Your Freedom&rdquo;
to an audience of about 370 students and professors in the school's
Professor Ulysses de Campos auditorium.<sup><a href="#fn2" id="ref2">2</a></sup></p>

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<img src="media/315f29b4.20170602-curitiba-014-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-014-thumb.png" alt="" width="143" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ba073e94.20170602-curitiba-102-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-102-thumb.png" alt="" width="256" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/34c31e50.20170602-curitiba-103-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-103-thumb.png" alt="" width="143" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c93b45f4.20170602-curitiba-073-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-073-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/215aa819.20170602-curitiba-071-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-071-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />a
<img src="media/a7ce917f.20170602-curitiba-074-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-074-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/fb59d178.20170602-curitiba-122-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-122-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6dc24ba8.20170602-curitiba-158-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-158-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/34f75ea7.20170602-curitiba-016-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-016-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ece3fbb2.20170602-curitiba-142-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-142-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/979d9b8e.20170602-curitiba-168-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-168-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1fcf41c5.20170602-curitiba-154-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-154-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/335d8219.20170602-curitiba-170-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-170-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/25e6cc46.20170602-curitiba-015-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-015-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b357ef1f.20170602-curitiba-105-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-105-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/991b4411.20170602-curitiba-155-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-155-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/243d87be.20170602-curitiba-108-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-108-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d2a54b22.20170602-curitiba-121-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-121-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/08b27fef.20170602-curitiba-143-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-143-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/76e1c7f1.20170602-curitiba-123-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-123-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7185b20c.20170602-curitiba-072-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-072-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" /><img src="media/28a340db.20170602-curitiba-167-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-167-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c23951b8.20170602-curitiba-037-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-037-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0a78d447.20170602-curitiba-050-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-050-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/051d3c7c.20170602-curitiba-003-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-003-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/995f1d9f.20170602-curitiba-038-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-038-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c81afe4f.20170602-curitiba-021-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-021-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b9a09228.20170602-curitiba-027-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-027-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f960d28b.20170602-curitiba-164-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-164-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2384db69.20170602-curitiba-107-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-107-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ef7c6d0b.20170602-curitiba-138-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-138-thumb.png" alt="" width="345" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/747cf45b.20170602-curitiba-031-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-031-thumb.png" alt="" width="195" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6e4fa2c5.20170602-curitiba-002-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-002-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ce28b41a.20170602-curitiba-011-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-011-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4838babd.20170602-curitiba-017-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-017-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0f105fbc.20170602-curitiba-018-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-018-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/59d7b692.20170602-curitiba-046-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-046-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6a9e8d17.20170602-curitiba-048-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-048-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/723b7658.20170602-curitiba-049-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-049-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d7d56dde.20170602-curitiba-058-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-058-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/71c1d543.20170602-curitiba-144-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-144-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/add37ae2.20170602-curitiba-145-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-145-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/57536e16.20170602-curitiba-162-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-162-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/844ea8c4.20170602-curitiba-111-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-111-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/955283c9.20170602-curitiba-124-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-124-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2998450c.20170602-curitiba-075-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-075-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2ab87a98.20170602-curitiba-076-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-076-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/edfd13a1.20170602-curitiba-126-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-126-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e7a2d6da.20170602-curitiba-088-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-088-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/a3a41d08.20170602-curitiba-022-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-022-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4aacbb2b.20170602-curitiba-090-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-090-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/bdd5d500.20170602-curitiba-112-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-112-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9756dd30.20170602-curitiba-113-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-113-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/960d254c.20170602-curitiba-147-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-147-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6f246f08.20170602-curitiba-131-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-131-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3e9ebcc0.20170602-curitiba-120-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-120-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0bc36b05.20170602-curitiba-070-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170602-curitiba/20170602-curitiba-070-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below --> <p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;"> 

<em>(Photos under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a> and courtesy of Paulo Henrique de Lima Santana.)</em>

<p>Finally, he was in <strong>Brazilia</strong> for a few days, to
give two speeches.  The first was on June 17<sup>th</sup>, at the main
stage of the arena at the Centro de Convenções Ulysses Guimarães, for
the Brazilian edition of <a href="https://brasil.campus-party.org">Campus Party</a>, a week-long
technology festival and hackathon and &ldquo;the largest Internet and
innovation event in the world.&rdquo; He gave his speech <a href="http://stallman-brasil.softwarelivre.org/2017/brasilia-campus-party/2017-06-17--rms--free-software-and-your-freedom--campus-party-brasilia--en--360p.ogv">&ldquo;Free
Software and Your Freedom&rdquo;</a> to an audience of about 500
campuseros, a lot of whom had strong connections with the GNU
Project.<sup><a href="#fn3" id="ref3">3</a></sup></p>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
<!-- Adjust the width="150" part to change how wide the image appears on the page  -->

<img src="media/2f41e69e.20170617-brasilia-03-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-03-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/600204c2.20170617-brasilia-08-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-08-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7beb4649.20170617-brasilia-12-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-12-thumb.png" alt="" width="180" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/581a4d8e.20170617-brasilia-05-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-05-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/72b82cf3.20170617-brasilia-07-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-07-thumb.png" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/a088251b.20170617-brasilia-06-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-06-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8c227ba7.20170617-brasilia-10-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-10-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/443c2a61.20170617-brasilia-15-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-15-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/a0442eb6.20170617-brasilia-16-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-16-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/a3b1a1fa.20170617-brasilia-24-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-24-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4d04971c.20170617-brasilia-26-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-26-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9f74dcc6.20170617-brasilia-27-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-27-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3eb96b24.20170617-brasilia-33-thumb.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170617-brasilia/20170617-brasilia-33-thumb.png" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below --> <p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;"> 

<em>(Photos under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a> and courtesy of Paulo Henrique de Lima Santana.)</em>

<p>Two days later, on June 19<sup>th</sup>, he gave his speech
&ldquo;Copyright vs Community&rdquo;<a href="#fn4" id="ref4">4</a> at
the Universidade de Brasília.  The talk was preceded by a round table
featuring professors Ricardo Neder, Pedro Rezende, and Raquel Moraes,
sociologist Pricila Normando, and economist Rodrigo Ávila, on
unionization rights for the IT-professional community in Brazil.</p>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to all those who helped make this visit possible!</strong></p>

<!-- End of image+caption block -->

<p>Please fill out our contact form, so that we can inform you about
future events in and around <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=92&amp;reset=1">Campinas</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=155&amp;reset=1">Curitiba</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=106&amp;reset=1">Brazilia</a>.
Please see <a href="https://www.fsf.org/events">www.fsf.org/events</a>
for a full list of all of RMS's confirmed engagements, and contact <a href="mailto:rms-assist@gnu.org">rms-assist@gnu.org</a> if you'd like
him to come speak.</p>

<hr /></hr>

<sup id="fn1">1. The speech recording will soon be posted on <a href="https://audio-video.gnu.org">our audio-video archive</a>.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the
text.">↩</a></sup><br />

<sup id="fn2">2. The speech recording will soon be posted on <a href="https://audio-video.gnu.org">our audio-video archive</a>, with
both English and Portuguese audio.  You can read the post-speech <a href="http://www.ufpr.br/portalufpr/blog/noticias/criador-do-movimento-software-livre-richard-stallman-faz-palestra-para-auditorio-lotado-na-ufpr/">interview</a>
<em>(pt.)</em> RMS gave to the school, as well view a brief <a href="https://goblinrefuge.com/mediagoblin/u/phls/m/stallman-na-ufpr-tv">video
report</a> the school did on the event.<a href="#ref2" title="Jump
back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩</a></sup><br />

<sup id="fn3">3. You can read <a href="https://www.meioemensagem.com.br/home/midia/2017/06/19/uber-e-airbnb-nao-tem-nada-a-ver-com-compartilhamento.html">here</a>
the post-speech interview <em>(pt.)</em> RMS gave to meio&mensagem.;<a href="#ref3" title="Jump back to footnote 3 in the
text.">↩</a></sup><br />

<sup id="fn4">4. The speech recording will soon be posted on <a href="https://audio-video.gnu.org">our audio-video archive</a>.<a href="#ref4" title="Jump back to footnote 4 in the
text.">↩</a></sup><br />


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: August 4th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-August-4th-starting-at-12-0
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-4th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-4th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential of being a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>What is old is new again as we return to adding new packages to the
Directory. We've really done some great work in smashing through the
backlog of pages awaiting approval, so now it's time to finish that
backlog and add even more new packages. We'll also be discussing more
about the importation project, which has the potential to add
thousands of packages from Debian in one fell swoop.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: August 11th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-August-11th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-11th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-11th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>It was on August 11th, 1934 that Alcatraz, the government facility in
the San Francisco Bay, first began accepting prisoners for incarceration.
Alcatraz, or "The Rock," was established to house the most
dangerous inmates due to the difficulty of escaping the island and the
strong currents in the Bay.  Perhaps <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=chroots&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;go=Go">chroots</a> would be the most fitting match for today's activities given
this historic marker, but instead let us focus on
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">encryption software</a>.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-one-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-july
title: Twenty-one new GNU releases in the month of July
uri: Twenty-one-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-July
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-one-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-july
content:
<p>(as of July 25, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/acct/">acct-6.6.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/">auctex-11.91</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/binutils/">binutils-2.29</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/cgicc/">cgicc-3.2.19</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/freeipmi/">freeipmi-1.5.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gama/">gama-1.19</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/">gcc-6.4.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnucash/">gnucash-2.6.17</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.14</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/grep/">grep-3.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-cv/">guile-cv-0.1.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libgcrypt/">libgcrypt-1.8.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/#libidn2">libidn2-2.0.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.12.3-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/moe/">moe-1.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.8.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170722</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/screen/">screen-4.6.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/tramp/">tramp-2.3.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/unifont/">unifont-10.0.05</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu">https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu</a>.</p>
<p>To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
<a href="https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/">https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/</a>, or preferably one of its mirrors from
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html">https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html</a>.  You can use the URL
<a href="https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/">https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/</a> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.</p>
<p>This month, we welcome Assaf Gordon as the new maintainer of GNU Time.</p>
<p>A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint">https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint</a> if you'd like to
help.  The general page on how to help GNU is at
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a>.</p>
<p>If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like
to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html">https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html</a>.</p>
<p>As always, please feel free to write to us at <a href="mailto:maintainers@gnu.org">&#109;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#116;&#97;&#105;&#110;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>
with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-fsf-needs-fall-2017-interns-apply-by-august-25
title: The FSF needs Fall 2017 interns! Apply by August 25
uri: The-FSF-needs-Fall-2017-interns-Apply-by-August-25
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-fsf-needs-fall-2017-interns-apply-by-august-25
content:
<p>As an intern, you work closely with FSF staff members in your area of interest, such as campaigns and community organizing, systems and network administration, GNU Project support, or Web development.</p>
<p>We're seeking interns for two teams at the FSF:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Tech team:</strong> Common tech team intern projects include writing free software, security
auditing, interacting with one or more of our servers, and researching
new technology that the FSF is interested in using. Past interns created HUBAngl, which we use for easy video streaming of
our conferences, made progress in porting LibreJS to WebExtensions,
pen-tested our network, and researched the Ceph distributed object
storage system, which we are now rolling out as our latest
infrastructure upgrade. However, we're also eager to hear what
you would like to work on, because that can give us new ideas and open
new doors. This position may work in our Boston office or remotely.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Campaigns team:</strong> This round, we'd love to find an intern who is adept at design and/or illustration to redo key handouts and guides. These items will make a great addition to your portfolio, and will be a huge help in our efforts to publicize our campaigns. This position is in our Boston office.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>You can read more about our requirements for interns <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships/internships">here</a>, and see past intern projects <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/interns/fsf-internships">here</a>.</p>
<h2>How to apply</h2>
<p>Send a letter of interest and resume with two references by email to <a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. Make sure that your materials are in free software friendly formats (PDF and plain text work well), and include "Internship" in your subject line. If you can, please include links to sites you've made (personal blogs are okay!), designs or code you've done, and relevant writing. Please include these as URLs, though email attachments in free formats are acceptable, too.</p>
<p>Please direct any questions about the program to <a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-august-11th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for August 11th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-August-11th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-august-11th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This blog recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, August 11th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This week we improved tens of packages, with some chosen based on the theme of encryption software, and
others chosen because they had simply been waiting long enough. It wasn't all work, though, and
there were wide ranging topics of conversation. <em>adfeno</em> discussed a
limitation of federation, specifically that in order work for it to
work, you need many servers with consistent uptime.  We also had some
first time attendees to the Directory meeting, <em>Elon_Satoshi</em> and
<em>kembrek</em>, who we hope to see back next week.</p>
<p><em>Elon_Satoshi</em> told us about their efforts to free game software.  They
were able to convince the developer to switch to a license that
required the sharing of source code, but they weren't able to get the
developer to use a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html">free software license</a>.  The Directory meetings
are always a great place to come to share insights, strategies, and
programs for advancing free software.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the Directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews David Rosca of QupZilla
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-David-Rosca-of-QupZilla
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-david-rosca-of-qupzilla

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-david-rosca-of-qupzilla

content:
<table width="65" height="70" align="left" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:00px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="130" height="140" src="media/fe2748ab.qupzilla-maintainer.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/licensing/qupzilla-maintainer.jpg" alt="Maintainer" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p><a href="https://qupzilla.com">QupZilla</a>, currently at <a href="http://blog.qupzilla.com/2017/03/qupzilla-212-released.html">version 2.1.2</a>, is a free software Web
browser using the new and very fast QtWebEngine browser. It aims to be
a lightweight Web browser available through all major platforms. This
project was originally started only for educational purposes by a
lone developer, David Rosca, and since then, QupZilla has grown into a
feature-rich browser. QupZilla has all of the standard functions you expect
from a Web browser. It includes bookmarks, history (including a
sidebar view), and tabs. Above that, it has ad-blocking enabled by 
default with a built-in plugin.  Over time, this one-man project has
grown to include numerous <a href="https://github.com/QupZilla/qupzilla/blob/master/AUTHORS">contributors</a>.</p>
<h2>What was the educational purpose that QupZilla was started for?</h2>
<p></p>

<table width="255" align="right" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="250" src="media/68613b56.qupzilla-logo.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/licensing/qupzilla-logo.png" alt="OpenShot Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>When I started working on QupZilla (before it actually had a name), I
had no prior experience with programming desktop applications. In
fact, my only experience with programming involved simple websites written
in PHP. I decided to learn how to write desktop apps, and with that, I
needed some project to work on. At that time, I had some performance
issues with GNU/Linux Web browsers, so I decided to try creating my
own browser.</p>
<p>I didn't have much hopes for it to take off, so I didn't even think
much about its name. Users sometimes wonder what does the QupZilla
name mean, and if it has some association with Mozilla. The truth is,
my imagination for these things is not great, so I just made a bizarre
combination of Qt (qute) and zilla. Maybe it would be better if I had
come up with different name, but it's too late now.</p>
<h2>How are people using QupZilla?</h2>
<p>Even though QupZilla uses a modern rendering engine and displays most
of the pages correctly, there are of course compatibility issues, whether it's incompatibility with the specific site (changing User-Agent may help
in this case) or a problem on the QupZilla side. While there are
users that use QupZilla as their primary browser, I myself see its
potential as a secondary browser due to its speed. But I can't really
tell how people are using it, because there is no tracking/telemetry
or anything like that in QupZilla. I don't like any form of spying on
users, and I'm sure QupZilla's users feel the same about it.  Since
the beginning, some GNU/Linux distributions decided to ship QupZilla as
their default Web browser. Chances are, there are users reading this
article from QupZilla without actually knowing about it.</p>
<h2>What features do you think really sets QupZilla apart from other browsers?</h2>
<p>One thing that makes QupZilla appealing for GNU/Linux users is that it
is based on Qt framework and thus integrates very well in Qt desktops,
unlike other "big" browsers that all are based on GTK. Another feature,
which is now being discussed by other big browsers but wasn't the case
in the last few years, is an advertisement blocker included and enabled by
default. This makes the Web pages clean, but most importantly speeds
up loading noticeably.  With regards to the ability to customize the
browser to each user's tastes, it provides a lot of options in
preferences. I won't be naming them here, but users should discover them
for themselves. It also supports extensions, although it doesn't have
compatibility with <a href="https://github.com/QupZilla/qupzilla/wiki/FAQ#13-does-qupzilla-support-firefox-and-or-chrome-extensions">extensions from other browsers</a>. Despite
that, there are very <a href="https://github.com/QupZilla/qupzilla-plugins">useful extensions available</a>, including the
AutoScroll plugin, a TabManager plugin allowing you to effectively move
tabs to the side, and also the very popular GreaseMonkey plugin for
userscripts.</p>
<h2>Why did you choose the GPLv3 as QupZilla's license?</h2>
<p>Well, I'm not really experienced in legal stuff. I simply chose
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GPLv3</a> because of its popularity, and it perfectly suiting my
needs. It is important for me that it enforces <a href="https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/">copyleft</a>, by
giving all users the freedom to redistribute and change the software.</p>
<h2>How can users (technical or otherwise) help contribute to QupZilla?</h2>
<p>The first thing is, naturally, by <a href="https://qupzilla.com/contribute">contributing code</a>, but of
course the majority of QupZilla users are non-technical. As with other
projects, users can help by reporting bugs and cooperate in the
<a href="https://github.com/QupZilla/qupzilla/issues">bug reports</a>.  Some bugs are not easily reproduced, so being able
to communicate with the reporter is required to resolve them. With
reporting bugs comes hand-in-hand also requesting new features or
proposing new ideas.  Another thing is contributing to the graphical
side of the browser, be it icons, themes or even a completely new concept of
some UI part. There was a contest for the new QupZilla logo some time
ago, where quite a lot of users proposed their ideas, and the final logo
came out really great. But that was just a logo, there are other parts
that could be improved, including internal pages like speed dial.  On
the documentation side, it's not great either, and <a href="https://github.com/QupZilla/qupzilla/wiki/Translating">translations</a>
are always appreciated. There is a <a href="https://github.com/QupZilla/qupzilla/wiki">wiki</a> with some info scattered
around, some of it being outdated. So there is always much to do even
for users who can't contribute code. And finally, users can also
<a href="https://qupzilla.com/contribute">donate money</a>.</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for QupZilla?</h2>
<p>The next <strong>big</strong> thing is definitely a recently-announced move under the
KDE project.  QupZilla will become part if the KDE project and replace
Konqueror as a web browser there.  I already mentioned that a better
name would help the project, and this transition is a perfect
opportunity to change it. Search for a new name is currently ongoing,
and I hope this time we will pick a great one.  Feature-wise, I
wouldn't say there is going to be something really big, unless
something radically changes in the near future. </p>
<p>I plan to continuously work on QupZilla and move it forward, but
instead of having some big milestone, I'll rather call it an
evolution. Of course there will be new features, for example
<a href="http://blog.qupzilla.com/2017/07/session-manager-is-coming-to-qupzilla.html">upcoming version 2.3</a> to be released in following months will have a
session manager, an often-requested feature from users.</p>
<p><em>Enjoy this interview? Check out our previous entry in this series,
 featuring <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-jonathan-thomas-of-the-openshot-video-editor-1">Jonathan Thomas of the OpenShot Video Editor</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>QupZilla logo and Maintainer images are licensed under the
 <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International</a>.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/summer-internship-wrapup-andrew-cabey-fsf-sysadmin-intern
title: Summer internship wrapup: Andrew Cabey, FSF sysadmin intern
uri: Summer-internship-wrapup-Andrew-Cabey-FSF-sysadmin-intern
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/summer-internship-wrapup-andrew-cabey-fsf-sysadmin-intern
content:
<p>With my summer internship coming to a close and new days on the horizon, I'd like to share about my experiences as a systems administration intern at the FSF. Over the last twelve weeks, I've been immersed in a professional environment where I've had the opportunity to face the challenges of communication and cooperation across teams, concentrations and organizations. I've worked with a unique group of people in a close-knit office environment, and I've been exposed first-hand to enterprise technologies. Finally, I've been given an incredible opportunity to take part in a long-term project and see the result of nearly 18 months of research and development.</p>
<p>The Free Software Foundation, as an organization founded on activism, fosters and empowers an activist culture of across all domains. In this open atmosphere of free thought, the FSF creates a comfortable environment for its employees and attracts insightful, forward thinkers. It was a pleasure working with such a welcoming and passionate group of individuals.</p>
<p>I came into my internship with the broad focus of cyber-security. Since this is a "focus" that treads across nearly every aspect of technology, though, it was soon narrowed down to two primary goals, the encryption schema of the GNU server cluster and an audit of existing infrastructure. As a member of the systems administration team, I was exposed to a variety of new technologies, including a performant libvirt virtualization stack backed by a solid-state Ceph distributed storage cluster; a partially oxymoronic transparent and air-tight security model; and free software from the BIOS to the user interface. I am lucky to have been involved in the challenge that is building one of the first systems of such high-scale performance and security demands from entirely free software.</p>
<p>Having set ambitious timeline goals early on, I was soon faced with the reality of seemingly unending technical and logistical challenges to overcome: one of the surprises I faced in my internship was how easily time can slip away, whether through unforeseen difficulties or through sunk-cost expenditure. While struggling to make progress is frustrating, this has taught me an important lesson in project planning and management, and I am privileged to have seen the project's finale in deployment.</p>
<p>During my time here, I helped in the design of the GNU server stack's encryption schema, and I wrote tools to benchmark the performance of this system. I also contributed to free software security projects, and then used these tools to conduct an audit of deployed FSF services.</p>
<p>I would like to give a special thanks to Ruben, Ian, and Andrew for having taken their time over the past three months to act as mentors for no benefit but my own; their technical expertise and dedication to the FSF is thoroughly appreciated.</p>
<p>Going forward, I will be in Boston studying computer science and cyber-operations at Northeastern University. If you want to contact me, you can find me on freenode as acabey, or if you prefer email I can be reached at <a href="mailto:acabey@gnu.org">&#97;&#99;&#97;&#98;&#101;&#121;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> with GPG key fingerprint A320 41B2 D62F 34DB 505F 84DF A843 2CD3 6C24 E504.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/summer-internship-wrapup-ethan-dorta-fsf-sysadmin-intern
title: Summer internship wrapup: Ethan Dorta, FSF sysadmin intern
uri: Summer-internship-wrapup-Ethan-Dorta-FSF-sysadmin-intern
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/summer-internship-wrapup-ethan-dorta-fsf-sysadmin-intern
content:
<p>I came here to work on LibreJS, and made a demo for the new version that uses WebExtensions instead of the now deprecated XUL extensions. I also worked for a short time on the linting program JSHint to help remove proprietary code. I hope I will be able to continue helping out with this in the future.</p>
<p>I have learned a lot while working with FSF. I am enthusiastic about software freedom, so being able to work with the leading example of this movement was an honor. I learned new technologies and met new people. While my internship was remote, I actually visited the office while I was visiting Rhode Island. I am thrilled I got this opportunity, and would love to come back after high school or college to do more with the FSF.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: August 18th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-August-18th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-18th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-18th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>This week we return to adding new entries to the Directory. We've been doing a great job all year getting things updated (over 4,000 entries reviewed), but we want to keep it growing as well. We'll also be discussing the Debian import project, which could add thousands of packages in the near future.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: August 25th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-August-25th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-25th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-august-25th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>On August 25, 1972, in Great Britain, computerized axial tomography
(CAT scan) was introduced. This advance in medical imaging opened new
possibilities for treatment and diagnosis.  To commemorate this advance, the
Directory meeting this week will focus on <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=medical&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;go=Go">medical free software</a>.
Currently, these entries are scattered throughout the Directory, so a
great concrete project for this week could be gathering all of these
projects under one category.  Don't worry about the doctors, we have
plenty of apples to fend them off.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-august-18th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for August 18th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-August-18th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-august-18th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, May 26th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Our most recent meeting was focused on adding new entries. While it was lightly attended, we did get quite a few new packages added.  As is often the case, we also filed numerous bugs with projects that had licensing issues. By far the most common issue we tend to come across with a package's licensing is that they haven't included a license at all! We often find packages that contain notices in the headers of the source files indicating that the work is under the GNU General Public License, but then there won't actually be a copy of the license. It's a simple mistake, but thankfully easy to correct. We did discuss possibly creating some new educational materials to help spread the message: "Don't forget your license!" More work will have to be done on that front.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/fsf-at-debconf17-john-molly-take-montreal-1
title: FSF at DebConf17: John & Molly take Montreal
uri: FSF-at-DebConf17-John-Molly-take-Montreal
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/fsf-at-debconf17-john-molly-take-montreal-1
content:
<p></p>

<table width="405" align="right" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="400" src="media/9e1f8e99.mdb-01-cropped.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/dc17/mdb-01-cropped.jpg" alt="OpenShot Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>John Sullivan, the Executive Director of the FSF, joined me and nearly four hundred of our closest Debian friends for a week of celebrating free software, working together on cool projects, and talking endlessly about what we can do for user freedom around the world.</p>
<p>Speaking at <a href="http://debconf17.debconf.org/">DebConf</a> was a big deal for me. Participating in the <a href="https://debian.org">Debian community</a> was an important part of what took me from being a person who used free software to an active member of the free software movement. Presenting at a conference provides a different kind of opportunity to interact with everyone there. As someone who organizes conferences, I feel as though the speakers do a huge amount of work to shape the experience that attendees have, and that by providing individuals with microphones and stages, we create a conversation that helps the community learn, explore, and grow.</p>
<p>DebConf17 kicked off with Open Day, where John was to deliver a session titled "<a href="https://debconf17.debconf.org/talks/154/">Freedom embedded: Devices that respect users and communities</a>." The same series of thunderstorms, a tornado warning, and other threatening weather forecasts that caused me to arrive in Montreal a day early, resulted in John's flights being delayed several times. Since he was trapped in New York, John and the DebConf organizing team agreed that it would be best for me to deliver the session on behalf of the FSF. </p>
<p></p>

<table width="405" align="right" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="400" src="media/bbc8aeab.johns01.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/dc17/johns01.jpg" alt="OpenShot Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>This kicked off what became a great week for the FSF in Montreal. John managed to arrive in time for his other session, "<a href="https://debconf17.debconf.org/talks/155/">Increasingly permissive or increasingly dismissive?</a>," on the lack of any data to support the exaggerated claims we've been hearing about the decline of copyleft. </p>
<p>We held a birds-of-a-feather (BoF) session for FSF members and potential members in Debian. Speaking with members of the Debian community while wearing our FSF hats is important: the FSF does not officially endorse Debian as a distribution due to some outstanding disagreements, but there is a lot of common ground and shared goals centered around the hope of one day having all software be free. We think that Debian has done a lot of great work for free software, and believe the project can become an even stronger force. These conversations help us find new ways to work together moving forward, and, in general, speaking with FSF members and those involved in the free software movement is invaluable to us as an organization.</p>
<p></p>

<table width="405" align="right" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
           <td style="border: none !important;"><img width="400" src="media/9ba9e127.36481656705_dbc8a7a1d2_z.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/dc17/36481656705_dbc8a7a1d2_z.jpg" alt="OpenShot Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>I also got to organize a <a href="https://www.debian.org/women/">Debian Women</a> meetup with Valerie Young, a LibrePlanet speaker, <a href="https://reproducible-builds.org/">reproducible builds</a> hacker, and <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/mentor/">Outreachy</a> alum. As a group, we talked about the role that mentorship has had in our involvement in free software, and what we'd like to see more of in the future. It was fun for me personally, and interesting as someone who wants to see the movement grow. I'm hoping to bring some of the ideas that came out of it to the FSF.</p>
<p>This was also the final time I presented "<a href="https://debconf17.debconf.org/talks/75/">All Ages: How to build a movement</a>." All Ages, a talk on ageism in technology, debuted at <a href="https://xi.hope.net/">HOPE XI</a>. My friend, internship mentor, and FSF alum <a href="https://twitter.com/baconandcoconut">Deb Nicholson</a> and I have given this talk four times over the past year. It changed a bit each time, including new things we learned and new ideas we came across after each presentation. </p>
<p>I think I speak for both John and myself when I say that DebConf 17 was a lot of fun. We learned an incredible amount (including the efficacy of plane travel versus bicycle travel). Connecting with our free software friends and making new ones, meeting people in the community, and hearing their free software stories is an invaluable experience for us.</p>
<p>In the upcoming months, FSF staff will be at <a href="https://allthingsopen.org">All Things Open</a>. More details coming soon! We hope to see you there.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: September 1st starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-September-1st-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-1st-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-1st-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>This week we return to school, with a focus on educational software. With many kids heading off to class, we want to make sure they have all the free software tools they need to succeed. We'll be looking to update and add new software useful for students and educators.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-august-boston
title: August 2017: Photos from FOSS4G, in Boston
uri: August-2017-Photos-from-FOSS4G-in-Boston
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-august-boston
content:
<!-- Start of image + caption block -->
<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:2px;text-align:center; margin: 4px 50px 4px 50px; padding-top:4px;">

<p>On August 17<sup>th</sup>, RMS was at the <a href="http://2017.foss4g.org/">International Conference for Free and
Open Source Software for Geospatial</a> this month, in Boston, MA, to give his speech &ldquo;Free software:
Freedom, privacy, sovereignty&rdquo;<sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> to an audience of about a thousand academics,
businesspeople, government employees, and, mostly, developers.</p>

<p>Since the venue was within walking distance of 51 Franklin,
where we are located, the FSF's Ian Kelling and Matt Lavallee were
able to attend the speech and run the FSF table.</p>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
<!-- Adjust the width="150" part to change how wide the image appears on the page  -->

<img src="media/2b7cbb34.20170817-boston-13-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170817-boston/20170817-boston-13-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/593f7964.20170817-boston-14-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170817-boston/20170817-boston-14-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f22e1337.20170817-boston-11-thumg.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170817-boston/20170817-boston-11-thumg.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/567e6f3d.20170817-boston-15-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170817-boston/20170817-boston-15-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/86088230.20170817-boston-18-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170817-boston/20170817-boston-18-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/3ed282ac.20170817-boston-19-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170817-boston/20170817-boston-19-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />

<!-- Photo credits start below --> <p style="padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; margin-top:1px; text-align:center;"> 
<em>(Photos under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a> and
courtesy of David J. Weaver.)</em>

<br style="margin-bottom:15px;" />

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to Andy Anderson and
to everyone else who made this appearance possible!</strong></p>

<!-- End of image+caption block -->

<p>Please fill out our contact form, so that we can inform you about
future events in and around <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=228&amp;reset=1">Boston</a>.
Please see <a href="http://www.fsf.org/events">www.fsf.org/events</a>
for a full list of all of RMS's confirmed engagements, and contact <a href="mailto:rms-assist@gnu.org">rms-assist@gnu.org</a> if you'd like
him to come speak.</p>

<hr /></hr>

<sup id="fn1">1. The speech recording will soon be posted on <a href="http://audio-video.gnu.org">our audio-video archive</a>.<a href="#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the
text.">↩</a></sup><br />


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: September 8th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-September-8th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-8th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-8th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Participate in supporting the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on
irc.freenode.org</a>.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of people visit <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">directory.fsf.org</a> 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.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!</p>
<p>September 8th marks the anniversary of the 1966 debut of <em>Star Trek</em>, introducing the world to the U.S.S. Enterprise and its intrepid crew of explorers. The universe created by this series is still expanding today, and this fictional universe has even bridged the gap to non-fiction, providing the
name for the first NASA orbital shuttle, as well as numerous
asteroids. To honor this well-loved cultural touchstone, the theme of the
Directory this week will be <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Science/physics">physics</a>, those fundamental laws that make 
worlds spin.</p>
<p>If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to
make it onto IRC on Friday, our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">participation guide</a> will provide
you with all the information you need to get started on helping the
Directory today! There are also weekly <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Meetings">Directory Meeting pages</a>
that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after
each meeting.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-1st-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for September 1st, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-September-1st-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-1st-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, September 1st, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week we had a "Back to School" theme, focusing on educational entries. Many of the entries in the category were relatively up to date, with almost all having been at least reviewed by last year's meeting with the same theme. It may not be as exciting as adding new entries to the Directory, but this work is just as critical for ensuring that the entries we do have remain current and useful. </p>
<p>We also had a discussion about how to prevent people from choosing licenses that restrict commercial use. Such licenses are non-free, but there is a common misconception that non-commercial licenses are a good thing, like a nonprofit. It couldn't be further from the truth. Such licenses mean that even nonprofit groups can't use the work for things like fundraising, and no one can use the work if they only use freely licensed works. Lots more work needs to be done in this area in terms of educating people about non-commercial licenses.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


uri: Support-the-Talos-II-a-candidate-for-Respects-Your-Freedom-certificat
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/support-the-talos-ii-a-candidate-for-respects-your-freedom-certification-by-pre-ordering-by-september-15

title:
Support the Talos II, a candidate for Respects Your Freedom certification, by pre-ordering by September 15

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/support-the-talos-ii-a-candidate-for-respects-your-freedom-certification-by-pre-ordering-by-september-15

content:
<p>We've previously <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/support-the-talos-secure-workstation-by-december-15th-1">supported</a> the work of the folks at Raptor
Engineering. This time, rather than a crowdfunding effort, we are
asking you to support their work by pre-ordering the <a href="https://raptorcs.com/TALOSII/">Talos II</a>.
The system comes in a variety of forms to meet your needs, from a
workstation to rack-mounted to the board by itself. Raptor Engineering
has put in a great deal of effort researching and prototyping this
system, and now it is ready for prime time. The Talos II is great for
any hacker who needs a powerful machine, perfect for developing even
more free software.</p>
<p>The Talos II is the first system to support PCIe 4.0, which offers
lower power consumption and higher performance. To pair with this
increased performance, the Talos II comes with plenty of slots for
DDR4 RAM, so you can order (or add later) as much as you need. Of
course, we can't forget about the 4-core IBM Power9 CPU. You can even
go with more than one for extra processing power. By pre-ordering a
Talos II, you could be one of the first users to own a Power9-based
system.</p>
<p>Why is that such a big deal? The unfortunate reality is that x86
computers come encumbered with built-in low-level backdoors like the
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/intel-me-and-why-we-should-get-rid-of-me">Intel Management Engine</a>, as well as proprietary boot firmware.
This means that users can't gain full control over their computers,
even if they install a free operating system. Developers are working
hard to fix these issues and getting closer every day, but for the
time being, this is why many current <a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom</a> (RYF)
offerings are refurbished older devices. For the future of free
computing, we need to build and support systems that do not come with
such malware pre-installed, and the Power9-based Talos II promises to
be a great example of just such a system. Devices like this are the
future of computing that Respects Your Freedom.</p>
<p>That is Raptor Engineering's ultimate goal as well, to create a
machine that can pass RYF certification. They've already been working
with us on the details, and things are looking good. We'll have to do
another evaluation once it is actually produced to be sure it meets
our certification standards, but we have high hopes. Here is what you
can do to help:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://raptorcs.com/TALOSII/">Pre-order a Talos II</a> by September 15th.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Support our work on the RYF certification program, to help get
    more devices made that run free software by design, by becoming an
    <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">associate member</a> or making a <a href="https://donate.fsf.org">donation</a>.</p>
</li>
</ul>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-8th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for September 8th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-September-8th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-8th-2017
content:
<p>Every week free software activists from around the world come together
in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> to help improve the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>. This recaps the work we accomplished at
the Friday, September 8th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week we had a <em>Star Trek</em> theme, focusing on physics
entries. Many of the entries in the category were relatively up to
date, with almost all having been reviewed within the last few years. It
may not be as exciting as adding new entries to the Directory, but
this work is just as critical for ensuring that the entries we do have
remain current and useful.</p>
<p>If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every
Friday in <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf on irc.freenode.org</a> from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-apple-is-still-rotten-why-you-should-avoid-the-new-iphone
title: The Apple is still rotten: Why you should avoid the new iPhone
uri: The-Apple-is-still-rotten-Why-you-should-avoid-the-new-iPhone
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-apple-is-still-rotten-why-you-should-avoid-the-new-iphone
content:
<p>We get it: people like technology that they believe is easy to use,
and costly, flashy-looking smartphones have become status symbols for
many. The trouble is that the cost of owning an iPhone is even higher than the
new iPhone's hefty $1000 USD price tag.</p>
<p>Here are four reasons to avoid the new iPhone (and all things iOS):</p>
<h3>The iPhone despises free software</h3>
<p>While Apple is happy to make use of free software to construct its
operating system, almost all of the software distributed with its
devices is proprietary. Apple's refusal to release its source code
violates your freedom to study, modify, and distribute software. Apple
may claim to care about your privacy and security, but unless you can
inspect Apple's source code, you have no way of verifying whether
they're <strong>really</strong> looking out for you. And unless you have the right
to install third-party or modified versions of the software on your
device, you have no way to protect yourself when they aren't.</p>
<h3>Apple loves DRM</h3>
<p>Apple products, including the iPhone, are shackled with Digital
Restrictions Management (DRM). Despite the fact that DRM restricts
your freedom, preventing you from using computers as you please, Apple
works hard to restrict you, even going so far as to argue that the
anti-circumvention provisions of the U.S. Digital Millennium
Copyright Act, which makes it illegal to tinker with an iPhone for any
reason, should remain in place. Even Steve Jobs's opportunistic 2007
essay arguing against DRM has mysteriouly disappeared from Apple's Web
site. They have a history of using <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/1256">demonization, concern trolling,
and false claims about security</a> to justify this.</p>
<h3>Apple is lawsuit-happy -- especially regarding software patents</h3>
<p>Apple has often ended up embroiled in lawsuits, both as plaintiff and
defendant, and has several times unleashed their massive legal team on
other smartphone creators, including suing HTC for <a href="media/2b43b609.10-544.pdf" data-original-source="http://www.ded.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions/gms/2011/january/10-544.pdf">allegedly
infringing on multiple software patents relating to the iPhone in
2010</a>, and spending the last six years <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._v._Samsung_Electronics_Co.,_Ltd">battling Samsung</a> in
massive litigation encompassing more than 50 lawsuits worldwide
covering a variety of alleged violations, including that of some Apple
software patents. Some of these cases drag on today.</p>
<p>We've written extensively about how these lawsuits could <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/apple-v.-samsung-a-patent-battle-with-freedom-as-the-collateral-damage">hurt free
software</a>, causing free software developers to shy away from any
ideas that might expose them to a patent infringement lawsuit. The FSF advocates for <a href="http://endsoftpatents.org">the elimination of all software
patents</a>.</p>
<h3>Apple has worked hard to take away their customers' right to repair</h3>
<p>Many people like to tinker with things they own, to understand how
they work, modify them in ways that make them more useful, or to
extend their usefulness through repair. Though the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">four freedoms</a>
of free software do not encompass hardware, restriction of the right
to repair often goes hand in hand with nonfree code, and Apple is a
prime example.</p>
<p>Apple leads the charge among technology companies when it comes to
<em>removing</em> your right to repair, through physical changes to their
products and by lobbying for laws that make it illegal for you to
modify devices that you own. Apple's physical changes include using
non-standard screws and tools for their products, making it extremely
difficult to open them up to examine, repair, or replace parts. Its
legal efforts include attempting to kill a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/11/nebraska-farmers-right-to-repair-bill-stalls-apple">"Fair Repair" bill</a>
introduced by farmers and independent repair shops in Nebraska earlier
this year. These measures by Apple negatively impact free software
developers trying to reverse engineer support, or make modifications to
the hardware that would allow free software to run on the devices.</p>
<h3>Apple's encryption is not trustworthy</h3>
<p>In 2016, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
tried to force Apple to help it unlock an iPhone 5c <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_San_Bernardino_attack">used by a
person believed to have staged a terrorist attack in
California</a>. While it is good that Apple did not create a wide
open general backdoor for the FBI which could've been exploited
by others and for other purposes, they still conceal their
encryption practices, so users cannot discern what's happening
under the glass or verify Apple's claims.</p>
<p>Part of Apple's security efforts include preventing unauthorized
firmware from being installed on a device by verifying that all
firmware updates are signed with a trusted key -- but the trusted key
is Apple's, not yours. That means Apple is ultimately deciding what is
"authorized" firmware -- you cannot. True security in the long term
comes only from completely free software, and as security developer
Matthew Garret <a href="http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/39999.html">argues</a>, "If Apple genuinely value user privacy
over Apple's control of a device" they should "allow users to remove
Apple's validation keys and substitute their own."</p>
<h2>What can you do instead?</h2>
<p>We don't have a freedom-respecting drop-in replacement for the
iPhone. Apple's government-subsidized DRM and massive legal
intimidation team make developing and distributing a freedom-respecting smartphone very
difficult. But we are nonetheless getting closer. You can have a
solid, basic smartphone today by running <a href="https://www.replicant.us/">Replicant</a>, a free
software version of Android. You can install it yourself on <a href="https://www.replicant.us/supported-devices.php">supported
models</a>, or buy one pre-installed from <a href="https://tehnoetic.com/mobile-devices">Technoethical</a>. You can
give the Replicant project a boost, and help them to implement missing
features, by <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=19">donating</a>. Also, check out <a href="https://f-droid.org/">F-Droid</a>, an app
repository of exclusively free software for Android.</p>
<p>Keep an eye on the <a href="https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/">Purism phone crowdfunding campaign</a> -- they
haven't yet fully committed, but they are trying very hard to provide
a phone whose hardware does not require any proprietary software, and
won't be locked down. If they do make such an announcement, you should
support them as much as you can.</p>
<p>Don't buy any iOS device, and <a href="https://fsf.org/campaigns/apple">let Tim Cook at Apple know why you
won't.</a></p>


