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Free Software Foundation News

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FSF Job Opportunity: Outreach & Communications Coordinator

jeudi 16 mars 2017 à 16:01

Reporting to the executive director, the Outreach & Communications Coordinator works closely with our campaigns, licensing, and technical teams to edit, write, publish, and promote high-quality, effective materials both digital and printed. These materials are a critical part of advancing the FSF's work in support of the GNU Project, free software adoption, copyleft licensing, free media formats, and freedom on the Internet; and against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), software patents, and proprietary software. Nearly every publication from the FSF goes through this public-facing position, tying together our work across various constituencies. The position's job functions are rooted in a mix of copy editing, substantive editing, writing, external outreach, and project management.

Examples of job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Ideal candidates have at least one to three years of work experience in copy editing, writing, and free software; proficiency and comfort with professional writing and publications preferred. Because the FSF works globally and seeks to have our materials distributed in as many languages as possible, multilingual candidates will have an advantage. With our small staff of thirteen, each person makes a clear contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work environment at an office located in the heart of downtown Boston. The FSF is a mature but growing organization that provides great potential for advancement; existing staff get the first chance at any new job openings.

Benefits and Salary

This job is a union position that must be worked on-site at the FSF's downtown Boston office. The salary is fixed at $52,152/year and is non-negotiable. Other benefits include:

Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted via email to hiring@fsf.org. The email must contain the subject line "Outreach & Communications Coordinator". A complete application should include:

All materials must be in a free format (such as plain text, PDF, or OpenDocument). Email submissions that do not follow these instructions will probably be overlooked. No phone calls, please.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To guarantee consideration, submit your application by Sunday, April 9, 2017.

The FSF is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or application for employment on the basis of race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, or any other legally protected status recognized by federal, state or local law. We value diversity in our workplace.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software—particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants—and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. We are based in Boston, MA, USA.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at https://www.fsf.org/press.

GNU Toolchain now accepting donations with the support of the Free Software Foundation

jeudi 9 mars 2017 à 20:29
Four protesters from around the world

A meeting of GNU Toolchain developers.

Donations made through the FSF will help speed development of the GNU Toolchain projects, for example by compensating developers working on critical components, upgrading servers and other infrastructure, and facilitating in-person opportunities for collaboration and project advocacy. Donations are accepted in US dollars, Euro and British Pounds (email donate@fsf.org for transfer info), and Bitcoin. Since the FSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donations are tax deductible in the US, and many employers will match employee contributions.

The FSF will oversee use of the funds, advised by a committee made up of developers from the GNU Toolchain projects. Joel Brobecker, a committee member who is the Global Maintainer and Release Manager for the GNU Debugger, part of the GNU Toolchain, said:

"This is another great initiative from the FSF aimed at providing funds benefiting the GNU Toolchain and its sub-components. While these projects enjoy a strong and vibrant community of both users and contributors, this fund will help at the operational level, providing additional support towards the collaborative improvement and growth of these projects and their community. It will also help those projects move forward in new areas that collaboration alone could not reach. I am looking forward to seeing this fund in action."

GNU Toolchain projects maintain the standards-compliant compiler, header files, basic system libraries, and debuggers that provide a smooth and efficient experience for the GNU/Linux developer and user communities. Its subprojects include, among others: the GNU Compiler Collection (also known as GCC), the GNU C Library (also known as GLIBC), and the GNU Debugger (also known as GDB). Like all GNU software, the elements of the GNU Toolchain are freely available to copy, audit and improve.

Carlos O'Donell, another committee member who is FSF Steward and developer for the GNU C Library, said:

"The FSF has always been a forward looking organization, and they have shown it again today by creating this fund. It will enable the GNU Toolchain community to reach more users by focusing funding on key requirements faced by the entire GNU Toolchain community. Right out of the gate, we will be able to look at the continuous integration work being carried out by core projects like the GNU C Library and the GNU Debugger. This work needs support and maintenance to enable developers to accelerate the pace of innovation across all the supported configurations from servers down to embedded. It is really an exciting time for the GNU Toolchain."

Support for the GNU Toolchain is part of the FSF's Working Together for Free Software initiative, which connects software freedom advocates to projects that need their help. Other projects that have benefited from this program include the GNU Guix package manager, the Replicant free mobile operating system, and the federated Web media-publishing platform GNU MediaGoblin.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software—particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants—and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at https://fsf.org and https://gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at https://www.fsf.org/press.

About the GNU Operating System and Linux

Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom. See https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.

In 1992, the essential components of GNU were complete, except for one, the kernel. When in 1992 the kernel Linux was re-released under the GNU GPL, making it free software, the combination of GNU and Linux formed a complete free operating system, which made it possible for the first time to run a PC without non-free software. This combination is the GNU/Linux system. For more explanation, see https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.

Media Contacts

John Sullivan Executive Director Free Software Foundation +1 (617) 542 5942 campaigns@fsf.org

Photo by David Edelsohn under the Creative Commons Attribution License (cc-by) 4.0

Three devices from Vikings GmbH now FSF-certified to respect your freedom

lundi 6 mars 2017 à 14:17

These are their first products to be awarded RYF certification. The Vikings D16 Mainboard is the first server or workstation mainboard certified by the FSF. The Vikings D16 Mainboard is an ASUS KGPE-D16 with the boot firmware replaced with free software. It can be purchased from Vikings GmbH at https://store.vikings.net/libre-friendly-hardware/d16-ryf-certfied. The Vikings X200 libre-friendly laptop is a refurbished laptop that comes with a free bios pre-installed, and at the user's option, Trisquel GNU/Linux, a fully free operating system endorsed by the FSF. It can be purchased from Vikings GmbH at https://store.vikings.net/libre-friendly-hardware/x200-ryf-certfied. Vikings USB Stereo Sound Adapter is a peripheral sound card that requires no proprietary software or binary blobs to operate, and can be purchased from Vikings GmbH at https://store.vikings.net/libre-friendly-accessories/usb-sound-adapter-ryf-certified.

"The certification of the Vikings D16 Mainboard is particularly exciting. The FSF has been successfully using the same model of board for our servers, and we're glad to now officially certify it—the first piece of RYF hardware suitable for the data center," said the FSF's executive director, John Sullivan.

Certifying the mainboard along with the Vikings X200 libre-friendly laptop and Vikings USB Stereo Sound Adapter gives Vikings GmbH a healthy selection of RYF devices for sale.

"Vikings joins other great companies offering multiple RYF-certified devices, and has plans in the works for future RYF-worthy items. We look forward to working with them to certify even more hardware that comes with only freedom inside," said the FSF's licensing & compliance manager, Donald Robertson, III.

To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification program, including details on the certification of all these devices, please visit https://fsf.org/ryf.

Hardware sellers interested in applying for certification can consult https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software—particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants—and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at and , are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at https://www.fsf.org/press.

About Vikings GmbH

Vikings GmbH is a company based in Germany and operates world-wide. It was started by Thomas Umbach, founder and CEO. Vikings is the world's first professional hosting company with a fully libre hosting platform stack. Our services are based 100% on libre boot firmware, 100% libre software and are powered by 100% certified green energy. Vikings is your one stop source for libre hosting services as well as libre servers and workstations.

Media Contacts

Donald Robertson, III
Licensing & Compliance Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942
licensing@fsf.org

Vikings GmbH, Germany
+49 6196 202 82 0
hello@vikings.net

Image by Vikings GmbH is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, CC BY.

FSF Job Opportunity: Campaigns Manager

mardi 28 février 2017 à 16:54

Reporting to the executive director, the Campaigns Manager works on our campaigns team to plan, carry out, evaluate, and improve FSF's advocacy and education campaigns. The team also works closely with other FSF departments, including licensing, operations, and tech. The position will start by taking responsibility for existing campaigns in support of the GNU Project, free software adoption, free media formats, and freedom on the network; and against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), software patents, and proprietary software.

Examples of job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Ideal candidates have at least three to five years of work experience in online issue advocacy and free software; proficiency and comfort with professional writing and publications preferred. Because the FSF works globally and seeks to have our materials distributed in as many languages as possible, multilingual candidates will have an advantage. With our small staff of thirteen, each person makes a clear contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work environment at an office located in the heart of downtown Boston. The FSF is a mature but growing organization that provides great potential for advancement; existing staff get the first chance at any new job openings.

Benefits and Salary

This job is a union position that must be worked on-site at the FSF's downtown Boston office. The salary is fixed at $60,385/year and is non-negotiable. Other benefits include:

Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted via email to hiring@fsf.org. The email must contain the subject line "Campaigns Manager". A complete application should include:

All materials must be in a free format (such as plain text, PDF, or OpenDocument). Email submissions that do not follow these instructions will probably be overlooked. No phone calls, please.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To guarantee consideration, submit your application by Sunday, March 12, 2017.

The FSF is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or application for employment on the basis of race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, or any other legally protected status recognized by federal, state or local law. We value diversity in our workplace.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software—particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants—and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. We are based in Boston, MA, USA.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at https://www.fsf.org/press.

ACLU Massachusetts Technology for Liberty Director Kade Crockford at LibrePlanet 2017

lundi 6 février 2017 à 22:34

Kade Crockford is the Director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts. Kade works to protect and expand core First and Fourth Amendment rights and civil liberties in the digital 21st century, focusing on how systems of surveillance and control impact not just society in general but their primary targets — people of color, Muslims, immigrants, and dissidents.

The Information Age produces conditions facilitating mass communication and democratization, as well as dystopian monitoring and centralized control. The Technology for Liberty Program aims to use the unprecedented access to information and communication to protect and enrich open society and individual rights by implementing basic reforms to ensure new tools do not create inescapable digital cages limiting what people see, hear, think, and do. Towards that end, Kade researches, strategizes, writes, lobbies, and educates the public on issues ranging from the wars on drugs and terror to warrantless electronic surveillance. Kade has written for The Nation, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, WBUR, and many other publications, and regularly appears in local, regional, and national media as an expert on issues related to technology, policing, and surveillance.

Kade Crockford of the
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
Kade Crockford of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

"It's exactly right that LibrePlanet this year will open with a discussion of technology and civil liberties led by an engaging expert in the field. We're looking forward to hearing Kade talk about the ACLU's work, how it relates to the free software movement's values, and how people knowledgeable about free software can help others protect their privacy and digital security." said John Sullivan, executive director of the Free Software Foundation.

In 2015, Kade discussed terrorism and civil liberties with Noam Chomsky in a moderated discussion organized by The Baffler. You can download and watch this video without proprietary JavaScript using youtube-dl. Already familiar to the free software community, Kade previously spoke at LibrePlanet 2014, delivering a talk titled "The Creeping Techno-surveillance State: How Can We Fight Back?" with Josh Levy of Free Press.

At LibrePlanet 2017, Kade will discuss how technologists can enlist in the growing fight for civil liberties.

About LibrePlanet

LibrePlanet is the annual conference of the Free Software Foundation. Begun as a modest gathering of FSF members, the conference now is a large, vibrant gathering of free software enthusiasts, welcoming anyone interested in software freedom and digital rights. Registration is now open, and admission is gratis for FSF members and students.

For the fourth year in a row, LibrePlanet will be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Stata Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 25th and 26th, 2017. Co-presented by the Free Software Foundation and MIT's Student Information Processing Board (SIPB), the rest of the LibrePlanet program will be announced soon. The opening keynote at LibrePlanet 2016 was a conversation between US National Security Agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden and the American Civil Liberties Union's Daniel Kahn Gillmor.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at https://www.fsf.org/press.

Media Contact

Georgia Young Program Manager Free Software Foundation +1 (617) 542 5942 campaigns@fsf.org

Photo of Kade Crockford by the ACLU of Massachusetts is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, CC BY.