# articles

title: Only a short time left to pre-order the Talos II; pre-orders end September 15th
uri: Only-a-short-time-left-to-pre-order-the-Talos-II-pre-orders-end-Septe
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/only-a-short-time-left-to-pre-order-the-talos-ii-pre-orders-end-september-15th

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/only-a-short-time-left-to-pre-order-the-talos-ii-pre-orders-end-september-15th

content:
<p>We wrote previously about <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/support-the-talos-ii-a-candidate-for-respects-your-freedom-certification-by-pre-ordering-by-september-15">why you should support the Talos II</a> from Raptor Engineering. The pre-order period for the Talos II is almost over. Making a pre-order will help them to launch this much-needed system. The goal for the folks at Raptor Engineering has always been to gain <a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom</a> certification. We certified a lot of new devices this year, and if we want to keep seeing those numbers increase, then it is critical that we support projects like this. As we said in our last post:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>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.</em> </p>
</blockquote>
<p>While people are currently working to overcome the Intel Management Engine problem, each new generation of Intel CPUs is a new problem.  Even if the community succeeds fully with one generation, it has to start over with the next one. This is precisely why the Talos II is important. As we said previously: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>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.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>You should help make the Talos II a success by making a pre-order by September 15th. The FSF <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/">Licensing &amp; Compliance Lab</a> will 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/rms/why-hackathons-should-insist-on-free-software
title: RMS article - "Why hackathons should insist on free software"
uri: RMS-article-Why-hackathons-should-insist-on-free-software
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/why-hackathons-should-insist-on-free-software
content:
<p>Richard Stallman's latest article, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/hackathons.html">&ldquo;Why hackathons should
insist on free software,&rdquo;</a> explains how free software, by its
very nature, is the only software suited for hackathons.</p>

<p>Like hackathons, free software strengthens community and
facilitates cooperation.  As long as hackathons do not insist on the
use of free software exclusively, the &ldquo;community spirit they are
based on&rdquo; will be at risk of being subverted.  Beside egregious
examples of hackathons set up for the benefit of specific companies,
there are the seemingly benign cases of developers bringing to
hackathons projects they don't explicitly say will be free&mdash;a
practice that &ldquo;undermines&rdquo; the &ldquo;community
spirit.&rdquo; Hackathons insisting on free software, and thereby
insisting on cooperation in exchange for cooperation, is vital to
&ldquo;strengthen[ing] the community spirit they are based
on.&rdquo;</p>

<p>RMS concludes by listing ways in which, &ldquo;as an individual
hackathon participant, you can support this principle [of
cooperation]&rdquo; and by calling on hackathons, and the schools that
often host them, to issue to their participants clear directives that
support computer users' freedom.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: September 15th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-September-15th-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-15th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-15th-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're back to adding new packages to the Directory. We'll also be checking in on the import project, which will allow for the automated creation of entries from repositories based on their previously vetted licenses, and which could grow the Directory by a massive amount. The more the merrier! That goes for software packages, but also for friends joining us for the weekly meeting. Hope to see you all there.</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: September 22nd starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-September-22nd-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-22nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-september-22nd-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 the 22nd of this month back in 1893, bicycle makers Charles and Frank Duryea showed off the first American automobile produced for sale by cruising through the streets of Springfield, Massachusetts. This momentous day requires two themes: first is <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Business/cad">CAD Software</a> for the design of the parts, and second, in the modern car we can't overlook the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special:Search&amp;profile=default&amp;fulltext=Search&amp;search=car+navigation">navigation system</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/libreplanet-2018-lets-talk-about-freedom-embedded
title: LibrePlanet 2018: Let's talk about Freedom. Embedded.
uri: LibrePlanet-2018-Let-s-talk-about-Freedom-Embedded
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-lets-talk-about-freedom-embedded
content:
<p>The <a href="https://my.fsf.org/lp-call-for-sessions">call for sessions</a> is open now, until November 2nd,
2017. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">General registration</a> and <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/sponsors/">exhibitor and sponsor registration</a> are
also open. Pre-order a <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/tshirts-hoodies/libreplanet-2018">LibrePlanet 10th anniversary t-shirt</a> when you
register to attend!</p>
<p><strong>Do you want to discuss or teach others about a topic relevant to the
  free software community? You've got until Thursday, November 2nd,
  2017 at 10:00 EDT (14:00 UTC) to <a href="https://my.fsf.org/lp-call-for-sessions">submit your session proposals</a>.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet</a> is an annual conference for free software enthusiasts
and everyone who cares about the intersection of technology and social
justice. For the past nine years, LibrePlanet has brought together
free software developers, policy experts, activists, hackers,
students, and people who are at the beginning of their free software
journeys. LibrePlanet 2018 will feature programming for all ages and
experience levels.</p>
<p>If you're new to the community or to the LibrePlanet conference, check
out <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2017/">last year's conference site</a> and <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/tag/libreplanet-2017-video/">session videos</a>,
including the opening keynote, a look at the <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/when-we-fight-we-win-technology-and-liberation-in-trump-s-america-6956/">21st century
techno-surveillance state by Kade Crockford of the Massachusetts
chapter of the ACLU</a>.</p>
<h4>What kinds of sessions are we looking for?</h4>
<p>Each year, LibrePlanet offers both technical talks and sessions
examining the intersection of free software and activism, culture, and
current events. Here are a few examples of talks or sessions you might
propose:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>An examination of how free software can aid in an aspect of life that is important to you, like education, medicine, social movements, or community organizing</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A workshop (for beginners or experienced users) on how to use a free software program or free hardware project</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A project sprint, where new and current contributors to a free software project can meet and work together on an aspect of the project</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>An introduction to free software licensing, copyleft, or a deep dive into a current legal issue</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>An update on your free software project</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Check out <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/tag/libreplanet-2017-video/">talk recordings from LibrePlanet 2017</a> for more ideas.</p>
<p>LibrePlanet's 10th anniversary theme is "Freedom. Embedded."
Embedded systems are everywhere, in cars, digital watches,
traffic lights, and even within our bodies. Proprietary software
is everywhere, its sinister aspects woven throughout the devices
permeating our lives. We've come to expect that our phones
monitor our activity and share that data with big companies, and
that governments enforce digital restrictions management (DRM).</p>
<p>In a society reliant on embedded systems, how do we defend computer
user freedom? How do we insist on copylefted code, protect ourselves
against government and corporate surveillance, and move toward a freer
world? For many people, digital freedom seems like a pipe dream. We
change the narrative and make free software the norm, instead of
walled gardens, denial of the right to repair, and DRM.</p>
<p>The FSF is committed to increasing participation by people belonging
to groups traditionally underrepresented at free software conferences,
including women, people of color, and transgender and nonbinary
people. If you are comfortable sharing demographic information on the
proposal form, please do. Your proposal will not be judged negatively
should you choose to omit information about your identity.</p>
<p>The LibrePlanet conference also has a <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/safe-space-policy/">safe space policy</a>, because
we want everyone who attends to feel comfortable, cared for, and able
to enjoy the conference without worrying about harassment. The policy
applies to all conference sessions, so keep that in mind when you
write your proposal.</p>
<p>We will hold IRC office hours in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#libreplanet channel on
irc.freenode.org</a> so you can ask questions about the call for
sessions and get feedback on your proposal before you submit -- we
will announce hours and dates for these feedback sessions soon. You
may also contact us at <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> any time between now and
the submission deadline if you have questions about your submission.</p>
<p>LibrePlanet has thrived for a decade thanks to the interesting ideas
and generous spirit found in the free software community. We
hope you will want to be part of LibrePlanet 2018. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/lp-call-for-sessions">Submit a proposal
now!</a>.</p>
<h4>Gratis admission for FSF members</h4>
<p><a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">Members</a> (and students with valid ID) attend LibrePlanet gratis. FSF
Associate Membership starts at just $10/month and comes with many
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/associate/benefits">benefits</a>. </p>
<h4>Need help attending LibrePlanet?</h4>
<p>The FSF is able to offer a limited amount of funding to bring
conference participants to LibrePlanet from all around the world. You
can <a href="https://my.fsf.org/lp-scholarship-application">apply for a scholarship</a> through Thursday, November 30th, 2017
at 10:00 EST (15:00 UTC). Scholarship recipients will be notified by
early January.</p>
<p>If you don't need a scholarship, you can help those with financial
need attend LibrePlanet 2018 by <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=60">making a contribution to the
conference's scholarship fund</a> now, or when you register for
LibrePlanet.</p>
<h4>Volunteering</h4>
<p>LibrePlanet is supported by dozens of volunteers, without whom this
community event would not happen -- and volunteers attend LibrePlanet
gratis. Applications for most LibrePlanet volunteer opportunities will
be available soon, but if you would like to help with advance outreach
(spreading the word about LibrePlanet in online communities, your
networks, and by posting flyers at schools and community spaces),
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>.</p>
<h4>Free Software Award nominations</h4>
<p>Each year at LibrePlanet, the FSF presents its annual Free Software
Awards. <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/">Nominations for the awards</a> are open through Sunday,
November 5th, 2017 at 18:59 EST (23:59 UTC).</p>
<h4>Promotional opportunities</h4>
<p>LibrePlanet is a good place to spread the word about your
organization to the free software community. You can sponsor
LibrePlanet or have a table in our exhibit hall (or both!). Our
exhibit hall is at the center of the LibrePlanet venue, and
sponsors are highly visible at the conference and in our
promotional materials. The FSF and LibrePlanet are heavily
member-supported, and we appreciate the support of organizations
that embrace free software. <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/sponsors/">Apply to exhibit</a> at LibrePlanet
2018 or email us at <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> if you are interested in
being a sponsor.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-15th-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for September 15th, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-September-15th-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-15th-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 15th, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>Last week's theme was again adding new entries. This time we ended up filing a lot of bugs with packages, rather than getting to add a lot of packages. That's still a very useful part of the work that we do on the Directory. The Directory helps users to find free software, and making sure that there isn't a freedom issue with a particular package ensures that there's more free software out there for them to find. Often the issue is something simple, like a missing license file. But sometimes it can get a bit tricky to sort out, when there are multiple conflicting licenses. So there's work to be done that can be accomplished by volunteers of any skill level, from just starting out to license-hacking gurus. Hope to see you all there again at the next meeting.</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: Happy birthday to GNU: celebrating 34 years of the free software movement!
uri: Happy-birthday-to-GNU-celebrating-34-years-of-the-free-software-movem
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/happy-birthday-to-gnu-celebrating-34-years-of-the-free-software-movement

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/happy-birthday-to-gnu-celebrating-34-years-of-the-free-software-movement

content:
<p>Since <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.en.html">the birth of GNU</a>, a rich collaborative community of developers and activists has sprung up and is still going strong, fighting against proprietary software, software patents, Digital Restrictions Management, and other threats to our freedom and privacy.</p>
<p>We're a little too busy to party like we did for GNU's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/25-years-of-gnu">25th birthday</a> and <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/">30th birthday</a>, but we couldn't possibly let the birthday pass without cake. </p>
<p><img src="media/2bc19730.GNU-face-cake.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/GNU-face-cake.jpg" alt="" width="300" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/a9c83781.FSF-staff-with-cake.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/FSF-staff-with-cake.jpg" alt="" width="500" style="margin-top:4px;" /></p>
<p>Here's a few things you can do to celebrate with us:</p>
<ul>
<li>Revisit the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/gnu-a-day/">“GNU-a-Day” list</a>, which is full of suggestions for promoting software freedom. How about writing some free software and submitting it to the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page">Free Software Directory</a>? Or, if you're not a programmer, visit the Directory and download some free software you haven't tried yet!</li>
<li>Watch and share <a href="https://www.gnu.org/fry/happy-birthday-to-gnu.html">our video</a> from comedian Stephen Fry, celebrating 25 years of free software.</li>
<li>Have you been waiting for the right moment to pledge your support to software freedom by becoming an FSF Associate Member? <a href="https://my.fsf.org/associate/support_freedom/join_fsf">There's no better day than today!</a></li>
<li>Or, whether you're a member or not: how about <a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate">donating $34 to honor this special day</a>?</li>
</ul>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-22nd-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap for September 22nd, 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-for-September-22nd-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-for-september-22nd-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 22nd, 2017 meeting.</p>
<p>This past week, our theme was automotive software, chosen to honor the first automobile offered for sale in the US. We've also noticed that car infotainment centers have been in the news recently, with many major manufacturers saying they are "open source."  Unfortunately, these systems use free software in a way that denies the freedoms promised - we've heard that the software is licensed under the GPL, but the source code isn't made accessible. There are some genuine free software car infotainment system projects, but they are all just starting out.  In the meantime, we reviewed the free software navigation systems and got them updated, and we worked on some other entries for other automotive systems.  Hope to see you all there again at the next meeting!</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: Friday-Free-Software-New-Friends-Directory-IRC-meetup-September-29t
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-new-friends-directory-irc-meetup-september-29th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

title:
Friday Free Software "New Friends" Directory IRC meetup: September 29th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-new-friends-directory-irc-meetup-september-29th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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. When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p>This week our focus is on bringing in new friends to the Directory meeting. The Directory is a volunteer-run project, so it can't succeed without volunteers! Towards that end, we want to take a moment to spend some time recruiting new faces to the weekly meeting. We usually keep announcements about our meetings limited to the <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/directory-discuss">mailing list</a> and our <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/">Directory blog</a>, but we're looking to really grow the team this week. We'll be spending some time reaching out to people during the meeting, but to have the biggest impact we want to spread the word leading up to Friday. So invite your friends, introduce your co-workers to the Directory, even bring along your pets! We want this week to have plenty of new volunteers eager to learn how they can help improve this massive resource for the free software community. It's the perfect time to join in if you've been waiting on the sidelines. Hope to see you all there.</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/fifteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-august
title: Fifteen new GNU releases in the month of August
uri: Fifteen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-August
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/fifteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-august
content:
<p>(as of August 24, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/binutils/">binutils-2.29</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/datamash/">datamash-1.2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.denemo.org">denemo-2.2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/freeipmi/">freeipmi-1.5.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/">gcc-7.2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glibc/">glibc-2.26</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glpk/">glpk-4.63</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/chess/">gnuchess-6.2.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.1.23</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.6.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-cv/">guile-cv-0.1.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libcdio/doxygen/libcdio-paranoia/files.html">libcdio-paranoia-10.2+0.94+2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.12.8-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170822</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/">pspp-1.0.0</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/community/twenty-two-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-september
title: Twenty-two new GNU releases in the month of September
uri: Twenty-two-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-September
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/twenty-two-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-september
content:
<p>(as of September 25, 2017)</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/">coreutils-8.28</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">emacs-25.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/">gdb-8.0.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuastro/">gnuastro-0.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnucash/">gnucash-2.6.18</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnucobol/">gnucobol-2.2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.2.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/help2man/">help2man-1.47.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/icecat/">icecat-52.3.0-gnu1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libffcall/">libffcall-2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libgcrypt/">libgcrypt-1.8.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/#libidn2">libidn2-2.0.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/lightning/">lightning-2.1.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.13.3-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mpfr/">mpfr-3.1.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.8.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20170922</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/">pspp-1.0.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/">texinfo-6.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/unifont/">unifont-10.0.06</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/xorriso/">xorriso-1.4.8</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>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: October 6th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-October-6th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-6th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-6th-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're back to adding new packages to the Directory. We'll
also be checking in on the import project, which will allow for the
automated creation of entries from repositories based on their
previously vetted licenses, and which could grow the Directory by a
massive amount. The more the merrier! That goes for software packages,
but also for friends joining us for the weekly meeting. Hope to see
you all there.</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/licensing/update-on-artifex-v-hancom-gnu-gpl-compliance-case-1
title: Update on Artifex v. Hancom GNU GPL compliance case
uri: Update-on-Artifex-v-Hancom-GNU-GPL-compliance-case
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/update-on-artifex-v-hancom-gnu-gpl-compliance-case-1
content:
<p>A new ruling was issued on September 25th in the ongoing GNU General Public License (GPL) compliance case of <em>Artifex v. Hancom</em>. The case 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 (GNU Ghostscript is a separate version of the project, and is not involved or implicated in the case). As we wrote <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/motion-to-dismiss-denied-in-recent-gnu-gpl-case">previously</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>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. ... 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.</em> </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the previous ruling, the judge in the case had denied a motion to dismiss those claims, allowing the case to proceed. We've now reached the next step in the suit, involving a <a href="https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2016cv06982/305835/54">motion for summary judgment</a> on the contract claim, which was also denied. In a motion to dismiss, the court assumes the truth of the allegations involved and rules on whether such allegations actually present a valid legal claim. In summary judgment, the court is asked to look at the undisputed facts and determine whether the outcome is so obvious that the matter need not go through a full trial. Such motions are routine, but making it past summary judgment does mean that the issue of recovery under contract theory is still alive in this case. </p>
<p>Hancom here made several arguments against the contract claim, but one is of particular interest. Hancom argued that if any contract claim is allowed, damages should only be considered prior to the date of their initial violation. They argued that since the violation terminated their license, the contract also ended at that point. The judge noted that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>the language of the GPL suggests that Defendant’s obligations persisted beyond termination of its rights to propagate software using Ghostscript ... because the source code or offer of the source code is required each time a “covered work” is conveyed, each time Defendant distributed a product using Ghostscript there was arguably an ensuing obligation to provide or offer to provide the source code.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The judge also found that there was insufficient evidence at this point to rule on this issue, so we can't read too much into it. But the judge's thoughts on how conditions of the GPL persist after a violation is an important clue on how this issue could develop as the case proceeds. Although the GPL does not need to be upheld as a contract in order to protect user freedom -- it has worked successfully as a copyright license for decades -- procedural rulings like this are just more evidence that claims about it not standing up in court or being easy to defeat are baseless fear-mongering. </p>
<p>With summary judgment denied, the case will move forward, and will be very interesting to watch. To keep up to date on this case and more:</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 the free software licensing world.</li>
<li>Follow our Licensing &amp; Compliance blog via <a href="https://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>


uri: Friday-the-13th-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-October-13th-start
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-the-13th-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-13th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

title:
Friday the 13th Free Software Directory IRC meetup: October 13th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-the-13th-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-13th-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 spooky week we'll be focusing on updating older entries. If an entry isn't kept up to date, it can become a zombie, bringing the overall quality of the Directory down. So we'll be focusing on resurrecting these old entries this Friday. Bring a good luck charm and a friend and help make the Directory even better!</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/licensing/eclipse-public-license-version-2-0-added-to-license-list-1
title: Eclipse Public License version 2.0 added to license list
uri: Eclipse-Public-License-version-2-0-added-to-license-list
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/eclipse-public-license-version-2-0-added-to-license-list-1
content:
<p>We recently updated our list of <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html">various licenses and comments about them</a> to include the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#EPL2">Eclipse Public License version 2.0</a> (EPL).</p>
<p>In terms of GPL compatibility, the Eclipse Public License version
2.0 is essentially equivalent to version 1.0. The only change is that
it explicitly offers the option of designating the GNU GPL version 2
or later as a "secondary license" for a certain piece of
code.</p>
<p>If an initial contributor releases a specific piece of code and
designates GNU GPL version 2 or later as a secondary license, that
provides explicit compatibility with those GPL versions for that
code. (Doing so is roughly equivalent, for users, to releasing that
piece of code under a dual license, EPL | GPL.) However, the EPL2
without this designation remains incompatible with the GPL.</p>
<p>To keep up-to-date on newly-added licenses, as well as current topics and activities in free software, please sign up for our monthly newsletter, <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss">the Free Software Supporter</a>.</p>
<p>You can also help support the Compliance Lab's work in reviewing licenses and more by <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate">donating</a> to the Free Software Foundation or becoming an <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">associate member</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/we-want-you-to-submit-a-libreplanet-talk-heres-how-to-get-help
title: We want you to submit a LibrePlanet talk -- here's how to get help
uri: We-want-you-to-submit-a-LibrePlanet-talk-here-s-how-to-get-help
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/we-want-you-to-submit-a-libreplanet-talk-heres-how-to-get-help
content:
<p>The <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet</a> call for sessions closes November 2nd--only two weeks away--and we want to <a href="https://my.fsf.org/node/18">hear from you</a>!</p>
<p>Speaking at a conference, and even submitting a proposal, can be intimidating or hard. Luckily, some great, experienced speakers are volunteering their time by holding CFS Office Hours.</p>
<p>Whether you want to propose a talk and want feedback on your idea, proposal wording, talk title, or just advice on how to deal with nerves, there are three office hours slots scheduled over the next few weeks.</p>
<p>Join #libreplanet on Freenode IRC on any of the following dates:</p>
<ul>
<li>Thursday, October 19th from 17:00 - 18:00 (EDT) - with <a href="https://twitter.com/vmbrasseur">Vicky Brasseur</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/baconandcoconut">Deb Nicholson</a></li>
<li>Thursday, October 26th from 17:00 - 18:00 (EDT) - with <a href="https://twitter.com/vmbrasseur">Vicky Brasseur</a> </li>
<li>Thursday, November 2nd from 18:00 - 19:00 (EDT) - with <a href="https://twitter.com/baconandcoconut">Deb Nicholson</a></li>
</ul>
<p>If you do not have an IRC client, you can log onto <a href="http://webchat.freenode.net/">Freenode IRC here</a>, and connect to the channel #libreplanet.</p>
<p>In addition to submitting to the CFS, you can <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">register for LibrePlanet</a> and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/node/17">apply for a travel scholarship</a> to help you get there.</p>
<p>If you can't make an office hours meeting, feel free to email campaigns@fsf.org with questions.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: October 20th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-October-20th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-20th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-20th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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. When a user comes to the Directory,
they know that everything in it is free software, has only free
dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is
a massive repository of information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>Back in 1930, radio plays were all the rage. And on October 20th of
that year, NBC radio began airing <em>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</em>.
So freestyling off of Holmes, the theme of the Directory meeting this
week is <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=search&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;go=Go">search software</a>. We are painting the category with a
broad brush. Search software for the desktop that indexes your
files is fair game, and the door is open to Web site indexing and
other pattern recognition software.  The goal this week is to find as
many new programs as possible that fit this bill. Come this Friday:
the game is afoot!</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>


uri: Intelligent-tracking-prevention-New-Safari-privacy-measure-still-do
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/intelligent-tracking-prevention-new-safari-privacy-measure-still-doesnt-measure-up-to-gnu-icecat

title:
"Intelligent tracking prevention": New Safari privacy measure still doesn't measure up to GNU IceCat

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/intelligent-tracking-prevention-new-safari-privacy-measure-still-doesnt-measure-up-to-gnu-icecat

content:
<p>In September, Apple included a new privacy feature in its Safari Web
browser as part of its latest iOS and macOS updates. Called
"intelligent tracking prevention," it keeps certain Web sites from
tracking users around the Web, effectively blocking the ads that
follow wherever you browse.</p>
<p>Safari is not free software, so while Apple has taken a step in the
right direction by trying to help computer users avoid being tracked
by advertisers, it's not enough (and it doesn't negate the fact that
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/apple">there are many other reasons to avoid Apple</a>). And although being
able to avoid third-party cookies is the best anti-tracking measure a
Web browser can offer, Safari and other widely used browsers,
including Chrome, Chromium, Mozilla, and Internet Explorer, all still
allow them. (Riseup offers a useful <a href="https://riseup.net/en/security/network-security/better-web-browsing/browser-score-card">browser privacy scorecard</a>
that evaluates some of the most popular Web browsers.)</p>
<p>Fortunately, there is a better option for privacy-respecting Web
browsing: <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/">GNU IceCat</a>.</p>
<p>GNU IceCat is the GNU version of the Firefox browser, and when it
comes to protecting your privacy as you browse the Web, it is a better
choice for you than Safari because:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>First, GNU IceCat is free software, as is Firefox. Safari is
  not. Because anybody can inspect the code of a free software
  package, none of the package's activities are kept secret -- if free
  software was spying on you, then you -- or anyone -- could discover that
  by looking at the code.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>GNU IceCat includes <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/">GNU LibreJS</a>, which addresses the problem of
  <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">proprietary JavaScript</a> by easily identifying it, allowing users
  to avoid it.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>GNU IceCat also includes the <a href="https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere">HTTPS Everywhere</a> extension, which encrypts
  your communications with many major websites, making your browsing
  more secure.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>And it includes SpyBlock, based on Adblock Plus, which blocks
  privacy trackers while browsing, and blocks all third-party requests
  when in private browsing mode.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>IceCat also prevents the leaking of private information through
  referers. Referer logging tells the Web server what page linked you
  to your current request. No widely used browsers aside from IceCat
  address this issue, and even some lesser-known, privacy-oriented
  browsers let this information slip through.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Finally, GNU IceCat includes fingerprinting countermeasures. A
  fingerprint is information collected about your computer in order to
  identify it, even when cookies are turned off.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>If you haven't tried out GNU IceCat, go for it! You only have greater
privacy -- and freedom -- to gain. You can also contribute to <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:IceCat/icecat-help">the
IceCat manual</a>, making it easier for others to start using this
browser.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/last-chance-to-nominate-for-2017-free-software-awards
title: Last chance to nominate for 2017 Free Software Awards
uri: Last-chance-to-nominate-for-2017-Free-Software-Awards
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/last-chance-to-nominate-for-2017-free-software-awards
content:
<p>Nominations for the 20th annual Free Software Awards opened at
LibrePlanet 2017, right after the most recent Free Software Awards
were presented -- and your opportunity to submit nominations ends on
November 5th, 2017, at 23:59 UTC. For details, see instructions below.</p>
<p>If you admire a free software contributor or project and want the
world to see how great they are, <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards">nominate them today</a>. Your nominations
will be reviewed by our awards committee and the winners will be
announced at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/">LibrePlanet 2018</a>.</p>
<h3>Award for the Advancement of Free Software</h3>
<p>The Award for the Advancement of Free Software is presented annually
by FSF president Richard Stallman to an individual who has made a
great contribution to the progress and development of free software,
through activities that accord with the spirit of free software.</p>
<p>Last year, Alexandre Oliva was recognized with the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/securedrop-and-alexandre-oliva-are-2016-free-software-awards-winners">Award for the
Advancement of Free Software</a> for his passionate free software
advocacy and his role as maintainer of <a href="https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/">GNU Linux-libre</a>, the fully
free version of the kernel Linux. Other previous honorees include
Lawrence Lessig, Yukihiro Matsumoto, and Werner Koch.</p>
<h3>Award for Projects of Social Benefit</h3>
<p>The Award for Projects of Social Benefit is presented to a project or
team responsible for applying free software, or the ideas of the free
software movement, in a project that intentionally and significantly
benefits society in other aspects of life.</p>
<p>We look to recognize projects or teams that encourage people to
cooperate in freedom to accomplish tasks of great social benefit, and
those that apply free software ideas and lessons outside the free
software community. A long-term commitment to one's project (or the
potential for a long-term commitment) is crucial to this end.</p>
<p>This award stresses the use of free software in the service of
humanity. We have deliberately chosen this broad criterion so that
many different areas of activity can be considered. However, one area
that is not included is that of free software itself. Projects with a
primary goal of promoting or advancing free software are not eligible
for this award (we honor individuals working on those projects with
our annual Award for the Advancement of Free Software).</p>
<p>We will consider any project or team that uses free software or its
philosophy to address a goal important to society. To qualify, a
project must use free software, produce free documentation, or use the
idea of free software as defined in the <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw">Free Software
Definition</a>. Projects that promote or depend on the use of nonfree
software are not eligible for this award. Commercial projects are not
excluded, but commercial success is not our scale for judging
projects.</p>
<p>Last year, SecureDrop, an anonymous whistleblowing platform used by
major news organizations and maintained by Freedom of the Press
Foundation, received the award. Past recipients include Wikipedia,
Groklaw, and the GNOME Foundation's Outreach Program for Women (now
known as Outreachy).</p>
<h3>Eligibility</h3>
<p>In the case of both awards, previous winners are not eligible for
nomination, but renomination of other previous nominees is
encouraged. Only individuals are eligible for nomination for the
Advancement of Free Software Award (not projects), and only projects
can be nominated for the Social Benefit Award (not individuals). For a
list of previous winners, please visit <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/fs-award">https://www.fsf.org/awards/fs-award</a>.
Current <a href="https://fsf.org/about/staff-and-board">FSF staff and board members</a>, as well as award committee
members, are not eligible.</p>
<p>Winners will be decided by a committee, which includes several
previous winners.</p>
<h3>Instructions</h3>
<p>After reviewing the eligibility rules above, please click on the links
below to submit your nominations. All nominations need to be submitted
before Sunday, November 5th, 2017 at 23:59 UTC.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Nominations for the <a href="https://my.fsf.org/advancement-of-free-software-award-nomination">Award for the Advancement of Free Software</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Nominations for the <a href="https://my.fsf.org/projects-of-social-benefit-award-nomination">Award for Projects of Social Benefit</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Attend the Free Software Awards at LibrePlanet 2018</h3>
<p>Want to be in the room when the winners are announced?  <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">Registration
is already open</a> for the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/">LibrePlanet conference</a>, March 24-25,
2018, in Cambridge. You can meet the award winners and take part
in a program devoted to the world of free software. Remember: <a href="https://fsf.org/join">Free
Software Foundation members</a> attend LibrePlanet gratis!</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: October 27th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-October-27th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-27th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-october-27th-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're back to work on adding new entries to the Directory. The backlog of unapproved packages continues to dwindle, but we want to get it all the way down to zero, and keep adding more. Each new package helps to make the Directory a better resource for finding any sort of software that you may need. The Directory is one of our most visited resources, so keeping it growing ensures there's lots for all those users to see. </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: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews Florian Rival of GDevelop
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-Florian-Rival-of-GDevelop
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-florian-rival-of-gdevelop

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-florian-rival-of-gdevelop

content:
<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/e6052674.gdlogo.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/licensing/gdlogo.png" alt="GDevelop Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>My name is <a href="http://florianrival.com/">Florian Rival</a>, I'm a software engineer working in
Paris. I'm working on various projects, ranging from large scale Web
apps to innovative mobile apps, and I'm also creating games in my spare
time. <a href="http://compilgames.net/">GDevelop</a> is a piece of game creator software allowing anyone to
create games. The editor is built to be intuitive and used by
beginners or advanced game makers. In particular, no programming
skills are required: all the game logic can be made using a <a href="http://www.compilgames.net/#events">visual
event system</a> that is easy to learn and expressive enough to build any
game you can imagine.</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/5e262e4b.gdevelop-screenshot.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/licensing/gdevelop-screenshot.png" alt="GDevelop screenshot" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Why did you start GDevelop?</h2>
<p>I've always been fond of software that allows people to create things
without having to spend a lot of time learning advanced
programming. When I was young, I used a game-making software similar
to GDevelop, and this is what got me into programming later. Since then,
I've always been eager to provide the same kind of software to allow
anyone to create games.  I'm also quite fond of video games, so making
software to create video games is a natural fit for me!</p>
<h2>How are people using it?</h2>
<p>Most people are making their first step in game creation and programming using GDevelop, mostly to have fun
and see how it works.  A few people are able to create advanced games,
and I'm quite proud when I discover a really enjoyable game made with
GDevelop.</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/3ecba63f.gdevelop-screenshot2.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/licensing/gdevelop-screenshot2.png" alt="GDevelop screenshot" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<h2>What features do you think really sets GDevelop apart from other game development systems?</h2>
<p>It is <a href="http://www.compilgames.net/#features">feature-rich</a>, which allows for a multitude of uses. The
event system is a way to create the game rules and logic without
having to learn how to use traditional programming language. It's
easier to get started with events as you search in a list of all
available actions and conditions that you can use, and apply them on
the objects of your game.  And it's still powerful enough to re-create
the same things that you can do with programming -- so that no user of
GDevelop is forced to switch to a programming language when the game
is becoming a bit complex.</p>
<h2>Why did you choose the GPLv3 as GDevelop's license?</h2>
<p>I've spent a huge amount of time designing the editor, and I wanted to
be sure that anybody improving and developing the editor will make
their contribution available to anyone else with the same license.</p>
<h2>How can users (technical or otherwise) help contribute to GDevelop?</h2>
<p>First, developers can help in designing or improving the editor or the game
engine (written in C++ and Javascript) on <a href="https://github.com/4ian/GD">https://github.com/4ian/GD</a>.
I'm developing a new, improved editor, and any developer knowing a bit
of JavaScript should be able to quickly set it up and contribute! The
best way for other users is simply to <a href="http://compilgames.net/#download">download GDevelop</a> and get
involved in the <a href="http://forum.compilgames.net/">community</a>. In particular, we need a lot of
tutorials to help beginners to get started and build advanced games!
We already have some <a href="http://wiki.compilgames.net/doku.php/gdevelop/tutorials">tutorials</a>, but more are better.</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for GDevelop?</h2>
<p>The editor is being re-written so that it's built on new Web
technologies, enabling it to be fully cross-platform (GNU/Linux,
macOS, Windows) and even used directly from a Web browser in the near
future. It's a good way for me to think again about the whole
interface and to simplify it. I'd like to build an ecosystem around
GDevelop, this should help even more people to try game creation and
see how easy it can be once you've learned a few concepts, and we have a <a href="https://trello.com/b/qf0lM7k8/gdevelop-roadmap">road map</a>.</p>
<p>*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-david-rosca-of-qupzilla">David Rosca of QupZilla</a>.</p>
<p>The logo and screenshots are used with permission of Florian Rival.</p>


title: LibrePlanet 2018 Call for Sessions deadline extended. Send us your proposal!
uri: LibrePlanet-2018-Call-for-Sessions-deadline-extended-Send-us-your-pro
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-call-for-sessions-deadline-extended-send-us-your-proposal

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-call-for-sessions-deadline-extended-send-us-your-proposal

content:
<p><strong>You now have until November 7th, 2017 at 10:00 EST (15:00 UTC) to
  <a href="https://my.fsf.org/lp-call-for-sessions">send us your idea for a great LibrePlanet session!</a></strong></p>
<p>Even if you don't want to give a talk, <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">general registration</a> and
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/sponsors/">exhibitor applications</a> are now open, and we will start accepting
volunteer applications soon.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet</a> is an annual conference for free software enthusiasts
and everyone who cares about the intersection of technology and social
justice. For the past nine years, LibrePlanet has brought together
free software developers, policy experts, activists, hackers,
students, and people who are at the beginning of their free software
journeys. LibrePlanet 2018 will feature programming for all ages and
experience levels.</p>
<h3>Need help preparing your talk proposal?</h3>
<p>If you need advice or encouragement as your prepare your talk
proposal, we're here to help! Join #libreplanet on Freenode IRC
Thursday, November 2nd from 18:00 - 19:00 (EDT) for LibrePlanet Call
for Sessions office hours with <a href="https://twitter.com/baconandcoconut">Deb Nicholson</a>. If you do not have
an IRC client, you can <a href="https://webchat.freenode.net/">log onto Freenode IRC here</a>, and connect to
the channel #libreplanet, or 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 your
questions. <em>Please note that LibrePlanet's <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/safe-space-policy/">Safe Space Policy</a>
applies to the #libreplanet IRC channel.</em></p>
<h4>Need help attending LibrePlanet?</h4>
<p>The Free Software Foundation is able to offer a limited amount of
funding to bring conference participants and speakers to LibrePlanet
from all around the world. You can <a href="https://my.fsf.org/lp-scholarship-application">apply for a scholarship</a>
through Thursday, November 30th, 2017 at 10:00 EST (15:00
UTC). Scholarship recipients will be notified by early January.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-october-romania
title: October 2017: RMS photos from Romania
uri: October-2017-RMS-photos-from-Romania
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-october-romania
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>Free Software Foundation president Richard Stallman (RMS) was in
Romania this month, to deliver the keynote speech at the <a href="https://ceata.org/">Fundația Ceata</a>-organized <a href="https://coliberator.ceata.org/2017/">Coliberator 2017</a>
conference (2017-10-07-08), at the Biblioteca Centrală a
Universității Politehnica din București, in
<strong>Bucharest,</strong> on October 7<sup>th</sup>, to about 140
people.  While there, he also spoke to students at a GNU/Linux Install
Fest.</p>

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

<img src="media/51740ea6.20171007-bucharest-cc-by-sa-3-0-fundatia-ceata-01-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171007-bucharest/20171007-bucharest-cc-by-sa-3-0-fundatia-ceata-01-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>(Photo under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Fundația Ceata.)</em>

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

<p>To coincide with the conference, the foundation's partners
organized satellite events.  In <strong>Iași,</strong> on October
9<sup>th</sup>, at the Universitatea Tehnică "Gh. Asachi" din Iași,
RMS <a href="http://ro.tranzit.org/en/lecture/0/2017-10-09/public-discussion-with-dr-richard-stallman">met</a>
with Tranzit's diverse community of activists, artists, political
science students, and software developers.</p>

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

<img src="media/8999b435.20171009-iasi-cc-by-sa-3-0-florin-bobu-01-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171009-iasi/20171009-iasi-cc-by-sa-3-0-florin-bobu-01-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>(Photo under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Florin Bobu.)</em>

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

<p>And in <strong>Timișoara,</strong> about 450 people packed the
auditorium of the Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara, in an event
co-organized by the Computer Science Department, to hear him give his
speech &ldquo;Free Software and Your Freedom&rdquo;:</p>

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

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171010-timisoara/20171010-timisoara-cc-by-sa-3-0-titus-balan-03-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171010-timisoara/20171010-timisoara-cc-by-sa-3-0-titus-balan-01-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171010-timisoara/20171010-timisoara-cc-by-sa-3-0-titus-balan-02-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;"> 

<!-- 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/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> and courtesy of Titus Bălan.)</em>

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

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to Tiberiu-Constantin Turbureanu 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=174&amp;reset=1">Bucharest</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=511&amp;reset=1">Iași</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=512&amp;reset=1">Timișoara</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>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/seventeen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-october
title: Seventeen new GNU releases in the month of October
uri: Seventeen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-October
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/seventeen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-october
content:
<p>(as of October 24, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf-archive/">autoconf-archive-2017.09.28</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/">bash-4.4.12</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/dejagnu/">dejagnu-1.6.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gawk/">gawk-4.2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/">gcc-5.5.0</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.2.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.6.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-cv/">guile-cv-0.1.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/kawa/">kawa-3.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libextractor/">libextractor-1.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.13.9-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/">mailutils-3.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20171022</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/screen/">screen-4.6.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/taler/">taler-0.4.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/units/">units-2.15</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/">zile-2.4.14</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: Richard Stallman on the radio: listen to his interview on “Take the Lead” on November 3
uri: Richard-Stallman-on-the-radio-listen-to-his-interview-on-Take-the
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/richard-stallman-on-the-radio-listen-to-his-interview-on-201ctake-the-lead201d-on-november-3

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/richard-stallman-on-the-radio-listen-to-his-interview-on-201ctake-the-lead201d-on-november-3

content:
<p>Richard Stallman's conversation with radio host Dr. Diane Hamilton will air on her show “Take the Lead” on November 3, 2017, at 10:00 EDT, on twelve AM/FM stations across the United States, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Tampa, Florida: AM 1630, FM 92.1 </li>
<li>Las Vegas, Nevada: AM 1520, FM 107.1 </li>
<li>Macon, Georgia: AM 810, FM 87.9</li>
<li>Lancaster, Pennsylvania: AM 1640, FM 102.1 </li>
<li>Boulder, Colorado: FM 100.7 </li>
<li>Milwaukee, Wisconsin: FM 104.1 </li>
<li>Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: FM 107.3</li>
<li>Long Beach, California: FM 101.5</li>
<li>The Villages, Florida: FM 97.7</li>
<li>Colorado Springs, Colorado: FM 87.9</li>
<li>Jacksonville, Florida: FM 90.3</li>
</ul>
<p>You can also listen to the interview online <a href="media/8ff4e5b5.RichardStallman-101617235PM.mp3" data-original-source="https://www.podcastgarden.com/login/audio-24/24508/RichardStallman-101617235PM.mp3">here</a>.</p>
<p>Dr. Diane Hamilton's Leadership Radio Show features in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs, thought leaders, speakers, and other influential individuals, including Steve Forbes of Forbes Media and Craig Newmark of Craiglist. </p>


title: How we are addressing a mistake we made while running defectivebydesign.org
uri: How-we-are-addressing-a-mistake-we-made-while-running-defectivebydesig
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/executive-director/how-we-are-addressing-a-mistake-we-made-while-running-defectivebydesign.org

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/executive-director/how-we-are-addressing-a-mistake-we-made-while-running-defectivebydesign.org

content:
<p>On Wednesday, October 25th, we received an email letting us know that
an old Drupal database backup file was publicly accessible on
defectivebydesign.org, a site operated by the Free Software
Foundation. This backup file contained contact information and other
details that should not have been public, submitted from 2007-2012.</p>
<p>Within minutes of receiving the report, we removed the file and
started auditing defectivebydesign.org and the rest of our sites. The
file did not contain any passwords or password hashes, financial
information, mailing addresses, or information about users who
interacted with the site without ever logging in.</p>
<p>On Friday, October 27th, once we were reasonably confident we
understood the scope of the problem and had fixed the most urgent
issues, we sent a notification email to every address that was in the
database backup file. We explained what had happened, took
responsibility, and apologized.</p>
<p>If you did not receive such an email, then your address was not in the
exposed file.</p>
<p>The file included (from both real and spambot users' profiles):</p>
<ul>
<li>~28,000 email addresses;</li>
<li>contact names;</li>
<li>some IP addresses associated with comments on posts;</li>
<li>~120 phone numbers;</li>
<li>some information users shared about whether they participated in a
    particular campaign action (like a call-in), and</li>
<li>timestamps of users submitting data.</li>
</ul>
<p>While some of this information was intended by users to be public,
some of it definitely was not.</p>
<p>I and the rest of the FSF staff are deeply sorry for this mistake. We
know how important privacy is to our supporters; we fight on your
behalf every day against restrictive and invasive technologies that
threaten it. We also don't believe in covering up our mistakes, so we
wanted to let everyone affected know as soon as possible, and then
share our mistake and what we learned from it here, publicly.</p>
<p>Even though we are a small team, under pressure to move fast against
extremely large forces, this kind of mistake is absolutely
unacceptable. We have made many improvements in our security practices
since 2012, and in light of this failure will be taking a deeper look
at what else we need to do.</p>
<p>I'd also like to share some of the technical details about what
happened, because in just a few minutes of searching, we found others
who are making the same mistake we did.</p>
<p>A backup of defectivebydesign.org's Drupal database was made with the
backup-migrate module in 2012, likely to assist migration of the site
to a new host. We failed to delete or move that file.</p>
<p>In 2014, or some time before then, the directory name of our Drupal
installation was manually changed as part of an upgrade. However we
didn't update the part of our Apache configuration that enabled
.htaccess files for specific directories. Drupal's .htaccess file
normally hides files by disallowing directory indexes. The site
appeared to work normally despite the disabled .htaccess file because
our main Apache configuration contained functionality
normally performed by that file. We also mistakenly didn't have
another .htaccess file to fully disable access to the backup. As a
result, the backup file was left exposed.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://cgit.drupalcode.org/backup_migrate/tree/README.txt?h=7.x-3.x">documentation for
backup_migrate</a>
has a "VERY IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE" indicating that "Backup and
Migrate attempts to protect backup files using a .htaccess file,"
which we failed to mind.</p>
<p>We currently don't use this module, and instead backup the site as
part of our global backup procedures. We are reviewing and improving
several other policies and procedures to both avoid making similar
mistakes again, and to detect them should they be made. This includes,
for example, deleting personal data from sites where we no longer use
it or need it, and accelerating our progress toward full coverage by
our centralized server configuration management system.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your support and trust. Our technical team can also
use more hands on some of their work to help expedite improvements; if
you have expertise in systems administration and are interested in
volunteering some time to help, please let us know at
<a href="mailto:sysadmin@gnu.org">&#115;&#121;&#115;&#97;&#100;&#109;&#105;&#110;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</p>


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

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-november-10th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-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>November 10th, 1834, a ship set sail from Valparaiso, Chile. This ship
was named the H.M.S. Beagle, and on it was a very special passenger,
Charles Darwin.  This trip would serve as a solidifying moment for
Darwin in the formation of his theories.  With this event in mind, the
Directory theme this week is focused on evolution.  Whether it's the
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Evolution">email client known as Evolution</a>, or <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/GAUL">Genetic Algorithm Utility Library (GAUL)</a>, which utilizes evolutionary models to to assist in the development of code requiring genetic algorithms, we will be looking at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=evolution&amp;title=Special:Search&amp;go=Go&amp;fulltext=1">evolution in many different forms</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>


title: You can now register as a DMCA agent without using nonfree JavaScript
uri: You-can-now-register-as-a-DMCA-agent-without-using-nonfree-JavaScript
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/you-can-now-register-as-a-dmca-agent-without-using-nonfree-javascript

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/you-can-now-register-as-a-dmca-agent-without-using-nonfree-javascript

content:
<p>Users shouldn't be forced to use nonfree software when interacting with their own government. Every user has the right to control their own computing, and the government shouldn't be forcing you to download and install proprietary software just to take advantage of its services. But when it comes to registering as an agent under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the United States, that's exactly what the government expects you to do.</p>
<p>Users are likely familiar with the DMCA's more draconian aspects, namely the creation of legal penalties for circumventing <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">Digital Restrictions Management</a>. The Free Software Foundation's Defective by Design campaign is <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/DMCA-exemption-commenting-process-broken">fighting</a> to end that nightmare and repeal that part of the law. But like many laws, it's crammed full of a wide variety of provisions, the anti-circumvention rules being only one of them. </p>
<p>Another piece of the law creates what are known as the safe harbor provisions. These rules set out some steps that maintainers of Web sites can take to avoid liability when a user of their site uploads potentially infringing copyrighted materials. The main provision here is that if a copyright holder finds their work on your site without their permission, they can submit a take down notice to an agent registered for your site. This agent can then remove the work, thus avoiding liability for the potentially infringing distribution. Without this safe harbor, the site maintainer could potentially be sued.</p>
<p>While this safe harbor rule can lead to abuse, with improper take downs, it also allows maintainers of Web sites to permit their users to share works. If the rule wasn't in place, it would be too dangerous to accept such uploads without reviewing each work -- something most Web sites can't afford to do. The Free Software Foundation takes advantage of the safe harbor provisions to ensure that we can continue to share software created and uploaded by free software developers, or to share information like that found in the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a>, or to help people organize locally via <a href="https://libreplanet.org/">LibrePlanet.org</a>.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, though, taking advantage of the safe harbor provisions requires having an agent to accept the notices. This is where the problem arises. The U.S. Copyright Office is now requiring Web site maintainers to re-register using <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/dmca-directory/">https://www.copyright.gov/dmca-directory/</a> by December 31st of 2017. This site, <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/it_isnt_just_dmca_broken_beyond_repair">like many others that the Copyright Office requires use of</a>, is lousy with nonfree <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap">JavaScript</a>. Unlike the server software you may interact with when visiting any Web site, JavaScript is actually downloaded and run on your machine. Like any proprietary software, it does not serve the user, and cannot be trusted. Users must avoid nonfree JavaScript just as they would avoid any piece of proprietary software. But if they want to continue to enjoy safe harbor provisions, they must allow this intrusion onto their computer.</p>
<p>The Free Software Foundation reached out to the Copyright Office with these issues, and we still hope to work out a solution with them for the long term. But with the deadline coming up, we had to fix it ourselves. We collaborated with a volunteer to develop a workaround that allows you to register using only free software. The fix requires installing two freely licensed add-ons, <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/librejs-compatible-pay-gov/">Register DMCA claim contacts w/o bad Javascript</a> and <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/submit-me/">Automatically reveal hidden HTML elements</a>. These add-ons, when used with <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/">GNU LibreJS</a>, allow anyone who needs to register as a DMCA agent to do so without loading the harmful nonfree JavaScript. </p>
<p>There are still a few quirks that are being hammered out. Currently you have to add alternate names by uploading a document rather than filling in a text field. The only document type that they will accept is Excel, a proprietary format, but users can create documents in that format using <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/LibreOffice">LibreOffice</a>. It's not a perfect solution, but it does enable users to actually complete the entire registration process using only free software. We will also be talking with the Copyright Office about supporting better formats. That is one of the beautiful things about free software: when people see a problem and have control over their own tools, they have the power to come together and make things right.</p>
<p>Users have a right to control their own computing. Governments everywhere should ensure that participating in any program they provide does not require the use of nonfree software. But where governments are slow to react, we all have to work together to route around the threat of proprietary software. Here's what you can do to help:</p>
<ul>
<li>Spread the word to any Web site maintainers you know that they can register using free software.</li>
<li>Use the add-ons to register for your own sites, and let us know you did by emailing us at <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</li>
<li>Help improve <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/">GNU LibreJS</a>.</li>
<li>Support the work of the Free Software Foundation by <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate">donating</a> or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">becoming a member</a>.</li>
</ul>


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

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-november-17th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-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 47 years ago on November 17th that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Engelbart">Douglas Engelbart</a> received the first patent on the computer mouse. This advent in the realm of human interface devices (HID) would open the world of computers to many new people.  To this day though, a battle rages in terms of the mouse's general use: the classic battle of window managers between the mouse-less <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Awesome">Awesome</a> and mouse-centric <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Mutter">Mutter</a>. This week, the Directory theme for entries is <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special:Search&amp;limit=500&amp;offset=0&amp;profile=default&amp;search=input+mouse">mice as input devices</a>, and we will be discussing HIDs in general.</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: Give the gift of freedom with the Ethical Technology Giving Guide
uri: Give-the-gift-of-freedom-with-the-Ethical-Technology-Giving-Guide
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/give-the-gift-of-freedom-with-the-ethical-technology-giving-guide

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/give-the-gift-of-freedom-with-the-ethical-technology-giving-guide

content:
<p><em>We create resources like the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/givingguide/v8/">Ethical Tech Giving Guide</a>
because software freedom is necessary to people's freedom.
Will you  power up the free software movement by supporting
the FSF today? <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal">Our annual fundraiser is happening right now</a>,
and we want to welcome 700 new members and raise $450,000
before December 31st. As a special bonus, all new and
renewing Annual Associate Members ($120+) can choose to
receive our new Four Freedoms t-shirt! <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">Become a member</a>
or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate">make a donation</a> today.</em></p>
<p>With the holidays, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday on the horizon, 
we know that a lot of you are on the lookout for cool tech gifts to 
thrill your loved ones. However, we also know that you don't want 
to trap them with proprietary software and insidious technologies 
like <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)</a>.</p>
<p>Thankfully, we at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) research the best
user freedom-respecting products available. We're excited to share
these with you in the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/givingguide/v8/">2017 Ethical Technology Giving Guide</a>.</p>
<p>Over the past year, the number of <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom</a> certified
products increased dramatically. We saw renewed enthusiasm for creating 
DRM-free art, games, and media. We read great books, tried out new 
toys, and found even more things to share in the Guide than before.</p>
<p>This year's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate">Giving Guide</a> includes mobile phones, laptops,
desktops, wireless accessories, books, games, music, movies, and a
list of nonprofit charities who are working hard to protect your
rights online, in digital spaces, and in your devices. Sellers are
offering discounts for users of the Guide and FSF members.</p>
<p>If you're looking for something a bit more lo-fi, you can head over
to the <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/">GNU Press Shop</a>. We've got a brand new scarf and hat
set to keep you warm this  winter, and plenty of tees to keep you
stylish through this summer (if you're in the Southern Hemisphere).
As always, FSF members get a 20% discount at the GNU Press Shop.</p>
<p>When you're buying gifts this year, please remember that we're not
just trying to protect ourselves from spyware, surveillance, and other
threats brought on by proprietary software. This encroachment of our
rights as users doesn't just affect us. It's not enough to choose to
not buy Google Home or Amazon Alexa for ourselves -- we need to help
keep these proprietary technologies out of the homes of our families, 
friends, and loved ones. We can do this by educating them about 
threats <em>and</em> helping them make better choices -- and to 
give you a hand, we've included talking points with each Giving Guide 
item to explain why the proprietary alternative is a bad buy.</p>
<p>Share the Guide with your friends and use it yourself! While we
understand if you want to keep your gifts a surprise, we hope you'll
consider sharing how the Guide directed your choices this year <a href="https://www.fsf.org/share?u=https://www.fsf.org/givingguide/v8&amp;t=Shop%20better%20with%20the%20Free%20Software%20Foundation%20Ethical%20Tech%20Giving%20Guide">on
social media</a>, or by emailing us at the FSF.</p>
<p>Happy holidays and happy hacking!</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: November 22nd starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-November-22nd-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-november-22nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-november-22nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-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're back to work on adding new entries to the Directory. The backlog of unapproved packages continues to dwindle, but we want to get it all the way down to zero, and keep adding more. Each new package helps to make the Directory a better resource for finding any sort of software that you may need. The Directory is one of our most visited resources, so keeping it growing ensures there's lots for all those users to see.</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: Give the gift of FSF membership and double your impact with a $10K match!
uri: Give-the-gift-of-FSF-membership-and-double-your-impact-with-a-10K-mat
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/membership/double-your-support-of-the-fsf-give-the-gift-of-membership-get-a-10k-match

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/membership/double-your-support-of-the-fsf-give-the-gift-of-membership-get-a-10k-match

content:
<p>Give a current or potential free software supporter a Free
Software Foundation (FSF) <a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=ambp&amp;pk_kwd=donate">Associate Membership</a> today, and
your support of the FSF will be doubled!</p>
<p>Thanks to the generosity of the Frâncu family, the impact of all
new memberships between now and December 9th will be matched, up
to $10,000. Giving a membership now will count double, and you'll also
help us reach our goal of 700 new members, powering up our
work for 2018!</p>
<p>By donating an FSF membership, you'll be helping a nonprofit that's
earned Charity Navigator's highest rating in fiscal
responsibility and transparency, and you'll also be helping to
defend and promote computer user rights -- human rights. You will
get the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing your gift will
be working to build a stronger community, and your gift recipient
will be able to enjoy <a href="https://www.fsf.org/associate/benefits">a number of cool benefits</a>: an
ultra-slim USB membership card, the opportunity to take advantage
of the FSF member email-forwarding service, free attendance at
the annual LibrePlanet conference, a 20 percent discount on FSF
merchandise, a 5 percent discount on <a href="https://www.thinkpenguin.com">ThinkPenguin</a> hardware, a print copy of
the FSF's biannual <em>Bulletin</em>, discounts on training classes and
eligibility for LibreOffice certification, an fsf/member IRC
cloak on Freenode, an FSF button for their Web site, use of an
XMPP (Jabber) service, and Digital Credit Union eligibility.</p>
<p>Giving a membership as a gift is easy: <a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=ambp&amp;pk_kwd=donate">make a donation</a> of
$60 for a student membership or $120 for an Associate Membership,
or any larger amount you wish, then email us at
<a href="mailto:membership@fsf.org">&#109;&#101;&#109;&#98;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#104;&#105;&#112;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> with the gift membership recipient's:</p>
<ul>
<li>name,</li>
<li>email address, and</li>
<li>mailing address (provide this if you would like us to mail
    the membership welcome packet directly to them, including the
    membership gift).</li>
</ul>
<p>From now until December 31st, 2017, for Associate Memberships of
$120 or more, you can also select our newest Four Freedoms
t-shirt for the recipient of the membership (be sure to let us
know their size)!</p>
<p>We will then let them know that the gift is coming from you,
inform them of the benefits that come with being a member, and
create their membership account.</p>
<p>If you wish to give the recipient the welcome packet yourself,
and save the surprise for later, please just let us know.</p>
<p>The FSF receives very little funding from corporations, so
donations from individuals like you truly power our work. Your
gift will help us <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal/">start 2018 off with a bang</a>! As of this
writing, we need 618 more members to reach 700. Hope you can help
us get there!</p>
<p><em>We will mail gift membership packets from Boston, Massachusetts,
USA, on a rolling basis.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-scholarship-fund-last-chance-to-apply
title: LibrePlanet Scholarship Fund: last chance to apply!
uri: LibrePlanet-Scholarship-Fund-last-chance-to-apply
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-scholarship-fund-last-chance-to-apply
content:
<p>If you're planning to attend <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/">LibrePlanet 2018</a> in the Boston
area, March 24-25, 2018, and need financial assistance to help
cover the cost of getting there, you must <a href="https://my.fsf.org/node/17">apply for a
scholarship</a> by <em>Friday, December 1, at 10:00 EST (15:00
UTC)</em>, a small extension from the original deadline of Thursday 30th.</p>
<p>This will be the 10th anniversary of the LibrePlanet free
software conference, and you don't want to miss it! <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">Register
today</a> -- and remember, Free Software Foundation (FSF)
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">Associate Members</a> attend gratis!</p>
<p>Or, if you don't need travel funding, and you have a few dollars to spare, why not make a donation in support of the <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=60">LibrePlanet Scholarship Fund</a>? You'll be supporting a robust, diverse free software community by helping reduce the financial barrier to attendance for those who need the help.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recaps-november-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recaps, November 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recaps-November-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recaps-november-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>. We had an exciting month working the Directory with our wonderful
stable of volunteers.  These folks show up week in and week out to
improve the Directory. It's also important to note the valiant efforts of
those volunteers who can't make an appearance at the meeting, proper
but still plug away at Directory entries during the week.  With all these efforts, we are
looking towards 16,000 entries.<br />
</p>
<p>We split our time this month between new entries and two theme
days. The November 10 meeting focused on evolution in a myriad of
forms.  We also had an interesting discussion about the terms of
service of Ancestry.com's DNA analysis. We also talked some about how
free software has evolved over the years. </p>
<p>The following week we delved into Human Interface Devices (HID). While adding entries, attendees
discussed some of alternate forms of HIDs, and agreed on a favorite, the one-handed keyboard.</p>
<p>Finally, we closed out the month with a meeting focused on new entries -- this meeting was slower than most since it fell on an American holiday.</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/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-biglybt
title: The Licensing and Compliance Lab interviews BiglyBT
uri: The-Licensing-and-Compliance-Lab-interviews-BiglyBT
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-biglybt
content:
<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/876aa202.biglybt.svg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/biglybt.svg" alt="biglybt Logo" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<h2>What is BiglyBT?</h2>
<p>BiglyBT is a peer-to-peer torrent client, forked from the Azureus and Vuze code.  We are two of the original authors of these clients, and after 14 years, our passion for developing for it has not run out. Our client has a long history of being known as powerful, feature-filled, and customizable, and we want to continue that trend with BiglyBT.</p>
<h2>Can you tell us some about the roots of BiglyBT?</h2>
<p>It all began with the free software project Azureus.  Back in 2003, the first developer wanted to experiment with the Java UI toolkit SWT.  Fueled by recent relationship changes, he started to develop Azureus.  With very few torrent clients available, and a great list of features, Azureus’ popularity went through the roof.  Wanting to turn the project into a full business, in 2005-6, the Azureus team took their idea to Silicon Valley, where it received funding, a new mission, and a new name -- Vuze.  Vuze was aimed at providing content from big names, and focused on an easier video experience for users. After several years of courting the media companies, in 2010, Vuze was spun off to different management, under "Azureus Software, Inc."</p>
<p>Fast forward to 2017, the free software code developed over the course of Azureus' and Vuze’s lifetime was forked into a new project, BiglyBT.</p>
<h2>Can you tell us some of the work that went into removing the proprietary code?</h2>
<p>There were two main proprietary aspects of Vuze that we removed. Firstly, there was code to support the "Vuze Plus" premium product, which has purchasable features. The majority of this was contained in proprietary plugins, but there was also support code in the Vuze core to manage licensing, etc. Secondly, there was code to support proprietary services hosted on central servers, such as the content platform Web site. It was relatively easy to remove these components.</p>
<h2>What features do you think really set BiglyBT apart from other torrent clients?</h2>
<p>BiglyBT’s use of the DHT (a decentralized distributed system) is probably the biggest thing that sets us apart.  Using the DHT, the Swarm Discoveries feature generates lists of content that are related to content the user has downloaded.  BiglyBT will look for other torrents containing the same files you are trying to download, and with Swarm Merging, combines the two swarms for faster downloading and the ability to complete torrents without any seeds. The DHT is also used for torrent/tracker/tag-based chat channels.  We are the only client that integrates directly into the I2P DHT, allowing us to have anonymous chats and better anonymous torrenting and peer finding.</p>
<p>Another major aspect is torrent control and organization.  BiglyBT has the most configurable seeding rules in any client. Content can be categorized and tagged.  Tags can be assigned manually or via restrictions and functional logic.  Custom actions can be taken on a per-tag basis.</p>
<p>A much larger list of features that sets us apart can be found at <a href="https://www.biglybt.com/features.php">https://www.biglybt.com/features.php</a>.</p>
<h2>Why did you choose the GNU GPLv3 as BiglyBT's license?</h2>
<p>The source code that BiglyBT is based on, Azureus, started as GPLv2 (or later), so it’s only fitting (and legally required!) to keep BiglyBT as GPL.</p>
<p>The GPL affords us the ability to integrate Apache Licensed code into BiglyBT, using version 3 of the GPL license, and version 2 of APL.  This is very important when developing for Android, since most of the 3rd party libraries are APL.<br />
</p>
<h2>How can users (technical or otherwise) help contribute to BiglyBT?</h2>
<p>Visit us on GitHub (<a href="https://github.com/BiglySoftware">https://github.com/BiglySoftware</a> for both BiglyBT and migrated plugins) and get involved! We are currently using the "Issues" on GitHub to manage bug reports and feature requests.</p>
<p>Our international users could greatly help us out by completing our rather large translations.  While we have over 40 language files in our project, most of them are incomplete, and only a couple of them have active contributors.</p>
<p>Non-technical users can help us by getting the word out about our client.  Marketing is very difficult for small free software projects with only developers and no PR team.</p>
<p>Users who run trackers or other torrent listing sites can help contribute by listing our app on their site.  In the past, we’ve worked anonymously with tracker admins to build features and solve tracker-related issues.  BiglyBT also has meta-search ability, and the ability for users to add search templates for any tracker that provides them.  It’s out of the scope of our team to create search templates for every tracker site, so we rely on tracker owners and users to create and distribute these.</p>
<h2>What's the next big thing for BiglyBT?</h2>
<p>We are already seeing a renewed interest in contributing to the project by the free software community -- initially we are looking to further cultivate this, as passionate contributors (such as ourselves) are key to evolving the project.</p>
<p><em>BiglyBT logo used with permission.</em></p>


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

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

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory,
they know that everything in it is free software, has only free
dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is
a massive repository of information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>Back in 1913, on the first of December, Ford Motor Company introduced
the first moving assembly line for the Ford Model T.  This step
towards automation cannot be overstated.  Whether you see it as
soul-crushing alienation of labor or as the beginning of a Star Trek
replicator future, there is no denying the impact.  Therefore, this
week we will focus on <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=automation&amp;title=Special:Search&amp;go=Go">automation software</a>.  Think multi-server
configuration tools, or merely some scripting: anything in this broad
target is fair game.</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-october-mexico
title: October 2017: Photos from Mexico
uri: October-2017-Photos-from-Mexico
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-october-mexico
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>Free Software Foundation president Richard Stallman (RMS) was in
Mexico at the end of October and the beginning of November, and visited
several cities, where he delivered speeches on software freedom.</p>

<p>He started off in <strong>Mexico City,</strong> where he gave the speech "Should we have more surveillance than the USSR?" at the Escuela Superior de Cómputo (ESCOM), on November 23rd.
The speech was organized by the school's cybersecurity club, which
works with GNU/Linux distributions to evaluate security, and uses GDB
to introduce students to debugging and reverse engineering.   

"As a club, we are trying to spread the use of free software, sharing
knowledge of the use and the structures of the operating
system," said Javier González, one of its members, pleased that
the talk was able to bolster their efforts to raise awareness of the
issues.</p>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
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<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-38-cc-by-4-0-javier-gonzalez-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-40-cc-by-4-0-javier-gonzalez-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-45-cc-by-4-0-javier-gonzalez-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-48-cc-by-4-0-javier-gonzalez-thumb.jpg " 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Javier Gonzalez. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
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<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-49-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-53-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-54-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-55-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-56-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-57-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-58-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-59-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-60-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-61-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-60-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-62-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-63-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-64-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-65-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171023-mexicocity/20171023-mexicocity-66-cc-by-4-0-ESCOM-IPN-thumb.jpg " 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 ESCOM-IPN. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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


<p>The same day, RMS headed north, to <strong>Gómez Palacio,</strong>
to deliver the keynote speech at the <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/"></a> the
19th International Congress of Engineering, Science, and
Architecture, on October 24th, at the Universidad Juárez del
Estado de Durango. He gave his speech "Free software in ethics
and in practice" to a diverse audience of about 600 activists
(the Laguna GLUG), students, and academics, from various disciplines
and various local universities, who had, for the most part, not yet
had much exposure to GNU software.</p>

<p>Afterwards, he headed to <strong>Puerto Vallarta,</strong> to give
the keynote speech at Festival de Software Libre (2017-10-27&ndash;29)
on October 17th, to an audience of about 300 people.</p>

<!-- Image(s) start below --> 
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<img src="media/bcb77ab9.20171027-puertovallarta-01-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-01-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4ae5f4a9.20171027-puertovallarta-02-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-02-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5cc2e0d9.20171027-puertovallarta-03-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-03-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c5eda6a8.20171027-puertovallarta-04-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-04-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5516eb9a.20171027-puertovallarta-05-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-05-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/adb293e3.20171027-puertovallarta-06-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-06-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/590ca2e9.20171027-puertovallarta-07-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-07-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f1d93682.20171027-puertovallarta-10-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-10-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c32c7bb2.20171027-puertovallarta-11-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-11-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/10a6fb33.20171027-puertovallarta-12-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-12-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1de875f3.20171027-puertovallarta-13-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-13-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0868c667.20171027-puertovallarta-14-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-14-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/582cbcc7.20171027-puertovallarta-15-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-15-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/79ec0c52.20171027-puertovallarta-16-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171027-puertovallarta/20171027-puertovallarta-16-thumb.jpg" 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Festival de Software Libre. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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


<p>After a couple of days in Mexico City, he headed to
<strong>Tlaxcala,</strong> where about 250 people came to hear him
give his speech "Copyright vs. Community," at the
Universidad Politécnica de Tlaxcala. The director of the IT
department can be seen below presenting RMS with a gift, a wooden
panel that Tlaxcala artisans had carved for him.</p>

<p>Osvaldo Moreno Hernández, a professor at the school, was very
pleased he was able to organize the speech, "because of the
students' great interest in learning about the philosophy behind free
software, and, most of all, in learning about its impact on our
lives." The school offers a degree in information technology,
and free software is used in the education process, so he is
"considering giving a boost to [using] free software throughout
the entire school, and especially in the IT department."</p>

<!-- Image(s) start below -->
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<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-02-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-01-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-04-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-05-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-06-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-07-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171030-tlaxcala/20171030-tlaxcala-cc-by-4-0-osvaldo-moreno-hernandez-08-thumb.jpg " 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Osvaldo Moreno Hernández. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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


<p>Back in <strong>Mexico City,</strong> RMS was at the Fábrica
Digital del Centro Cultural y de Visitantes El Rule, a visitor and
cultural center, to give his speech "Libre software; Libre
hardware designs," on October 31st.</p>

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

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171031-mexicocity/20171031-mexicocity-02-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171031-mexicocity/20171031-mexicocity-03-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171031-mexicocity/20171031-mexicocity-05-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171031-mexicocity/20171031-mexicocity-06-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171031-mexicocity/20171031-mexicocity-07-thumb.jpg " 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p>His final stop in Mexico was on November 3rd, in
<strong>Puebla,</strong> where he had spoken also in 2011, 2012,
and 2013.

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to everyone who made this trip 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=215&amp;reset=1">Mexico
City</a>, <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=514&amp;reset=1">Gómez
Palacio</a>, <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=515&amp;reset=1">Puerto
Vallarta</a>, <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=138&amp;reset=1">Tlaxcala</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=122&amp;reset=1">Puebla</a>.</p>

<p>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>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/take-action-for-net-neutrality
title: Take action for net neutrality
uri: Take-action-for-net-neutrality
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/take-action-for-net-neutrality
content:
<p>The FCC wants to ignore what the people are demanding and give large, corporate Internet service providers (ISPs) what they want instead: total control of your access to the Internet. These ISPs will <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/comcast-quietly-drops-promise-not-to-charge-tolls-for-internet-fast-lanes/">provide more expensive "fast lanes" for favored online services</a>, and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-portugal-internet-20171127-story.html">limit what we can access and when</a>. They will give preference to large media providers who love Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). These changes will make building free software projects and communities harder, perhaps impossible. Under the disastrous FCC proposal, the Internet and Web as we know it will be destroyed.</p>
<p>We know how much you care about net neutrality. You've been by our side for years, standing up for a free Web: fighting against DRM and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) in Web standards, helped create tools to support <a href="https://fsf.org/campaigns/campaigns-summaries#freejs">free JS</a>, using your voices, your words. This is our guide for fighting back: use it and share today.</p>
<h2>Here's what you can do</h2>
<p><em>If you're not in the US, <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=34&amp;reset=1">let us know your country</a> by updating your profile so we can send you more relevant info. In the meantime, please also help us spread the word to your contacts in the US.</em></p>
<h3>Between today and December 13th</h3>
<h4>Tell your friends!</h4>
<p>One of the most important things you can do is <a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-to-explain-why-net-neutrality-matters-to-your-frien-1820768000">tell your friends and family about net neutrality</a>, and urge them to become part of this fight. While the current attack is on US Internet users, this is a global issue too: trends in this country tend to spread all over the world. Our friends in Portugal already <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171030/12364538513/portugal-shows-internet-why-net-neutrality-is-important.shtml">lack net neutrality protections</a>, so we know what non-neutral Internet looks like, and it's not good.</p>
<p><strong>It's your call</strong></p>
<p>There are <strong><a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-net-neutrality-fcc-20171122-htmlstory.html">five individuals</a></strong> who will be making the final decision about Title II -- the closest thing the United States has as legal protection for net neutrality. Their names are:</p>
<pre><code>  * Ajit Pai (Chairman of the FCC **AGAINST** net neutrality)
  * Brendan Carr (Commissioner **AGAINST** net neutrality)
  * Mignon Clyburn (Commissioner **FOR** net neutrality)
  * Mike O'Rielly (Commissioner **AGAINST** net neutrality)
  * Jessica Rosenworcel (Commissioner **FOR** net neutrality))
</code></pre>
<p>Do we really know how they're going to vote? No, but they have all talked publicly about their opinions.</p>
<p>Between now and December 13th, call the FCC and tell them what you think. Thank Commissioners Clyburn and Rosenworcel for their support of net neutrality and beseech Commissioners Carr and O'Rielly to change their minds.</p>
<p><strong>Sample script for Clyburn (+1 202-418-2100) and Rosenworcel (+1 202-418-2400)</strong></p>
<blockquote>

Hello,

I am {Name}, I live in {city/state}. I want to thank you for your support of net neutrality and your work with the FCC. I know you'll do the right thing and vote in support of our rights and a free Web.

Thank you.

</blockquote>

<p><strong>Sample script for Carr (+1 202-418-2200) and O'Rielly (+1 202-418-2300)</strong></p>
<blockquote>

Hello,

I am {Name}, I live in {city/state}. I am calling to urge you to vote against Chairman Pai's proposals to overthrow the Title II classifications that protect net neutrality in the United States. A free Web is critical for our future.

Thank you.

</blockquote>

<p>As always, you can call <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members">your congressional representatives</a> and remind them that you vote and you care about net neutrality, a free Web, and Title II protections.</p>
<h3>December 7th (through 14th)</h3>
<p>All across America, people will be gathering at Verizon stores. The FSF will <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/event/team-internet/1373">be out in Boston</a>, and we hope you'll join us. Not in the area? There are protests all across the country. (<a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2017-11-21-net-neutrality-protests-to-hit-verizon-stores/">Read Fight for the Future's press release</a> about the Verizon protests.)</p>
<h3>December 13th</h3>
<p>The day before the decision, you can <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/event/team-internet/1643">join a protest</a> <strong>at the FCC Building</strong> to show your support for net neutrality. This will start at 10:00 EST.</p>
<h3>December 14th</h3>
<p>This is the day of the vote! Stay tuned.</p>
<h2>Support those fighting for net neutrality</h2>
<p>As always, you can show your support for net neutrality by giving to nonprofits working to protect it. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=net_neutrality_email&amp;pk_kwd=Donate">Free Software Foundation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://demandprogress.org/">Demand Progress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.freepress.net/">Free Press Action Fund</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">Fight for the Future</a></li>
</ul>


title: Red Hat leads coalition supporting key part of Principles of Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement
uri: Red-Hat-leads-coalition-supporting-key-part-of-Principles-of-Community
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/red-hat-leads-coalition-supporting-key-part-of-principles-of-community-oriented-gpl-enforcement

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/red-hat-leads-coalition-supporting-key-part-of-principles-of-community-oriented-gpl-enforcement

content:
<p>On September 30th, 2015, the Free Software Foundation and the
<a href="https://sfconservancy.org">Software Freedom Conservancy</a> jointly published the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/enforcement-principles">Principles of
Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement</a> (the Principles). The ultimate
goal of free software license enforcement isn't to punish violators or
force them to stop distribution, but rather to ensure that free
software always remains free. It incentivizes proper redistribution of
free software, seeking to increase the number of companies,
individuals, and organizations involved. The Principles lay out the
policies anyone can follow to achieve these goals in an ethical
manner. The <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/693633/">Netfilter</a> project formally adopted the Principles in
July of 2016, and we expect more projects and organizations will
follow.</p>
<p>Now, in a positive step forward, a group of companies led by <a href="https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/fostering-greater-open-source-development">Red
Hat</a> has announced a commitment in effect adopting an important part of the
Principles: They will use the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html">GPLv3</a>'s more refined approach to
compliance and termination when dealing with violations on their
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html">GPLv2-licensed</a> works. In addition to Red Hat, the companies
making the <a href="https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/technology-industry-leaders-join-forces-increase-predictability-open-source-licensing">"Common Cure Rights Commitment"</a> include Facebook,
Google, and IBM. This commitment is similar to the announcement made
by developers of the <a href="https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/driver-core.git/commit?id=9ed95129ffcabbde564b40ffbbf9c26e8702d858">kernel Linux</a> this past October.</p>
<p>We explain why this is important in the Principles:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>GPLv2 terminates all copyright permissions at the moment of
violation, and that termination is permanent. GPLv3's termination
provision allows first-time violators automatic restoration of
distribution rights when they correct the violation promptly, and
gives the violator a precise list of copyright holders whose
forgiveness it needs. GPLv3's collaborative spirit regarding
termination reflects a commitment to and hope for future cooperation
and collaboration. It's a good idea to follow this approach in
compliance situations stemming from honest mistakes, even when the
violations are on works under GPLv2.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That is why the Free Software Foundation extends the benefit of
GPLv3-style termination even for GPLv2-only works, while we also
remind that this is only one of the reasons GPLv2 projects should
consider <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/rms-why-gplv3.en.html">upgrading to GPLv3.</a></p>
<p>The announcement of the Common Cure Rights Commitment is welcome news
for the free software movement, and we look forward to more
organizations either fully adopting the Principles of
Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement or making similar commitments in
the same spirit. These steps help to strengthen copyleft and therefore
the long-term protection of user freedom.</p>
<p><em>Everyone is welcome to join the <a href="https://lists.sfconservancy.org/mailman/listinfo/principles-discuss">Principles mailing list</a> to
discuss their application and improvement.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/seventeen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-november
title: Seventeen new GNU releases in the month of November
uri: Seventeen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-November
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/seventeen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-november
content:
<p>(as of November 24, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/easejs/">easejs-0.2.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emms/">emms-4.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gama/">gama-1.20</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.2.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.2.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/hyperbole/">hyperbole-7.0.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ignuit/">ignuit-2.24.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libcdio/">libcdio-1.0.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.14.1-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mailutils/">mailutils-3.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.9.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nettle/">nettle-3.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20171122</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/sqltutor/">sqltutor-1.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/time/">time-1.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/units/">units-2.16</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/">wget-1.19.2</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 Bertrand Garrigues as a maintainer of GNU Groff.</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/net-neutrality-protest-in-boston-12-7-come-with-the-fsf
title: Net neutrality protest in Boston 12/7: come with the FSF!
uri: Net-neutrality-protest-in-Boston-12-7-come-with-the-FSF
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/net-neutrality-protest-in-boston-12-7-come-with-the-fsf
content:
<p>Verizon is a key participant in the effort <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/take-action-for-net-neutrality">to kill net neutrality</a>: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai is a former Verizon lawyer, and the company has poured millions of dollars into lobbying and lawsuits. This Thursday, we're bringing the fight to their doorstep, joining hundreds of thousands of other defenders of the Internet by protesting at our nearest Verizon store, and we hope you'll join us.</p>
<p><strong>WHEN: Thursday, December 7, 5pm</strong></p>
<p><strong>WHERE: Verizon – 745 Boylston Street, one block from Copley Square</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.fsf.org/events/net-neutrality-protest-at-verizon-stores">If you want to protest with us</a>, feel free to meet us at the Free Software Foundation's office at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/contact/visiting-the-free-software-foundation">51 Franklin Street in Downtown Crossing</a> -- we will be heading over to the protest at 4:40pm. We encourage you to bring signs and warm clothes. Just remember that we're protesting Verizon executives and lobbyists, and the politicians who support them, not the store employees, so please treat them with respect.</p>
<p>In the meantime: make sure the FCC knows you care about saving net neutrality! You can see our guide to action <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/take-action-for-net-neutrality">here</a>.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: December 8th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-December-8th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-8th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-8th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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.</p>
<p>It was this week in 1991 that the leaders of Russia, Belarus, and
Ukraine signed an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing
the Commonwealth of Independent States.  With this act, the monolithic
Soviet/Communist/Eastern Bloc was torn asunder into its constituent
parts. One of the weaknesses of the original bloc was that with such a centralized socio-economic
structure, the arrangement of social institutions and
structures, as well as physical ones, could produce cascading failures
from this central node.<br />
</p>
<p>The solution? Federalization/decentralization. So the
theme of the Directory meeting this week is just that.  We will look
at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special:Search&amp;profile=default&amp;fulltext=Search&amp;search=federat*">federalized/decentralized software</a>, from social media like <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Mastodon">Mastodon</a> to crypto-currency. There are many paths that the meeting can take
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/gnu-press/give-gnu-gifts-and-support-the-fsf
title: Give GNU gifts and support the FSF!
uri: Give-GNU-gifts-and-support-the-FSF
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/give-gnu-gifts-and-support-the-fsf
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/d4d1ecb3.gnu-scarf-closeup.jpeg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/gnu-scarf-closeup.jpeg" alt="GNU scarf" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>Are you shopping for a student just getting their footing in the
world of free software hacking, a friend determined to spread the
good news of software freedom, or a longtime free software
supporter who needs the newest piece of Free Software
Foundation (FSF) gear? The <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/">GNU Press shop</a> has you
covered. Here are a few of our most exciting offerings for this
holiday giving season.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/gear/gnu-scarf"><strong>GNU Scarf</strong></a> is brand new this year -- and just in
time, if you are in the Northern hemisphere, for the chill winds
of winter. It's long, warm, soft, and stylish, and features the
iconic GNU mascot.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The scarf is a perfect match for the newly-redesigned <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/tshirts-hoodies/gnu-beanie"><strong>GNU
Beanie</strong></a> -- in fact you can <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/caps/gnu-beanie-and-scarf">buy both together</a>, and save
money while staying toasty!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Did you know that the GNU Press shop stocks autographed copies
of Richard Stallman's books -- including the definitive document
of the free software movement, <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/books-docs/free-software-free-society-selected-essays-richard-m-stallman-3rd-edition"><strong><em>Free Software, Free
Society</em></strong></a>, presently in its third edition? It's informative
and entertaining, and provides a great conversation starter for
established believers looking to usher new free software
supporters into the fold.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>There's much more on offer at the GNU Press shop -- we have
plenty of handy <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/collection/books-docs">manuals and other reference materials</a>,
<a href="https://shop.fsf.org/collection/stickers">snazzy stickers</a>, dozens of <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/collection/gnu-gear#Tshirts">excellent t-shirts</a>, and much
more. We'll be hustling extra hard through the winter months to
meet demand for cool FSF merch, and we hope to meet your needs
with alacrity and panache. If you have any questions or special
requests, please don't hesitate to email <a href="mailto:sales@fsf.org">&#115;&#97;&#108;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>! Happy
holidays!</p>
<p><em>By the way, <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal">the FSF's annual fundraiser is happening right
now</a>. Help us prepare for another year fighting for software
freedom. Through December 8th, the Frâncu family will match all
new membership donations, up to $10,000. We're about halfway to
that goal, so there's still time to double your impact. Plus, all
new <strong>and</strong> renewing annual FSF Associate Members ($120+) can
choose to receive our new Four Freedoms t-shirt! So wear your
freedom on your sleeve: <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=gpbp&amp;pk_kwd=join">become a member</a> or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=gpbp&amp;pk_kwd=donate">make a
donation</a> today.</em></p>


title: Free software needs net neutrality! This is our LAST CHANCE to save it
uri: Free-software-needs-net-neutrality-This-is-our-LAST-CHANCE-to-save-it
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it

content:
<p>We have <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2017/12/december-2017-open-commission-meeting">two more days</a> to do everything we can to make our voices heard on this monumental issue. Below we have a sample script for
calling the United States Congress, ideas for social media posts, and
a bit about why free software needs net neutrality. If you want to read
even more about why the Free Software Foundation (FSF) loves net neutrality,
you can view <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/take-action-for-net-neutrality">this post on our blog</a>.</p>

<div style="float: right; width: 350px; margin: 10px 20px 50px 25px; padding: 4px; 
                    text-align: center;"><img alt="A photo of a protest, with people wearing scarves and hats and signs, including a banner that says "Free Software Foundation." src="media/13400960.title2_protest-boston-11-17.png" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/photos/title2_protest-boston-11-17.png" 
                    width="350" /> <p style="margin: 10px 0px;">Net Neutrality protest at the Boylston Verizon Store in Boston, MA on December 7th, 2017. Photo by Ruben Rodriguez. <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0</a></p>

</div>

<h3>Call, call, call</h3>

<p>If you are in the US, call Congress today. Nervous? Try using the
following script:</p>

<blockquote>

Hello,

I live in CITY/STATE. I am calling to urge you to support
net neutrality and stop the FCC from removing common carrier
status from Internet Service Providers like Comcast and
Verizon. This is the only thing we have protecting a free
Internet, which everyone needs.

Thank you for your time.

</blockquote>

<p>Don't know who to call?</p>

<ul>
<li><p>You can <a href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative">find your Representative</a> and call them.</p></li>
<li><p>Dial the House of Representatives at <strong>(202) 224-3121</strong> and
they will connect you.</p></li>
<li><p>Call your Senator directly. <a href="https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">Find their number here</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Dial the Senate at <strong>(202) 224-3121</strong> and they will connect
you.</p></li>
</ul>


<p>(Note: The number for the House and the Senate is a switchboard that will direct your call.)</p>

<h3>Post and share</h3>

<p>No matter where you live, if you use social media, you can join
others in making as much noise as you can in support of net
neutrality. Share your favorite articles, change your profile
photos, tell people you care about a free Web, and that, today,
net neutrality is the way to maintain a free Web in the United
States.</p>

<p>Need a sample message?</p>

<ul>
<li><p>I support #netneutrality and #freesoftware!</p></li>
<li><p>#Freesoftware needs #netneutrality</p></li>
<li><p>I need #netneutrality because I need a free Web</p></li>
</ul>


<p>You can also share <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it">this post</a>, or look though our <a href="https://status.fsf.org/fsf">social
media history</a> for more ideas.</p>

<h3>Why net neutrality?</h3>

<p>There are so many reasons why we think net neutrality is important--and why it's necessary for free software. We'll briefly mention that:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Free software is built collaboratively by using Web tools and
Internet connections around the world.</p></li>
<li><p>Free software is most easily discoverable thanks to pages like
the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page">Free Software Directory</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Need to update your system or software quickly? You need an
Internet connection to make that happen.</p></li>
<li><p>Organizations like the FSF use the Web to educate and share
free software ideology and tools.</p></li>
<li><p>The FSF itself is run by a small team spread across the
globe. Every day we use tools like IRC to communicate and work
for user freedom together, with one another, and with you.</p></li>
<li><p>We promote decentralized free software replacements for
centralized software services, and that losing net neutrality
means the centralized services will have a huge built-in advantage.</p></li>
</ul>


<p>Without a free Web and free Internet, what we--this includes you--can do online will be limited by what ISPs like Comcast and Verizon want you to be able to do. They will have the legal right to control which Web sites we can access and how fast that access will be--and they will take advantage of their new ability to extort even greater fees from Web site and consumers alike.</p>

<p>We're asking you to <strong>take the time today and tomorrow to call
Congress</strong>. Make some noise online. Tell your friends. Save the
Internet.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/help-the-fsf-share-free-software-licenses-with-the-world
title: Help the FSF share free software licenses with the world
uri: Help-the-FSF-share-free-software-licenses-with-the-world
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/help-the-fsf-share-free-software-licenses-with-the-world
content:
<p><em>As software permeates more and more aspects of society, the Free
Software Foundation (FSF) must expand <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal">our work to protect and extend
computer user freedom</a>. We launched our annual fundraiser with the
goal of welcoming 700 new Associate Members and raising $450,000
before December 31st. Please support the work at the root of the free
software movement: <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=lcbp&amp;pk_kwd=donate">make a donation</a> or –- better yet –- <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=lcbp&amp;pk_kwd=join">join us
and become a member today</a>.</em></p>
<p>In 2017, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html">GNU General Public
License (GPL) version 3</a>. A lot has changed in the world of free
software in the last decade. Thousands of software packages have been
released, court cases affecting the interpretation of licenses have
come and gone, and new threats to software freedom have risen and
fallen. More importantly, technology has transformed the way we live,
taking the importance of free software far beyond the established tech
world: computing has gone mobile via smartphones, and the Internet has
infiltrated every aspect of daily life.</p>
<p>Through it all, the FSF's licensing team was there to help people to
understand these changes and how they affect users. From our work
answering licensing questions from the public, to managing
certification programs like <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom</a>, to handling
license compliance for the GNU Project, to providing resources like
our <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html">list of free software licenses</a>, we were there to lend a
guiding hand. But if we want to continue this work, and do an even
better job in 2018, we need your help. We want to share a bit about
the work that we do on the licensing team, and let you know why it is
so vital that this work continues.</p>
<h1>Helping users understand licensing</h1>
<p>Working with a <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/team">team of volunteers</a>, we answered almost 600
licensing questions from the public in 2017. These can range from the
very simple (“Can I sell free software?” Answer: yes, you can!), to
the more involved task of choosing the right license for a
project. One such request resulted in our helping the Defense Digital
Service set up a system for regularly releasing free software, which kicked off with <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/the-licensing-and-compliance-lab-interviews-defense-digital-service-about-emcm">eMCM</a>, released under the
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.en.html">GNU Affero GPL version 3</a> license. Helping governments, other
organizations, and individuals to understand free licenses so that
they can distribute their software in a way that respects user freedom
is one of the most rewarding benefits of having an open channel for
answering licensing questions.</p>
<p>Others write to us trying to understand the licenses of existing
projects, whether they're established GNU licenses or licenses created
by other organizations. While we maintain a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html">list of licenses</a> and
our thoughts on them, some projects still choose to draft new
licenses. Even for licenses on which we've publicly commented, there
can be questions about what they mean, or how they can interact with
one another. These situations can be confusing if you are trying to
sort them out all on your own. We are here to guide you.</p>
<p>We also provide context and background for the flood of news happening
daily in the world of free software licensing. If a topic is
particularly important, like an <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/update-on-artifex-v-hancom-gnu-gpl-compliance-case-1">interesting GPL compliance case</a> or a pressing <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/zfs-and-linux">licensing issue</a>,
we often end up publishing an article on it.</p>
<p>Our team is always ready to answer these and other questions from
users all around the world. Providing users with a direct line lets us
share the gift of free software licensing on a personal level. But our
team is small, and we're trying to serve millions of free software
users across the globe. This means that we need to create and maintain
informational Web sites and other resources and reference materials
that are easy to find and to use.</p>
<h1>Helping users find free software</h1>
<p>The licensing team maintains the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page">Free Software Directory</a>, a
massive listing of almost 16,000 freely licensed packages. This
a resource for users to find free software, and helps maintainers of free
software packages discover potential licensing issues with their
code. We work with volunteers every <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory">Friday via IRC</a> to review free
software package licenses for inclusion in the Directory. If there's
an issue, we file a bug with the project about the licensing
problem. The Directory is a wiki that anyone can edit, and we welcome
more volunteers.</p>
<h1>Helping users find free distros</h1>
<p>In addition to individual packages, users need to know that their
systems as a whole are free.  Through our <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.en.html">List of Free GNU/Linux
distributions</a>, users can find a complete operating system that
contains and recommends only free software. We work with maintainers,
helping them remove nonfree software, and we point out other potential
issues with the distro. For many users, running a fully free distro is
the easiest way to ensure that they have complete control over their
own computing.</p>
<h1>Helping users find freedom-respecting devices</h1>
<p>Once a user has selected a fully free operating system, they'll need hardware
on which to run it. For general hardware needs, users can turn to
<a href="https://h-node.org/">h-node</a>, a volunteer-run project from the FSF. Being able to
purchase hardware that only comes with free software takes more
effort, which is where our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom</a> certification
program comes in. In 2017 we certified 18 devices, with 15 from <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/fifteen-new-devices-from-technoethical-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">Technoethical</a> and 3 from <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/three-devices-from-vikings-gmbh-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">Vikings GmbH</a></p>
<h1>Helping everyone ethically share free software</h1>
<p>When all of these educational resources aren't enough, and someone
fails to provide the rights guaranteed under a free license like the
GPL, FSF staff take special care to teach them how to come back into
our community. Where necessary, we uphold free software by enforcing
the license according to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/enforcement-principles">the Principles of Community-Oriented GPL
Enforcement</a>, which we co-developed with the <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/">Software Freedom
Conservancy</a>. With a little guided instruction, we help these
distributors come back into compliance.</p>
<h1>Help us share even more!</h1>
<p>The licensing team shares its expertise with users all around the
world. From answering questions directly from the public, to
publishing articles on current events in software licensing, to
providing materials on free software and the hardware it runs on, our
work helps users to share their own work as well. But to continue this
work, and do even more in the year to come, we need your support. Can
you help us to share the power of free licenses with users everywhere?</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: December 15th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-December-15th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-15th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-15th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory,
they know that everything in it is free software, has only free
dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is
a massive repository of information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>This week we're back to adding even more entries to the Directory, We are getting really close to 16,000 entries, and we hope to break through that barrier by the end of the year. Come join in the fun, and find out who adds the 16,000th entry!</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: December 22nd at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-December-22nd-at-12-00-p-m
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-22nd-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-22nd-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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. When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p>This week, our focus is on fleshing out the scope of two projects to improve the Directory, which will be a group project of the community and FSF efforts.  The first is with the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Collection:Privacy_pack">Privacy page</a>. It seems that the information is stale, as well as arguably misguided, so we would like to come up with an outline and a possible road map. The second project is to fix the license list.  Currently, there are a few errors.  Come this new year, I am going to start working on the templates.  So what I think would be great is to put together a team to catalog the issues.  One type of <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/License:Ruby">error</a> deals more with the content of the license, while other errors are simply editing issues -- for example, the word license is repeated inappropriately in some drop-down menus.</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/rms-article-for-claritys-sake-please-dont-say-licensed-under-gnu-gpl-2
title: RMS article - For Clarity's Sake, Please Don't Say "Licensed under GNU GPL 2"!
uri: RMS-article-For-Clarity-s-Sake-Please-Don-t-Say-Licensed-under-GNU
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-article-for-claritys-sake-please-dont-say-licensed-under-gnu-gpl-2
content:
<p>In this article, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/identify-licenses-clearly.html">For Clarity's Sake, Please Don't Say "Licensed under GNU GPL 2"!</a>, Free Software Foundation president Richard Stallman (RMS) explains how to properly identify what GNU license your work is under. Whenever a developer releases their work under a GNU license, they have the option to either release it under that version of the license only, or to make it available under any later version of that license. This option ensures that software can remain compatible with future versions of the license. But what happens if someone just says their program is under GNU GPL version 2, for example? </p>
<blockquote>
<p>[T]hey are leaving the licensing of the program unclear. Is it released under GPL-2.0-only, or GPL-2.0-or-later? Can you merge the code with packages released under GPL-3.0-or-later? </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thus, it is vitally important that developers indicate in their license notices whether they are licensing their work under that version "only" or under "any later version." Of course, these days it is also helpful for license notices to be machine-readable. The Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) specification sets a standardized way of identifying licenses on software packages. They are updating their license identifiers to include this distinction in their upcoming version. For example, for GNU GPL version 2, the identifiers are now "GPL-2.0-only or GPL-2.0-or-later." The old identifiers (e.g. "GPL-2.0") are now deprecated and should no longer be used. Based on the changes SPDX says are coming in the SPDX specification and its Web site, the FSF expects to endorse the new version of the SPDX. We thank SPDX and their community for making these helpful changes.</p>


title: Limited time only: get our new Four Freedoms shirt with an FSF Membership
uri: Limited-time-only-get-our-new-Four-Freedoms-shirt-with-an-FSF-Members
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/limited-time-only-get-our-new-four-freedoms-shirt-with-an-fsf-membership

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/limited-time-only-get-our-new-four-freedoms-shirt-with-an-fsf-membership

content:
<p>Spark up a conversation about the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software philosophy</a>
with this fun illustration of the four freedoms! Through December
31, 2017, you can get yours as a free premium by <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">joining</a> or
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/renew">renewing</a> with an annual FSF associate membership of $120 or
more (this promotion started with the launch of our fall
fundraiser on November 14, 2017). Or, wait until spring 2018 to buy
one at the GNU Press shop, or the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/">Libreplanet 2018</a>
conference!</p>
<p>This design was created by illustrator Mike Shea and the FSF's
Outreach &amp; Communications Coordinator, Dana Morgenstein, and will
be printed on heather stone grey T-shirts from Bella + Canvas. It
will be available in straight-cut or fitted sizes, and is made in
the US in <a href="http://www.wrapcompliance.org/">a WRAP-certified facility</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="media/f45d6409.gnu_shirt_illustration.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/fundraising/gnu_shirt_illustration.jpg" alt="mockup of four freedoms t-shirt" height="500" /></p>

<p>If you want to be the first to hear when the four freedoms shirt
is available for sale, join <a href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=88&amp;reset=1">the GNU Press mailing list</a>. As
always, if you can't find something in the store but think we
should offer it, please add your suggestion to our <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki?title=GNU_Press_Shop_Items_Ideas#Store">Ideas
page</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-november-sacramento-innsbruck
title: November 2017: Photos from Sacramento, Innsbruck
uri: November-2017-Photos-from-Sacramento-Innsbruck
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-november-sacramento-innsbruck
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>Free Software Foundation president Richard Stallman (RMS) was in
<strong>Sacramento,</strong> California, on November 15<sup>th</sup>,
as a guest of the Child Welfare Digital Services, which is a
California-government project whose mission is to &ldquo;fundamentally
change the way state government develops software by leveraging free
(libre) software, agile methodologies, and user centered design.&rdquo; Their further goals are to &ldquo;research, design, develop and
operate a solution that is compatible with the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GNU General Public
License (GNU GPL)</a>, and is thus available to be copied and used as
a public good by other government agencies and the public at
large.&rdquo;</p> 

<p>RMS spoke to an audience of software developers (from
Ruby on Rails, Java, PostgreSQL, and others), state-government IT
staff, and business managers.</p>

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

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171115-sacramento/20171115-sacramento-cc-by-4-0-bill-maile-01-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171115-sacramento/20171115-sacramento-cc-by-4-0-bill-maile-02-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="270" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171115-sacramento/20171115-sacramento-cc-by-4-0-bill-maile-05-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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Bill Maile. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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


<p>Later in the month, he was in <strong>Innsbruck,</strong> Austria,
for a lecture series on "Challenges to learning and education in the
media age" (<a href="media/ea332fe1.ring-vo_medienpaedagogik_ws2017-18.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.uibk.ac.at/medien-kommunikation/pdf-s-dateien/ring-vo_medienpaedagogik_ws2017-18.pdf">Herausforderungen
für Lernen und Bildung im Medienzeitalter</a>), at the University of
Innsbruck.  He gave his speech &ldquo;Education, software freedom, and
privacy,&rdquo;<sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> to explain
the new ways in which our computing and political freedom are being
threatened to an audience of 200&ndash;300.<p></p>

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

<img src="media/0f1713ec.20171130-innsbruck-cc-by-4-0-simon-haller-05-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171130-innsbruck/20171130-innsbruck-cc-by-4-0-simon-haller-05-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/678b7f6d.20171130-innsbruck-cc-by-4-0-simon-haller-07-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171130-innsbruck/20171130-innsbruck-cc-by-4-0-simon-haller-07-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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Simon Haller. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p>The next day, on December 1<sup>st</sup>, still in Innsbruck,
during the lecture series &ldquo;Communicating with robots: Talking
robots and social bots in discourse&rdquo; (<a href="media/4ef89512.flyer_medien-ring-vu_2017.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.uibk.ac.at/medien-kommunikation/pdf-s-dateien/flyer_medien-ring-vu_2017.pdf">"Mit
Computern kommunizieren: Gesprächsroboter und Social Bots im
Diskurs"</a>), he participated in the panel &ldquo;Education 4.0? -
Between learning bots and users' freedom, is digital inclusion
desirable?&rdquo;<sup><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> with Nelson
Gonçalves (Portugal), Martin Bauer (Vienna), and Andrea Hemetsberger
(UIBK) before an audience of over 150 people.</p>

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

<img src="media/a0711bcc.20171201-innsbruck-cc-by-4-0-simon-haller-04-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20171201-innsbruck/20171201-innsbruck-cc-by-4-0-simon-haller-04-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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Simon Haller. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to everyone who made this trip 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=517&amp;reset=1">Sacramento</a> and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=513&amp;reset=1">Innsbruck</a>.</p>

<p>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 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 />


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/support-crucial-free-software-infrastructure-today
title: Support crucial free software infrastructure today!
uri: Support-crucial-free-software-infrastructure-today
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/support-crucial-free-software-infrastructure-today
content:
<p><em>The FSF tech team maintains infrastructure for the free software
community, and your support helps improve and maintain it. Our
use of a free software stack means that our mission to promote
computer user freedom is embodied in every bit of our work.  Will
you power up this key free software infrastructure by supporting
the FSF today? <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal">Our annual fundraiser ends in a few days</a>, and
we need to raise $450,000 by December 31st. Through the end of
2017, all new and renewing Annual Associate Members ($120+) can
choose to receive our new Four Freedoms T-shirt! So wear your
freedom on your sleeve: <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=ttbp&amp;pk_kwd=join">become a member</a> or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=ttbp&amp;pk_kwd=donate">make a
donation</a> today.</em></p>
<div style="float: right; width: 350px; margin: 10px 20px 50px 25px; padding: 4px; 
                    text-align: center;"><img alt="mockup of four freedoms t-shirt" src="media/f45d6409.gnu_shirt_illustration.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/fundraising/gnu_shirt_illustration.jpg" width="350" />

</div>

<p>At the Free Software Foundation (FSF), we run public-facing
software to enable development, activism, and information-sharing
by thousands of free software users and developers. This includes
tools, Web sites, and distribution for the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/">GNU Project</a>, Web
sites like <a href="https://h-node.org/">h-node</a>, the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page">Free Software Directory</a>,
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Main_Page">libreplanet.org</a>, and mailing lists for thousands of free
software projects at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Main_Page">nongnu.org</a>. This infrastructure
supports a robust community, with an average of 1 million unique
visitors per month to gnu.org, and a half million emails per day
via <a href="https://lists.gnu.org">lists.gnu.org</a> and <a href="https://lists.nongnu.org">lists.nongnu.org</a>. All that,
running on our own servers, using exclusively free software!</p>
<p>Over the last year, we made many hardware and software upgrades,
including bringing a new cluster of servers online, which we
wrote about in the latest <a href="https://www.fsf.org/bulletin/2017/fall/six-months-of-equipment-upgrades-at-the-fsf"><em>Bulletin</em></a>. The FSF tech team's
biggest goal for the next year is to upgrade all remaining older
infrastructure, while refining our practices to improve freedom,
privacy, security, and reliability. Here are a few highlights:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>We are upgrading all our email software. The most visible email
software is GNU Mailman, and we are looking forward to using
version 3, which has a vastly improved Web interface, including
support for posting to lists via the Web.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Redesigning <a href="https://www.fsf.org">www.fsf.org</a>. The most pressing reason is so
that it displays better on small screens. The migration of the
existing html into modern software and the creation of a new design is a fairly
time-consuming task, but we are really excited for the site to
expand its reach.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Some older configurations and software that we use are decades
old, and were developed before version control software was a
best practice, so we're moving all of these items into git. We
share repositories that others might find useful, or might
contribute to, at <a href="https://vcs.fsf.org/">vcs.fsf.org</a>, and plan to share more over
the next year.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Since bringing up the new cluster, we are aiming to manage all
new virtual machines with Ansible, and to reduce the number of
commands we run in servers' local shells. The benefits of this
are wide-ranging: systems are easier to change and maintain by
being more documented, automated, and uniform. After we finish
upgrading older systems, we plan to extend this practice to all
existing systems.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>We are a small and very dedicated tech team, trying our best to
improve the infrastructure that enables the future of free
software to thrive. We need your financial support for that work
to continue and grow, so please donate now.</p>


title: The FSF tech team needs Spring 2017 interns! Apply by January 19, 2018
uri: The-FSF-tech-team-needs-Spring-2017-interns-Apply-by-January-19-2018
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-fsf-tech-team-needs-spring-2017-interns-apply-by-january-19-2018

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-fsf-tech-team-needs-spring-2017-interns-apply-by-january-19-2018

content:
<p>As an intern, you work closely with FSF staff members in your area of interest, such as network administration, GNU Project support, or Web development.</p>
<p>We're looking for interns to work with our tech team, who are interested in advancing their skill in
system administration, programming, security auditing, software stack research,
and other technical domains this spring. Past interns contributed to GNU Wget2,
created "HUBAngl" for easy video streaming, worked on porting LibreJS to
WebExtensions, penetration tested our network, and researched Ceph distributed
object storage. Interns may choose from our list of projects, or suggest one of
their own, and may work remotely or in our office located in downtown Boston.</p>
<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>
<h3>How to apply</h3>
<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 made, 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>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: December 29th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-December-29th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-29th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-december-29th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and
updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
almost 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>The FSF is set to ring in the New Year, and it's the time to
reflect on the previous year and take stock of the victories and the losses we
endured in the free software community over the last year.  An
essential aspect of New Year's introspection that can't be understated
is the need to look constructively to the future.  One example of a
step forward could be reworking the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Collection:Privacy_pack">Privacy Pack</a>, something that
RMS has suggested.  It would be ideal if we spent this meeting
fleshing out the general scope of changes, which can then be
presented to the directory-discuss mailing list, as well as leading to
some internal work.  Besides the discussion, it would be good
to <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Special:ApprovedRevs">update entries</a> while we ring in the new year.</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-december-2017
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap, December 2017
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-December-2017
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-december-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>. We had an exciting month working on the
Directory with our wonderful stable of volunteers.  These folks show
up week in and week out to improve the Directory. It's also important
to note the valiant efforts of those volunteers who can't make an
appearance at the meeting proper, but still plug away at Directory
entries during the week. </p>
<p>The December 8th meeting delved into federated systems.  One popular
example that came up was <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Mastodon">Mastodon</a>.  Some less well-known projects
received some attention too, including <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Keystone">Keystone</a>, which is a
system for organizing library systems, and which employs a federated
search across libraries.  There was also <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Sandstorm">Sandstorm</a>, which is a
federated system that allows you to retain your communication data on
your own system, and to optionally use the federated network to contact
and publish to remote servers.</p>
<p>The next two weeks, we focused on trying to break past 16,000 entries
before the new year, and at the time of writing, we are close, real close,
like 15,998 close. There is still one meeting left, so it seems likely
that we will break the 16k barrier, and of course, people contributing
outside the meeting could bust us through the wall as well.</p>
<p>The final important take-away from this month's meetings is the need
for improving the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Collection:Privacy_pack">Privacy Pack</a>. It is a nifty concept, but it
needs refinement in terms of scope and direction. One example could
be just expanding the page's coverage to include other software that
helps curtail government surveillance. Another direction to take is
highlighting the best free software out there to blind "the man's" eye
in a clear one-pager sort of way.  We hope to have this conversation
on the Directory <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/directory-discuss">mailing list</a>, with the ideas arising out of
this conversation leading to the framework for the new Pack.</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. EST
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/richard-stallman-on-why-you-should-join-the-fsf
title: Richard Stallman on why you should join the FSF
uri: Richard-Stallman-on-why-you-should-join-the-FSF
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/richard-stallman-on-why-you-should-join-the-fsf
content:
<p><em>As 2017 draws to a close, Richard M. Stallman, President of the
Free Software Foundation (FSF), offers his thoughts about why you
should become an FSF Associate Member.</em></p>
<p><em>Becoming an Associate Member reflects a long-term commitment to
supporting free software projects, licenses, and advocacy that
helps the FSF's staff and volunteers focus on the big picture and
work toward software freedom for all. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=fy17&amp;pk_kwd=rmsbp">Join today.</a></em></p>
<h1>Why you should join the Free Software Foundation</h1>
<p>There are many organizations that usefully promote free software,
but no other organization we know of stands for software freedom
as firmly as the Free Software Foundation. If freedom in your
computing is important to you, please join the Free Software
Foundation.</p>
<table align="right" style="background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center; margin:10px; border: none !important;  padding: 0px;">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td width="250" style="border: none !important;"><img src="media/f0c81873.20161122-pamplona-11.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/rms-photos/20161122-pamplona/20161122-pamplona-11.jpg" width="240" px="px" alt="Photo of Richard M. " /></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td style=" text-align: center; line-height: 1em; padding: 4px; margin: 0px; border: none;">Richard M. Stallman at the European<br /> Dialogues in Spain, November 2016</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>There are many organizations that <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/">criticize Digital Restrictions
Management (DRM)</a>. No other organization we know of campaigns
against DRM as firmly and strongly as the Free Software
Foundation. If you fighting DRM is important to you, please join
the Free Software Foundation.</p>
<p>There are many organizations that develop <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/">free software
licenses</a>, but they don't make protecting users' freedom the
principal goal, as the Free Software Foundation does. If
defending users' freedom is important to you, please join the
Free Software Foundation.</p>
<p>There are many organizations that maintain lists of free
programs, but no other organization has a list like our <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">Free
Software Directory</a>. If guidance on what programs you can
trust is important to you, please join the Free Software
Foundation.</p>
<p>There are many organizations that certify products for various
criteria, but no other organization certifies computers and
peripherals that <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respect Your Freedom</a> as the Free Software
Foundation does. If guidance on what to buy for freedom is
important to you, please join the Free Software Foundation.</p>
<p>Many organizations try to promote "open source," and they may do
useful, practical work. But <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">they don't go deeper into the ethics
of software</a> like the Free Software Foundation. If looking
deeply at software freedom is important to you, please join the
Free Software Foundation.</p>
<p>We won't stop. We will keep fighting until freedom wins. But we
need your support in order to have more effect, so please... join
the Free Software Foundation!</p>
<p>Richard M. Stallman<br />
President<br />
</p>
<p><em>Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, courtesy of the European Dialogues.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/nineteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-december-1
title: Nineteen new GNU releases in the month of December
uri: Nineteen-new-GNU-releases-in-the-month-of-December
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/nineteen-new-gnu-releases-in-the-month-of-december-1
content:
<p>(as of December 23, 2017):</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/">auctex-12.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gama/">gama-1.21</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/global/">global-6.6.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glpk/">glpk-4.64</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuastro/">gnuastro-0.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnucash/">gnucash-2.6.19</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-3.2.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.2.4</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.gnustep.org/">gnustep-back/gui-0.26.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/">guile-2.2.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guile-cv/">guile-cv-0.1.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libcdio/">libcdio-1.1.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libmicrohttpd/">libmicrohttpd-0.9.58</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libunistring/">libunistring-0.9.8</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.14.7-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.9.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20171222</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/">tar-1.30</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/tramp/">tramp-2.3.3</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: January 5th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-January-5th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-5th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-5th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on irc.freenode.org</a>.                                                                                                                           <br />
</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.                                                                                                               <br />
</p>
<p>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.                                                                                                                                  <br />
</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.                                                                                                                                      <br />
</p>
<p>This week's theme is, by special request from a big friend of the Directory: CAPTCHA, or, the Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. We have already identified some likely suspects, and we invite you to find others.  We are hoping for your help this Friday in running them down.                                                                                                     <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 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.                                                                                                                                   <br />
</p>


title: Undermine mass surveillance with free software and your phone calls
uri: Undermine-mass-surveillance-with-free-software-and-your-phone-calls
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/undermine-mass-surveillance-with-free-software-and-your-phone-calls

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/undermine-mass-surveillance-with-free-software-and-your-phone-calls

content:
<p>Introduced just a few days ago, the FISA Amendments
Reauthorization Act of 2017 attempts to both renew and expand
Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. You can <a href="media/1e0c7415.BILLS-115S139-RCP115-2053.pdf" data-original-source="http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20180108/BILLS-115S139-RCP115-%2053.pdf">read the bill
here</a>. While the NSA's surveillance practices are supposed to
be reserved for non-Americans, they use this bill to justify
monitoring the electronic communication of Americans associated
with non-citizens. The FSF opposes this bill, both for its
apparent violation of Americans' Fourth Amendment protection
against unreasonable search and seizure, and because it enables
bulk surveillance by US government intelligence agents.</p>
<p>In addition to renewing Section 702, this bill also aims to
expand its scope. As it stands, the NSA can collect emails both
to and from a non-US person not living in the US. The messages
are stored in databases that can be searched and read without a
warrant, even when Americans are involved in the
communications. The proposed expansion of Section 702 would make
this ugly little loophole permanent, only requiring a warrant for
such searches once a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or
other intelligence agent has found enough information to launch a
formal investigation.</p>
<p>Finally, the bill would renew an NSA practice that was abandoned
last year: "about" collection. With this type of data collection,
the NSA collects any digital communications -- not just
communications that are "to" or "from" a targeted person, but
simply "about" them (for example, an email between two other
people that mentions the targeted person's name), making the
collection even broader.</p>
<p>The Free Software Foundation sees this type of bulk surveillance
as a freedom issue that can be resisted by using free software
for email encryption, private Web browsing, and decentralized,
trustworthy online systems. As the Internet has become
increasingly centralized, more and more people have relinquished
control over their computing to remotely hosted systems and to
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html">Service as a Software Substitute (SaaSS)</a>, remotely-hosted
programs that exchange data with users to do computing that they
could do on their own machines. In both cases, you cannot see
what these servers are doing with your data -- and you have no
way of verifying that the host is respecting your freedom. But
these companies often submit to governments when they ask for
your information, whether it's ostensibly to fight terrorism or
to stop unauthorized copying. For more on why bulk surveillance
is a software freedom issue and how to take action, read on.</p>
<h3>Action in the United States</h3>
<p>Those of you in the United States can call Congress today. Here's
a call script:</p>
<blockquote>Hello, I live in CITY, STATE. I am calling to urge
you to vote against the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of
2017. The NSA and FBI should not be allowed to surveil Americans
without a warrant, or to carry out bulk surveillance of
anyone. Thank you for your time.</blockquote>

<p>Who should you call? </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative">Find your Representative</a> and call them.</li>
<li>Dial the House of Representatives' switchboard at <b>(202)
  224-3121</b> and they will connect you.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Action for everyone</h3>
<ul>
<li>Read more about <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/surveillance">why mass surveillance is a software freedom
   issue</a> and what you can do about it.</li>
<li>Encrypting our personal communication makes bulk surveillance
   more difficult and protects the people we communicate with, so
   if you don't already encrypt your emails, check out <a href="https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org">Email
   Self-Defense</a>, our beginner's guide to email encryption.</li>
</ul>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-management-engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom
title: The Management Engine: an attack on computer users' freedom
uri: The-Management-Engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-management-engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom
content:
<p><i>With security issues like the <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/meltdown-spectre-intel-ceo-no-recall-chip-processor/">Spectre and Meltdown</a> vulnerabilities discovered in Intel chips in early 2018, it became more important than ever to talk about the necessity of software freedom in these deeply embedded technologies. Thanks to Denis GNUtoo Carikli, we have a new basis for that conversation in this article.</i></p>

<p><i>The Intel Management Engine is a tool that ships with Intel chipsets, purportedly to ease the job of system administrators. But in reality, it is another restriction on user freedoms, imposed by a company, and used to control your computing.</i></p>

<p><i>Carikli offers a moderately technical explanation of what's happening with Management Engine, the ways in which it restricts rather than empowers users, and how it violates the four freedoms of free software.</i></p>

<p><i>Carikli may be best known for his work on the <a href="https://www.replicant.us/">Replicant</a> project, which he co-founded with Aaron Williamson, Bradley Kuhn, and Grazlano Sorbaioli. He has also worked on a number of free BIOS/UEFI including <a href="https://www.coreboot.org">coreboot</a> and <a href="https://www.serialice.com/Main_Page">serialICE</a>.</i></p>

<p>The Management Engine<sup>1</sup> (frequently abbreviated as ME) is a
separate computer within Intel computers, which denies users
control by forcing them to run nonfree
software that cannot be modified or replaced by anyone but
Intel. This is dangerous and unjust. It is a very serious
attack on the freedom, privacy, and security of computer users.</p>

<p>The Management Engine started to appear in Intel computers
around 2007<sup>2</sup>.</p>

<p>At first, it was designed to help system administrators and other
employees to remotely manage computers<sup>3</sup>, and was
advertised as a computer feature for business customers.
It could, for instance, be used to remotely:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Power the computers on and off.</p></li>
<li><p>Boot computers from remote storage located on the system
administrator's machine or on a server, and take control
of the computer that way<sup>4</sup>.</p></li>
<li><p>Retrieve and store various serial numbers that identify
the computer hardware.</p></li>
</ul>


<p>Over time, Intel imposed the Management Engine on all Intel
computers, removed the ability for computer users and
manufacturers to disable it, and extended its control
over the computer to nearly 100%. It even has access to the
main computer's memory.</p>

<p>It now constitutes a separate computing environment that is
designed to deny users the control of their computer.
It can even run applications that implement Digital Restrictions
Management (DRM)<sup>5</sup>. See <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/">Defective by Design</a> to learn why DRM is bad.</p>

<p>The remote administration is done through applications
running inside the Management Engine, such as AMT (Active Management Technology)<sup>6</sup>.
AMT gives remote system administrators the same control
they would have if sitting in front of the computer<sup>7</sup>.
AMT can also control Intel Ethernet interfaces and WiFi
cards to filter or block network traffic from going in
or out of the computer<sup>8</sup>.</p>

<p>Intel has gone as far as to use a free operating system and convert
it to nonfree software to attack its users' freedom:
The license<sup>9</sup> of the operating system they use does not give users rights to the source code under a free license, nor does it ensure users' rights to run modified versions of that code on the Management Engine.</p>

<p>We could correct all these problems if the users were able
to run fully free software on the Management Engine, or at
least, make it not run any code, effectively disabling it.
The former is impossible because the Management Engine will
only run code that is cryptographically signed by Intel<sup>10</sup>.
This means that unless someone finds a flaw in the hardware
that enables users to bypass the signature check, users are
effectively denied the ability to install the software they
wish in the Management Engine.</p>

<p>To prevent free operating systems from being subverted
into an instrument that makes attacking users' freedom
cheaper and easier, it is important to license their components
under the GNU GPLv3 or later whenever possible. This keeps
the software free and prevents hardware manufacturers from
denying end users the ability to run modified versions
of the software. See <a href="https://gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html">how to choose a license for your own
work</a> to learn
about the best licensing strategies to maximize users' freedom, and in
which cases licenses other than the GPLv3 might be suitable.</p>

<p>Despite all Intel's efforts to make the Management Engine
inescapable, software developers have had some success with
preventing it from loading code.
For instance, the Libreboot project disables the Management Engine by removing all the code that the Management Engine
is supposed to load on some Thinkpad computers manufactured
in 2008, including the R400, T400, T400s, T500, W500, X200,
X200s, and X200T.</p>

<p>Also, many Intel computers manufactured in 2006 have the
ancestor of the Management Engine which is disabled
from the start, such as the Lenovo Thinkpads X60,
X60s, X60 Tablet and T60, and many more.</p>

<p>A free software program named intelmetool<sup>11</sup> is capable of
detecting if the Management Engine is absent or disabled.
With more recent hardware, it is not yet possible to fully
disable the Management Engine, as some of the hardware
needs to be initialized by it.
It is however possible to limit the amount of nonfree
software running on the Management Engine by removing
parts of the code and/or by configuring it to not run
some code<sup>12</sup>.</p>

<p>Independently from the Management Engine, other issues affect
computers users in very similar ways:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Many computers use nonfree boot software (like BIOS or
UEFI or equivalent) and/or require it to be
cryptographically signed by the hardware manufacturer
This raises similar concern for the freedom, privacy,
and security of computer users because the boot software
is responsible for loading the operating system, and has
more control over the computer than the operating system.
This issue also affects computers using other architectures
such as ARM<sup>13</sup>.</p></li>
<li><p>AMD<sup>14</sup> computers made after 2013 also have a separate
computer within the computer, called PSP (Platform Security
Processor), which has similar issues.</p></li>
</ul>


<p>Because of Intel's attack on users' freedom, to avoid being
denied freedom, privacy, and security, computer users
wanting to use a machine with an Intel processor must
use older computers with no Management Engine, or whose
Management Engine is disabled.</p>

<p>Whenever companies follow Intel's path, we will need to
design our own hardware to keep being able to escape such
attacks on freedom, by ensuring that users can run fully
free software on it. This will also create the necessary
building blocks that will enable users to benefit from
hardware freedoms<sup>15</sup> in the future, when manufacturing
technologies are easily available to end users.</p>

<p>For more information on the Intel Management Engine, see:</p>

<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/intel-me-and-why-we-should-get-rid-of-me">Intel &amp; ME, and why we should get rid of ME</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-technology">"Active Management Technology": The obscure remote control in some Intel hardware</a></p></li>
</ul>


<h2>References:</h2>

<ol>
<li><p>Also called SPS (Server Platform Services) on servers and TXE (Trusted Execution Engine) on some mobile or low
power devices.</p></li>
<li><p>For more information about the history of the Management Engine,
see pages 27, 28, and 29 of the 2014 book <em>Platform
Embedded Security Technology Revealed</em>, by Xiaoyu Ruan
(ISBN 978-1-4302-6571-9), at
<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4302-6572-6">Springer</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>The remote management can be done through an application that is
running inside the Management Engine. Various applications exist for
that, and the best known is called AMT (Active Management Technology).</p></li>
<li><p>This functionality is part of AMT, and is known as
 SOL/IDE redirect.</p></li>
<li><p>For more information about Digital Restrictions
Management and the Management Engine, see from page
191 until the end of chapter 8
(Hardware-Based Content Protection Technology) of the
book <em>Platform Embedded Security Technology Revealed</em>,
by Xiaoyu Ruan (ISBN 978-1-4302-6571-9) at
<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4302-6572-6">Springer</a>.</p>

<p> This chapter tries to justify the usage of Digital
 Restrictions Management (DRM).
 DRM is totally unacceptable as it requires the users
 not to be in control of their computers to effectively
 prevent them from exercising their legal rights (such
 as fair use, or being able to copy published works).
 That chapter clearly shows the link between preventing
 users from controlling their hardware and effective DRM.</p>

<p> FSF's <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org">Defective by Design
 campaign</a> has resources to take
 actions against DRM.</p></li>
<li><p>AMT is often available on Intel computers designed for
 business customers, and not on computers designed for
 consumers.
 When available, there are often BIOS or UEFI settings to
 turn it off, but as they are implemented by nonfree
 software, there is no easy way to know what such
 settings really do, or to know what the consequences
 of turning AMT on or off that way really are.</p></li>
<li><p>This functionality is part of AMT, and is
called System Defense. For more detail about that see <a href="https://software.intel.com/sites/manageability/HLAPI_Documentation/Documents/detaileddescription3.htm">Intel's
System Defense
description</a>
and <a href="https://software.intel.com/sites/manageability/HLAPI_Documentation/Documents/howsystemdefenseworks.htm">Intel's documentation on how it
works</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>To do that, Intel used VNC (Virtual Network Computing), a standard protocol to remotely administrate computers, by relaying keyboard, mouse, and display over a network. Many free software programs
implementing such protocols can also do that, and can be found in <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">the
free software directory</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Here, Intel recently started to use Minix, a free software
 operating system released under various BSD licenses.</p>

<p> BSD licenses are weak free software licenses that don't
 prevent software from being used to mistreat users (by
 removing the freedoms it came with).</p>

<p> Some parts of Minix are released under the Original BSD
 license, or modified versions of it. This issue makes it
 impossible to combine such software with software
 licensed under the GNU GPL licenses.
 To avoid that issue it is better to choose other weak
 licenses as explained in <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#ModifiedBSD">this article about the modified BSD
 license</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>This means that,
through cryptography, the hardware manufacturer (for instance Intel)
decides which code can run on that hardware.</p></li>
<li><p>See
<a href="https://github.com/zamaudio/intelmetool">intelmetool</a>, an utility
for reporting the Management Engine status.</p></li>
<li><p>This can be done with <a href="https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/">the me_cleaner
program</a>. Also, Purism's Librem
13 v2 and Librem 15 v3, sold after 19 October 2017, have already had
that done; for machines sold earlier, and the Librem 13 v1, the
<a href="https://code.puri.sm/kakaroto/coreboot-files/raw/master/build_coreboot.sh">build_coreboot.sh
program</a>
can do it. You can also do it with Coreboot 4.6 by enabling the option
named "Strip down the Intel ME/TXE firmware." Note that Coreboot is not
entirely free software itself. More generally, you can use the
me_cleaner program to do this for any Intel computer that has the
Management Engine. For more detail about how me_cleaner works see Positive Technologies's article named <a href="http://blog.ptsecurity.com/2017/08/disabling-intel-me.html">"Disabling Intel ME 11 via
undocumented
mode"</a>; me_cleaner's <a href="https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/wiki/How-does-it-work%3F">documentation on how it
works</a>; and me_cleaner's <a href="https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/wiki/HAP-AltMeDisable-bit">documentation on the HAP and the AltMeDisable
bits</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>ARM is a computer
hardware architecture that is commonly found in small and mobile
devices such as smartphones and tablets.</p></li>
<li><p>AMD is a company that makes computer hardware which is
mostly equivalent to Intel hardware, and can replace it,
as it can run the same operating systems and applications
with no or very few changes.</p></li>
<li><p>For more details on hardware freedom, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-hardware-designs.html">the article on Free Hardware and Free Hardware
Designs</a>.</p></li>
</ol>


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

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

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

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on irc.freenode.org</a>.                                                                                                                           <br />
</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.                                                                                                               <br />
</p>
<p>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With almost 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.                                                                                                                                  <br />
</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.                                                                                                                                      <br />
</p>
<p>This week's theme is organizing for the future. We'll be working on updating software that helps you organize and push for change, whether that's organizing your own life or leading a movement forward. We'll also be discussing how to organize and lead teams working on the Directory. Now is your chance to take charge and chart the future of the Directory!                                                                                           <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 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.                                                                                                                                   <br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/your-support-made-it-happen-over-500k-for-the-fsf-fundraiser
title: Your support made it happen! Over $500k for the FSF fundraiser
uri: Your-support-made-it-happen-Over-500k-for-the-FSF-fundraiser
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/your-support-made-it-happen-over-500k-for-the-fsf-fundraiser
content:
<p><strong>We did it thanks to you.</strong> The Free Software Foundation (FSF) had
another successful winter fundraiser this year. For us, 2017 ended
on a high note, by blowing past our fundraising goal of $450,000 (USD). Thanks to your generosity, we have raised <strong>over $500,000</strong> to power up the FSF and support software freedom in 2018.</p>
<p>What does $500,000 mean to the FSF? As we said in our <a href="https://fsf.org/appeal">emails and blog
posts</a>, these funds will turn into:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/support-crucial-free-software-infrastructure-today">Upgraded technical infrastructure</a> for FSF staff and activities, as
well as GNU projects;</li>
<li>An updated <a href="https://fsf.org">fsf.org</a> (yes, we're as excited as you!);</li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/help-the-fsf-share-free-software-licenses-with-the-world">Resources and education</a> for those looking to be better free
software citizens and users;</li>
<li>Support for <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/update-on-artifex-v-hancom-gnu-gpl-compliance-case-1">GPL compliance</a>;</li>
<li>Review and certification of hardware for our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom</a> program;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/fight_drm_support_defective_design">Fighting for a DRM-free world</a> with <a href="https://defectivebydesign.org">DefectiveByDesign</a>;</li>
<li><a href="https://fsf.org/campaigns">Resources</a> concerning the dangers of proprietary software;</li>
<li><a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet</a>, the annual FSF conference;</li>
<li>FSF staff and volunteer presence at events and conferences around the
world.</li>
</ul>
<p>To top it all off, we ended 2017 with over 5,000 FSF members -- more than ever before.  As over 85% of our funding comes from donations and membership dues, these members are vital to the FSF. We are powered by donors, members, and volunteers like you -- all of the work of the FSF is accomplished with your help.</p>
<p>Again, thank you so much for your generosity. We're excited to see what we can do together in 2018.</p>


title: The 2018 LibrePlanet keynotes are here -- you won't want to miss them!
uri: The-2018-LibrePlanet-keynotes-are-here-you-won-t-want-to-miss-them
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-2018-libreplanet-keynotes-are-here-you-wont-want-to-miss-them

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-2018-libreplanet-keynotes-are-here-you-wont-want-to-miss-them

content:
<p>This year at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/">LibrePlanet 2018</a>, you can hear talks by
anthropologist and author Gabriella Coleman, free software policy
expert and community advocate Deb Nicholson, Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF) senior staff technologist Seth Schoen, and of
course, FSF founder and president Richard Stallman. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">Register for this year's conference here!</a></p>
<div style="float: right; width: 350px; margin: 10px 20px 20px 25px; padding: 4px; 
                    text-align: center;"><img alt="Image of four people: Biella Coleman, a woman with dark hair and glasses; Deb Nicholson, a woman with blonde hair holding a toy gnu; Richard Stallman, a man with glasses, a short white beard and long dark hair; and Seth Schoen, a man with glasses and very short dark hair and beard." src="media/c1a56faf.speakers.png" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/photos/speakers.png" width="350" />

</div>

<p>Gabriella (Biella) Coleman is best known in the free software
community for her book <em>Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics
of Hacking</em>. Trained as an anthropologist, Coleman holds the
Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy at <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/ahcs/people-contacts/faculty/gabriella-coleman">McGill
University</a>. Her scholarship explores the intersection of the
<a href="media/ad679174.Coleman-2016-Hacker-Digital-Keywords-Peters-ed.pdf" data-original-source="http://culturedigitally.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Coleman-2016-Hacker-Digital-Keywords-Peters-ed.pdf">cultures of hacking and politics</a>, with a focus on the
sociopolitical implications of the free software movement and the
digital protest ensemble Anonymous, the latter in her book
<em>Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of
Anonymous</em>.</p>
<p>Deb Nicholson is a free software policy expert and a passionate
community advocate, notably contributing to <a href="https://mediagoblin.org/">GNU MediaGoblin</a>
and <a href="https://openhatch.org/">OpenHatch</a>. She is the Community Outreach Director for
the <a href="https://www.openinventionnetwork.com/">Open Invention Network</a>, the world's largest patent
non-aggression community, which serves the kernel Linux, GNU,
Android, and other key free software projects. A perennial
speaker at LibrePlanet, this is Nicholson's first keynote at the
conference.</p>
<p>Seth David Schoen has worked at the <a href="https://eff.org">EFF</a> for over a decade,
creating the Staff Technologist position and helping other
technologists understand the civil liberties implications of
their work, helping EFF staff better understand technology
related to EFF's legal work, and helping the public understand
what the products they use really do. Schoen last spoke at
LibrePlanet in 2015, when he introduced <a href="https://letsencrypt.org/">Let's Encrypt</a>, the
automated, free software-based certificate authority.</p>
<p>FSF president <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board">Richard Stallman</a> 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>LibrePlanet is an annual conference for people who care about
their digital freedoms, bringing together software developers,
policy experts, activists, and computer users to learn skills,
share accomplishments, and tackle challenges facing the free
software movement. The theme of this year's conference is
Freedom. Embedded. In a society reliant on embedded systems -- in
cars, digital watches, traffic lights, and even within our bodies
-- how do we defend computer user freedom, protect ourselves
against corporate and government surveillance, and move toward a
freer world? LibrePlanet 2018 will feature sessions for all ages
and experience levels.</p>
<p>For the fifth year in a row, LibrePlanet will be co-presented by
the Free Software Foundation and MIT's Student Information
Processing Board (SIPB), and we can't wait to see you all at this
vibrant gathering of free software enthusiasts. The rest of the
LibrePlanet program will be announced soon. The <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/when-we-fight-we-win-technology-and-liberation-in-trump-s-america-6956/">opening
keynote</a> at LibrePlanet 2017 was given by Kade Crockford,
Director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of
Massachusetts, and the <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/lessons-myths-and-lenses-what-i-wish-i-d-known-in-1998/">closing keynote</a> was given by Sumana
Harihareswara, founder of Changeset Consulting.</p>
<p><a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">Registration for LibrePlanet is now open</a>, and admission is
gratis for Free Software Foundation members and students. Not a
member? <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">Join today</a> for gratis admission to LibrePlanet and
other exclusive benefits.</p>
<p><em>Photo credits: Deb Nicholson by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rhiannonstone/2744017707/">Misty Smith</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC-BY-NC-SA</a>,
 Gabriella Coleman by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/biella/15837092652/in/album-72157671619097096">Victor Jeffreys II</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0</a>,
 Richard Stallman by <a href="https://twitter.com/KoriFeener">Kori Feener</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC-BY-SA</a>, Seth David Schoen
 by <a href="https://eff.org">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/">CC-BY 3.0 US</a></em></p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: January 19th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-January-19th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-19th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-19th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet on IRC in the <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/fsf">#fsf channel on irc.freenode.org</a>.                                                                                                                           <br />
</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.                                                                                                               <br />
</p>
<p>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.                                                                                                                                  <br />
</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.                                                                                                                                      <br />
</p>
<p>This week we're back to adding new packages. While we recently surpassed the 16,000 entry milestone, there's still a long ways to go before the Directory is fully up to speed. In addition to working on adding individual packages, we'll be continuing our search for help with the Directory import project, which could help add thousands of packages in one blow.                                                                                                  <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 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.                                                                                                                                   <br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/intel-management-engine-2013-take-action
title: Intel Management Engine – Take Action
uri: Intel-Management-Engine-Take-Action
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/intel-management-engine-2013-take-action
content:
<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-management-engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom">Intel Management Engine (ME)</a> is a grave threat to the freedom, privacy, and security of computer users. The <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/meltdown-spectre-intel-ceo-no-recall-chip-processor/">Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities</a> discovered in early 2018 have drawn a great deal of unwanted attention to Intel, and this provides us with an opportunity to educate others about the dangers of the Intel ME, as well as other ongoing injustices imposed by proprietary software.</p>
<p>If there is an event at your university or in your community addressing the Intel chip bugs, we urge you to distribute printed copies of <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-management-engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom">our report on the Intel ME</a> by Denis GNUtoo Carikli, with the following foreword by Free Software Foundation president Richard Stallman:</p>
<p><em>Meltdown and Spectre are errors.  Grave errors, to be sure, but not evidently malicious.  Everyone makes mistakes.</em></p>
<p><em>Intel has done far worse with its CPUs than make a mistake.  It has built in an intentional back door called the Management Engine.</em></p>
<p><em>Important as these bugs are, don't let Intel's mistakes distract you from Intel's deliberate attack!</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="media/1d0c7c12.Intel_ME_Carikli_article_PRINT_2.pdf" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/Intel_ME_Carikli_article_PRINT_2.pdf">Download a printable PDF of the article here.</a></strong></p>
<p>These events provide an excellent chance to inform our friends and neighbors about why free software matters. Please let us know if you bring this article to an event, and let us know how it turned out.</p>


title: Victory for libre networks: ActivityPub is now a W3C recommended standard
uri: Victory-for-libre-networks-ActivityPub-is-now-a-W3C-recommended-stand
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/victory-for-libre-networks-activitypub-is-now-a-w3c-recommended-standard

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/victory-for-libre-networks-activitypub-is-now-a-w3c-recommended-standard

content:
<p><em>This guest post is from GNU MediaGoblin founder Christopher Lemmer
Webber.</em></p>
<p>I'm happy to announce that after three years of standardization work
in the <a href="https://www.w3.org/wiki/Socialwg/2015-01-06-minutes">World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Social Working Group</a>,
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/">ActivityPub</a> has finally been made an official W3C recommended
standard. Hooray!</p>
<p>ActivityPub is a protocol for building decentralized social networking
applications. It provides both a server-to-server protocol (i.e.
federation) and a client-to-server protocol (for desktop and mobile
applications to connect to your server). You can use the
server-to-server protocol or the client-to-server protocol on their
own, but one nice feature is that the designs for both are very
similar. Chances are, if you've implemented support for one, you can
get support for the other with very little extra effort! We've worked
hard to make ActivityPub easy to understand. If this is your first
time reading about it, I recommend diving into <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/#Overview">the overview</a>.</p>
<p>Why ActivityPub? Increasingly, much of our lives is mediated through
social networks, and so network freedom in these spaces -- and thus
removing central control over them -- is critical. One thing you may
have noticed in the last decade is that many decentralized free
software social networking applications have been written. Sadly, most
of those applications can't actually speak to each other -- a
fractured federation. I hope that with ActivityPub, we've improved
that situation. And indeed, you may already be using ActivityPub now
without realizing it. <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/">Mastodon</a>, the incredibly popular free
software microblogging platform with <a href="https://mnm.social/">over one million registered
users</a>, uses ActivityPub to federate between servers, and <a href="https://activitypub.rocks/implementation-report/">many
more applications</a> already either partially or fully support
ActivityPub. Seeing is believing, and in that vein I encourage you to
<a href="https://peertube.cpy.re/videos/watch/da2b08d4-a242-4170-b32a-4ec8cbdca701">watch this video</a>, which shows two totally different instances of
two totally different codebases (<a href="https://github.com/Chocobozzz/PeerTube">PeerTube</a> and <a href="https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon">Mastodon</a>)
federating. Pretty cool, right?</p>
<p>The standardization of ActivityPub has been a long journey. Three
years ago, MediaGoblin contributor Jessica Tallon and I agreed that we
wanted to make sure that whatever federation API we used was as
broadly compatible with other libre social networking sites as
possible, so when we heard about the Social Working Group, we applied
as invited experts. "We'll just show up to the hour-long meetings once
a week to make sure things are on track as far as our needs go," we
thought.<br />
</p>
<p>Well, next thing you know, we're both co-editors of
ActivityPub. ("Revolutions are run by those who show up," I suppose.)
ActivityPub took a lot of time and effort, and not just from Jessica
and I. ActivityPub's origins go back to StatusNet (the foundation for
what's now called GNU Social) and the experiences of its lead
developer, Evan Prodromou, in writing and developing the OStatus
protocol and its successor, the Pump API (on which ActivityPub is
based). Erin Shepherd converted the Pump API to the first drafts of a
standard with ActivityPub, and from there Jessica and I took over, with
major help from <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/#acknowledgements">many community members</a> and long conversations
with many different libre social networking platforms, not to mention
many hours of effort ActivityPub implementers. Thank you to everyone
who has participated!</p>
<p>One other noticeable effect of standardizing ActivityPub is that it
has taken up most of my time, so much so that I've been largely
absent from MediaGoblin, the project which was the initial motivator
for my participation in the standardization effort in the first
place. This even includes a long delay in merging our own federation
code, which was written by Jessica before and during the early days of
the standardization effort. Both ActivityPub and the world of Web
development in general changed a lot over the course of these
efforts. </p>
<p>Happily, the MediaGoblin community stepped up in my absence
(especially thanks to Boris Bobrov who stepped up as co-maintainer or,
let's be honest, maintainer over the last few years) and has kept
things running. But we're left in the odd position of being behind on
our federation efforts because of our work towards standardizing
federation. Was it worth it? Well, sometimes you know where you want
to go but not how to get there. Advancing federation was one of
MediaGoblin's big goals, and I'd say with the work that happened on
ActivityPub (which I'm convinced would have not made it all the way
without MediaGoblin motivating Jessica and I) and with the adoption
we're already seeing, I think so. Anyway, that's all to say that
MediaGoblin and ActivityPub have a journey forward together, though it
may be worth a bit of time to regroup on next steps. More on that to
come. And in the meanwhile, I think ActivityPub itself is a major
contribution to libre networks.</p>
<p>I do believe that building libre networks that are viable alternatives
to currently popular dystopian systems requires coordination, and
sometimes standardization bodies will be the place to do this, as I
believe was the case with ActivityPub. Notably, we began the process
with the W3C before the <a href="http://dustycloud.org/blog/drm-will-unravel-the-web/">extremely unfortunate decision to effectively
endorse DRM through EME</a>. I am glad we finished the work we
started and saw through the W3C process, and I have had the good
fortune to work with some incredible people through that organization
and surrounding communities. However I do believe the standardization
of EME was counter to the W3C's mission. What can we do to make sure
that the organizations which are meant to be stewards of network
freedom are able to stay true to these goals? I don't know, though I
think there is more to be examined in that space in the future.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I am proud to see ActivityPub reach the W3C Recommendation
process. It's been a long road... but the most interesting journey is
ahead. And you can help, by building or contributing to an exciting
ActivityPub project of your own. And if you do? You should <a href="https://www.w3.org/wiki/SocialCG">talk to us
about it</a>!</p>
<p>Happy hacking on libre networks!</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: January 26th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-January-26th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-26th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-january-26th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
almost 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>You've heard that Austin, TX is weird, but have you heard that it's "in the know"? On January 25th, 1932, the local radio station was KUT-AM, but the next day, following a purchase by Hearst publications, <a href="http://fadedsignals.com/post/40479893325/know-in-austin-tex-had-roots-in-an-early">it became KNOW</a>, noted for their dedication to award-winning news coverage. This week, we will look at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special%3ASearch&amp;profile=default&amp;fulltext=Search&amp;search=radio">radio entries</a>, as well as working on unapproved pages.</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-january-2018
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap, January 2018
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-January-2018
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-january-2018
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>. We had an exciting month working on the
Directory with our wonderful stable of volunteers.  These folks show
up week in and week out to improve the Directory. It's also important
to note the valiant efforts of those volunteers who can't make an
appearance at the meeting proper, but still plug away at Directory
entries during the week. </p>
<p>The new year kicked off to a great start, with the Directory finally crossing over 16,000 packages! This past year, we focused a lot on cleaning up and updating already existing entries. The Directory is much better for the effort. But it's great to see that we were able to continue growing the Directory even while we focused on fixing it up.</p>
<p>We followed that up with some big plans for the future, creating <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Participate/Project_Team">Project Teams</a> to focus and lead the effort on particular issues on the Directory. Some projects have been ongoing, such as cataloging <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:IceCat_plugins">IceCat Plugins</a>. Other projects are just kicking off, or still in need of team captains. Adding this little bit of structure should help get these projects up and running.</p>
<p>The month rounded out with more new additions to the Directory, as well as working on software projects related to radio. All in all, a great start to the new year, and we have much more to look forward to in the months to come.</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. EST
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


title: February to June 2017: Photos from Reykjavík, East Lansing, Potsdam, Montreal, and Salta
uri: February-to-June-2017-Photos-from-Reykjavík-East-Lansing-Potsdam
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-retrospective-reykjavik-eastlansing-potsdam-montreal-salta

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/photo-blog-2017-retrospective-reykjavik-eastlansing-potsdam-montreal-salta

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>January was a relatively quiet month for FSF president Richard
Stallman (RMS), so we're taking this opportunity to look back on a few
speeches that RMS gave last year and that we did not get a chance to
report on.</p>

<p>On February 6<sup style="font-size:8px">th</sup>, 2017, RMS was at
Reykjavík University, in <strong>Reykjavík, Iceland</strong>, to give
his speech &ldquo;Free software: For your freedom and privacy,&rdquo;
to about 200 people.</p>

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

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170206-reykjavik/20170206-reykjavik-001-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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 <a href="http://www.dhs.is">Daði Sigursveinn Harðarson</a>. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

<p>He then took the opportunity to go on a small road trip with his
hosts, along the southern coast of the island, and take in some
spectacular sights (here, along the highway and at Vik
beach)&#8230;</p>

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170206-reykjavik/20170206-reykjavik-071-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170206-reykjavik/20170206-reykjavik-130-thumb.jpg " 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Eyþór Máni Steinarsson. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

<p>&#8230;as well as to get some work done, in some unusual locations and unconventional situations (at Seljalandsfoss, and atop an obliging equid, respectively)&#8230;</p>

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170206-reykjavik/20170206-reykjavik-021-thumb.jpg " alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170206-reykjavik/20170206-reykjavik-178-thumb.jpg " 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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Free Software Foundation. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p>A couple of months and a number of speeches later, on April 11<sup style="font-size:8px">th</sup>, RMS was at Michigan State University,
in <strong>East Lansing,</strong> Michigan, to give his speech
&ldquo;A free digital society,&rdquo; to a standing-room-only
crowd.</p>

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

<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170411-eastlansing/20170411-eastlansing-1-thumb.png " alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170411-eastlansing/20170411-eastlansing-2-thumb.png " alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170411-eastlansing/20170411-eastlansing-3-thumb.png " alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170411-eastlansing/20170411-eastlansing-5-thumb.png " 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>Copyright © 2017 Irem Gokce Yildirim. Photos licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

<p>His host, Professor Bill Dutton, was subdued when asked about the
prospects of free software adoption at MSU, mentioning
&ldquo;university central purchasing schemes&rdquo; as an obstacle,
and going on to cite &ldquo;a lack of awareness&rdquo; as the main
reason there is no migration to free software. &ldquo;Too many
students and faculty accept being controlled by software,&rdquo; he said.  He was, however, pleased with the energy the visit had
generated, and excited that RMS's talk had &ldquo;brought students and
faculty together across departmental boundaries&rdquo; and that
&ldquo;there was interest from across the university,&rdquo; something
that gives us all reason to be hopeful.</p> 

<p>The FSF is working hard to
move the dial on this issue. You can help by raising awareness at
your own school or university, and you might find our information on
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/education/">free software in
education</a> useful in making your case.</p>

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

<p>Later that same month, on April 28<sup style="font-size:8px">th</sup>, RMS spoke in <strong>Potsdam,</strong>
Germany, at the invitation of the Hasso Plattner Institute, at the
University of Potsdam.  His talk was part of the <a href="http://hpi.de/future-soc-symposium">Future Trends in
Service-Oriented Computing</a> symposium.  The lecture hall was full for RMS's
speech &ldquo;Ethical Principles for Service-Oriented
Computing.&rdquo;<sup style="font-size:8px"><a href="#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup></p>

<p>Andreas Grapentin, a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute who was
instrumental in organizing the visit, was pleased with the talk,
remarking,</p>

<div align="justify">
<div style="margin-left:30px">
<div style="margin-right:30px">
<blockquote>
<p>
As a long-term advocate of free software and a contributor to several
free software projects, co-organizing RMS's visit to Hasso Plattner
Institute in 2017 has been a personal highlight for me. It has also
been a unique opportunity for everyone at our institute and beyond to
meet a true hero of our field, and to learn more about the ethics of
software engineering, and the importance of freedom and privacy in
society.
</p>

<p>
After graduating, the majority of our students proceed to join a
professional work environment&mdash;or maybe found their first
startup&mdash;and it will be up to them to evaluate the social impact
of their work-life decisions and to make sensible choices that will
benefit or harm society as a whole. We invited RMS to help educate
them about the possible threats that unethical software can impose
upon the freedom and privacy of its users, and to help them make
informed decisions during their career.
</p>

<p>
We are very happy that RMS took the time to visit, and was able to
present his thoughts on the subject of free software, and possible
ethical issues of software services and dis-services in front of more
than 200 students, members of staff, professors and members of our
research school on service-oriented computing. People here were
talking about the event, the concept of free software, and about the
importance of ethical choices in software engineering for months
afterwards.
</p>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>

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

<img src="media/74d10536.20170428-potsdam-02-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-02-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/83919c5f.20170428-potsdam-03-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-03-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/16a1841c.20170428-potsdam-01-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-01-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/81857b38.20170428-potsdam-05-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-05-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c9e6347e.20170428-potsdam-08-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-08-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/50fce0a9.20170428-potsdam-18-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-18-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/bb26459a.20170428-potsdam-09-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-09-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/99b9c23f.20170428-potsdam-10-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-10-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/aad3996c.20170428-potsdam-12-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-12-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/344878ba.20170428-potsdam-14-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-14-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4c022d84.20170428-potsdam-15-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-15-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0afbfd5a.20170428-potsdam-16-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-16-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8b3be702.20170428-potsdam-17-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-17-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b5de0098.20170428-potsdam-19-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-19-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4948ccbb.20170428-potsdam-20-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-20-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/aa62acda.20170428-potsdam-22-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-22-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ddc4b5b3.20170428-potsdam-23-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-23-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/1f233ee1.20170428-potsdam-24-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-24-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/dd36fec7.20170428-potsdam-25-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-25-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/cf4f0a3e.20170428-potsdam-26-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-26-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/37a67481.20170428-potsdam-27-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-27-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/50e0e063.20170428-potsdam-28-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-28-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9b0d8348.20170428-potsdam-30-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-30-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8e924173.20170428-potsdam-31-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-31-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6320fe1d.20170428-potsdam-21-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-21-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/fa7ff559.20170428-potsdam-32-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-32-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d6393c4b.20170428-potsdam-33-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-33-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/842ae4f2.20170428-potsdam-34-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-34-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/c17a39ea.20170428-potsdam-35-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-35-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0b1997cf.20170428-potsdam-36-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-36-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/5aba6836.20170428-potsdam-37-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-37-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6459043a.20170428-potsdam-38-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-38-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b3df54f2.20170428-potsdam-39-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-39-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2679a987.20170428-potsdam-40-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-40-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d2e23e71.20170428-potsdam-43-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-43-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7aac1063.20170428-potsdam-46-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-46-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e666b8b3.20170428-potsdam-47-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-47-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/737c4f7c.20170428-potsdam-48-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-48-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/26f6f335.20170428-potsdam-49-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-49-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e15f7ee7.20170428-potsdam-50-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-50-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/77bf8bd2.20170428-potsdam-51-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-51-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0bf5443b.20170428-potsdam-52-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-52-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/bb12537f.20170428-potsdam-53-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-53-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ac668dae.20170428-potsdam-54-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-54-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/70e425a5.20170428-potsdam-55-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-55-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/fb8ce6cb.20170428-potsdam-56-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-56-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9cfaf1ac.20170428-potsdam-60-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-60-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d1a8518b.20170428-potsdam-61-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-61-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/0cb1a664.20170428-potsdam-63-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-63-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/a09601ca.20170428-potsdam-64-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-64-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2858e622.20170428-potsdam-66-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-66-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/8279fb61.20170428-potsdam-67-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-67-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/6ffe610d.20170428-potsdam-68-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-68-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/aa86e0f9.20170428-potsdam-69-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-69-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b726fd87.20170428-potsdam-70-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-70-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/2dbf38a7.20170428-potsdam-71-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-71-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9636e513.20170428-potsdam-72-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-72-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/f1dbdb96.20170428-potsdam-73-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-73-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/ed54dab4.20170428-potsdam-74-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170428-potsdam/20170428-potsdam-74-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>(Copyright &copy; 2017 Toni Mattis. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p>In May, RMS headed to Canada, to take part in &ldquo;Freeing
science&mdash;From software to medicine,&rdquo; a colloquium sponsored
and hosted by McGill University, in <strong>Montreal.</strong> He gave
his speech &ldquo;Free software and your freedom,&rdquo; on May 12<sup style="font-size:8px">th</sup> to an audience of students and
researchers and people from the information technology, biotechnology,
and pharmaceutical industries.</p>

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

<img src="media/37e17cd4.20170512-montreal-01-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-01-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/9cf50936.20170512-montreal-03-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-03-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d04d29f1.20170512-montreal-07-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-07-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b7c2478c.20170512-montreal-08-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-08-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/4d481f2c.20170512-montreal-10-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-10-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="540" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e13d416a.20170512-montreal-11-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-11-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d8f3ce0b.20170512-montreal-12-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-12-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b34d2921.20170512-montreal-13-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-13-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/d8c7ee01.20170512-montreal-14-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-14-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/7c009a20.20170512-montreal-15-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-15-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/e84f21b4.20170512-montreal-16-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170512-montreal/20170512-montreal-16-thumb.jpg" 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>(Copyright © 2017 Owen Egan. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p>The following month, while he was in Argentina, he went to
<strong>Salta,</strong> to speak at the Universidad Nacional de Salta.
It was his first time back since 2004, when the university awarded him
an honorary doctorate.</p>

<p>His talk, on June 13<sup style="font-size:8px">th</sup>, 2017, was
part of a one-day &ldquo;Jornada de Software Libre,&rdquo; or free
software conference. Following Diego Saravia, who spoke on
&ldquo;Software libre y democracia,&rdquo; he gave his free software
speech &ldquo;Software libre y tu libertad,&rdquo; to an audience of
about 500 people.</p>

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

<img src="media/12ab767e.20170613-salta-04-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170613-salta/20170613-salta-04-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/bf7d3efe.20170613-salta-05-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170613-salta/20170613-salta-05-thumb.jpg" alt="" width="265" style="margin-top:4px;" />
<img src="media/b0276aa4.20170613-salta-06-thumb.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org/static/nosvn/rms-photos/20170613-salta/20170613-salta-06-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>(Copyright © 2017 Universidad Nacional de Salta. Photos licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.)</em>

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

<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Thank you to everyone who made all these trips 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=129&amp;reset=1">Reykjavík</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=487&amp;reset=1">East Lansing</a>,
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=287&amp;reset=1">Potsdam</a>, 
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=494&amp;reset=1">Montreal</a>,
and <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=495&amp;reset=1">Salta</a>.</p>

<p>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, <br /> 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 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 />


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-librejs-new-and-improved
title: GNU LibreJS: New and improved!
uri: GNU-LibreJS-New-and-improved
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-librejs-new-and-improved
content:
<p><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/">LibreJS</a> is a Web browser plugin that
protects the freedom of its users by blocking nonfree JavaScript code. Recent
Mozilla-based browsers are supported on GNU/Linux and other major desktop
operating systems. We encourage everyone to use the new plugin with the latest
version of Abrowser, a browser that ships with <a href="https://trisquel.info/">Trisquel
GNU/Linux</a>. IceCat support will be available once
version 60 is released.</p>
<p>The new version of LibreJS comes with the following improvements over the
previous version:</p>
<ul>
<li>Web pages load very quickly, by analyzing each file independently.</li>
<li>Enabling and disabling the plugin does not require a browser restart.</li>
<li>It is compatible with WebExtensions, and thus newer Mozilla-based browsers,
  including Abrowser and a future version of IceCat.</li>
</ul>
<p>The new version of LibreJS is available for download
<a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/librejs/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Nathan Nichols pushed the new version of LibreJS forward as the primary coder
and maintainer. Nathan deserves our thanks for improving LibreJS, and thereby
helping the free software community.</p>
<p>As the the Web continues to grow in importance, we must continue to improve
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">user freedom</a> on the Web.  The
primary aim of the free software movement is to release all code as <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free
software</a>, and that includes all
JavaScript.</p>
<p>Nonfree JavaScript denies us control of our computing by denying us the freedom
to use it for any purpose, and to modify and share the code that runs locally
in our browsers.  Sites that don't provide freely licensed JavaScript with
human-readable source code don't respect our freedom, and the FSF discourages
their use.  That's where LibreJS comes into play, as it ensures that that the
JavaScript we do use is free software, by checking licenses and blocking
nonfree JavaScript.</p>
<p>Nonfree JavaScript is not the only freedom-related issue on the Web. It is part
of a broader concern about services that are "SaaSS," or <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html">"service as a
software
substitute"</a>,
and thus nonfree.</p>
<p>Many others have contributed to LibreJS in the past, including Loic J. Duros,
Nik Nyby, and Ethan Dorta, an FSF summer intern.  Anyone interested in
assisting with the maintenance of the project is <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/">welcome to get
involved</a>.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 2nd starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-2nd-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-2nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-2nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>This week we're back to growing the Directory even larger with new entries. There's still so much free software out there that isn't listed that even with the 16,000 entries we already have, there's a long ways to go. We'll also be scouting for a team captain to take the lead on the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Participate/Project_Team#Directory_Import">Directory import project</a>, which, once completed, will really boost the total number of listed packages.</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/gnu-spotlight-with-brandon-invergo-18-new-gnu-releases
title: GNU Spotlight with Brandon Invergo: 18 new GNU releases!
uri: GNU-Spotlight-with-Brandon-Invergo-18-new-GNU-releases
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-brandon-invergo-18-new-gnu-releases
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/">coreutils-8.29</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gdbm/">gdbm-1.14.1</a></li>
<li><a href="http://health.gnu.org/">gnuhealth-client-3.2.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnustep/">gnustep-gui-0.26.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.5.17</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/">gzip-1.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libcdio/">libcdio-2.0.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libsigsegv/">libsigsegv-2.12</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libtasn1/">libtasn1-4.13</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.14.15-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mpc/">mpc-1.1.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mpfr/">mpfr-4.0.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.9.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20180122</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/classpathx/">servletapi-3.0.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/unifont/">unifont-10.0.07</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/vcdimager/">vcdimager-2.0.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/">wget-1.19.4</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/community/thank-you-linux-conf-australia
title: Thank you, Linux Conf Australia!
uri: Thank-you-Linux-Conf-Australia
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/thank-you-linux-conf-australia
content:
<table width="350" 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="345" src="media/8c87ad4c.lca-sydney_view.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/2018/lca-sydney_view.png" alt="view  of Sydney" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>Recently I was lucky enough to get to travel to Sydney, Australia for <a href="https://linux.conf.au">Linux Conf Australia</a> (LCA). Along with <a href="https://fsf.org">Free Software Foundation</a> (FSF) executive director John Sullivan, I spent the better part of a week in Sydney, getting to know members of the global free software community I rarely get to see.</p>
<p>LCA is Australasia's grassroots free software conference, organized by <a href="https://www.linux.org.au">Linux Australia</a>. Even though GNU wasn't recognized in the name of the event (which we would love to see!), the spirit of software freedom was felt in sessions covering topics from F-droid to  Australian Computing Academy's programs to teach free software languages to students.</p>
<p>In addition to enjoying the coffee, views, summer -- it's winter in Boston -- and food, we most of all enjoyed seeing hundreds of people enthusiastic about free software.</p>
<p>While at LCA I gave a talk entitled "A division of labor: Attempting to measure free software." This compared the results of several surveys of free software communities carried out from 2003-2017. I attempted to see what the data could tell us about who participated in building free software and what they do. A video is available online <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/a-division-of-labor-in-free-software-linuxconfau-2018-sydney-australia/">here</a>.</p>
<p>John Sullivan presented his talk "<a href="https://rego.linux.conf.au/schedule/presentation/97/">Freedom embedded: Devices that respect users and communities</a>," which some of you may remember from DebConf 2017. In this, he discusses the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedoms</a> certification program, and devices that run on entirely free software. You can watch the video <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/freedom-embedded-devices-that-respect-users-and-communities-linuxconfau-2018-sydney-australia/">here</a>.</p>
<table width="350" 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="345" src="media/acedcf16.lca-fsf_meetup.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/blogs/2018/lca-fsf_meetup.png" alt="group photo at LCA" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>There were a <a href="https://rego.linux.conf.au/schedule/">number of other great talks</a> as well, including some by people you'll be able to see at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet 2018</a>.</p>
<p>During the conference, we hosted a lunchtime meetup for FSF members and friends. There was such enthusiasm that we had to move restaurants to accommodate everyone.</p>
<p>Going to LCA was completely worth the twenty-one hour flight from Boston. In addition to everything else, the voices heard at the conference were those of people who work on and advocate for free software every day. Listening to them, meeting them, seeing what they do, and the reminder that I am part of a community is what attending conferences is all about. It was simply inspiring.</p>
<p><em>Photo credits: Copyright © 2018 Chris Lamb, photo licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode">CC-BY-SA 4.0</a>; copyright © 2018 Free Software Foundation, photo licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC-BY 4.0</a>.</em></p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 9th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-9th-starting-at-12
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-9th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-9th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>In 1870, the US Army created the National Weather Service, which
is still with us to this day, providing essential monitoring and
evaluation of meteorological conditions.  Currently, the Directory has
<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=weather&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;go=Go">many entries related to weather</a>. A good number of them have
outdated information and could use a refresh, and there is newer
software employing the last features of the new single point
releases of the larger graphic toolkits. As always, working on the unapproved
entries is important work that we can winnow down.</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: February 16th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-16th-starting-at-1
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-16th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

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

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>We are back with another classic week of adding new entries to the Directory. We'll also be discussing the work of various team projects, including the cryptocurrency donation tag and the import 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/community/libreplanet-2018-is-on-the-way-check-out-the-talks-and-register
title: LibrePlanet 2018 is on the way: check out the talks and register!
uri: LibrePlanet-2018-is-on-the-way-check-out-the-talks-and-register
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-is-on-the-way-check-out-the-talks-and-register
content:
<p>On March 24th and 25th, 2018, the free software community will come
together at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to learn,
exchange ideas, catch up with friends, and plan the future of the
movement. Will you join us?</p>
<p><em>It's the tenth anniversary of LibrePlanet, and now is a good time to
 <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">register</a> to attend. As always, Free Software Foundation (FSF)
 <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">members</a> and students attend gratis.</em></p>
<p>Hundreds of people from across the globe will converge on Cambridge,
Massachusetts to explore this year's theme, "Freedom Embedded." We'll
look at embedded systems in everything from our cars to our bodies,
discuss how these systems affect our entire society, and talk about
how to change the narrative, making free software the norm, instead of
walled gardens, Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), and proprietary
code.</p>
<p>In addition to the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-2018-libreplanet-keynotes-are-here-you-wont-want-to-miss-them">keynote speakers</a> we announced last month,
LibrePlanet 2018 will feature a panoply of presentations. Our lineup
includes Jeremiah Foster, who will examine free software and vehicles;
a panel of speakers including Karen Sandler, Mad Ball, Rachel Kalmar,
and Dana Lewis, who will discuss freedom and devices used for health,
medicine, and wellness; and Bob Call, who will talk about libreCMC, a
distro for embedded devices.</p>
<p>LibrePlanet 2018 offers lots of opportunities for fun, too: in
addition to the annual FSF open house the evening of Friday, March
23rd, and the LibrePlanet party on Saturday night, there will be a
special piano concert featuring freely licensed arrangements. And
the conference looks at gaming and art, too: Noah Swartz will
walk us through the roguelikes game genre, and Bassam Kurdali will
teach a workshop in free software photogrammetry! The full program
will be published soon. <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/speakers/">In the meantime, check out the list of
confirmed speakers.</a></p>
<p>LibrePlanet brings together software developers, activists, policy
experts, and computer users to share accomplishments, learn new
skills, and address challenges to software freedom. Newcomers are
always welcome, and LibrePlanet 2018 will feature programming for all
experience levels, including students.</p>
<p><a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet 2018</a> is produced by the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/">Free Software Foundation</a>
in partnership with the <a href="https://sipb.mit.edu/">Student Information Processing Board
(SIPB)</a> at MIT.</p>
<h3>Pre-order a LibrePlanet 2018 T-shirt by February 28th</h3>
<p>You can also <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/tshirts-hoodies/libreplanet-2018">pre-order a LibrePlanet 2018 commemorative T-shirt</a>
in the GNU Press shop. <em>Order your shirt by February 28th, 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 LPSHIRT18 to
waive shipping costs. If you want it shipped to you, do not use that
code, and expect it to arrive in April.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="media/f45b6159.lp18shirt-front.jpg" data-original-source="https://shop.fsf.org/sites/default/files/styles/product_full/public/lp18shirt-front.jpg" alt="front of libreplanet 2018 T-shirt" height="500" /></p>

<h3>LibrePlanet needs volunteers -- maybe you!</h3>
<p>In ten years, LibrePlanet has grown in size and scope -- and its
continued success is thanks to dozens of volunteers who help prepare
for and run the conference. Volunteering is a great way to meet fellow
community members and contribute to LibrePlanet, even if you can't
attend in person! If you are interested in volunteering for
LibrePlanet 2018, 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 thank all of our
volunteers by offering them gratis conference admission and a
LibrePlanet T-shirt.</p>
<h3>Seeking raffle prizes!</h3>
<p>We are still looking for prizes to raffle off at this year's
LibrePlanet. If you or your company have a prize you would like to
donate, 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>. Examples of past LibrePlanet
raffle prizes include a 3D printer running free software, a laptop
with free BIOS and free GNU distro, and DRM-free eBook gift
certificates.</p>
<p>Donating a prize is a great way to support LibrePlanet and the FSF
while engaging the diverse audience who attends the conference. Raffle
ticket sales support travel scholarships, student admission, and other
LibrePlanet expenses (including coffee!). Donors receive
acknowledgment on the Web, via social media, and at the conference at
the raffle ticket booth and during the prize drawings.</p>
<p>Spread the word about LibrePlanet 2018: blog or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/share">microblog</a> to let
people know that you'll be there, using the hashtag #libreplanet.</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup: February 23rd at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-February-23rd-at-12-00-p-m
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-23rd-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-february-23rd-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-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>We are back with another classic week of adding new entries 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 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/onemorevote-is-needed-to-save-net-neutrality
title: OneMoreVote is needed to save net neutrality
uri: OneMoreVote-is-needed-to-save-net-neutrality
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/onemorevote-is-needed-to-save-net-neutrality
content:
<p>We at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it">value net neutrality for many reasons</a>, and we know it's necessary for a free Web and the future of free software.</p>
<p>Protecting net neutrality in the United States is one of the most important issues facing digital rights activists and advocates here. After the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it">shamefully revoked the common carrier classification of Internet Service Providers (ISPs)</a> -- the closest thing to pro-net neutrality laws that we had at a national level -- members of Congress finally took notice and started working on a Congressional Review Act (CRA). A CRA allows Congress to vote to overturn a policy decision, like the FCC's reclassification of ISPs.</p>
<p>In order for a CRA to work, a simple majority of Senators and Representatives need to support it -- which means 51 Senators. We currently have 50 Senators pledging to support net neutrality. We need one more.</p>
<p><strong>This February 27th, the Internet is coming together to support the CRA, and we need you to join.</strong></p>
<p>We urge you to call your Senator. Information about contacting your Senator is available <a href="https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/">on the Senate Web site</a>.</p>
<p>Not sure what to say? Try the following:</p>
<p><em>I'm a voter/resident in your district, and I am concerned about the future of the internet. Net neutrality is necessary for a free Web. I hope you will support the CRA to overturn the FCC's decision on ISPs as common carriers.</em></p>
<p>After you call, share on social media. We prefer <a href="https://fsf.org/twitter">GNU social and Mastodon</a> -- if your social media supports hashtags, use #NetNeutrality and #OneMoreVote. Don't forget to tag @fsf and let us know!</p>
<p><strong>Want some bonus points?</strong> There are more than 100 members from the House of Representatives supporting the CRA. We need 218 to step up for a free Web. Call your Representative and ask them to save net neutrality and vote for the CRA.</p>
<p>You can <a href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative">find your Representative</a> online. </p>
<p>Thank you for everything you do for free software, the FSF, and net neutrality. We're looking forward to hearing from you on the 27th!</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/last-chance-to-pre-order-your-libreplanet-2018-t-shirt
title: Last chance to pre-order your LibrePlanet 2018 T-shirt!
uri: Last-chance-to-pre-order-your-LibrePlanet-2018-T-shirt
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/last-chance-to-pre-order-your-libreplanet-2018-t-shirt
content:
<table width="350" 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="345" src="media/ff2f5782.lp18shirt-front.jpg" data-original-source="https://shop.fsf.org/sites/default/files/styles/product_zoom/public/lp18shirt-front.jpg" alt="front of LibrePlanet tee" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

<p>Your last opportunity to <a href="https://shop.fsf.org/tshirts-hoodies/libreplanet-2018">order a LibrePlanet 2018
T-shirt</a> before
the conference is fast approaching -- early orders must arrive by
February 28. The shirt is a real prize, printed in an eye-popping
green-and-yellow color scheme on a high-quality black shirt.</p>
<p>If you're attending this year's LibrePlanet, we'll have your shirt
waiting for you; you can waive the shipping fee by entering the coupon
code LPSHIRT18 at checkout. If you're not attending LibrePlanet, we'll
mail you your shirt after the conference. Either way, you wind up with
a real snazzy piece of clothing made of soft, high-quality
cotton. It's a limited edition shirt -- after this year's conference
there will never be a second print run -- so this is your only chance!</p>
<h2><a href="https://shop.fsf.org/tshirts-hoodies/libreplanet-2018">PRE-ORDER YOUR LIBREPLANET 2018 T-SHIRT HERE</a></h2>


uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-cryptocurrency-special-meetup-Marc
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-cryptocurrency-special-meetup-march-2nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

title:
Friday Free Software Directory IRC cryptocurrency special meetup: March 2nd starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-cryptocurrency-special-meetup-march-2nd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>Last month, the FSF was extremely fortunate to receive a massive $1 million bitcoin donation from the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-receives-1-million-donation-from-pineapple-fund">Pineapple Fund</a>. This incredible generosity will power so much good work for the free software community. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts have supported our work for years, and now we want to help make it easy for them to support individual projects as well. We recently added a property to the Directory that lets users indicate that a project accepts cryptocurrency donations. We hope that this new feature will make it easy for donors to find projects that can accept such donations. But in order to do that, we need to start tagging our favorite crypto-accepting projects in the Directory. This week's meeting will focus on starting that project and hopefully designating a team leader to keep it running strong.</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/inside-the-fsf-our-fy2016-annual-report-is-here
title: Inside the FSF: Our FY2016 Annual Report is here
uri: Inside-the-FSF-Our-FY2016-Annual-Report-is-here
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/inside-the-fsf-our-fy2016-annual-report-is-here
content:
<p>Every day, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) works to support free software
projects, licenses, and activism around the world. We know you
trust us in these efforts, and because we deeply value transparency
and accountability, we are publishing our latest <a href="media/c338d981.FY16_LR.pdf" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/annual-reports/FY16_LR.pdf">Annual Report</a>,
which covers the 2016 fiscal year (FY) of October 1, 2015 through September
30, 2016. The report is the result of a full external financial audit,
along with a focused study of program results. It offers a look at the
Foundation's activities, accomplishments, and financial picture. You
will also read about the impact of our programs and FY2016's major
events. A <a href="media/be3dbae6.FY2016_Annual_Report_HR.pdf" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/annual-reports/FY2016_Annual_Report_HR.pdf">high resolution version</a> of the Annual Report is available too.</p>
<p>You can support the FSF's fight for user freedom by:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">becoming an Associate Member</a>;</li>
<li><a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/">making a one-time donation</a>; and/or</li>
<li>sharing this report <a href="https://www.fsf.org/share">on social media</a>, and with your friends and colleagues who may want to support user freedom by becoming a member.</li>
</ul>
<p>This report is a snapshot of the FSF's work, and we hope you will
continue to stand with us as we face new threats to user
freedom. Please send any questions or comments regarding the report to
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-mike-gerwitz-25-new-gnu-releases
title: GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 25 new GNU releases!
uri: GNU-Spotlight-with-Mike-Gerwitz-25-new-GNU-releases
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-mike-gerwitz-25-new-gnu-releases
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/">bash-4.4.18</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/binutils/">binutils-2.30</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/">ddrescue-1.23</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/dico/">dico-2.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/freeipmi/">freeipmi-1.6.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/">gcc-7.3.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gcide/">gcide-0.52</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/">gdb-8.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glibc/">glibc-2.27</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/global/">global-6.6.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/glpk/">glpk-4.65</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.2.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnunet/">gnurl-7.58.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/">gnutls-3.6.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/less/">less-530</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libffcall/">libffcall-2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libmicrohttpd/">libmicrohttpd-0.9.59</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.15.5-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mpfr/">mpfr-4.0.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.9.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/ncurses/">ncurses-6.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20180222</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/patch/">patch-2.7.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pycdio/">pycdio-2.0.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gnu.org/software/ncurses">tack-1.08</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 Nathon Nichols as maintainer of GNU LibreJS, and Roel
Jansen and Ricardo Wurmus as maintainers of the new GNU GWL.</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: March 9th starting at 12:00 p.m. EST/17:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-March-9th-starting-at-12-00
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-9th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-march-9th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-est-17-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>Last week we were working on updating entries with cryptocurrency donation information, and we'll have to come back to that theme again soon. But this week we're back to a classic: adding new entries to the Directory. A new project leader has taken on the Directory import project, and we hope to discuss that work and get it rolling, but we also want to keep adding all the free software we love that isn't on the Directory already.</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/want-to-help-the-fsf-apply-to-be-an-outreachy-intern
title: Want to help the FSF? Apply to be an Outreachy intern
uri: Want-to-help-the-FSF-Apply-to-be-an-Outreachy-intern
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/want-to-help-the-fsf-apply-to-be-an-outreachy-intern
content:
<p>The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is excited to share that <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/2018-may-august/communities/free-software-foundation/">we'll be participating</a> in <a href="https://outreachy.org">Outreachy</a>, a paid internship program to help those who are underrepresented in tech start contributing to free software projects. </p>
<p>In past years, the FSF has helped GNU projects participate in Outreachy by providing financial sponsorship for interns. This is the first year that we'll be working with an intern to help them to explore even more ways people can contribute to the fight for user freedom.</p>
<p>Outreachy is important to us for a number of reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>We've made growing the community a priority.</strong> The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/">High Priority Projects list</a> calls on the free software community to "encourage contribution by people underrepresented in the community." This is one of the ways we can help contribute to that goal.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Representation matters to us.</strong> Better representation in free software is something personally important to the staff of the FSF -- nearly half of us (and the entire campaigns team) are women, our deputy director is Asian American, and we've all had the experience of finding our place in the free software community.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Strong communities make strong movements.</strong> Most importantly, we know that a variety of experiences and viewpoints -- which comes from having a broad range of activists, contributors, enthusiasts, and users -- creates a strong, robust community that will have the power needed to help user freedom triumph in a world where the status quo is proprietary.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>We have three possible projects for interns. We're looking to work with someone <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/2018-may-august/communities/free-software-foundation/#updating-the-email-self-defense-guide">to update</a> the <a href="http://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/">Email Self-Defense Guide</a> (ESD). There are a wide range of ways to get involved, including design, illustration, and writing.  On the more technical side, there are projects on working on <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/2018-may-august/communities/free-software-foundation/#fix-bugs-and-freedom-issues-in-trisquel-gnulinux">Trisquel GNU/Linux</a> and the <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/2018-may-august/communities/free-software-foundation/#fix-bugs-in-the-free-software-directory">Free Software Directory</a>, building MediaWiki skills, responsive theming, licensing and privacy, and documentation.</p>
<p>Interested in being an Outreachy participant with the FSF? Please <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/2018-may-august/communities/free-software-foundation/">read our community page</a>!</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/two-new-entries-for-the-gnu-licenses-faq-1
title: Two new entries for the GNU Licenses FAQ
uri: Two-new-entries-for-the-GNU-Licenses-FAQ
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/two-new-entries-for-the-gnu-licenses-faq-1
content:
<p>We recently made some new additions to our resource <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html">Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses</a> (FAQ). The FAQ is one of our most robust articles, covering common questions for using and understanding GNU licenses. We are always looking to improve our materials, so this week we've made some fresh updates.</p>
<p>The first is an update to our entry on using works under the GNU General Public License (GPL) on a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#UnreleasedMods">Web site</a>. This entry explains that people are free to use  modified versions of GPL'ed works internally without releasing source code, and that using GPL'ed code to run your site is just a special case of that. The problem was that the entry went on to explain how things are different when it comes to the Affero GNU General Public License (AGPL). That transition in the old entry wasn't quite as elegant as we would have liked, and so people were often writing to us to ask for clarification. They were getting confused about whether the comments on the AGPL also applied to the GPL. So we've updated that entry, and moved the information on the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#UnreleasedModsAGPL">AGPL to its own entry</a>. The updated text and new entry were both created by long-time <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/team">licensing team volunteer</a> Yoni Rabkin.</p>
<p>We also added a new entry on <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#AggregateContainers">containers</a>. The entry just reaffirms that the analysis for whether two things form a single work is unchanged by the fact that containers are involved.</p>
<p>We always want to keep improving our licensing materials, to make it easier for users to understand their rights under free licenses. We hope these new additions will bring greater clarity, but if there is something you are still not sure about, you can always ask us directly at <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. Your question could even be the inspiration for another new entry in the FAQ someday!</p>
<p>Resources like the FAQ are made possible by your support. If you'd like to help, here's what you can do:</p>
<ul>
<li>If you're a licensing geek or lawyer, consider becoming a <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer">licensing team volunteer</a>.</li>
<li>Support our efforts by becoming an <a href="https://www.fsf.org/join">FSF Associate Member</a> or by making a <a href="https://donate.fsf.org">donation</a>.</li>
</ul>


uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-time-changed-March-16th-sta
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-changed-march-16th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

title:
Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup time changed: March 16th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC

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

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>Last week we got a lot done working together to review and add some new entries, and it was so much fun we'll be back at it again this week, but at a slightly different time. The folks here in Boston just made the daylight savings switch, so make sure to double check the meeting start time against your local time. You don't want to a miss a minute of the meeting!</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/your-guide-to-libreplanet-2018-wherever-you-are-march-24-25
title: Your guide to LibrePlanet 2018, wherever you are, March 24-25
uri: Your-guide-to-LibrePlanet-2018-wherever-you-are-March-24-25
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/your-guide-to-libreplanet-2018-wherever-you-are-march-24-25
content:
<p>The free software community encompasses the globe, and we strive to
make the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet conference</a> reflect that. That's why we livestream
the proceedings of the conference, and encourage you to participate
remotely by both watching and participating in the discussion via IRC.</p>
<p><strong>If you are planning to attend LibrePlanet in Cambridge, MA, we encourage
you to <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&amp;id=71">register</a> in advance through Tuesday morning at 10:00 EDT
(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.</strong></p>
<p>The LibrePlanet <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/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 Gabriella Coleman, author of <em>Coding
Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking</em>; Seth David Schoen,
Staff Technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation; Deb
Nicholson, Community Outreach Director for the Open Invention Network;
and Free Software Foundation Founder Richard Stallman.</p>
<p>The full conference program is <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/social/">now available</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Can't make it to Cambridge? <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/live">Bookmark LibrePlanet's livestream
now</a>, and tune in Saturday, March 24th and Sunday, March 25th -- 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></p>
<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 2018.</p>
<p>We hope to see you at LibrePlanet 2018 this weekend, whether in
Cambridge or on the Web!</p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup time: March 23rd starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-time-March-23rd-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-march-23rd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-march-23rd-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new
entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in
it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a
free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of
information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource
to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since
it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and
contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p>This weekend, <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/your-guide-to-libreplanet-2018-wherever-you-are-march-24-25">LibrePlanet 2018</a> converges on
Cambridge, MA. One fantastic feature of LibrePlanet is the
accessibility and potential for remote attendance because of the
livestream of events. Livestreaming concurrent events is
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/free-software-video-streaming-hubangl-powered-libreplanet-2017">no easy feat</a> when considering the moving pieces; all this
momentum pushes development from <a href="https://vcs.fsf.org/?p=libre-streamer.git;a=summary">ABYSS</a> to <a href="https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/hubangl">HumpBack
Anglerfish</a>. This week, while we work on adding new programs,
we can also look back at our favorite <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/">LibrePlanet speeches</a> from previous years.</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/libreplanet-2018-last-update
title: LibrePlanet 2018: Last update!
uri: LibrePlanet-2018-Last-update
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-last-update
content:
<p>Advance registration is now closed, but you can register on-site
at <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet 2018</a>, starting at 09:00 on the ground floor
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Stata Center, 32
Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA. Admission is gratis for <a href="https://www.fsf.org/jf">FSF
Associate Members</a> and students, and for all others costs $60
for one day or $90 for both days.</p>
<p>If you are unable to attend, or know people who cannot attend
LibrePlanet 2018 but want to participate, watch the
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/live/">livestream</a>, which you can do using exclusively free software (an unfortunate rarity!)</p>
<p>We want to alert you to a schedule change: unfortunately, keynote
speaker Gabriella Coleman had to cancel her LibrePlanet talk. She
will be sorely missed, but we are glad to announce that free
software technologist, social scientist, and FSF board member
Benjamin Mako Hill will fill in. Check out the full schedule
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/program/">here</a> -- to read full descriptions of each talk,
click "Expand all" at the top of the page.</p>
<p>We are proud to present the tenth anniversary LibrePlanet
conference, and there are <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/social/">lots of events</a> to check out beyond
the talk schedule, beginning Friday, March 23rd. Some of these
events may recommend or require advance registration, so
doublecheck the details to make sure you get a seat:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>On Friday, March 23rd, before LibrePlanet 2018 begins, the Free
Software Foundation's (FSF) annual open house will take place at
51 Franklin Street, Boston, MA, 02110, from 17:00-19:30. All
are welcome! Beat the Saturday morning rush by visiting the
LibrePlanet advance registration and check-in table at the open
house.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>On Friday at 19:45, at Hei La Moon, 88 Beach Street,
  Boston, IBM is generously sponsoring a dinner for all women,
  genderqueer, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people
  interested in free software -- the Welcome Dinner! You don't
  need to be registered for LibrePlanet in order to
  attend. Please <a href="https://pad.riseup.net/p/lpwelcomedinner2018">RSVP</a>, to allow us to book enough seating.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If you would like to self-organize a dinner with other
  LibrePlanet attendees, please do so on the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2018">LibrePlanet
  wiki</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>On Sunday, March 25th, from 12:35-13:35, the annual FSF
  Associate Members meeting will be held in room 32-155 in the
  Stata Center. All FSF Associate Members are welcome. Please
  <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2018/members">RSVP on the LibrePlanet wiki</a> for lunch.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>On Monday, March 26th, Lothar Becker of The Document Foundation
  will host a LibreOffice Certification-focused workshop at the
  Boston Nonprofit Center, 89 South Street, Boston, MA,
  02111, from 09:30-13:30. This workshop is open to FSF Associate
  Members gratis, but due to limited space, you must book your
  seat in advance by emailing <a href="mailto:certification@libreoffice.org">&#99;&#101;&#114;&#116;&#105;&#102;&#105;&#99;&#97;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110;&#64;&#108;&#105;&#98;&#114;&#101;&#111;&#102;&#102;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Also on Monday, Programmable Publishing: Digital Humanities for
  Everyone will be offered at the Red Hat office, 300 A
  Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02110, from 09:00-12:00. This
  workshop will teach basic programming skills to humanities
  students and scholars without a background in math or computer
  science. Using the Racket programming language, the
  user-friendly text editor DrRacket, and the markup language
  Scribble, participants will learn how to write an academic
  paper from start to finish, which can then be exported to HTML
  and PDF. <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?id=78&amp;reset=1">Register and learn more here</a>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>LibrePlanet 2018 is co-produced by the FSF and MIT's <a href="https://sipb.mit.edu/">Student
Information Processing Board</a>, and is generously sponsored by
Private Internet Access, Red Hat, and Purism.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-day-1-free-software-forever
title: LibrePlanet Day 1: Free software forever!
uri: LibrePlanet-Day-1-Free-software-forever
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-day-1-free-software-forever
content:
<p><img src="media/327743e7.Deb_02.JPG" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Deb_02.JPG" alt="Deb Nicholson" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>LibrePlanet started as the annual meeting of the Free Software
Foundation (FSF) membership. Ten years later, that meeting has
transformed into a vibrant two-day conference that brings
together hundreds of new and longtime members of the free
software community from all parts of the world.</p>
<p>This year's conference kicked off on Saturday, March 24th with a
keynote by Deb Nicholson, a free software policy expert and
Community Outreach Director for the Open Invention Network, who
posited the question: how do we make free software last forever?
How does our community bring in, welcome, and train the new young
people who will keep the flame of the free software movement
alive? And, how do we create a technological future that bears
more resemblance to the techno-utopia of Wakanda (the homeland of
the film <em>Black Panther</em>'s titular character) than to the
techno-dystopias imagined in cyberpunk narratives? Videos of this
talk and others will be available soon, at <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/">the LibrePlanet GNU
MediaGoblin page</a>.</p>
<p><img src="media/6470196b.Hallway_conversation.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Hallway_conversation.jpg" alt="LibrePlanet hallway picture" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>Throughout the day, there were over two dozen talks, spanning a
wide range of topics relating to software freedom and user
freedom. Jeremiah Foster introduced the issues around nonfree
software in networked vehicles, and discussed some potential
solutions; Brett Smith from the Software Freedom Conservancy
delineated some barriers to use of the GPL, keeping it from being
applied as often as it should be (leading to an immediate
commitment from FSF president Richard Stallman to explore and
solve some of these issues). A panel led by Morgan Lemmer-Webber
laid out some of the advances in bringing free software to
academia, and talked about why it's still not in common
use. Other talks addressed how free and nonfree software impact
our lives everywhere from our mobile phones to the US military;
how free software can be made sustainable, and how to broaden our
communities; and how to use and proliferate various free software
programs.</p>
<p><img src="media/117b2816.Kurdali_01.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Kurdali_01.jpg" alt="Bassam Kurdali" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>The day also included one workshop, in which 3D filmmaker Bassam
Kurdali introduced attendees to the art of photogrammetry – the
reconstruction of 3D information about objects from a photograph
or multiple photographs – using only free software tools. Kurdali
is known for their 2006 short, “Elephants Dream,” which was the
first “free movie.”</p>
<p>At the end of the day, FSF president Richard Stallman announced
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/public-lab-and-karen-sandler-are-2017-free-software-awards-winners-1">the winners of the 2017 Free Software Awards</a>, celebrating
an individual's ongoing commitment to user freedom (the Award for
the Advancement of Free Software) and the work of a free software
project that has created significant social good (the Award for
Projects of Social Benefit).</p>
<p>Karen Sandler, Executive Director of the Software Freedom
Conservancy, received the Award for the Advancement of Free
Software. Public Lab co-founders Liz Barry and Jeff Warren
represented <a href="https://publiclab.org/">Public Lab</a>, which received
the Award for Projects of Social Benefit.</p>
<p>Public Lab is a community and non-profit organization with a goal
of democratizing science to address environmental issues. Their
community-created tools and techniques utilize free software and
low-cost devices to enable everyday people to investigate
environmental concerns.</p>
<p>In addition to her work with Software Freedom Conservancy, Karen
Sandler is a perennial LibrePlanet speaker, friend to the FSF,
and a passionate advocate for free software, best known for
advocating for free software in implantable medical devices.</p>
<p>It has been a tremendous first day, thanks to our able staff and
terrific volunteers. We hope that everyone, both in attendance
today and watching from afar, is enjoying this celebration of
free software as much as we are. See you tomorrow!</p>
<p><em>Photo credits: Copyright © 2018 Kori Feener, photos licensed
 under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC-BY
 4.0.</a></em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-day-2-no-software-freedom-thats-incompossible
title: LibrePlanet Day 2: no software freedom? That's incompossible!
uri: LibrePlanet-Day-2-no-software-freedom-That-s-incompossible
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-day-2-no-software-freedom-thats-incompossible
content:
<p><img src="media/718626dc.Seth_resized.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Seth_resized.jpg" alt="Seth Schoen." style="float: left; height: 300px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px;" /> </p>
<p>The second day of <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/">LibrePlanet 2018</a> began on a contemplative note with Seth Schoen's keynote speech, "Incompossibilities: Ubiquitous Engineering Tradeoffs." No, that's not a typo: "incompossible" describes multiple things that can't exist at once -- conditions in which it's impossible to satisfy every requirement. </p>
<p>Schoen, who is a Senior Staff Technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, explored the impossibility of creating absolutely perfect software, discussing how the inherent tradeoffs in software development echo those in political science, ethical philosophy, and more. </p>
<p>Other morning sessions included a roundup of device and personal privacy technology; a workshop on free software desktops for kids; a talk on the progress the free software community has made on diversity (and how we still have a way to go); a talk about the necessity of ethical standards in the free software world; and more.</p>
<p><img src="media/a3086a3b.FLOSS_04.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/FLOSS_04.jpg" alt="a man and woman tinkering with a desktop computer." style="float: right; height: 300px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px;" /> </p>
<p>Sunday afternoon, attendees gave a series of five-minute lightning talks, which provide attendees with an opportunity to give a speedy presentation on their work and their ideas. Topics ranged from Visual Bash and TechnoRubble to the metaphorical relationship between biking and free software. Projects shared included a role-playing game developed with Python and Sphinx, the Autocrypt "end-to-end encrypted email for humans" project, and the upcoming EduCode conference in Brussels, Belgium, which aspires to train teachers and school administrators to use and build free software. </p>
<p>These talks gave a fun glimpse into the knowledge and creativity shared by the free software community -- the scheduled conference talks only scratch the surface of all of the fascinating work that our supporters do every day! </p>
<p>The afternoon workshops also were highly community-oriented: Micky Metts and Chris Thompson, members of Agaric, a worker-owned technology cooperative, introduced attendees to methods that can engage schools and broader communities in the cooperative creation and maintenance of beneficial free software platforms and tools. In the next workshop, Walter Bender and Devin Ulibarri put the spotlight on kids, helping the audience enjoy a hands-on lesson in fun, musical coding with their program, Music Blocks.</p>
<p><img src="media/24f736e8.Thornton_02.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Thornton_02.jpg" alt="Kat Thornton." style="float: left; height: 300px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px;" /> </p>
<p>Finally, FSF board member, social scientist, technologist, and activist Benjamin Mako Hill took stock of the state of the free software community and online cooperation in a closing keynote that acknowledged many of the challenges we'll have to face in the coming years -- but many of the opportunities, as well.</p>
<p>Over 300 people participated in LibrePlanet 2018, which was powered by 56 amazing volunteers, who ensured that everything from video streaming to IRC chats went smoothly. We also gave away raffle prizes generously donated by Aeronaut Brewing, Aleph Objects, JMP, No Starch Press, and Technoethical, and we're extremely grateful to our generous <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/sponsors/">sponsors</a>, including Private Internet Access, Red Hat, Purism, StickerYou, and Savoir-faire Linux.</p>
<p>Between Saturday and Sunday, there were sixty-one speakers and over fifty sessions. Videos will be posted soon at <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org">https://media.libreplanet.org</a>, so keep an eye out for announcements -- whether you were here in Cambridge, watched the livestream, or missed LibrePlanet entirely, there's so much more you'll want to see!</p>
<p><em>Photo credits: Pictures of Seth Schoen, attendees of the Free Software Desktops workshop, and speaker Kat Thornton, copyright © 2018 Kori Feener, photos licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC-BY 4.0</a>.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-a-smashing-success-thanks-to-you
title: LibrePlanet 2018 a smashing success -- thanks to you!
uri: LibrePlanet-2018-a-smashing-success-thanks-to-you
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2018-a-smashing-success-thanks-to-you
content:
<p><img src="media/8da166e9.welcome_dinner-01.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/welcome_dinner-01.jpg" alt="welcome dinner" style="float: right; width: 400px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>It's always hard to know how to sum up <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018">LibrePlanet</a> -- the <a href="https://fsf.org">Free Software Foundation</a>'s (FSF) annual conference is an inspiring, information-filled, and seemingly non-stop weekend celebrating everything about free software.</p>
<p>Friday marked Day Zero of the conference -- before the regular program started, the FSF was overrun with volunteers helping to pull together last-minute details for the conference. At 5pm, general conference attendees began showing up to pick up badges, socialize, meet each other, and generally have fun at the office. This was followed by a Welcome Dinner, kindly sponsored by IBM. The Welcome Dinner was for all women, genderqueer, and nonbinary people who were interested in meeting each other before the event, and to better encourage building diversity and inclusiveness in free software and the greater tech community. (Thanks, IBM!)</p>
<p>Saturday and Sunday brought Day One and Day Two of the conference. With 24 sessions on Saturday and 30 on Sunday (including lightning talks), it was hard for many people to decide what to do. The long list of topics included automated cars, copyleft, education and academia, health and medicine, project updates, and various technical topics. There were workshops for children and adults, working sessions, and hours of conversations in the conference venue. The lively Exhibit Hall brought thirteen exhibitors, including communities, companies, non-profits, and even a library. At the end of each day was a raffle, with prizes donated by Aleph Objects, No Starch Press, Technoethical, JMP, and Aeronaut Brewing.</p>
<p><img src="media/17385554.Registration_03.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Registration_03.jpg" alt="registration desk" style="float: left; width: 400px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>LibrePlanet was kicked off with a keynote by Deb Nicholson, longtime FSF supporter and fierce community advocate. At the close of the first day, <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/public-lab-and-karen-sandler-are-2017-free-software-awards-winners-1">the Free Software Awards</a> were presented to Karen Sandler, for her free software advocacy, and Public Lab, for their practice of free software principles for social benefit. Day two started with a keynote from Seth David Schoen, Senior Staff Technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and longtime FSF Associate Member. The conference was closed with a talk by Benjamin Mako Hill, assistant professor at the University of Washington and FSF board member.</p>
<p><img src="media/6c0552a5.SocialAward_04.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/SocialAward_04.jpg" alt="publiclab" style="float: right; width: 400px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>Some talks are <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org">already online</a>, and more are coming soon -- be sure to check back on <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org">our MediaGoblin</a> instance.</p>
<p>This brings us to Monday, which was a bonus day, with no formal LibrePlanet activities. This year, there were two Monday workshops: one run by <a href="https://www.documentfoundation.org/">The Document Foundation</a> to train FSF Associate Members on using LibreOffice, and the other organized by LibrePlanet speakers and FSF supporters Morgan Lemmer-Webber and Chris Lemmer Webber on digital humanities and using Racket for writing and publishing academic papers. These weren't the only extra events around LibrePlanet -- Day Zero also included <a href="http://www.eximiousproductions.com/2018/03/09/spinachcon-2018/">SpinachCon</a>, a community-organized UX/UI testing day.</p>
<p><img src="media/76b1a4d2.Registration_01.JPG" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2018/highlights/Registration_01.JPG" alt="registration" style="float: left; width: 400px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>I speak for all of the FSF staff when I say that LibrePlanet was amazing. It was only possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, Private Internet Access, Red Hat, and Purism and the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/sponsors/">in-kind donors</a>; the Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who continue to be the best partner we could hope for; and, of course, every attendee, exhibitor, speaker, and volunteer. LibrePlanet energizes us so much and helps drive our work over the rest of the year. Meeting you, hearing about your work and what you've built, and seeing your dedication to free software serves as a visceral reminder of how free software and proprietary software affect our daily lives and our overarching societal narrative. It reminds us why we do the work we do, and how, even when it feels like we're losing, there's the support and drive necessary for long-term success.</p>
<p>If you attended LibrePlanet -- in person or remotely -- please don't forget to <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2018/feedback">fill out a feedback form</a>. These help us understand people's experiences and how to do better next year. We read and discuss every response, so you can fill out the survey knowing it is going to make a difference.</p>
<p><em>Photo of the Welcome Dinner by Molly de Blanc <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CreativeCommons-Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0</a></em></p>
<p><em>Photo of the Registration Desk by Kori Feener <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CreativeCommons-Attribution-Sharealike 4.0</a></em></p>
<p><em>Photo of Liz Barry and Jeffrey Warren accepting the Award for Social Benefit on behalf of the Public Lab community by Kori Feener <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CreativeCommons-Attribution-Sharealike 4.0</a></em></p>
<p><em>Photo of the LibrePlanet exhibit hall and registration line by Kori Feener <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CreativeCommons-Attribution-Sharealike 4.0</a></em></p>


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

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

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new
entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in
it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a
free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of
information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource
to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since
it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and
contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p>After a fantastic weekend attending LibrePlanet 2018, we're back at the Directory again. After getting a chance to chat with some new volunteers at the conference, we want to spend this upcoming meeting talking about <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Participate/Project_Team">Project Teams</a>. There's some new excitement for existing projects, and also some proposals for new projects 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>


title: Free Software Foundation announces crowdfunding campaign to buy Facebook
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-announces-crowdfunding-campaign-to-buy-Facebo
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-foundation-announces-crowdfunding-campaign-to-buy-facebook

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-foundation-announces-crowdfunding-campaign-to-buy-facebook

content:
<p>Boston, Massachusetts, USA -- Sunday, April 1, 2018 -- Today, the
Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced an ambitious plan to
purchase the embattled social media giant Facebook via a
crowdfunding campaign. It will seed a campaign on the Crowd Supply
platform with the money from its recent <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-receives-1-million-donation-from-pineapple-fund">Pineapple Fund
donation</a>.</p>
<p>"When we received a 91.45 Bitcoin donation from the anonymous
fund, we planned to use the money for several purposes, including
bringing the free software movement to new audiences," said FSF
executive director John Sullivan. "The recent scandal over
Cambridge Analytica's illegal mass collection of Facebook user
data has left the site's future up in the air. Our sysadmin team
is ready to overhaul the entire site to become the world's
largest privacy respecting, free software and free
JavaScript-based social media platform. We're not sure yet what
the name of the new site will be, but we're sure it will involve
a clever acronym."</p>
<p>In the past, the FSF has criticized Facebook as <a href="https://www.fsf.org/facebook">"a gold mine for
government surveillance and advertisers,"</a> and its widespread,
global use positions it as the perfect platform for the
exponential growth of the free software movement.</p>
<p>"We've been waiting to sink our teeth in to Facebook for years,"
said FSF office manager Jonathan Tuttle. "I've been developing
Libre FarmVille in my spare time, and can't wait to share it on
the site."</p>
<p>The crowdfunding campaign will run until the end of 2018.</p>
<h2>Media Contact</h2>
<p>Jonathan Tuttle<br />
Office Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
April Fools<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
campaigns@fsf.org<br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-mike-gerwitz-19-new-gnu-releases
title: GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 19 new GNU releases!
uri: GNU-Spotlight-with-Mike-Gerwitz-19-new-GNU-releases
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-mike-gerwitz-19-new-gnu-releases
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/artanis/">artanis-0.2.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf-archive/">autoconf-archive-2018.03.13</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/">automake-1.16.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/datamash/">datamash-1.3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/dionysus/">dionysus-1.4.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/foliot/">foliot-0.9.7</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gawk/">gawk-4.2.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/health/">gnuhealth-client-3.2.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/help2man/">help2man-1.47.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/icecat/">icecat-52.6.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libunistring/">libunistring-0.9.9</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.15.13</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mcron/">mcron-1.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mcsim/">mcsim-6.0.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.9.4</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/">octave-4.2.2</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20180322</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/shepherd/">shepherd-0.4.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/time/">time-1.9</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 time: April 6th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-time-April-6th-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-6th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-6th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new
entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in
it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a
free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of
information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource
to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since
it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and
contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie">Twinkies</a> were invented in Schiller Park, Illinois on April 6,
1930, by James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental
Baking Company. Realizing that several machines used to make
cream-filled strawberry shortcake sat idle when strawberries were
out of season, Dewar conceived a snack cake filled with banana
cream, which he dubbed the Twinkie.<br />
</p>
<p>So one can say that Twinkies arose out of a capitalist
understanding of time as a refined notion of the Judeo-Christian
idiom "waste not want not." So for this week's Directory, we will
focus on "time-shifting," both the legal construct as it interacts
with free software, as well as free software that enables things
like time-shifting.</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: RMS in The Guardian: “A radical proposal to keep your personal data safe”
uri: RMS-in-The-Guardian-A-radical-proposal-to-keep-your-personal-data
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-in-the-guardian-201ca-radical-proposal-to-keep-your-personal-data-safe201d-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-in-the-guardian-201ca-radical-proposal-to-keep-your-personal-data-safe201d-1

content:
<p>Here at the Free Software Foundation (FSF), we're never surprised when another violation of privacy by Facebook or other bad actors is exposed: it has long since been obvious that <a href="https://www.fsf.org/facebook">Facebook is a gold mine for government surveillance and advertisers</a>. However, we also recognize that social media has become a crucial part of everyday life, which is why we urge you to ditch Facebook and instead utilize freedom-respecting, distributed, user-controlled services like <a href="https://www.fsf.org/bulletin/2017/spring/join-the-federation">GNU social, Mastodon, or Diaspora</a>.</p>
<p>In the meantime, something needs to be done to halt the overall abuse of data, and in today's issue of <em>The Guardian</em>, FSF president and founder Richard Stallman (RMS) offers a bold proposal: that systems need to be legally required to not collect data in the first place. “The basic principle is that a system must be designed not to collect certain data," he writes, "if its basic function can be carried out without that data.” He demands that this change go far beyond Facebook: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Broader, meaning extending to all surveillance systems, not just Facebook. Deeper, meaning to advance from regulating the use of data to regulating the accumulation of data. Because surveillance is so pervasive, restoring privacy is necessarily a big change, and requires powerful measures.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As an example of a system that could be adjusted to work this way, RMS notes that London trains and buses don't actually need to centrally record records of where people travel in order to work, although they now do so, which is a fundamental invasion of privacy. He also offers the example of <a href="https://taler.net/en/index.html">GNU Taler</a>, a convenient digital payment system that keeps payers anonymous: this is a system that already exists and respects users' privacy.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/03/facebook-abusing-data-law-privacy-big-tech-surveillance">Read the rest of this article at <em>The Guardian</em>.</a></strong></p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup time: April 13th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-time-April-13th-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-13th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-13th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new
entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in
it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a
free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of
information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource
to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since
it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and
contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p>This week we are improving everyone's luck by resurrecting dead entries. While we always want to keep growing the Directory by adding new entries, every now and then we need to do some spring cleaning to wipe away the detritus. Millions of users visit the Directory each year, but we want to make sure they're not stumbling into a graveyard of out-of-date information. So this Friday the 13th, we'll be hunting dead links and reviving older entries! </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/private-internet-access-vpns-education-and-software-freedom
title: Private Internet Access: VPNs, education, and software freedom
uri: Private-Internet-Access-VPNs-education-and-software-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/private-internet-access-vpns-education-and-software-freedom
content:
<h3>Meet Private Internet Access</h3>
<p>Private Internet Access (PIA) was a generous supporter of LibrePlanet 2018 and the Free Software Foundation <a href="https://www.fsf.org/patrons">as a patron</a>. As one of the largest VPN services available, they have customers all around the world. Their VPN works with free software VPN clients like OpenVPN. They <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2018/03/private-internet-access-goes-open-source/">recently announced their intention to release some of the software they produce under a free license</a>.</p>
<p>I had a conversation with Christel Dahlskjaer, their director of sponsorships and events, about their views on free software, digital rights, and user freedom. She emphasized that PIA uses their resources for the defense of free software, digital rights, and civil liberties, which are among their greatest concerns.</p>
<p>Through partnerships, PIA educates and helps people learn about and work towards better safety online and the mitigation of privacy risks. They bring this support to "activists, dissidents, journalists, whistleblowers, and digital nomads," in addition to everyday users of their VPN services, Dahlskjaer said in identifying their user base.</p>
<p>PIA is built on free software -- literally and ideologically. "We are acutely aware that free software is at the foundation of the vast majority of the technology that we rely on, and indeed founded our business on," said Dahlskjaer. "We believe that software freedom goes hand in hand with civil liberties and digital rights, and it is natural for us to support the development and use of free software."</p>
<p>"The digital landscape is changing and, as individuals, we are facing real risk from the monetization of data, surveillance, privatization, and risk of potential bad actors. Now is the time to act when it comes to taking (back) control of our data and our digital rights," she went on.</p>
<p>"Draconian leaders continue to be misinformed or have an agenda separate of the people, leading to poor legislation across the board, regardless of one's jurisdiction. It continues to become clear that the greatest challenge is the legal landscape for new technology. That being said, with the continued advancements we have seen with applied cryptography, the time when technology simply transcends is drawing nigh. We will win. I assure you, we will win."</p>
<p>The Free Software Foundation is excited to have the support of Private Internet Access in LibrePlanet, our other work, and the greater free software community.</p>
<p>You can read more about <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com">Private Internet Access</a> on their Web site, and also <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/jobs#devopss">read</a> <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/jobs#browser-extension">job descriptions</a> <a href="https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/jobs#android">online</a>.</p>
<h3>What is a VPN?</h3>
<p>A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. It "extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network" (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network">Wikipedia</a>). This gives users of a VPN enhanced privacy and security. While frequently used by companies and organizations to provide access to servers or an intranet to those not in the office, a VPN is also invaluable for activists, journalists, whistleblowers, and any end user looking to increase the trust they have in their networks. VPNs can be used to access any Web sites or Web services. </p>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup time: April 20th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-time-April-20th-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-20th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-20th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>On April 20, 2008, 26-year-old Danica Patrick entered the Indy Japan
300 at Twin Ring Montegi in Montegi, Japan -- and became the first woman to win an Indycar race. This week's Directory meetup will honor this milestone by focusing on programs that involve <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special:Search&amp;profile=default&amp;fulltext=Search&amp;search=race]">races and racing</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>


title: Friday Free Software Directory IRC meetup time: April 27th starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT/16:00 UTC
uri: Friday-Free-Software-Directory-IRC-meetup-time-April-27th-starting-at
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-27th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/friday-free-software-directory-irc-meetup-time-april-27th-starting-at-12-00-p-m-edt-16-00-utc-1

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new entries
and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is
free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With
over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about
free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to
the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of
even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki
instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the
Directory.</p>
<p>It was during this week, back in 1993, that the first browser to render text and pictures on the Web was released. To commemorate this event, the Directory meetup will look at <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Internet-application/web-browser">browsers</a>, <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?search=web+browser+plugin&amp;title=Special%3ASearch&amp;go=Go">plugins</a>, and <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Interface/web">other Web renders</a>. One area that is behind in this field is our browser plugins. The central listing is on the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki?title=Special:ApprovedRevs&amp;show=unapproved">unapproved program pages</a>.  It would be great to lower this number a bit this week, and get some other relevant programs updated.</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: “The printer story” redux: a testimonial about the injustice of proprietary firmware
uri: The-printer-story-redux-a-testimonial-about-the-injustice-of-pr
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/201cthe-printer-story201d-redux-a-testimonial-about-the-injustice-of-proprietary-firmware

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/201cthe-printer-story201d-redux-a-testimonial-about-the-injustice-of-proprietary-firmware

content:
<p><strong>As part of his explanation of the early history of free software, Richard Stallman (RMS) often tells a story about his frustration with the locked-down software on a laser printer. If you're not familiar with the printer story, you can read it in RMS's own words <a href="https://www.gnu.org/events/rms-nyu-2001-transcript.txt">here</a>. It's an early, easy-to-understand example of how proprietary software deprives users of control over their lives.</strong></p>
<p><strong>In today's testimonial, an anonymous supporter details a much more recent incident that made it concrete to him how unjust, cruel, and arbitrary the restrictions imposed by software manufacturers can be. Because the writer is not a native English speaker, we've clarified his words a bit for readability.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Want to support our fight against nonfree software? <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">Join the FSF today!</a></strong></p>
<p>I’ve always supported free software, but never felt the concrete importance of it until proprietary firmware threatened to cause a big problem, in terms of money, time, and environmental impact, for the company where I work. It’s a mid-sized company, employing about one thousand people. It’s highly production-oriented, and we need to print about two or three thousand paper sheets per week only for the production plans, on a special kind of paper. This number doesn’t include any reprints or further needs, so the total printed pages can be even higher.</p>
<p>We used to print everything with an old printer, which worked fine, but it didn't have an integrated stapler, and required a lot of human time to staple all the sheets as needed. After a production increase and the consequent increase in printing of orders, we asked for a new printer with an integrated stapler.</p>
<p>After some weeks of testing and a lot of work to try and make the printer handle our production orders, we faced a big problem: the printer couldn’t do what we needed. If we tried to print on the special paper, the printer printed perfectly but automatically disabled the stapler, because it’s developed to not work with a thicker sheet of paper. We would need a more complex (and expensive) stapling system. If we modified the paper settings to “normal paper,” the stapler would work fine, but the printing came out faded. </p>
<p>We requested technical support, and after some tests, the technician said that the printer is capable of printing on the special paper, and it's capable of stapling, but it can't do both at the same time. Why doesn’t it work? Because the firmware doesn’t foresee this particular instance of use, and it can’t be modified. We need to use a thinner paper. </p>
<p>What about the 80 thousand paper sheets we already had in the warehouse? We managed this problem for months by printing different production orders with the old printer and hand-stapling, but this was a waste of time for us. It would have saved time to just throw away the extra paper and buy new paper, but this would have an unacceptable environmental and monetary impact.</p>
<p>There was absolutely no reason that the new printer couldn't print and staple the old paper, but the firmware developers simply wouldn't let us do it. Instead, we have had to adapt ourselves to the printer software. In a just and fair society, software could be adapted to people's needs, and people wouldn't have to adapt instead to the software. This is why free software is necessary.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-april-2018
title: Free Software Directory meeting recap, April 2018
uri: Free-Software-Directory-meeting-recap-April-2018
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/free-software-directory-meeting-recap-april-2018
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>. We had an exciting month working on the
Directory with our wonderful stable of volunteers. These folks show
up week in and week out to improve the Directory. It's also important
to note the valiant efforts of those volunteers who can't make an
appearance at the meeting proper, but still plug away at Directory
entries during the week. </p>
<p>During April, the Directory passed 16,000 entries. At
this pace, the Directory will be more than halfway to 17,000 by the
end of 2018. On the mailing list this month, there were numerous
matters presented: one matter under consideration is changing the
Directory so that volunteers can upload the icon of a program. So for
example, the <a href="media/1ebdbabb.emacs.png" data-original-source="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/images/emacs.png">Emacs logo</a> would be listed next to the name of the
program in the Directory entry.</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. EST
(16:00 to 19:00 UTC).</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-mike-gerwitz-14-new-gnu-releases
title: GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 14 new GNU releases!
uri: GNU-Spotlight-with-Mike-Gerwitz-14-new-GNU-releases
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-spotlight-with-mike-gerwitz-14-new-gnu-releases
content:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/aspell/">aspell6-en-2018.04.16-0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gama/">gama-1.22</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnudos/">gnudos-1.11</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/">gnupg-2.2.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnurl/">gnurl-7.59.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/">libidn-1.34</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/">linux-libre-4.16.4-gnu</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/mcron/">mcron-1.1.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/">nano-2.9.6</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/">parallel-20180422</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/">sed-4.5</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/taler/">taler-bank-0.5.1</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/taler/">taler-exchange-0.5.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/taler/">taler-merchant-0.5.0</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: The monthly Free Software Supporter newsletter is now available in Brazilian Portuguese!
uri: The-monthly-Free-Software-Supporter-newsletter-is-now-available-in-Bra
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-monthly-free-software-supporter-newsletter-is-now-available-in-brazilian-portuguese

url:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-monthly-free-software-supporter-newsletter-is-now-available-in-brazilian-portuguese

content:
<p>Software freedom is a worldwide issue, and we have a global mission to defend the rights of all software users everywhere, not just in the US, where we're based. As such, while English is the de facto language of the FSF and the GNU Project, we're continually trying to make free software and GNU information available <a href="https://www.gnu.org/server/standards/README.translations.html">in as many languages as possible</a>. </p>
<p>The <em>Free Software Supporter</em> newsletter, currently being delivered to almost 190,000 inboxes worldwide, is a key communication tool connecting our supporters with the latest free software news every month. It's a summary of the work we do every month, as well as a compendium of news from our ally organizations, an update from the projects we support, and a record of the latest attacks on computer user freedom. We try to include as many prompts for activism and participation as possible, helping to guide your advocacy for software freedom.</p>
<p>So you can see why we want to make sure the <em>Supporter</em> is as accessible as possible to our global audience, and when one of our wonderful volunteers offered to translate the <em>Supporter</em> into Brazilian Portuguese, and we realized that the Brazilian Portuguese GNU translation team was willing to take on proofreading and additional support, we said, why not? Brazil is a hotbed of free software activism, thanks to our friends at the <a href="https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/">Free Software Foundation Latin America (FSFLA)</a>, and last year we presented a Free Software Award to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/securedrop-and-alexandre-oliva-are-2016-free-software-awards-winners">Alexandre Oliva</a>, a fierce defender of free software whose impact has been felt far beyond his home base in Brazil.</p>
<p>As with the other international issues of the <em>Supporter</em>, the Brazilian Portuguese version will be posted and sent between one and two weeks after the English version, but you'll still receive the English version the first business day of the month.</p>
<p>How can you help? Right now, we need to know who the readers are who prefer to get their free software news in Portuguese. If the new Portuguese edition of the <em>Supporter</em> is a good fit for you, sign up <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/link">here</a> – and even if it's not, pass it on to your family, friends, and colleagues! </p>


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

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

content:
<p>Help improve the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">Free Software Directory</a> by adding new
entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet 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>When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in
it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a
free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of
information about free software.</p>
<p>While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource
to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a
resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since
it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and
contribute to the Directory.</p>
<p>Although passengers wouldn't be allowed until a few months later, the
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel">Channel Tunnel</a> opened its gaping maw this week in 1994. The
Chunnel chugs along with the longest underwater run of any tunnel to
this day. To honor this anniversary, the theme this week remembers the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Science/geology">geological</a>
work that went into realizing this tunnel.</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. To see the meeting start time in your time zone, run
this in GNU bash: date --date='TZ="America/New_York" 12:00 this Fri'</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/clear-history-why-not-deletefacebook-instead
title: "Clear History"? Why not #DeleteFacebook instead
uri: Clear-History-Why-not-DeleteFacebook-instead
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/clear-history-why-not-deletefacebook-instead
content:
<p>On Tuesday, at the Facebook developers conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg
once again asked the social media site's users for their trust, when
he announced a <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/05/facebook-building-a-simple-way-to-clear-your-cookies-and-history/">new privacy control for the site</a>. Called "clear
history," Zuckerberg claims it will allow users to clear their
browsing history on Facebook, apparently including activity like which
Web sites one has visited.</p>
<p>This is an empty gesture. Facebook is clearly attempting to placate an
angry public and defend itself against scrutiny by the US government,
but it is still putting the impetus to protect user privacy on users,
rather than simply choosing <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-in-the-guardian-201ca-radical-proposal-to-keep-your-personal-data-safe201d-1">not to collect information on Facebook
users in the first place</a>.</p>
<p>It will surprise many people clicking this new button to learn that,
while Facebook says you will be able to clear your history, the
company will still have a copy of that activity -- <a href="https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/05/clear-history-2/">it just won't be
associated with your account</a>.</p>
<p>This is a symptom of a fundamental problem. When you interact with
Facebook, you are giving up control over your computing to a server
run by someone else -- it's <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html">Service as a Software Substitute</a>. The
parts of it that <em>do</em> run on your local system are <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">nonfree
JavaScript</a>.</p>
<p>Even if they <em>did</em> promise to delete your activity from their servers,
there is no way to verify that, because you cannot inspect either the
nonfree JavaScript or the server-side software. Users are left to
trust that the code only Facebook can read does what Facebook says it
does. No company can be trusted with that kind of power over users,
least of all one with Facebook's track record.</p>
<p>Though they want you to believe they care about protecting your
privacy, unless Facebook decides to completely overhaul itself using
exclusively free software and decentralize, allowing people to run
federated nodes of that software on their own computers, nobody should
expect to go untracked.</p>
<p>US Congress battered Zuckerberg with questions in a hearing following
the Cambridge Analytica scandal earlier this year, and though no
concrete action has come from those conversations so far, there are
ways in which governments could act to prevent covert mass data
collection online in the future. Even the nodes in a decentralized
free software social network could inappropriately collect data, and
quality regulation could prohibit the practice.</p>
<p>But regulation alone will not be enough. Technology itself must be
built in ways that respect users. We urge you to #DeleteFacebook and
try one of the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/decentralization-federation">decentralized social Web options</a> discussed on the
Free Software Foundation's High Priority Projects list -- you may even
try self-hosting a node for others to use. Send us your first message
<a href="https://framasphere.org/people/f494d9c0d927013528a62a0000053625">on Diaspora</a> or <a href="https://status.fsf.org/fsf">GNU social</a> (which can talk to Mastodon
accounts, too).</p>
<p>Zuckerberg probably wishes he could "clear history" of the
Cambridge Analytica scandal that put Facebook under scrutiny in the
first place. We encourage him to #DeleteFacebook in favor of a
decentralized, free software-driven option, too.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/its-not-over-take-action-for-net-neutrality-today
title: It's not over! Take action for net neutrality today!
uri: It-s-not-over-Take-action-for-net-neutrality-today
url: http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/its-not-over-take-action-for-net-neutrality-today
content:
<p>The fight for net neutrality isn't over -- yet. In the next two weeks, 
the United States Senate will vote on whether to save net neutrality 
and we need you to take action.</p>
<h3>Inform yourself and others</h3>
<p>In December 2017, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) voted to
repeal the policies that protected net neutrality.</p>
<p>Rather than merely accepting this, Senator Ed Markey launched a
Congressional Review Act (CRA) to save net neutrality. A CRA allows a
simple majority (more than 50%) of Congress (the Senate and House of
Representatives) to overturn an FCC vote. You can <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Review_Act">read more about
CRAs on Wikipedia</a>.</p>
<p>Already, 50 senators are supporting the CRA. We need one more vote to
pass this effort to overturn the FCC's ruling.</p>
<h3>Take action!</h3>
<p><em>If you're not in the US, let us know your country by <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=34&amp;reset=1">updating your
 profile</a> so we can send you more relevant info. In the meantime,
 please also help us spread the word to your contacts in the US.</em></p>
<p><strong>This Wednesday, May 9th, call your senator and urge them to vote to
  protect net neutrality.</strong></p>
<p>Nervous? Try using the following script:</p>
<blockquote>

Hello,

I live in CITY/STATE. I am calling to urge you to support net
neutrality.

I hope SENATOR will do the right thing and vote in for the CRA
to overturn the FCC's repeal of net neutrality protections.

Thank you for your time.

</blockquote>

<p><strong>Don't know who to call?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Call your senator directly. <a href="https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">Find their number here</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Dial the Senate at <strong>(202) 224-3121</strong> and they will connect you.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Does your senator already support the CRA?</strong></p>
<p>If your senators are already supporting the CRA, call to thank them
for their hard work and dedication to net neutrality.</p>
<h3>Read these posts by the FSF</h3>
<p>Want to know even more? Check out these posts from the FSF.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/onemorevote-is-needed-to-save-net-neutrality">OneMoreVote is needed to save net neutrality</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it">Free software needs net neutrality! This is our LAST CHANCE to save it</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/take-action-for-net-neutrality">Protect software freedom: Support net neutrality</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Without a free Web and free Internet, what we -- this includes you --
can do online will be limited by the desires of ISPs like Comcast and
Verizon.  They will have the legal right to control which Web sites we
can access and how fast that access will be. This <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-needs-net-neutrality-this-is-our-last-chance-to-save-it">is a major free
software issue</a>: free software as we know it would not exist
without a free Internet and a free Web. The future of free software is
tied to the future of net neutrality.</p>
<p>We're asking you to <strong>take the time this Wednesday to call
Congress</strong>. Tell your friends and family. Save the Internet.</p>


