# articles

feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-announces-winner-of-restricted-boot-webcomic-contest
title: FSF announces winner of Restricted Boot webcomic contest
uri: FSF-announces-winner-of-Restricted-Boot-webcomic-contest
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-announces-winner-of-restricted-boot-webcomic-contest
content:
With over 30,000 signatures to our statement and over a dozen high-quality submissions to our contest, I'm confident our message that Restricted Boot is a mistake has the attention of Microsoft and computer-makers alike. Now we need take the next step of turning this support into tangible results.<p>BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, July 5th, 2012 -- The Free
Software Foundation (FSF) today announced the winner of its Restricted
Boot webcomic contest. The winning entry comes from Erik Steinmann,
and will be featured on the front page of
<a href="//www.fsf.org">FSF.org</a> for the month of July, in addition to
being used in other materials published by the organization. Since the
comic is freely licensed, the FSF is encouraging others to share it on
their own sites as well.</p> 
 
<p>In the Fall of 2011, the FSF issued a statement to computer makers,
urging them to reject Restricted Boot technology, concerned that
Microsoft's Windows 8 certification standards would impose rules
preventing users from installing free software operating systems on
most computers. Thus far, over 30,000 confirmed individual signatures
have been added to the statement, titled "Stand up for your freedom to
install free software." Twenty-five organizations have also expressed
their support.</p> 
 
<p>Then in December, Microsoft apparently conceded to public pressure by
quietly updating the certification requirements with a mandate that a
desktop computer user must be able to control (and disable) the Secure
Boot feature on any Windows 8 computer that is not based on ARM
technology. This looked like a victory for free software users, as it
meant a user could install GNU/Linux or another free software
operating system in place of Windows 8. But, Microsoft also added a
treacherous certification mandate for makers of ARM-based computers --
such as a tablets, netbooks, and smartphones -- requiring them to
build their machines with Restricted Boot technology. Such computers
are designed to lock a user into only being able to run Windows 8,
absolutely preventing her from being able to install a free software
operating system on her computer.</p> 
 
<p>Since smartphones and tablets are some of the most commonly used
computers, the FSF launched the Restricted Boot webcomic contest to
collect materials that could be used to "raise awareness and put
pressure on Microsoft and computer makers."</p> 
 
<p>"I'd like to thank everyone who submitted an entry to the contest, as
well as our panel of judges. With over 30,000 signatures to our
statement and over a dozen high-quality submissions to our contest,
I'm confident our message that Restricted Boot is a mistake has the
attention of Microsoft and computer-makers alike. Now we need take the
next step of turning this support into tangible results," said Joshua
Gay, FSF's licensing and compliance manager.</p> 
 
<p>The FSF also recently published a comprehensive assessment of the
issues posed by both Secure Boot and Restricted Boot for GNU/Linux and
other free software operating system distributions at
<a href="//www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web">www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web</a>,
specifically addressing announcements made by Fedora and Ubuntu.</p> 
 
<p>The panel of judges included Chris Webber, Rob Myers, Jason Self,
Benjamin Mako Hill, ginger coons, Aaron Williamson, and Richard
Stallman.</p> 
 
<div style="text-align:center;"> 
<a href="//www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/statement"><img src="media/54108dc3.restricted-boots.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/restricted-boots.jpg" alt="Restricted Boots -- it's for your safety" width="475" /></a>
<p style="text-align:center; margin-left:150px;margin-right:150px;"> 
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="media/902b848c.88x31.png" data-original-source="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/88x31.png" /></a> This <span href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" rel="dct:type">work</span> by <a href="http://eriksteinmann.nl/secureboot_webcomic.html" rel="cc:attributionURL">Erik Steinmann</a> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</a>.
</p> 
</div> 
 
<h3>About Secure Boot vs Restricted Boot</h3> 
 
<p>When done correctly, Secure Boot is designed to protect against
malware by preventing computers from loading unauthorized binary
programs when booting. In practice, this means that computers
implementing it won't boot unauthorized operating systems -- including
initially authorized systems that have been modified without being
re-approved.  This could be a feature deserving of the name, as long
as the user is able to authorize the programs she wants to use, so she
can run free software written and modified by herself or people she
trusts. However, we are concerned that Microsoft and hardware
manufacturers will implement these boot restrictions in a way that
will prevent users from booting anything other than Windows. In this
case, we are better off calling the technology Restricted Boot, since
such a requirement would be a disastrous restriction on computer users
and not a security feature at all.</p> 
 
<ul> 
<li><p>Statement opposing Restricted Boot:<br />>
<a href="</br>/www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/statement">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/statement</a></p></li> 
<li><p>FSF Secure Boot recommendations for free software operating systems:<br />>
<a href="</br>/www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web</a></p></li> 
</ul> 
 
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3> 
 
<p>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
<a href="//donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p> 
 
<h3>Media Contacts</h3> 
 
<p>Joshua Gay <br /> 
Licensing and Compliance Manager <br /> 
Free Software Foundation <br /> 
+1 (617) 542 5942 x20 
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#x6C;&#x69;&#99;&#x65;n&#115;&#105;&#x6E;&#103;&#64;&#x66;&#x73;&#x66;&#x2E;&#x6F;&#114;&#x67;</a>  </p> 
 
<p>###</p> 
 


uri: FSF-publishes-whitepaper-with-recommendations-for-free-operating-syste
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-publishes-whitepaper-with-recommendations-for-free-operating-system-distributions-considering-secure-boot

title:
FSF publishes whitepaper with recommendations for free operating system distributions considering Secure Boot

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-publishes-whitepaper-with-recommendations-for-free-operating-system-distributions-considering-secure-boot

content:
In the paper, the FSF outlines the difficulties Secure Boot poses for the free software movement and free software adoption, warns against the threat of Restricted Boot, and gives recommendations for how free software developers and users can best address the issues.<p>BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Saturday, June 30th, 2012-- The Free
Software Foundation (FSF) today published a whitepaper entitled, "Free Software Foundation recommendations for free operating system distributions considering Secure Boot."</p>

<p>The paper can be downloaded as a PDF from <a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper.pdf">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper.pdf</a> or read online at <a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web.</a></p>

<p>In the paper, the FSF outlines the difficulties Secure Boot poses for the free software movement and free software adoption, warns against the threat of Restricted Boot, and gives recommendations for how free software developers and users can best address the issues. The paper also responds to recent announcements made by two popular GNU/Linux distributions, Ubuntu and Fedora, detailing their intended approaches to implementing Secure Boot. </p>

<p>Because Microsoft's security key will be installed on nearly every laptop and desktop sold, there is a temptation for free software operating system distributions to connect their key to Microsoft's in order to facilitate easy installation.</p>

<p>The FSF rejects any approach to computer security which requires users or computer distributors to place their trust in Microsoft or any other proprietary software company, and instead stresses the importance of enabling users to both easily disable Secure Boot and to use security keys they generate themselves, so that they -- and not a third party -- can determine which software should and should not run on their computers. </p>

<p>"We will do what we can to help all free software operating system
distributions follow this path, and we will work on a political level
to reduce the practical difficulties that adhering to these principles
might pose for expedient installation of free software. The FSF does
want everyone to be able to easily install a free operating system --
our ultimate goal is for everyone to do so, and the experience of
trying out free software is a powerful way to communicate the
importance of free software ideals to new people. But we cannot in the
name of expediency or simplicity accept systems that direct users to
put their trust in entities whose goal it is to extinguish free
software. If that's the tradeoff, we better just turn Secure Boot
off," writes John Sullivan, FSF's executive director.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>

<p>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 <a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>

<p>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
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>John Sullivan <br />
Executive Director <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#x63;&#x61;&#109;&#112;a&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#x73;&#x66;&#46;&#111;r&#103;</a>  </p>

<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Licensing and Compliance Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617} 542-5942 <br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#x6C;i&#x63;&#101;&#x6E;s&#x69;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#x72;&#103;</a>  </p>

<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/two-job-openings-on-the-fsf-campaigns-team
title: Two job openings on the FSF campaigns team
uri: Two-job-openings-on-the-FSF-campaigns-team
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/two-job-openings-on-the-fsf-campaigns-team
content:
The Free Software Foundation (FSF), a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) charity
with a worldwide mission to protect freedoms critical to the
computer-using public, seeks *two* motivated and organized
tech-friendly Boston-based individuals to be its full-time campaigns
managers.
<p>Together, these positions form a team working closely with the
executive director and members of the FSF's board of directors to
plan, carry out, evaluate, and improve FSF's advocacy and education
campaigns.</p>

<p>The team will start by taking up responsibility for our existing
campaigns in support of the GNU Project, free software adoption, free
media formats, and freedom on the network; and against DRM, software
patents, and proprietary software.</p>

<p>Such responsibility includes:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>planning both online and physical actions to achieve our campaign
goals,</p></li>
<li><p>setting specific goals for each action and then measuring our
success in achieving them,</p></li>
<li><p>doing the writing and messaging work needed to effectively explain
our campaigns and motivate people to support them,</p></li>
<li><p>overseeing or doing the graphic design work to make our campaigns
and their Web sites attractive,</p></li>
<li><p>working with our systems administrators on the technology choices
and deployments -- especially of web publication systems like
Drupal and Plone -- for our campaign sites, and</p></li>
<li><p>being an approachable, humble, and friendly representative of the
FSF to our worldwide community of existing supporters and the
broader public, both in person and online.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>The campaigns team is also empowered and encouraged to develop new
campaigns to advance the FSF's charitable mission. If you can look at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns</a> and come up with proposals to improve
both the quality and appearance of the work described there, along
with ways to measure the success of your proposals if implemented, you
should apply.</p>

<p>In your cover letter, please tell us a story of a time you motivated
and organized others to take action on an issue important to you.</p>

<p>With our small staff of twelve, each person makes a clear
contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work
environment.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<h2>Benefits and salary</h2>

<p>The job must be worked on-site at FSF's downtown Boston offices. An
on-site interview will be required with the executive director.</p>

<p>This job is a union position. The salary is fixed at $56,920/year and
is non-negotiable. Other benefits include:</p>

<ul>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's HMO
Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF, and</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Application instructions</h2>

<p>Resumes and cover letters must be submitted via email to
<a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">h&#x69;&#114;&#x69;&#110;&#x67;&#64;&#102;&#x73;&#x66;.&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. The email must contain the subject line, "Campaigns
Manager." Resumes and cover letters should be attached in a free
format. Email submissions that do not follow these instructions will
be ignored.</p>

<p><strong>Applications must be received by Monday, July 23rd, 2012.</strong></p>

<p>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.</p>

<h2>About the Free Software Foundation</h2>

<p>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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/richard-stallman-speech-in-barcelona-canceled
title: Richard Stallman speech in Barcelona canceled
uri: Richard-Stallman-speech-in-Barcelona-canceled
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/richard-stallman-speech-in-barcelona-canceled
content:
<p>At an event on May 10th in Barcelona, Spain, FSF president Richard
Stallman was not feeling well and paramedics were called.</p>

<p>He was taken to the hospital but did not stay overnight. He did not have a heart attack, as has been reported in some places.</p>

<p>
He returned to Boston on his previously scheduled flight and is now home safe.
</p>

<p>
He is well and will make a renewed effort to lose weight.
</p>

<p>
<em>This text has been updated several times since its initial publication.</em>
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-statement-on-jurys-partial-verdict-in-oracle-v-google
title: FSF statement on jury's partial verdict in Oracle v Google
uri: FSF-statement-on-jury-s-partial-verdict-in-Oracle-v-Google
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-statement-on-jurys-partial-verdict-in-oracle-v-google
content:
Were it grounded in reality, Oracle's claim that copyright law gives them proprietary control over any software that uses a particular functional API would be terrible for free software and programmers everywhere.<p>On Monday, May 7th, the jury in <em>Oracle v Google</em> reached a partial
verdict, which was based on instructions from Judge Alsup to assume
that the structure, sequence, and arrangement of Oracle's Java APIs
are subject to copyright. Whether or not Oracle can <strong>actually</strong> claim
copyright on the Java API will be determined by Judge Alsup at a later
date.</p>

<p>The following statement is attributed to John Sullivan, executive
director of the Free Software Foundation:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Were it grounded in reality, Oracle's claim that copyright law gives
them proprietary control over any software that uses a particular
functional API would be terrible for free software and programmers
everywhere. It is an unethical and greedy interpretation created
with the express purpose of subjugating as many computer users as
possible, and is particularly bad in this context because it comes
at a time when the sun has barely set on the free software
community's celebration of Java as a language newly suitable for use
in the free world. Fortunately, the claim is not yet reality, and we
hope Judge Alsup will keep it that way.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The FSF first <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/oracle-v-google">responded</a> to
<em>Oracle v Google</em> in September 2010, but at the time we focused more
on the patent aspect of the case since details about Oracle's
copyright infringement claims had not yet been published. </p>

<p>For more information on Monday's ruling, we recommend Groklaw's
<a href="http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20120507122749740">coverage</a>,
as well as EFF lawyer Julie Samuels's
<a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/05/oracle-v-google-and-dangerous-implications-treating-apis-copyrightable">article</a>
on why APIs should not be subject to copyright.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>About Free Software and Open Source</h3>

<p>The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some,
especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as
"open source," which cites only practical goals such as making
software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and
avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are
different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html</a>.</p>


title: Coalition against Digital Restrictions Management ready to go for May 4th Day Against DRM
uri: Coalition-against-Digital-Restrictions-Management-ready-to-go-for-May
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/coalition-against-digital-restrictions-management-ready-to-go-for-may-4th-day-against-drm

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/coalition-against-digital-restrictions-management-ready-to-go-for-may-4th-day-against-drm

content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, May 3, 2012 -- Defective by Design will hold its annual International Day Against DRM on Friday, May 4th, targeting the use of Digital Restrictions Management on ebooks. Several other organizations have joined to express their concern for the freedoms of authors and readers, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Creative Commons, O'Reilly Media, No Starch Press, the Accessible Computing Foundation, Libre Graphics Magazine, Fight for the Future, Angry Robot Books, APRIL, the Free Software Foundation and its sister organizations, FSF France, FSF India and FSF Europe.<p>Matt Lee, campaigns manager of Defective by Design, said, "DRM is a growing problem in the area of ebooks, where people have had their books restricted so they can't freely loan, re-sell or donate them, read them without being tracked, or move them to a new device without re-purchasing all of them. They've even had their ebooks deleted by companies without their permission."</p>
<p>As part of the day, people fed up with DRM are holding protest and awareness events in Cincinnati, Orlando, Amherst, San Francisco, Boston, Madrid, Rome, Manchester, Nagoya (Japan), and Aveiro (Portugal). More events are still being added at <a href="http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:DefectiveByDesign/Day_Against_DRM_2012">http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:DefectiveByDesign/Day_Against_DRM_2012</a>.</p>
<p>Supporters are also taking action online, displaying the campaign's banner and using the opportunity to blog about their frustrations with DRM.</p>
<p>Notable science fiction author and editor of the influential BoingBoing.net blog, Cory Doctorow said, "As an author, I understand that DRM doesn't do squat to protect my interests. As a businessperson, I understand that DRM usurps my commercial relationships with my customers and hands them to DRM vendors."</p>
<p>Sanders Kleinfeld, author of <i>HTML5 for publishers</i> said in an interview with O'Reilly Media, "What's disappointing right now is that Amazon is very set on their Mobi format for their Kindle device, Apple has made strides away from EPUB 3 with their latest iBooks 2.0 and iBooks Author. I think vendors that make these devices are interested in maintaining that lock-in for customers."</p>
<p>Defective by Design has held previous international days against DRM in 2006, 2010 and 2011, focusing on use of DRM by Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and the RIAA. Defective by Design is a campaign of the Free Software Foundation.</p>
<p>Information on how to participate can be found at <a href="http://dayagainstdrm.org">http://dayagainstdrm.org</a>. Pictures, videos, and accounts will be posted afterward at <a href="http://defectivebydesign.org">http://defectivebydesign.org</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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 <a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Matt Lee <br /> Campaigns Manager <br /> Free Software Foundation <br /> +1-617-500-3284 <br /> <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">campaigns@fsf.org</a></p>
<h2>#</h2>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-job-opportunity-operations-assistant
title: FSF Job Opportunity: Operations Assistant
uri: FSF-Job-Opportunity-Operations-Assistant
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-job-opportunity-operations-assistant
content:
This position is now closed for applications. Thank you to everyone who applied.<p>The Free Software Foundation (FSF), a 501(c)(3) charity with a worldwide mission to protect freedoms critical to the computer-using public, seeks a motivated and organized Boston-based individual to be its full-time Operations Assistant.</p>

<p>This position works closely with the Executive Director and Business Operations Manager to ensure all administrative functions of the FSF run smoothly and efficiently, preserving our 4-star Charity Navigator rating and boosting all areas of our work.</p>
<p>In addition to handling phone calls and being a friendly face for visitors to our office at the center of Boston's Downtown Crossing, these functions include:</p>
<ul>
<li>fulfilling orders for FSF merchandise,</li>
<li>blogging about merchandise-related news,</li>
<li>processing incoming donations,</li>
<li>coordinating volunteers,</li>
<li>updating our contact database,</li>
<li>organizing fundraising mailings,</li>
<li>diverting sales calls to the appropriate fake voicemail box,</li>
<li>assisting with occasional local events,</li>
<li>maintaining a few areas of our Web site, and </li>
<li>looking after the office space.</li>
</ul>
<p>This is a great position for a recent graduate who thrives on multitasking, has an eye for detail, lives in the Boston area, and wants to make a difference. With our small staff of ten, each person makes a clear contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work environment.</p>
<p>Because our mission is worldwide, language skills and a demonstrated ability to interact with people across cultures and age groups will be highly valued. While the position does not require advanced computer skills, a willingness to learn and work with new software is a must. We use free software like CiviCRM, Plone, Emacs, and LibreOffice, all running on GNU/Linux.</p>
<p>The FSF is a growing organization and provides great potential for advancement; existing staff get the first chance at any new job openings. Previous Operations Assistants have often gone on to hold other positions within the organization.</p>
<h2>Benefits and salary</h2>
<p>This job is a union position. The salary is fixed at $49,140/year and is non-negotiable. Other benefits include the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's HMO Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF, and</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases.</li>
</ul>
<p>This position is now closed for applications. Thank you to everyone who applied.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h2>About the Free Software Foundation</h2>
<p>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 <a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/2011-free-software-awards-announced
title: 2011 Free Software Awards announced
uri: 2011-Free-Software-Awards-announced
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/2011-free-software-awards-announced
content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA — Monday, March 26th, 2012 — Free Software Foundation president Richard M. Stallman announced the winners of the FSF's annual free software awards at a ceremony on Sunday, March 25th, held during the LibrePlanet 2012 conference at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.<p>The Award for the Advancement of Free Software is given annually 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>

<div class="imgright c"><img src="//static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2012/awards/matz-s.jpg" alt="" /><p><small>Yukihiro Matsumoto and Richard Stallman.</small></p></div>

<p>This year, it was given to Yukihiro Matsumoto (aka Matz), the creator
of the Ruby programming language. Matz has worked on GNU, Ruby, and
other free software for over 20 years. He accepted the award in person
and spoke at the conference on his early experiences with free
software, especially the influence of GNU Emacs on Ruby.</p>

<p>Yukihiro Matsumoto joins a distinguished list of previous winners:</p>

<ul>
<li>2010 Rob Savoye</li>
<li>2009 John Gilmore</li>
<li>2008 Wietse Venema</li>
<li>2007 Harald Welte</li>
<li>2006 Ted Ts'o</li>
<li>2005 Andrew Tridgell</li>
<li>2004 Theo de Raadt</li>
<li>2003 Alan Cox</li>
<li>2002 Lawrence Lessig</li>
<li>2001 Guido van Rossum</li>
<li>2000 Brian Paul</li>
<li>1999 Miguel de Icaza</li>
<li>1998 Larry Wall</li>
</ul>

<p>The Award for Projects of Social Benefit is presented to the 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. This award
stresses the use of free software in the service of humanity.</p>

<div class="imgright c"><img src="//static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2012/awards/falcon-s.jpg" alt="" /><p><small>Luis Falcon and Richard Stallman.</small></p></div>

<p>This year, the award went to GNU Health, a free software project that
works with health professionals around the world to improve the lives
of the underprivileged. GNU Health has been adopted as the Health and
Hospital Information System of choice by the United Nations
University. Luis Falcon, the president of GNU Solidario (the
organization behind GNU Health), was present to accept the award on
behalf of the project.</p>

<p>GNU Health joins an impressive list of previous winners:</p>

<ul>
<li>2010 Tor</li>
<li>2009 Internet Archive</li>
<li>2008 Creative Commons</li>
<li>2007 Groklaw</li>
<li>2006 Sahana Disaster Management System</li>
<li>2005 Wikipedia</li>
</ul>

<p class="c"><img src="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2012/awards/both-s.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>This year's award committee was: Suresh Ramasubramanian, Peter
H. Salus, Wietse Venema, Raj Mathur, Hong Feng, Andrew Tridgell, Jonas
Oberg, Vernor Vinge, Richard Stallman, Fernanda G. Weiden, Harald
Welte, and Rob Savoye.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>John Sullivan <br />
Executive Director <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#x70;&#97;&#x69;&#103;&#x6E;&#x73;&#64;&#102;&#x73;&#x66;&#46;&#111;r&#103;</a>  </p>

<p>High resolution press photos</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2012/awards/matz.jpg">Yukihiro Matsumoto and Richard Stallman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2012/awards/falcon.jpg">Luis Falcon and Richard Stallman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2012/awards/both.jpg">Luis Falcon and Yukihiro Matsumoto</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Photos under CC BY 3.0
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">Attribution</a> by <a href="http://jxself.org/" rel="author">Jason X Self</a>.</p>

<h2>#</h2>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/announcing-js-labels
title: Announcing JavaScript License Web Labels
uri: Announcing-JavaScript-License-Web-Labels
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/announcing-js-labels
content:
If you browse the Web today, your browser will probably download and run nonfree JavaScript software on your behalf.  You should be able to say no to that software—but to date, that hasn't been practical.  JavaScript License Web Labels are our newest effort to make this easier.<p>In 2009, Richard Stallman published <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html">&ldquo;The JavaScript Trap.&rdquo;</a>  It observed that JavaScript served from the Web is now often significant software&mdash;and if it's nonfree, it causes all the same problems for users as any other proprietary software.  Anybody who's serious about protecting their freedom should reject nonfree JavaScript, just like you'd reject traditional proprietary desktop software.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, this has been easier said than done so far.  Browsers will typically download and run JavaScript without the user's knowledge.  People who want to avoid running nonfree JavaScript have had little recourse to date besides disabling JavaScript entirely&mdash;but that's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.</p>

<p>Enter <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/javascript-labels.html">JavaScript License Web Labels</a>.  This is a format that we propose webmasters use to publish license information and source code for the JavaScript they deploy on their sites.  It looks simple enough to be accessible to any visitor, but provides enough detail that automated tools can confirm that all of a site's JavaScript is actually free.  Such software will make it practical for people to run free JavaScript and refuse nonfree code.  Tools like this are already being developed: <a href="http://lduros.net/librejs/">LibreJS</a> is a plug-in for Mozilla-based browsers that will support JavaScript License Web Labels.</p>

<p>Webmasters should find a lot to like in JavaScript License Web Labels, too.  We believe that webmasters that correctly publish JavaScript License Web Labels will comply with conditions in the GNU GPL and AGPL to accompany object code with a copy of the license terms and a way for recipients to get source code.  The format is flexible enough that any interested webmaster should be able to use it: it doesn't require them to serve the JavaScript files any specific way, or coordinate with upstream JavaScript developers.</p>

<p>We hope these labels will empower users to be as selective about what licenses they'll accept for JavaScript as they are for traditional desktop software.  That said, this is an early effort to tackle the problem, and we're happy to consider changes that can make it more attractive to webmasters or their visitors.  For details about the decision-making process behind JavaScript License Web Labels, and how you can send feedback to us, please read our accompanying <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/javascript-labels-rationale.html">rationale document</a>.  We look forward to hearing from you.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/you-did-your-part-now-its-our-turn-to-do-more-for-you
title: You did your part, now it's our turn to do more for you!
uri: You-did-your-part-now-it-s-our-turn-to-do-more-for-you
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/you-did-your-part-now-its-our-turn-to-do-more-for-you
content:
Well, you did it! We raised $300,000 for free software during our winter fundraising drive, thanks to your contributions.<p>Even better, we also exceeded our "behind the scenes" goal, which was
to sign up at least 400 new members over the two months. I'm really
thrilled to welcome so many new supporters, including our 423 new
associate members.</p>

<p>On behalf of everyone here at the FSF, I'd like to thank all of you
who donated and joined, and all of you who helped promote the effort
through your networks. The amount of response this year was incredibly
gratifying, and makes me feel extremely optimistic about what we can
get done in the year ahead.</p>

<p>I'd specifically like to thank Mark Holmquist, who referred 15 of
those 423 new members all by himself, our intern emeritus Danny
Piccirillo who went above and beyond in getting the word out, Max and the gang from
reddit, and everyone who donated $500 or more to appear on our
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/thankgnus">ThankGNU list</a>.</p>

<p>We had a lot of fun writing the <a href="/appeal/2011/learn-more-about-who-we-are-and-what-we-do">fundraiser pieces</a> this
year describing the work of the different staff members here at the
FSF, and how we could get more done in each area with increased
financial support. We didn't get a chance to write about everyone yet
(like, ahem, me!), but we'll pick up where we left off next time.
Thank you to all of you who wrote to us with encouraging comments
about this series of articles &mdash; of course we always worry about
annoying our supporters by being too pushy, so it was very good to
hear that the articles were worthwhile reading.</p>

<p>Now that you've given us a vote of confidence to do more for you, it's
time for us to get to it!</p>

<p>You can keep tabs on our work by signing up for our monthly <a href="/fss">Free
Software Supporter newsletter</a> (along with occasional interim
updates), and subscribing to our <a href="/blogs/RSS">blogs RSS feed</a>.</p>

<p>I hope to see all of you in person at
<a href="http://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet2012">LibrePlanet</a> this March in Boston! And for
anyone who will be at FOSDEM this weekend, <a href="/events/is-copyleft-being-framed">look me
up</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-project-renews-focus-on-free-software-in-education
title: GNU Project renews focus on free software in education
uri: GNU-Project-renews-focus-on-free-software-in-education
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-project-renews-focus-on-free-software-in-education
content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA — Monday, January 30, 2012 — The GNU Project today announced the relaunch of its worldwide volunteer-led effort to bring free software to educational institutions of all
levels. <p>The new effort is based at <a href="http://www.gnu.org/education">http://www.gnu.org/education</a>.</p>

<p>The newly formed GNU Education Team is being led by Dora Scilipoti, an
Italian free software activist and teacher. Under her leadership, the
Team has developed a list of specific goals to guide their work:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Present cases of educational institutions around the world who are
successfully using and teaching free software.</p></li>
<li><p>Show examples of how free programs are being used by educational
institutions to improve the learning and teaching processes.</p></li>
<li><p>Publish articles on the various aspects involved in the use of
free software by educational institutions.</p></li>
<li><p>Maintain a dialogue with teachers, students and administrators of
educational institutions to listen to their difficulties and
provide support.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep in contact with other groups around the world committed to
the promotion of free software in education.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>GNU and its host organization, the Free Software Foundation (FSF),
emphasize that free software principles are a prerequisite for any
educational environment that uses computers:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Educational institutions of all levels should use and teach free
software because it is the only software that allows them to
accomplish their essential missions: to disseminate human knowledge
and to prepare students to be good members of their community. The
source code and the methods of free software are part of human
knowledge. On the contrary, proprietary software is secret,
restricted knowledge, which is the opposite of the mission of
educational institutions. Free software supports education,
proprietary software forbids education.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In an article at
<a href="http://fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-education-website-relaunch">http://fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-education-website-relaunch</a>,
Scilipoti adds insights about the project's organizing philosophy,
current contributors, and progress so far. Of her basic motivation for
being involved, she says, "As a free software advocate and a teacher,
I always felt that the GNU Project needed to address the subject
specifically and in depth, for it is in the education field that its
ethical principles find the most fertile ground for achieving the goal
of building a better society."</p>

<p>In her article, Scilipoti also highlights some of the free software
success stories from around the world, especially Kerala, India, where
the government has migrated over 2,600 of its public schools to free
software.</p>

<p>While the Education Team has already compiled a collection of useful
materials, they are also looking for more volunteer contributors.
People who want to help, or who have information about instructive
examples of existing use of free software in schools, should contact
<a href="mailto:education@gnu.org">e&#100;&#x75;&#x63;&#97;&#116;&#x69;&#111;&#110;&#64;g&#110;&#x75;&#x2E;&#x6F;&#114;&#103;</a>.</p>

<p>"Education really is one of the most fundamental areas we need to
focus on to achieve real social change," said Free Software Foundation
executive director John Sullivan. "We need to be acknowledging and
assisting schools that are doing the right thing, and helping those
who aren't yet on board understand why those giveaway Microsoft
Office, iPad, and Kindle deals aren't so great for classrooms after
all. We're very thankful to all of the Team members for stepping up to
meet this challenge. I hope others will be inspired by their work and
join the effort."</p>

<p>The Education Team has also been working closely with GNU's
Translation Team to make the new materials available in as many
languages as possible. People interested in helping with the
translation component of the project should see the information at
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/server/standards/README.translations.html">http://www.gnu.org/server/standards/README.translations.html</a>.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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 &mdash; particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants &mdash; 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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>About Free Software and Open Source</h3>

<p>The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some,
especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as
"open source," which cites only practical goals such as making
software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and
avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are
different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html</a>.</p>

<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>

<p>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 <a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>

<p>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
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>John Sullivan <br />
Executive Director <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#x6D;&#112;&#97;i&#103;&#110;s&#64;&#x66;s&#x66;&#46;&#x6F;&#x72;&#103;</a>  </p>

<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2012-press-release
title: LibrePlanet 2012 conference announced: March 24th-25th
uri: LibrePlanet-2012-conference-announced-March-24th-25th
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2012-press-release
content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Monday, December 12, 2011 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today announced the dates for its upcoming LibrePlanet 2012 conference as March 24th and 25th, 2012, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. A call for papers has also been announced. The conference will include talks from the FSF staff and board, GNU project contributors, and other members of the global free software community.<p>Previous LibrePlanet conferences have featured many free software
luminaries, including FSF president Richard Stallman, Eben Moglen of
the Freedom Box Foundation and Software Freedom Law Center, EFF
co-founder John Gilmore, GNOME Foundation executive director Karen
Sandler, Jeremy Allison of the Samba project, Selena Deckelmann of
PostgreSQL, Máirín Duffy of Fedora, and veteran GNU developer Rob
Savoye.</p>

<p>"At last year's event, I promised we would make this conference bigger
and better than ever before." said Matt Lee, FSF campaigns manager,
"All signs point to us making good on that promise."</p>

<p>The conference is open to the public with purchase of a ticket, but associate members of the
Free Software Foundation can attend as a benefit of their financial
contribution. A goal of one hundred new associate members has been set
in order to fund the conference, and new and existing members are
encouraged to contribute online at <a href="http://www.fsf.org/associate">http://www.fsf.org/associate</a>.</p>

<p>More information on the conference, including a mailing list for
updates and speaker announcements, is available at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/events/libreplanet-2012">http://www.fsf.org/events/libreplanet-2012</a>.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>About Free Software and Open Source</h3>

<p>The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some,
especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as
"open source," which cites only practical goals such as making
software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and
avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are
different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html</a>.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>Matt Lee<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 x24<br />
campaigns@fsf.org</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot-in-windows-8
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-warns-about-the-danger-of-computers-becoming
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot-in-windows-8
title:
Free Software Foundation warns about the danger of computers becoming Windows-only, calls for signatures to defend the freedom to install free software

content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA — Monday, October 17, 2011 — The Free Software Foundation (FSF) released a statement open for public signing, titled "Stand up for your freedom to install free software." <p>The statement, published at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/statement">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/statement</a>,
is a response to Microsoft's announcement that if computer makers wish
to distribute machines with the Windows 8 compatibility logo, they
must implement a system called "Secure Boot." The FSF statement warns
against the danger that, if done wrong, this system would have to be
called Restricted Boot, because it could make computers incapable of
running anything but Windows.</p>

<p>The technology in question aims to protect against malware by
preventing unauthorized operating systems components from booting.
Stopping unauthorized tampering could be a feature, says the FSF, but
only so long as it doesn't prevent users from intentionally running
and modifying free software. If the boot system works in this fashion,
then it deserves the name many are already calling it, "Secure Boot."</p>

<p>However, the FSF is concerned that Microsoft and hardware
manufacturers will implement the system in a way that will prevent
users from booting anything other than Windows. In this case, the FSF
offers the more accurate name of Restricted Boot, explaining that such
a requirement would be a severe restriction on computer users and, by
giving only a remote third party control over what's authorized to run
on their computers, not a security feature at all.</p>

<p>"We're looking at a world in which it could become impossible for the
average user to install GNU/Linux on any new computer, so too much is
at stake for us to wait and see if computer manufacturers will do the
right thing. Secure Boot could all too easily become a euphemism
for restriction and control by computer makers and Microsoft &mdash;
freedom and security necessitate users being in charge of their own
computers," said FSF executive director, John Sullivan.</p>

<p>Those signing the FSF's statement urge all computer makers
implementing this system to resist any pressure to adopt Restricted
Boot:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>We, the undersigned, urge all computer makers implementing UEFI's
so-called "Secure Boot" to do it in a way that allows free software
operating systems to be installed. To respect user freedom and truly
protect user security, manufacturers must either allow computer
owners to disable the boot restrictions, or provide a sure-fire way
for them to install and run a free software operating system of
their choice. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Signers of the statement commit to "neither purchase nor recommend
computers that strip users of this critical freedom," and to
"actively urge people in our communities to avoid such jailed
systems."</p>

<p>"I have been astounded by the number of people reaching out to us from
all over the world, asking us to help build awareness and put pressure
on computer manufacturers," said FSF campaigns manager, Joshua Gay. He
added that "some of the people who contacted us expressed their
nightmarish scenario of having even more hardware being tossed in
landfills as a result of this," referring to the popular trend of
reviving older hardware with GNU/Linux &mdash; something that would no
longer be possible if more computers were locked by design into only
running Windows.</p>

<p>A more detailed overview of the issue can be found at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/">http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/</a>.</p>

<p>Organizations interested in adding a prominent notice of their support
should contact Joshua Gay at <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#x63;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#x61;&#105;g&#x6E;s&#64;&#x66;&#x73;&#102;&#x2E;&#x6F;&#x72;&#103;</a>.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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 &mdash; particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants &mdash; 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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>About Free Software and Open Source</h3>

<p>The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some,
especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as
"open source," which cites only practical goals such as making
software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and
avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are
different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html</a>.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Campaigns Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
Phone: +1 (617) 542 5942 x20 <br />
Email: <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;m&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#x6E;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#x73;&#x66;&#46;&#x6F;&#114;&#103;</a>  </p>

<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/14th-nomination
title: Nominations are open for the 14th annual Free Software Awards
uri: Nominations-are-open-for-the-14th-annual-Free-Software-Awards
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/14th-nomination
content:
BOSTON, October 4, 2011 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the GNU Project today announced the opening of nominations for the 14th annual Free Software Awards.<h3>Award for the Advancement of Free Software</h3>

<p>The Free Software Foundation 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, Rob Savoye was recognized with the Award for the
Advancement of Free Software for his contributions to compiler and
testing tools, and his leadership of the GNU Gnash project, a
fully-free replacement for Adobe Flash. Savoye joined a prestigious
list of previous winners including John Gilmore, Wietse Venema, Harald
Welte, Ted Ts'o, Andrew Tridgell, Theo de Raadt, Alan Cox, Larry
Lessig, Guido van Rossum, Brian Paul, Miguel de Icaza and Larry Wall.</p>

<h3>Award for Projects of Social Benefit</h3>

<p>Nominations are also open for the 2011 Award for Projects of Social
Benefit. <p>                                                                                                                            
This award is presented to the 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 collaboration to                                                         
accomplish social tasks. 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 those projects with our annual <a                                                                     
href="http://www.fsf.org/news/fs-award-2005.html">Award for the                                                                
Advancement of Free Software</a>).                                                                                             
</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="/licensing/essays/free-sw.html">Free Software                                                                            
Definition</a>. Work done commercially is eligible, but we will give                                                           
this award to the project or team that best utilizes resources for                                                             
society's greater benefit.  </p>   </p>

<p>Last year, The Tor Project received this award, in recognition of its
work to fight against surveillance inflicted by increasingly
restrictive governments and to improve the safety and wellbeing of all
Internet citizens.</p>

<p>Previous winners have included the Internet Archive, Creative Commons,
Groklaw, the Sahana project, and Wikipedia.</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).</p>

<p>The award committee has not been finalized, but is made up of previous
winners, free software activists and FSF president, Richard Stallman.</p>

<p>Please send your nominations to <a href="mailto:award-nominations@gnu.org">award-nominations@gnu.org</a>, on or
before Monday, November 7th, 2011. Please submit nominations in the
following format:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>In the email message subject line, either put the name of the person
you are nominating for the Award for Advancement of Free Software, or
put the name of the project for the Award for Projects of Social
Benefit.</p></li>
<li><p>Please include, in the body of your message, an explanation (40
lines or less) of the work done and why you think it is especially
important to the advancement of software freedom or how it benefits
society, respectively. </p></li>
<li><p>Please state, in the body of your message, where to find the
materials (e.g., software, manuals, or writing) which your nomination
is based on.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Information about the previous awards can be found at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/awards">http://www.fsf.org/awards</a>. Winners will be recognized at an awards
ceremony at the LibrePlanet conference tentatively scheduled for March
2012, in Boston, Massachusetts.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/directory-relaunch
title: Free Software Foundation re-launches its Free Software Directory, with over 6500 programs listed
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-re-launches-its-Free-Software-Directory-with
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/directory-relaunch
content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, September 29, 2011 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today announced the re-launch of its Free Software Directory at directory.fsf.org. The Directory lists over 6,500 programs that are free for any computer user to download, run, and share. It was first launched nearly a decade ago, but the new version brings a host of new features designed to make it a more useful and current resource for users, developers, advocates, and researchers. 
<p>"Since its inception, the Directory has been one of our most popular
and important resources. Its careful curation has made it a reliable
place to find applications for any purpose that are free &mdash; as in
freedom &mdash; for everyone. Users can find programs they need, and
advocates can find programs to recommend. But with so much free
software being written and shared now, we wanted to update the
technology we use for the site so that contributors can participate in
examining and posting new entries, and users can more easily search
them," said John Sullivan, FSF's executive director.</p>

<p>Because each entry is individually checked and tested, users know that
any program they come across in the Directory will be

<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a> with free
documentation and without proprietary software requirements. Programs
that run on proprietary operating systems like Mac and Windows are
listed, but only if they also run fully on GNU/Linux. The new version
of the Directory will continue to provide users these same assurances,
but it has been rebuilt so that members of the free software community
can become familiar with the criteria and then work together to curate
and grow the catalog.</p>

<p>The new site is based on MediaWiki, free software most famously
known for powering Wikipedia. It also uses a set of extensions called
Semantic MediaWiki that add advanced search and presentation
capabilities, structured to be useful for reading by both humans and
data-mining programs. </p>

<p>"We're empowering contributors to improve every aspect of the site, from
its look and feel to enabling more types of information and
multimedia to be associated with each individual listing," states
campaigns manager, Joshua Gay, who adds that "we also have plans to
collaborate around sharing data with GNU/Linux distributions and other free
software projects."</p>

<p>To most users of the Directory, the key aspect of the new software is that it will make it
easier for them to find the program they need. An extensive and flexible category system, plus
over 40,000 keywords and more than 40
different fields of information, enhance both simple and advanced searching.</p>

<p>Yaron Koren, one of the free software developers behind Semantic
MediaWiki, gave support and help in the re-launch effort. "I
created the Semantic Forms extension in order to allow for sites that
combine the collaborative nature of a wiki with the structure and
queryability of a database; so it's heartening to see Semantic
MediaWiki and Semantic Forms being used for that purpose, and so
comprehensively, in the Free Software Directory," he said.</p>

<p>To learn more about the Directory, visit
<a href="http://directory.fsf.org">http://directory.fsf.org</a>. To find out how you can get involved in
helping the Directory, or suggest improvements, visit
<a href="http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate">http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate</a> or send email to
<a href="mailto:bug-directory@fsf.org">&#x62;&#117;&#x67;&#45;&#100;&#x69;&#114;&#x65;&#x63;&#116;&#111;&#x72;&#x79;&#64;&#x66;&#x73;&#x66;&#x2E;&#x6F;&#114;&#103;</a>. Further technical behind-the-scenes details
about the re-launch of the Directory can be found in a blog post by
Sullivan at <a href="/blogs/directory/behind-the-scenes">http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/behind-the-scenes</a>.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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 &mdash; particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants &mdash; 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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Campaigns Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 x20 <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#x61;&#x6D;&#112;a&#x69;&#103;n&#115;&#64;&#x66;s&#102;&#x2E;o&#114;&#103;</a></p>

<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/hardware-certification-aleph-objects-lulzbot-3d-printer
title: LulzBot AO-100 3D printer now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: LulzBot-AO-100-3D-printer-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/hardware-certification-aleph-objects-lulzbot-3d-printer
content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA — Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 — The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today awarded its first Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification to the LulzBot AO-100 3D Printer sold by Aleph Objects, Inc. The RYF certification mark means that the product meets the FSF's standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and privacy. The LulzBot model AO-100 3D printer can be purchased from www.lulzbot.com.<div id="quote-box"><blockquote><p>
Aleph Objects, Inc. is honored to have the first hardware product with the
FSF's Respects Your Freedom certification mark, and we're proud to
sell a 3D printer that delivers freedom to each and every user. Aleph
Objects, Inc. was founded with the idea that people should be free to
use, learn from, and improve the machines they use, and to share their
improvements and innovations with collaborative communities. The
spirit and philosophy of the free software movement is embodied in our
LulzBot 3D printer. All of our printers ship with hardware designs,
software, and documentation all under free licenses. You get it all &mdash;
source code, design documents, and specifications &mdash; everything needed
to control, tinker, fix, and improve upon every aspect of the
printer.</p>
<p>&mdash; Jeff Moe, Founder of Aleph Objects, Inc.</p>
</blockquote>
</div>

<p>The FSF began work on a hardware certification program in October 2010
by publishing an initial set of criteria for certification, and
subsequently inviting community members to help refine them. To be
certified, a hardware product must meet several standards that ensure
it runs free software, allows users to modify that software, supports
free data formats, and is usable with free tools. </p>

<div id="quote-box">
<blockquote><p>The desire to own a computer or device and have full
control over it, to know that you are not being spied on or tracked,
to run any software you wish without asking permission, and to share
with friends without worrying about <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org">Digital Restrictions Management
(DRM)</a> &mdash;these are the desires of millions of people who care about the
future of technology and our society. Unfortunately, hardware
manufacturers have until now relied on close cooperation with
proprietary software companies that demanded control over their
users. As citizens and their customers, we need to promote our desires
for a new class of hardware &mdash; hardware that anyone can support because
it respects your freedom.<p>
<p style="font-size:small"><a href="//www.fsf.org/news/endorsement-criteria">Hardware we all want: FSF announces criteria for hardware endorsement program</a></p></blockquote></div>

<p>Conversations between the FSF and Aleph Objects, Inc., solidified the
certification process and Respects Your Freedom mark design. Future
certified products will display the same mark on their packaging and
in associated marketing materials; the FSF will also promote certified
products on its Web site at <a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">http://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>.</p>

<p>"Over the past 27 years the FSF has earned a reputation of being a
strong advocate for computer user freedom, and we continually work to
earn and keep the public's trust," states Joshua Gay, FSF licensing &amp;
compliance manager. "Because so many people have placed their trust in
the FSF, a product displaying the Respects Your Freedom certification
mark will be immediately recognized as a product that a user can trust
when it comes to software freedom."</p>

<p>Subscribers to the FSF's <a href="http://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software
Supporter</em></a> newsletter will receive
announcements about future Respects Your Freedom products.</p>

<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification
program visit <a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">http://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>.</p>

<p>Hardware sellers interested in applying for certification can consult
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>

<p style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;align:center;text-align:center;">

<a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">
  <img src="media/bfe6f9c3.RYF.png" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/RYF.png" alt="Respects Your Freedom Certification Mark" width="200" />
</a>

<a href="http://www.lulzbot.com">
<img src="media/7a324096.Lulzbot_LogoTM_RGB_Large.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/Lulzbot_LogoTM_RGB_Large.jpg" alt="LulzBot(tm)" width="200" />
</a>
</p>
<p style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;align:center;text-align:center;">
<img src="media/aa225684.ao-100.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/ao-100.jpg" alt="LulzBot(tm) AO-100 3D Printer" width="200" />

<img src="media/c00fa16d.3d-printer.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/3d-printer.jpg" alt="3D printer + printed FSF logo" width="200" />

</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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 &mdash; particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants &mdash; 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
<a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<h3>Aleph Objects, Inc.</h3>

<p>Aleph Objects, Inc. is a Loveland, Colorado, USA based company
committed to free software and libre hardware. They are the makers of
the LulzBot(tm) line of 3D printers and components available at their
online store <a href="http://www.lulzbot.com">www.lulzbot.com</a>.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>Joshua Gay<br />>
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br</br>> 
Free Software Foundation<br />>
PHONE: +1 (617) 542 5942 x20<br</br>>
EMAIL: <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">licensing@fsf.org</a></p>

<p>Jeff Moe <br />>
Aleph Objects, Inc.<br</br>> 
EMAIL: <a href="mailto:moe@alephobjects.com">&#x6D;&#x6F;&#101;&#64;&#97;&#108;&#101;&#112;&#104;&#x6F;&#x62;&#106;&#101;&#99;&#x74;&#x73;.&#99;&#x6F;&#x6D;</a> <br />
PHONE: +1 (970) 377 1111 x622 </p>

<p>###</p>


title: FSF rallies support for GNU MediaGoblin to make media publishing free "as in freedom"
uri: FSF-rallies-support-for-GNU-MediaGoblin-to-make-media-publishing-free
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-rallies-support-for-gnu-mediagoblin-to-make-media-publishing-free-as-in-freedom

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-rallies-support-for-gnu-mediagoblin-to-make-media-publishing-free-as-in-freedom

content:
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, October 11th, 2012 -- Today the Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced its support for the GNU MediaGoblin project's fundraiser at http://mediagoblin.org/pages/campaign.html. MediaGoblin is community-developed free "as in freedom" software that enables users to share their experiences through photos, videos, and audio, in a decentralized way that sidesteps current media-publishing gatekeepers.<p><b><i><a href="http://mediagoblin.org/pages/campaign.html">Donate to support GNU MediaGoblin.</a></i></b></p>
<p>Executive director John Sullivan explained the FSF's support, saying, "In theory, there is nothing wrong with a Web service that publishes media files. But in practice, current major sites used for this, like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, come with a host of freedom problems. For example, they require users to run nonfree software in their browsers, mainly Flash and JavaScript, and they are easy targets for censorship and surveillance by governments. Some, like YouTube, have made important strides toward supporting free formats and Web standards, but still require proprietary software and still provide single points of failure. MediaGoblin promises both to give us another way, and to put pressure on existing major publishing sites to respect their users."</p>
<p>MediaGoblin is an ambitious project, not just because it will support user-friendly uploading of multiple media types using only free software, but also because it will use a new, decentralized approach called federation. In a federated system, multiple sites can share and publish the same media files, so users on one site can subscribe to and share with users on many other compatible sites. Individuals can also run their own nodes using the software, for truly decentralized publishing and sharing. MediaGoblin based its approach on software called StatusNet, which is used on sites like <a href="http://identi.ca">http://identi.ca</a> to replace Twitter.</p>
<p>The MediaGoblin team is made up of about fifty part-time volunteers, led by project founder Chris Webber. They've made quick progress in the year-and-a-half since the project's founding -- the software is already in use by early adopters -- but they say donors' help is needed to make the system polished and ready for more users.</p>
<p>Potential users can help the project reach its goal of $60,000 by making a donation of any amount at <a href="http://mediagoblin.org/pages/campaign.html">http://mediagoblin.org/pages/campaign.html</a>. MediaGoblin is offering donors goblin-themed items designed and made by Webber himself. Help out enough, and he'll even cook you a wholesome dinner at his home in Madison, Wisconsin.</p>
<p>If they reach their goal, the team will use the money to support a full-time project lead to organize volunteers and advance the project to a professional level. With this support and more hard work, Webber estimates that MediaGoblin will be ready for widespread use within a year.</p>
<p>Webber said, "We're developing GNU MediaGoblin because we believe user freedom is important, especially in the Web. More and more users are becoming trapped by proprietary, centralized media publishing systems where problems like automated censorship are becoming serious. We believe in the vision of the decentralized web as a mechanism to empower people, and we want to bring that web back! We're proud to be teaming up the Free Software Foundation in the fight to put power back into the hands of users. We've done a lot of good already, but we need your help to make this federated future a reality!"</p>
<p>FSF campaigns manager Zak Rogoff added, "Almost thirty years ago, the free software movement was founded to make it possible to use a computer without compromising basic freedoms. Projects like MediaGoblin and StatusNet are part of the next phase of that effort, working to return to an Internet that respects and empowers people. The FSF believes that this new old Internet is needed now more than ever, as government intervention and corporate control is reaching a new peak. We can get to this vision of a free Internet faster by finding a way to fund these projects, which is why MediaGoblin needs your help."</p>
<p>As a GNU project, MediaGoblin gets support, promotion and advice from the FSF. Many famous programs have been developed with similar assistance from the FSF, including the GCC C compiler and other software at the heart of the GNU/Linux family of operating systems. Recently, the FSF has started accepting donations directed toward particular free software problem areas at <a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/directed-donations/working-together">https://my.fsf.org/donate/directed-donations/working-together</a>. The FSF intends to offer this service and hosting for MediaGoblin-style fundraisers to more GNU projects addressing important problem areas in the future.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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 <a href="http://donate.fsf.org">http://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About Free Software and Open Source</h3>
<p>The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as "open source," which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zakkai Kauffman-Rogoff <br /> Campaigns Manager <br /> Free Software Foundation <br /> (617) 542-5942 x31 <br /> <a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">campaigns@fsf.org</a></p>
<p>Chris Webber <br /> Founder <br /> GNU MediaGoblin <br /> (773) 614-2279 <br /> <a href="mailto:press@mediagoblin.org">press@mediagoblin.org</a></p>
<p>###</p>


title: The Free Software Foundation opens nominations for the 15th Annual Free Software Awards
uri: The-Free-Software-Foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-15th-Annual-Fre
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/the-free-software-foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-15th-annual-free-software-awards

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/the-free-software-foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-15th-annual-free-software-awards


title: Free Software Foundation encourages shoppers to 'Give Freely' with new Giving Guide
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-encourages-shoppers-to-Give-Freely-with-new
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-encourages-shoppers-to-give-freely-with-new-giving-guide

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-encourages-shoppers-to-give-freely-with-new-giving-guide


title: Winners announced for free software gaming's highest honor, the Liberated Pixel Cup
uri: Winners-announced-for-free-software-gaming-s-highest-honor-the-Libera
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/winners-announced-for-free-software-gamings-highest-honor-the-liberated-pixel-cup

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/winners-announced-for-free-software-gamings-highest-honor-the-liberated-pixel-cup


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/coalition-against-drm-in-html
uri: International-coalition-of-Internet-freedom-organizations-urges-W3C-to
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/coalition-against-drm-in-html
title:
International coalition of Internet freedom organizations urges W3C to reject Encrypted Media Extensions, a proposal to build Digital Restrictions Management into the Web


title: The FSF is hiring: Seeking a full-time outreach and communication coordinator
uri: The-FSF-is-hiring-Seeking-a-full-time-outreach-and-communication-coor
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsf-is-hiring-seeking-a-full-time-outreach-and-communication-coordinator

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsf-is-hiring-seeking-a-full-time-outreach-and-communication-coordinator


uri: World-Wide-Web-Consortium-takes-next-step-with-controversial-DRM-propo
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/world-wide-web-consortium-takes-next-step-with-controversial-drm-proposal-defective-by-design-condemns-decision

title:
 World Wide Web Consortium takes next step with controversial DRM proposal, Defective by Design condemns decision

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/world-wide-web-consortium-takes-next-step-with-controversial-drm-proposal-defective-by-design-condemns-decision


title: A second FSF-certified device from ThinkPenguin: long-range USB Wifi adapter with Atheros chip
uri: A-second-FSF-certified-device-from-ThinkPenguin-long-range-USB-Wifi-a
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/a-second-fsf-certified-device-from-thinkpenguin-long-range-usb-wifi-adapter-with-atheros-chip

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/a-second-fsf-certified-device-from-thinkpenguin-long-range-usb-wifi-adapter-with-atheros-chip


title: FSF launches fundraising program for Replicant, the fully free Android-based mobile OS
uri: FSF-launches-fundraising-program-for-Replicant-the-fully-free-Android
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-launches-fundraising-program-for-replicant-the-fully-free-android-based-mobile-os

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-launches-fundraising-program-for-replicant-the-fully-free-android-based-mobile-os


title: Free Software Foundation opens nominations for the 16th annual Free Software Awards
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-Opens-Nominations-for-the-16th-Annual-Free-So
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-16th-annual-free-software-awards

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-16th-annual-free-software-awards


title: LibrePlanet 2014 seeks session proposals, volunteers for annual free software conference
uri: LibrePlanet-2014-seeks-session-proposals-volunteers-for-annual-free-s
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2014-seeks-session-proposals-volunteers-for-annual-free-software-conference

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2014-seeks-session-proposals-volunteers-for-annual-free-software-conference


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-responds-to-microsofts-privacy-and-encryption-announcement
title: FSF responds to Microsoft's privacy and encryption announcement
uri: FSF-responds-to-Microsoft-s-privacy-and-encryption-announcement
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-responds-to-microsofts-privacy-and-encryption-announcement
content:
<p>"Microsoft has made renewed security promises before. In the end,
these promises are meaningless. Proprietary software like Windows is
fundamentally insecure not because of Microsoft's privacy policies but
because its code is hidden from the very users whose interests it is
supposed to secure. A lock on your own house to which you do not have
the master key is not a security system, it is a jail.</p>
<p>Even on proprietary operating systems like Windows, it is advisable to
use <a href="http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Collection:PRISM">free software encryption programs</a> such as <a href="http://gnupg.org">GNU Privacy
Guard</a>. But when no one except Microsoft can see the
operating system code underneath, or fix it when problems are
discovered, it is impossible to have a true chain of trust.</p>
<p>If the NSA revelations have taught us anything, it is that
journalists, governments, schools, advocacy organizations, companies,
and individuals, must be using operating systems whose code can be
reviewed and modified without Microsoft or any other third party's
blessing. When we don't have that, back doors and privacy violations
are inevitable.</p>
<p>While the Microsoft announcement does promise "transparency" to
reassure people that there are no back doors in Windows, this is no
solution. Transparency in the Windows world normally means
self-reports commissioned by Microsoft, or access granted to outsiders
covering very limited portions of source code under strict agreements
that limit sharing that information.</p>
<p>Freedom and security necessitate not just being allowed a peek at the
code. Microsoft has demonstrated time and
time again that its definition of a "back door" will not be the same
as yours. Noticing that the back door is wide open will do you no good
if you are forbidden from shutting it.</p>
<p>The solution after Microsoft's announcement is the same as it was
before its announcement. Just like <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/30/microsoft-privacy-chief-nsa">Microsoft's former chief privacy
adviser</a>,
switch to a <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free
software</a> operating system
<a href="http://upgradefromwindows.org">like GNU/Linux</a>, and don't look back."</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/reform-corporate-surveillance
title: Reform corporate surveillance
uri: Reform-corporate-surveillance
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/reform-corporate-surveillance
content:
<p>A group of technology companies, most of whom were implicated in
handing user information over to the NSA, recently <a href="https://reformgovernmentsurveillance.com/">came together to ask
world governments</a> to reform
the way they conduct surveillance, according to a set of principles.</p>

<p>Free Software Foundation executive director John Sullivan made the following statement:</p>

<p>"The Free Software Foundation may support one or more of the measures
proposed to 'reform government surveillance.' We may end up working
with this coalition of companies, after we have had a chance to review
and discuss with them what they are advocating. It is encouraging to
see recognition from the coalition about one side of the surveillance
issue.</p>

<p>However, this problem is not one that can be solved through government
reform alone, and there is a danger that focus on these reforms will
be flypaper that drains energy for more fundamental change. In
addition to policy reform, we must have software reform.</p>

<p>In the US, there were <em>already</em> policies and laws against many
revealed spy agency behaviors. These rules are being ignored, or
interpreted in ways that maximize surveillance.</p>

<p>The surveillance is actively enabled by these companies' software and
technology. Microsoft Windows provides back doors for the NSA.
Companies like Google and Facebook build their businesses on the model
of consolidating huge amounts of user data, enabling mining of that
data, and pulling users away from software run on their own computers
to software that is remotely hosted.</p>

<p>Nowhere on the coalition site, or in the open letter, do any of
the companies take any responsibility for what is happening. Yet, they
have intentionally put their users in a vulnerable position, and
exploited them without hesitation. They use copyright, patents, and
contracts to insist that the software they publish be proprietary. Or,
instead of distributing software at all, they provide it as a hosted
'service.'</p>

<p>Both have the same negative implications for users. The very people
using this software are not allowed to see what it is actually doing,
nor can they ask for someone else <em>of their choosing</em> to review it on
their behalf. The result is a computer that in the end serves only the
company who 'owns' the software -- and the governments with whom they
choose to share information, or anyone who can find their way to the
backdoors.</p>

<p>Furthermore, users need to worry not just about how their information
is accessed by the government. They are also entitled to control how
it is accessed by corporations. Corporate employees can abuse data in
many of the very same ways NSA employees have.</p>

<p>While these companies voice their support for legislative changes they
think will address the problem, they continue to drive technology
which is on face damaging to everyone's privacy, freedom, and
security.</p>

<p>We call on these companies to issue an additional set of principles
declaring their support for user control over the software and
computers they use. We need a
<a href="http://reformcorporatesurveillance.org">http://reformcorporatesurveillance.org</a>. </p>

<p>Until they do so, they can at best be allies of convenience in this
effort. We might support their ideas for new laws, but we must be
careful not to invest public resources inventing new policy band-aids
to cover wounds they are perpetually re-opening. We won't let this
distract us from their ongoing culpability, or the need for radical
software reform."</p>

<h3>For more information</h3>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-responds-to-microsofts-privacy-and-encryption-announcement">"FSF responds to Microsoft's privacy and encryption announcement"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/10/a-necessary-evil-what-it-takes-for-democracy-to-survive-surveillance/">"How much surveillance can democracy withstand?"</a> by Richard M. Stallman</li>
<li><a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary.html">Examples of abuses committed via proprietary software</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/surveillance">FSF's campaign against surveillance</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html">"Who does that server really serve?"</a> by Richard M. Stallman</li>
</ul>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/gluglug-x60-laptop-now-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: Gluglug X60 Laptop now certified to Respect Your Freedom
uri: Gluglug-X60-Laptop-now-certified-to-Respect-Your-Freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/gluglug-x60-laptop-now-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<img class="imgright" src="media/77765c8a.ryf-x60-1.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/ryf-x60-1.jpg" width="200/" />

<p>It can be purchased from <a href="http://shop.gluglug.org.uk">http://shop.gluglug.org.uk</a>.</p>
<p>The FSF has had a call out for a laptop sold with a free OS and <a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/free-bios.html">free
boot system</a> since 2005.
Today it announced that the call has been met.</p>
<p>"Finally there is a free software laptop that respects your freedom as
it comes from the store," stated Richard M. Stallman, founder and
president of the FSF.</p>
<p>The boot programs (such as a BIOS) run when a computer is turned on
and their primary purpose is to initialize the hardware before loading
the operating system. Computer makers not only install nonfree boot
programs, but they also have made it notoriously difficult for free
software developers to have access to the necessary hardware
specifications and information needed to produce free software
replacements.</p>
<p>When a user purchases a product that bears the Respects Your Freedom
certification mark, they can be confident they are receiving a product
that comes with a free boot program and OS, as well as documentation
under free licenses, multimedia unencumbered by proprietary formats,
and the assurance it is not known to contain any backdoors and is not
designed to share users' information without their knowledge (e.g.
spyware).</p>
<p>"This announcement comes at a time when people have a heightened
concern over controlling their data and securing their communication.
Proprietary software is by nature fundamentally insecure, because it
uses both force of law and technological measures to prohibit a user
from controlling and securing her own computer. This new complete
system runs on free software and is backed by the FSF's commitment to
do our best at ensuring respect for your freedom and privacy," said
FSF executive director John Sullivan.</p>
<p>The Gluglug X60 laptops are refurbished models of Lenovo's
ThinkPad®<sup>†</sup> X60. Gluglug has updated the computer by adding
a modern wifi chipset, replacing the proprietary BIOS with a free
software boot system made by modifying Coreboot to remove all
proprietary microcode and proprietary blobs, and replacing the
proprietary Microsoft Windows OS with the FSF-endorsed, <a href="http://trisquel.info/">Trisquel
GNU/Linux</a> OS.</p>
<p>"The Gluglug X60 laptop is a major victory for computer users and
supporters of the <em>Free BIOS</em> campaign. Not only has Gluglug produced
a 100% free version of Coreboot that carries freedom to each user, but
it has made it easy and fun to install updates, which in my
experience, make real and noticeable improvements to the operation of
the laptop. I also found that despite the hardware being a few years
old, the Gluglug X60 remains a durable machine that is more than
capable of running modern GNU/Linux distro," added Joshua Gay, the
licensing &amp; compliance manager who heads-up the FSF's RYF
certification program.</p>
<p>Francis Rowe of Gluglug issued the following statement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Gluglug is very proud to have achieved RYF certification and we will
always try to exceed the requirements. The mission of Gluglug is to
promote free software in a practical way by making it easy to find a
system built for total freedom. With the X60 laptops sold through
the site you get everything: free boot program, free operating
system, free drivers, free applications. The machines also come
pre-fitted with a new 802.11n wireless card that is fully compatible
with free software.</p>
<p>The machines come fully loaded with Trisquel GNU/Linux, and they can
also have <a href="http://www.gnewsense.org/">gNewSense</a> or <a href="https://parabolagnulinux.org/">Parabola
GNU/Linux</a> installed on request. With
the Gluglug X60, you get full source code for all of the tools used
to create the boot program, plus documentation. If you want to hack
your machine, you can. That's really the whole concept.</p>
<p>You also get updates, so when the Gluglug makes a substantial change
to the firmware it ships, you will receive a copy of it along with
documentation for how to flash it and tweak it to your needs.</p>
<p>A project like this is especially important in this day and age when
more and more devices are becoming locked down with things like
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot">Restricted Boot</a>,
and containing hardware-based backdoors. The Gluglug provides an
opt-out for that kind of mistreatment.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including details on the certification of the Gluglug X60 laptops, as
well as information on source code for the device, visit
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">http://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in applying for
certification can consult criteria at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>For those needing to purchase other hardware, the FSF recommends
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/h-node.org">http://h-node.org</a> database, as well as direct users
toward hardware sellers that offer laptops with GNU/Linux
preinstalled. The FSF is also asking supporters
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/free-bios.html">to write to Intel</a>
asking for the company to ship laptops with a free boot system to
begin with, so that users can buy brand new freedom-respecting
hardware in the future.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About Gluglug</h3>
<p>The Gluglug is a Canvey Island, Essex, UK based company dedicated to
Free Software.  We sell computers that are made to respect the freedom
of users to study and hack their machine. Visit
<a href="http://shop.gluglug.org.uk">http://shop.gluglug.org.uk</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Francis Rowe<br />
Founder &amp; CEO<br />
Gluglug<br />
<a href="mailto:info@gluglug.org.uk">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#103;&#108;&#117;&#103;&#108;&#117;&#103;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;&#46;&#117;&#107;</a><br />
</p>
<p><sup>†</sup>ThinkPad is a registered trademark of Lenovo.</p>
<h3></h3>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/gift-giving-gnu-advises-shoppers-to-give-freely
title: Gift giving gnu advises shoppers to "give freely"
uri: Gift-giving-gnu-advises-shoppers-to-give-freely
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/gift-giving-gnu-advises-shoppers-to-give-freely
content:
<img src="media/fa2e3075.IMG_9211.JPG" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/givingguideaction2013/IMG_9211.JPG" style="padding:10px;float:left" width="265" />

<p>The Giving Guide, which is available <a href="https://www.fsf.org/givingguide">online</a>, suggests laptops, ebooks, 3D
printers, and more gift ideas while discouraging shoppers from
purchasing products with problems like proprietary software,
hardware locked down with digital handcuffs, or ebooks that contain Digital
Restrictions Management (DRM).</p>
<p>FSF executive director John Sullivan said, "This year we know
it's not just Santa who's making a list--the NSA is watching you,
too. Make sure that your holiday gift is free of back doors,
security loopholes, and keeps your loved ones' personal
information private. Our Giving Guide will help you choose
alternatives to bad products like Windows 8 and Macbooks, and
give you tips for moving towards software freedom."</p>
<p>The Boston Apple store is one the largest in the world. Apple is
known as one of the world's worst patent aggressors, and its
computers, tablets, and cell phones run on restrictive
proprietary software.</p>
<p>The FSF asks supporters to keep their eyes peeled for more
appearances by the gnu in coming months.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA,
USA.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>
<p>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 further explanation, see
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff and Libby Reinish<br />
Campaigns Managers<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


title: Anti-Fast Track mobilization to be extended after more than half a million people take action
uri: Anti-Fast-Track-mobilization-to-be-extended-after-more-than-half-a-mil
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/anti-fast-track-mobilization-to-be-extended-after-more-than-half-a-million-people-take-action

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/anti-fast-track-mobilization-to-be-extended-after-more-than-half-a-million-people-take-action

content:
<p>The campaign has been embraced by more than 120 organizations and
coincided with more than <a href="http://tradejustice.ca/tpp/jan31">fifty rallies</a> and teach-ins across
the U.S., Canada and Mexico last week alone. Nearly six hundred
thousand people have signed petitions or sent emails to
lawmakers, and members of Congress have already received more
than forty thousand phone calls from constituents who oppose Fast
Track.</p>
<p>"When we launched this effort about ten days ago, we had twenty
groups participating -- now we have 120," said Evan Greer,
campaign manager at Fight for the Future, the Internet freedom
group that helped initiate the <a href="http://stopfasttrack.com">StopFastTrack.com</a>
effort. "It's time for those in power to read the writing on the
wall; people from across the political spectrum overwhelmingly
oppose anti-democratic Fast Track legislation, and we won't allow
decisions that affect all of us to be made behind closed doors."</p>
<p><a href="http://stopfasttrack.com">See the full list of 120 organizations participating</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://stopfasttrack.com/#photos">See photos from more than fifty protests and events</a>.</p>
<p>Last week a nationwide, <a href="http://fasttrackpoll.info">bipartisan poll</a> found that voters
oppose fast track authority by more than two to one. The poll
also found that members of Congress who vote to approve Fast
Track -- especially Republicans -- are taking a political risk.</p>
<p>The massive mobilization from Fast Track opponents has clearly
made an impact in Washington, with Senate Majority leader Harry
Reid coming out in opposition to Fast Track, but organizers
caution that the fight is not over. They plan a public petition
delivery in the coming weeks to increase pressure on Congress to
oppose the Fast Track bill.</p>
<p>"With TPP, special interests are gunning for draconian copyright
rules that would entrench Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)
and chill the development of the free "as-in-freedom" software we
need," said John Sullivan, executive director of the Free
Software Foundation, "We're inspired to be part of such a diverse
outcry against the Fast Track. It's clear that people see the
damage that TPP's restrictions would do to freedom and culture."</p>
<p>"The only way we're going to stop the secret corporate power grab
known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership is if we stop Fast
Track. That's why we're proud to stand with the scores of other
organizations who are engaged in this fight," said Becky Bond,
political director of CREDO. "When so many organizations with
diverse backgrounds and concerns stand together, it sends a
powerful message. If you think the American people will allow
Congress to abdicate its responsibility by passing Fast Track,
prepare to be disappointed."</p>
<p>Michael Stumo, CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America,
stated: "Our members oppose giving President Obama even more
executive authority through Fast Track.  We need a new trade
agenda to balance trade and to prevent further outsourcing our
sovereignty to international institutions.  We will be watching
Tea Party caucus members to make sure they do not favor these
global government agreements."</p>
<p>David Cascino, CEO of Thunderclap, stated: "Now that people can
rapidly organize around social media, phone call campaigns and
targeted emails, it's getting increasingly difficult for
politicians to make decisions behind closed doors."</p>
<p>Steve Anderson, executive director of OpenMedia.org said: "We
know that the TPP will make the Internet more expensive,
censored, and policed. That's why hundreds of thousands are
speaking out to stop it being rammed through Congress without a
debate. It's never been more important to pick up the phone and
tell your Member of Congress to stop Fast Tracking a deal that
would criminalize your online activity, invade your privacy, and
cost you money."</p>
<p>"The breadth of opposition to Fast Tracking the TPP in any form
whatsoever shows that the people will not be fooled by rigged
corporate trade agreements. The TPP is so bad that it unites
people in vehement opposition -- entire cities and towns are
already saying that they will not obey laws passed in secret that
will harm them. If Congress moves forward on Fast Track, we
expect growing resistance that will include disruption of
re-election campaigns." said Dr. Margaret Flowers of
PopularResistance.org, an outgrowth of the Occupy Movement.</p>
<p>"Rainforest Action Network seeks to challenge corporate power
where it undermines the interests of people and planet," said
Lindsey Allen, executive director of Rainforest Action
Network (RAN)."The TPP is a profit-driven frontal assault on
democracy and issues core to RAN's work and in a time where we
need every tool necessary to address global climate disruption,
it is unacceptable to use an undemocratic shortcut like Fast
Track to force through the TPP and usurp the interests of
millions."</p>
<p>Communications Workers of America president Larry Cohen
said, "Voters across the political spectrum are energized. They
know this deal affects everybody - small business, workers,
anyone who cares about about the food we eat, the air we breathe,
and the jobs we hold. Americans are asking what kind of future do
we want? We don't want a trillion-dollar trade deficit.  We need
to reset our trade policy, so that it works for everyone, not
just big corporations."</p>
<p>"The Obama administration's plan to ram two potentially
devastating international trade agreements through Congress
appears to be slowing down thanks to widespread opposition, but
we're not taking any chances," said Ronnie Cummins International
director of the Organic Consumers Association. "We must stop
trade deals that would weaken U.S. and world food safety
standards, threaten domestic and international food sovereignty
laws, and allow transnational corporations to sue governments for
alleged future lost profits unless the corporations are allowed
to freely peddle their unproven, unsafe goods with reckless
regard for existing food safety laws."</p>
<p>Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said, "The widespread interest in
"Fast Track" from across the political spectrum is no surprise.
It's only more evidence of what America's workers have known for
a long time: America's workforce deserves better than warmed over
trade deals, which will do nothing to raise wages or reduce our
$540 billion trade deficit.  The United States is long overdue
for an overhaul of its trade priorities and trade practices and
that can only happen with an inclusive process that includes all
our voices, not just the disproportionate influence of the 1%."</p>
<p>"Fast Track authority takes democratic process away from our
elected representatives, striking any discussion or debate on
trade agreements in Congress, for example, on the upcoming
Trans-Pacific Partnership," says Carleen Pickard, executive
director of Global Exchange. "Fast Tracking" such an agreement
without substantive discussion about it's impacts is a bad idea".</p>
<p>"Imports increased three times faster than exports since NAFTA took effect,
and our trade deficit is devastating to American workers," said
Teamsters General president Jim Hoffa. "Congress should read
every word of these so-called 'free-trade deals' to make sure
they help American families and to get rid of special deals
inserted by corporate lobbyists."</p>
<p>Elizabeth Warren, MoveOn National TPP team coordinator
said, "MoveOn's TPP team is committed to fighting Fast Track in
Congress. While we long for good news, and it is tempting to be
reassured by Senator Reid's comments, we need to differentiate
between rhetoric and action. His statements could be the opening
salvo in a debate over Democratic amendments to the Baucus bill,
or he could be setting the stage for an alternate version of Fast
Track - traveling under an assumed name - to be sponsored by Ron
Wyden, for example. We must remain focused, and continue
pressuring House members until a wide majority unequivocally
oppose it - on the record - in ANY form."</p>
<p>"Across the country, Sierra Club members and supporters are ready
to stand up for responsible trade that doesn't threaten American
jobs, our air and water, and our climate," said Michael Brune,
Sierra Club executive director. "The Sierra Club strongly opposes
fast track.  This bill not only undermines our democracy, it puts
American families and our future at risk."</p>
<h3></h3>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/lulzbot-taz-3-3d-printer-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: LulzBot TAZ 3 3D printer now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: LulzBot-TAZ-3-3D-printer-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/lulzbot-taz-3-3d-printer-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<img src="media/039b6097.taz3.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/taz3.jpg" width="150" style="padding:10px;float:right" class="imgright" />

<p>In October 2012, the LulzBot AO-100 3D printer became the first
hardware product to be awarded use of the FSF's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">RYF</a> certification
mark. Since that time, Aleph Objects, Inc. has continued to release
new and improved successors to the AO-100 model, including the AO-101,
TAZ, TAZ 2, and TAZ 3, each of which have complied with RYF
certification mark requirements. The latest model, which can be
purchased <a href="http://www.lulzbot.com/products/lulzbot-taz-3-3d-printer">online</a>,
has both hardware and software improvements, including a controller with
a graphical LCD interface that allows users to print from an SD card and to
perform printer start up, selection, and configuration changes.</p>
<p>"Aleph Objects, Inc. has become a leader in the free software
movement, not only in terms of producing hardware products that
respect users' freedom, but also in terms of their engagement with and
contributions to the free software community each step of the way,"
said Joshua Gay, FSF licensing &amp; compliance manager.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://download.lulzbot.com/TAZ/3.0/software/2013Q4/">software reviewed</a> by Gay as part of the certification for the
TAZ 3 printer includes the Marlin firmware for the RAMBo electronics
board and ATmega chipset; the Python printing host software suite,
which includes Pronterface, Pronsole, and Printcore; and a Slic3r, a
program used to convert a digital 3D models into printing
instructions.</p>
<p>"Aleph Objects, Inc. is honored to receive RYF certification for our
latest 3D printer, the TAZ 3. No organization has greater credibility
when it comes to user freedom than the Free Software Foundation, which
for nearly thirty years has been prescient about technology issues
that threaten user freedom. Our goal is to continue to practice these
principles as we develop new technology," said Jeff Moe, president of Aleph
Objects, Inc.</p>
<p>In addition to the the LulzBot line of 3D printers, a total of nine
products have been awarded use of the RYF certification mark,
including: the RAMBo all-in-one 3D printer electronics board used in
the LulzBot printers; two USB wireless adapters sold by ThinkPenguin;
and the Gluglug X60 laptop.</p>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification
program visit <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">https://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>.</p>
<p>Hardware sellers interested in applying for certification can consult
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About Aleph Objects, Inc.</h3>
<p>Built upon the philosophy of <em>freedom</em>, Aleph Objects, Inc. is
transforming the 3D printer industry. Based in Loveland, Colo., they
are committed to Libre Hardware, which means their hardware and
software will not be locked down, become obsolete, or require licensed
upgrades over time. Empowering customers is part of their innovative
spirit and LulzBot users are encouraged to be part of the ongoing
conversation. Join in and learn more online at <a href="http://lulzbot.com">http://lulzbot.com</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
licensing@fsf.org</p>
<p>Kristin Golliher<br />
Media Contact, LulzBot/Aleph Objects, Inc.<br />
(970) 449 6870<br />
Kristin.Golliher@wildrockpr.com<br />
www.LulzBot.com</p>
<h3></h3>


uri: Free-Software-Foundation-opens-registration-for-March-24th-legal-semin
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-opens-registration-for-march-24th-legal-seminar-on-gpl-enforcement-and-legal-ethics

title:
Free Software Foundation opens registration for March 24th legal seminar on GPL Enforcement and Legal Ethics

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-opens-registration-for-march-24th-legal-seminar-on-gpl-enforcement-and-legal-ethics

content:
<p>The event sessions will be lead
by Karen Sandler of the GNOME Foundation and former general counsel of
the Software Freedom Law Center; Bradley Kuhn, President of
the Software Freedom Conservancy and a member of the FSF's Board of Directors, and Donald
R. Robertson, III, J.D., the FSF's Copyright and Licensing Associate.</p>
<p>The event is aimed at legal professionals and law students. Registration for the event is open to the public at <a href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=15">https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=15</a>.</p>
<p>"We're looking forward to helping current and future lawyers get comfortable working with the GNU General Public License and other free software licenses, so that they can expand their practices and address their clients' concerns," said FSF executive director John Sullivan.</p>
<p>The seminar is scheduled for the day after the Free Software
Foundation's <a href="http://libreplanet.org/2014/">LibrePlanet 2014 conference</a>, an annual conference that brings
together software developers, policy experts, activists and computer
users to learn skills, share accomplishments and face challenges to
software freedom.</p>
<p>More information about the event can be found at the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/events/seminar-on-gpl-enforcement-and-legal-ethics">event page</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Presenters</h3>
<h4>Bradley M. Kuhn</h4>
<p><a href="http://ebb.org/bkuhn/">Bradley M. Kuhn</a> is President
of the <a href="http://sfconservancy.org/">Software Freedom Conservancy</a>
and on the Board of Directors of
the <a href="http://fsf.org/">Free Software Foundation (FSF)</a>. Kuhn began his
work in the software freedom movement as a volunteer in 1992, when he
became an early adopter of the GNU/Linux operating system, and began
contributing to various FLOSS projects. He worked during the 1990s as a
system administrator and software developer for various companies, and
taught AP Computer Science at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati.
Kuhn's non-profit career began in 2000, when he was hired by the FSF.
As FSF's Executive Director from 2001-2005, Kuhn led FSF's GPL
enforcement, launched its Associate Member program, and invented the
Affero GPL.  From 2005-2010, Kuhn worked as the Policy Analyst and
Technology Director of the Software Freedom Law Center.  Kuhn holds a
summa cum laude B.S. in Computer Science from
<a href="http://www.loyola.edu/academic/computerscience">Loyola University in Maryland</a>, and an
M.S. in Computer Science from the <a href="http://www.cs.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a>.
<a href="http://www.ebb.org/bkuhn/articles/thesis/">Kuhn's Master's thesis</a> discussed methods for
dynamic interoperability of FLOSS languages. Kuhn has
<a href="http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog">a blog</a> and <a href="http://identi.ca/bkuhn">a microblog as @bkuhn
on identi.ca</a>.</p>
<h4>Karen M. Sandler</h4>
<p>Karen M. Sandler is the Executive Director of the GNOME Foundation. She is known for her advocacy for free software, particularly for software safety on medical devices. Prior to joining GNOME, she was General Counsel of the <a href="https://www.softwarefreedom.org/">Software Freedom Law Center</a>. Karen continues to do pro bono legal work with SFLC and serves as an officer of the <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/">Software Freedom Conservancy</a>. She is also pro bono General Counsel of <a href="http://questioncopyright.org/">QuestionCopyright.org</a> and an advisor to the Ada Initiative. Before joining SFLC, Karen worked as an associate in the corporate departments of Gibson, Dunn &amp; Crutcher LLP in New York and Clifford Chance in New York and London. Karen received her law degree from Columbia Law School in 2000, where she was a James Kent Scholar and co-founder of the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review. Karen received her bachelors degree in engineering from The Cooper Union. She is a recipient of the O'Reilly Open Source Award.</p>
<h4>Donald R. Robertson, III</h4>
<p>Donald R. Robertson, III, is the Copyright and Licensing Associate for the Free Software Foundation, where he has worked for over five years as part of the FSF's Licensing &amp; Compliance Lab. He is actively involved in the FSF's compliance work, and is one of the FSF's primary representatives in conversations with companies whose employees want to contribute to free software projects. Donald is a graduate of the New England School of Law, where he was the managing editor of the <em>New England Law Review</em>, and interned for the Hon. William G. Young at the federal district courthouse in Boston. He received his bachelors degree in philosophy and history from Cornell College, and is admitted to the Massachusetts bar.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a></p>
<p>###</p>


uri: FSF-joins-forces-with-Software-Freedom-Law-Center-and-Open-Source-Init
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-joins-forces-with-software-freedom-law-center-and-open-source-initiative-to-fight-software-patents-in-u-s-supreme-court

title:
FSF joins forces with Software Freedom Law Center and Open Source Initiative to fight software patents in U.S. Supreme Court  

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-joins-forces-with-software-freedom-law-center-and-open-source-initiative-to-fight-software-patents-in-u-s-supreme-court

content:
<p>The jointly filed <a href="media/6ab0153b.alice_v_cls-sflc_amicus.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2014/alice_v_cls-sflc_amicus.pdf">brief</a> argues that the "machine or transformation"
inquiry employed by the Court in <em>Bilski v. Kappos</em> is the correct,
and exclusive, bright line test for patent eligibility of
computer-implemented inventions. It says that not only do software
idea patents fail established tests for patentability; they also
violate the First Amendement.</p>
<p>On March 31, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear
oral arguments in the case, in which the Court has granted certiorari,
apparently to decide a question previously reserved: under what
circumstances patents may be granted for inventions implemented in
computer programs. A decision is expected by summer.</p>
<p>FSF executive director John Sullivan added, "We are proud to be a
party to SFLC's brief, along with OSI. Software patents should be
opposed not just by <em>all</em> computer programmers and users; they should
be opposed by anyone who values freedom of expression. We've seen many
recent proposals to make software idea patents 'better,' or to fight
trolls, but they miss the fundamental point. We do not want these
restrictions on free speech and human creative expression to be of
higher quality -- we want software idea patents gone."</p>
<p>The FSF has been campaigning for decades to abolish software idea
patents. Its <a href="http://endsoftpatents.org/">End Software Patents</a> campaign filed a <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/bilski-supreme-court-brief">brief in the
<em>Bilski</em> case</a>, and released a <a href="http://patentabsurdity.com">documentary film</a> detailing the
problem. The campaign's <a href="http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Software_patents_wiki:_home_page">wiki</a> has continued to grow as a
preeminent source of legislative, judicial, and philosophical
information in the area.</p>
<p>FSF president Richard M. Stallman regularly <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/software-patents.html">speaks out against
software patents</a>, often highlighting their absurdity by imagining
how we would feel about similar <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/software-literary-patents.html">patents on literature</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners-announced
title: Matthew Garrett, GNOME Foundation's Outreach Program for Women are Free Software Award winners
uri: Matthew-Garrett-GNOME-Foundation-s-Outreach-Program-for-Women-are-Fre
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners-announced
content:
<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/fs-award">Award for the Advancement of Free Software</a> is given
annually 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>
<table cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="310" border="0">
    <tr>
        <td style="padding:10px;background-color:#eeeeee;" align="center">
            <img src="media/6f58c958.crowd.JPG" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2014/day1/crowd.JPG" width="600" alt="Free Software Awards at LibrePlanet 2014" />
            <div style="padding-top:10px;color:#444444">Audience members waiting for the talk</div>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table>

<p>This year, it was given to <a href="http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/">Matthew Garrett</a>, for his work to
keep "<a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot">Secure Boot</a>" free software compatible.</p>
<p>One of Garrett's nominators said, "Matthew spent considerable
efforts helping free software operating systems cope with the
UEFI 'Secure Boot' debacle.  He has also enhanced the UEFI
support in those systems, both to fix bugs and to work around
bugs in UEFI firmware.  Matthew has led the charge to develop
tools that allow users to make use of 'Secure Boot' themselves,
installing their own keys and signing their own code.  Finally,
Matthew works with the industry organizations and companies who
maintain UEFI to ensure that those standards can support free
software.  Even today, despite no longer working for a company
that requires his work in that area, he continues to serve as a
UEFI expert and debugger in his spare time."</p>
<p>Garrett said, "Free software has been a part of my life since I
was a teenager. Growing up in an area with little interest in
computing and limited internet access, having the freedom to
examine and modify the source code to software was an important
part of learning the skills I rely on today.  Everyone deserves
to be able to exercise the same freedoms that I benefited from,
and I will continue to advocate for solutions that allow them to
do so without compromising the security that recent events
demonstrate is sorely required."</p>
<p>Garrett joins a distinguished list of previous winners, including
the 2012 winner, Dr. Fernando Perez.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/sb-award">Award for Projects of Social Benefit</a> 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. This award stresses the use of free software in the
service of humanity.</p>
<table cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="310" border="0">
    <tr>
        <td style="padding:10px;background-color:#eeeeee;" align="center">
            <img src="media/527c8c9c.gnome1.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2014/day1/gnome1.jpg" width="600" alt="Free Software Awards at LibrePlanet 2014" />
            <div style="padding-top:10px;color:#444444">GNOME OPW winning the Award for Projects of Social Benefit</div>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table>

<p>This year, the award went to the <a href="https://gnome.org/opw/">GNOME Foundation's Outreach
Program for Women</a> (OPW), which helps women (cis and trans)
and genderqueer people get involved in free software
development. OPW provides a supportive community for beginning to
contribute throughout the year and offers focused internship
opportunities twice a year with a number of free software
organizations. Since 2010, OPW has provided 130 women with an
opportunity to participate in paid remote internships with 23
free software organizations like Wikimedia, GNU MediaGoblin, and
last year's winner, OpenMRS. OPW's work benefits society more
broadly, addressing gender discrimination by empowering women to
develop leadership and development skills in a society which runs
on technology. OPW does this critical work using the ideals and
collaborative culture of the free software movement.</p>
<p>One nomination for the program read, "[OPW] brings women into the
free software movement who might otherwise not have become
involved, either because they believed that they weren't welcome
or that free software was just a 'boy's club.'  Given the current
number of women in the movement (approximately 2-5%), this
project is introducing free software to a largely unreached
population -- the world's women. "</p>
<p>Karen Sandler and Marina Zhurakhinskaya, co-organizers of OPW,
were present to accept the award on behalf of OPW.</p>
<p>Zhurakhinskaya, a GNOME Foundation director and community
engagement lead at Red Hat, which partners with GNOME to organize
OPW, said, "We're honored to receive this award on behalf of the
GNOME Foundation and proud that the FSF recognizes the importance
of taking action to include more women."</p>
<p>Sandler, the GNOME Foundation's executive director, said, "We
hope that this recognition inspires everyone to think about how
to improve diversity in free software. We'd love it if you'd
apply to participate, spread the word about the program, consider
joining as an organization, or ask your company to sponsor."</p>
<table cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="310" border="0">
    <tr>
        <td style="padding:10px;background-color:#eeeeee;" align="center">
            <img src="media/b0da8522.mgarret2.jpg" data-original-source="http://www.fsf.org//static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2014/day1/mgarret2.jpg" width="600" alt="Free Software Awards at LibrePlanet 2014" />
            <div style="padding-top:10px;color:#444444">Matthew Garrett with his award</div>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table>

<p>Nominations for both awards are submitted by members of the
public, then evaluated by an award committee composed of previous
winners and FSF founder and president Richard Stallman. This
year's award committee was: Rob Savoye, Wietse Venema, Richard
Stallman, Suresh Ramasubramanian, Vernor Vinge, Hong Feng,
Fernanda G.  Weiden, Harald Welte, Vernor Vinge, Jonas Oberg, and
Yukihiro Matsumoto.</p>
<p>More information about both awards, including the full list of
previous winners, can be found at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards">https://www.fsf.org/awards</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Photos under CC BY 3.0
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">Attribution</a> by Tristan Chambers. </p>
<h3></h3>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-heartbleed-vulnerability
title: Free Software Foundation statement on Heartbleed vulnerability
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-statement-on-Heartbleed-vulnerability
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-heartbleed-vulnerability
content:
<blockquote>

<p>Using free "as in freedom" software, like OpenSSL, is a
  necessary first step in securing our computers, our servers,
  and the entire Internet. Free software guarantees users the
  ability to examine the code in order to detect vulnerabilities,
  and to create new and safe versions if a vulnerability is
  discovered. Bugs, sometimes big ones like Heartbleed affecting
  widely used software like OpenSSL, can occur in any code, free
  or proprietary. The difference is, when no one but a
  proprietary software company like Microsoft can see the code,
  or fix it when problems are discovered, it is impossible to
  have a true chain of trust. Everyone is helpless until
  Microsoft decides to act.</p>

<p>It's been documented that companies like Microsoft are even
  <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data">sharing bugs with others</a> like the NSA without fixing them,
  looking the other way so that third parties can exploit the
  security hole. And Apple <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/politics/nsa-backdoor-iphone-access-camera-mic-appelbaum/">has a backdoor on the iPhone</a> that
  security experts say was either caused by NSA sabotage or
  deliberate internal sabotage by Apple. In short, examples of
  proprietary software's insecurity <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary-insecurity.html">abound</a>.</p>

<p>Heartbleed is a serious security issue, and it's a good thing
  that OpenSSL is free software. This has allowed the bug to be
  identified, and fixed rapidly after being disclosed.</p>

<p>As for the FSF's own systems, we are upgrading them as we
  speak. We'd like to thank the Trisquel<sup>‡</sup> and Debian
  distributions of GNU/Linux for quickly releasing updates with
  fixed packages.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>‡: <a href="https://trisquel.info/">Trisquel</a> is an FSF-endorsed <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">free GNU/Linux distribution</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-seeks-full-time-senior-gnu-linux-systems-administrator-1
title: FSF seeks full-time senior GNU/Linux systems administrator
uri: 2014-05-02-FSF-seeks-full-time-senior-GNU-Linux-systems-administrator
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-seeks-full-time-senior-gnu-linux-systems-administrator-1
content:
<p><strong>Update: The deadline for this position has been extended</strong></p>
<p>The ideal candidate will be a well-rounded GNU/Linux systems
administrator who thrives on constant broad-based learning and
problem-solving. (S)he will be familiar with the free software
community and how it works, and will be more interested in making a
substantial contribution to software freedom and having employment
consistent with ethical ideals than obtaining the highest salary.</p>
<p>This is an opportunity to work for the organization that started the
GNU Project, launched the free software movement, and safeguards the
GNU General Public License. The position includes frequent contact and
collaboration with many of the core GNU developers, and currently
reports to the executive director.</p>
<p>Together, the senior systems administrators have a great deal of
influence over technology decisions within the FSF, and do crucial
work empowering thousands of others to develop free software.</p>
<p>With our small staff of twelve, each person makes a clear
contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work
environment.</p>
<p>The FSF is a mature and growing organization that provides great
potential for advancement; existing staff are prioritized for any new
job openings.</p>
<h3>Example systems administration tasks include:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Be a lead voice in the Foundation's software system decision-making</li>
<li>Install and maintain fully free GNU/Linux systems on servers,
    desktops, laptops, and embedded devices</li>
<li>Support GNU developers and FSF staff in their use of FSF-owned systems</li>
<li>Monitor and improve system security and network infrastructure</li>
<li>Spec and purchase new equipment</li>
<li>Coordinate work of volunteer systems administrators</li>
<li>Share in the on-call rotation to deal with core system emergencies</li>
<li>Learn about and work with cutting-edge free technologies like Coreboot</li>
<li>Blog publicly about the technologies and techniques used at the
    FSF; inform FSF policy positions in technical areas</li>
</ul>
<h3>Programming is occasionally required, such as:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Fix bugs and submit patches upstream for the software used at the FSF</li>
<li>Design, write, and release new software when existing software doesn't fit the bill</li>
<li>Improve and maintain existing custom software</li>
</ul>
<h3>Useful specific experience includes:</h3>
<ul>
<li>4+ years experience as a GNU/Linux systems administrator</li>
<li>3+ years experience with at least two programming languages</li>
<li>2+ years experience with an apt-based GNU/Linux distribution</li>
<li>1+ years experience with SQL (preferably PostgreSQL or MySQL)</li>
<li>Undergraduate college degree, or in lieu of degree, substantially
    more experience than that listed above</li>
<li>A portfolio of contributions to free software projects or their
    development infrastructure</li>
</ul>
<h3>Expected technical skills are:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Expert knowledge of systems administration for GNU/Linux with apt-based distributions</li>
<li>In-depth understanding of key network protocols such as TCP/IP,
    BGP, DNS, SMTP, HTTP, FTP, NFS, DHCP, etc.</li>
<li>In-depth understanding of key system components such as
    virtualization, automated systems management, software RAID, MTAs,
    etc.</li>
<li>In-depth knowledge of Drupal and Nginx.</li>
<li>Familiarity with at least two of Perl, PHP, Python or Ruby. High
    proficiency (expert preferred) in at least one of these languages</li>
<li>Thorough knowledge of network and system security, especially as
    related to the kernel Linux and common Internet services</li>
<li>Knowledge of network routing and related services in GNU/Linux,
    such as iptables and stateful firewalls.</li>
<li>Ability to design SQL databases</li>
<li>Ability to spec, purchase, assemble, and debug components for
    custom-build server systems</li>
</ul>
<h3>We will prefer candidates with additional skills, such as:</h3>
<ul>
<li>In-depth knowledge of CiviCRM, Xen, Puppet, Exim, Spamassassin,
    Mailman, Quagga, Apache, RT, Coreboot, Squid, Zope, Plone,
    Semantic Mediawiki, CAS, Django, SQL Ledger</li>
<li>Knowledge of version control systems: Git, Subversion, CVS, RCS</li>
<li>Soldering, making your own Ethernet cable, extremely high Nethack scores</li>
</ul>
<h3>We also require:</h3>
<ul>
<li>A willingness to learn and understand how political and
    philosophical positions of an organization impact computing
    requirements</li>
<li>An ability to work as part of a team and to handle and coordinate
    contributions from a volunteer core</li>
<li>Being open-minded and tolerant of others</li>
</ul>
<h2>Benefits and salary</h2>
<p>The job must be worked on-site at FSF's downtown Boston offices,
because it involves caring for equipment that is physically located
there.</p>
<p>It is a union position. The salary is fixed at $61,651 and is
non-negotiable. Other benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li>reimbursement for some relocation expenses,</li>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's HMO Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF,</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases, and</li>
<li>potential for an annual performance bonus.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Application instructions</h2>
<p>The position is available immediately, and we will be accepting
applications until it is filled. </p>
<p>Applications must be submitted via email to <a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. The
email must contain the subject line, "Senior Systems Administrator." A
complete application should include:</p>
<ul>
<li>cover letter,</li>
<li>resume,</li>
<li>contact information for three references, and</li>
<li>links to any published free software work.</li>
</ul>
<p>All materials must be in a free format (such as plain text, PDF, or
OpenDocument, and not Microsoft Word). Email submissions that do not
follow these instructions will be overlooked. No phone calls, please.</p>
<p>An on-site interview will be required with the executive director and
the technology team.</p>
<p>We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to promoting a diverse
workplace, and do not discriminate based on gender, sex, race, color,
religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or sexual
orientation.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/global-community-rallies-for-international-day-against-drm
title: Global community rallies for International Day Against DRM
uri: 2014-05-07-Global-community-rallies-for-International-Day-Against-DRM
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/global-community-rallies-for-international-day-against-drm
content:
<p>In addition to individuals taking action through <a href="http://dayagainstdrm.org">DayAgainstDRM.org</a>, nine organizations have let Defective by Design know they are participating, including three businesses offering sales on DRM-free media. Activists in Bangladesh, France and Turkey translated the <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org/dayagainstdrm/#graphics">International Day Against DRM HAZMAT suit graphics</a> into their native languages. More groups are expected to join on the day itself.</p>
<p>The community free software organization FOSS Bangladesh is participating for their second year. They wrote:</p>
<p>"In 2013 we joined the global community and supported International Day Against DRM. We think that IT giants' use of DRM is very wrong. To expose such wrong actions we stood out on the road at the key point of University of Dhaka and were noticed by the next generation leaders of Bangladesh, the pupils of University of Dhaka... In 2014 we are doing an open session at Daffodil University with writers, poets, novelists, artists, musicians, university students and teachers, where we hope to educate people about DRM."</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><a href="http://dayagainstdrm.org"><img src="media/cbe50bfa.dadrm_2014_block.png" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/dbd/day_against_drm/2014/block/dadrm_2014_block.png" /></a></p>

<p>O'Reilly media, a major ebook publisher, is offering a steep discount on ebooks in celebration of the International Day Against DRM. They told Defective by Design:</p>
<p>"Having the ability to download files at your convenience, store them on all your devices, or share them with a friend or colleague as you would a print book or DVD is liberating, and is how it should be. At O'Reilly Media, we've always published our ebooks DRM free, following the advice of Lao Tzu, who said, 2500 years ago, '<em>Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you.</em>'"</p>
<p>John Sullivan, executive director of the Free Software Foundation, said of the International Day Against DRM: "It's exciting to see people around the world taking a stand on an issue that is so often glossed over in the public discourse. Every coordinated event that happens makes it that much harder for the press to accept DRM as business-as-usual, and gets us closer to a future without it."</p>
<p>Individuals can participate with a variety of online and in-person actions on <a href="http://dayagainstdrm.org">DayAgainstDRM.org</a>, from media downloads to gatherings. To be part of Defective by Design's year-round anti-DRM campaigns, supporters can <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org/join">join the low-volume Action Alerts email list</a>. Media stores, activist organizations and other groups interested in participating in the International Day Against DRM today or in 2015 should contact <a href="mailto:info@defectivebydesign.org">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#100;&#101;&#102;&#101;&#99;&#116;&#105;&#118;&#101;&#98;&#121;&#100;&#101;&#115;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. </p>
<h2>Participating organizations</h2>
<p>A number of groups are holding in-person events. For times and meeting places, see the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Defective_by_Design/Day_Against_DRM_2014">LibrePlanet wiki</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to Defective by Design, three activist organizations are publicly joining the Day Against DRM:</p>
<ul>
<li>The Electronic Frontier Foundation is hosting an <a href="https://www.eff.org/event/international-day-against-drm">online teach-in, writing blog posts and circulating infographics</a></li>
<li>Free Software Foundation Europe is releasing an <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140506-01.en.html">open letter to the executive body of the European Union</a>, demanding that they take a stand against the groups advocating for the  addition of DRM hooks to HTML</li>
<li>April, a French free software organization, is <a href="https://www.april.org/en">blogging and raising a storm on social media</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Three online stores are participating by offering DRM-free media:</p>
<ul>
<li>O'Reilly is giving customers <a href="http://oreil.ly/DRM-FREE-2014">50-60% off on ebooks</a></li>
<li>The Humble Bundle has <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/">pay-what-you-want graphic novels</a></li>
<li>No Starch Press is offering <a href="http://www.nostarch.com">50% off on ebooks</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>About Defective By Design</h3>
<p>Defective by Design is the Free Software Foundation's campaign against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). DRM is the practice of imposing technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital media, creating a good that is defective by design. DRM requires the use of proprietary software and is a major threat to computer user freedom. It often spies on users as well. The campaign, based at defectivebydesign.org, organizes anti-DRM activists for in-person and online actions, and challenges powerful media and technology interests promoting DRM. Supporters can donate to the campaign at <a href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=40">https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=40</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contact</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
(202) 489-6887<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


title: FSF condemns partnership between Mozilla and Adobe to support Digital Restrictions Management
uri: FSF-condemns-partnership-between-Mozilla-and-Adobe-to-support-Digital
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-condemns-partnership-between-mozilla-and-adobe-to-support-digital-restrictions-management

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-condemns-partnership-between-mozilla-and-adobe-to-support-digital-restrictions-management

content:
<p>"Only a week after the <a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/dayagainstdrm/">International Day Against DRM</a>, Mozilla has
announced that it will partner with proprietary software company Adobe
to implement support for Web-based <a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">Digital Restrictions
Management</a> (DRM) in its Firefox browser, using Encrypted Media
Extensions (EME).</p>

<p>The Free Software Foundation is deeply disappointed in Mozilla's
announcement. The decision compromises important principles in order
to alleviate misguided fears about loss of browser marketshare. It
allies Mozilla with a company hostile to the free software movement
and to Mozilla's own fundamental ideals.</p>

<p>Although Mozilla will not directly ship Adobe's proprietary DRM
plugin, it will, as an official feature, encourage Firefox users to
install the plugin from Adobe when presented with media that requests
DRM. We agree with Cory Doctorow that there is no meaningful
distinction between 'installing DRM' and 'installing code that
installs DRM.'</p>

<p>We recognize that Mozilla is doing this reluctantly, and we trust
these words coming from Mozilla much more than we do when they come
from Microsoft or Amazon. At the same time, nearly everyone who
implements DRM says they are forced to do it, and this lack of
accountability is how the practice sustains itself. Mozilla's
announcement today unfortunately puts it -- in this regard -- in the
same category as its proprietary competitors.</p>

<p>Unlike those proprietary competitors, Mozilla is going to great
lengths to reduce some of the specific harms of DRM by attempting to
'sandbox' the plugin. But this approach cannot solve the fundamental
ethical problems with proprietary software, or <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary.html">the issues that
inevitably arise when proprietary software is installed</a> on a
user's computer.</p>

<p>In <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/05/14/drm-and-the-challenge-of-serving-users/">the announcement</a>, Mitchell Baker asserts that Mozilla's hands
were tied. But she then goes on to actively praise Adobe's "value" and
suggests that there is some kind of necessary balance between DRM and
user freedom.</p>

<p>There is nothing necessary about DRM, and to hear Mozilla praising
Adobe -- the company who has been and continues to be a vicious
opponent of the free software movement and the free Web -- is
shocking. With this partnership in place, we worry about Mozilla's
ability and willingness to criticize Adobe's practices going forward.</p>

<p>We understand that Mozilla is afraid of losing users. Cory Doctorow
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/14/firefox-closed-source-drm-video-browser-cory-doctorow">points out</a> that they have produced no evidence to substantiate
this fear or made any effort to study the situation. More importantly,
popularity is not an end in itself. This is especially true for the
Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit with an ethical mission. In the past,
Mozilla has distinguished itself and achieved success by protecting
the freedom of its users and explaining the importance of that
freedom: including publishing Firefox's source code, allowing others
to make modifications to it, and sticking to Web standards in the face
of attempts to impose proprietary extensions.</p>

<p>Today's decision turns that calculus on its head, devoting Mozilla
resources to delivering users to Adobe and hostile media
distributors. In the process, Firefox is losing the identity which set
it apart from its proprietary competitors -- Internet Explorer and
Chrome -- both of which are implementing EME in an even worse fashion.</p>

<p>Undoubtedly, some number of users just want restricted media like
Netflix to work in Firefox, and they will be upset if it doesn't. This
is unsurprising, since the majority of the world is not yet familiar
with the ethical issues surrounding proprietary software. This debate
was, and is, a high-profile opportunity to introduce these concepts to
users and ask them to stand together in some tough decisions.</p>

<p>To see Mozilla compromise without making any public effort to rally
users against this supposed "forced choice" is doubly
disappointing. They should reverse this decision. But whether they do
or do not, we call on them to join us by devoting as many of their
extensive resources to permanently eliminating DRM as they are now
devoting to supporting it. The FSF will have more to say and do on
this in the coming days. For now, users who are concerned about this
issue should:</p>

<ul>
<li><p><strong><a href="mailto:agal@mozilla.com">Write to Mozilla CTO Andreas Gal and let him know that you
oppose DRM</a></strong>. Mozilla made this decision in a
misguided appeal to its userbase; it needs to hear in clear and
reasoned terms from the users who feel this as a betrayal. Ask
Mozilla what it is going to do to actually solve the DRM problem that
has created this false forced choice.</p></li>
<li><p><strong><a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/no-drm-in-html5">Join our effort to stop EME approval</a> at the W3C</strong>. While today's
announcement makes it even more obvious that W3C rejection of EME
will not stop its implementation, it also makes it clear that W3C can
fearlessly reject EME to send a message that DRM is <em>not</em> a part of
the vision of a free Web.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Use a version of Firefox without the EME code</strong>: Since its source
code is available under a license allowing anyone to modify and
redistribute it under a different name, we expect versions without
EME to be made available, and you should use those instead. We will
list them in the <a href="https://directory.fsf.org">Free Software Directory</a>.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Donate to support the work of the <a href="https://u.fsf.org/xi">Free Software Foundation</a>
and our <a href="https://u.fsf.org/xh">Defective by Design</a> campaign to actually end DRM.</strong>
Until it's completely gone, Mozilla and others will be constantly
tempted to capitulate, and users will be pressured to continue using
some proprietary software. If not us, give to another group fighting
against digital restrictions."</p></li>
</ul>

<h2>References</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">What is DRM?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/05/14/drm-and-the-challenge-of-serving-users/">https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/05/14/drm-and-the-challenge-of-serving-users/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/05/reconciling-mozillas-mission-and-w3c-eme/">https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/05/reconciling-mozillas-mission-and-w3c-eme/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/dbd-condemns-drm-in-html">https://defectivebydesign.org/dbd-condemns-drm-in-html</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fsf.org/news/coalition-against-drm-in-html">https://fsf.org/news/coalition-against-drm-in-html</a></li>
<li><a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/oscar-awarded-w3c-in-the-hollyweb">https://defectivebydesign.org/oscar-awarded-w3c-in-the-hollyweb</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>Media Contact</h2>

<p>John Sullivan <br />
Executive Director <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">campaigns@fsf.org</a></p>

<h2>About the Free Software Foundation</h2>

<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<p><em>This item is available in <a href="https://fsf.org/fr/la-fsf-condamne-le-partenariat-entre-mozilla-et-adobe-en-vue-de-gerer-les-dispositifs-de-gestion-numerique-des-restrictions-drm">French</a> and <a href="https://www.fsf.org/es/noticias/la-fsf-condena-la-colaboracion-entre-mozilla-y-adobe-para-apoyar-la-restriccion-digital-de-derechos-drm">Spanish</a>.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/tehnoetic-wireless-usb-adapter-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: Tehnoetic wireless USB adapter now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: Tehnoetic-wireless-USB-adapter-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freed
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/tehnoetic-wireless-usb-adapter-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<p>The RYF certification mark is awarded to products that meet the FSF's
standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and
privacy. The TET-N150 can be purchased from Tehnoetic's <a href="https://tehnoetic.com/tehnoetic-wireless-adapter-gnu-linux-libre-tet-n150">online store</a>.</p>
<p>"I founded Tehnoetic in order to give users the means to run fully
free systems and to promote ethical businesses that support the work
of the free software community. I hope that Tehnoetic will complement
and support my work at <a href="http://ceata.org">Fundația Ceata</a>, a Romanian foundation
dedicated to defending and promoting digital freedoms and aligned with
the philosophy of the GNU Project," stated Tehnoetic's founder,
Tiberiu C. Turbureanu.</p>
<p>Software certification of the device focused primarily on the firmware
for the Atheros AR9271 chip used on the adapter. This firmware is
packaged in <a href="https://www.gnu.org/s/linux-libre">Linux-libre</a>, the kernel used by several <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros">free
GNU/Linux</a> distributions. This is the same chipset used by the
ThinkPenguin TPE-N150USB USB wireless adapter which was also awarded
RYF certification in April 2013. While others may sell wireless USB
adapters with this same chipset, if they do not bear the RYF
certification mark, the device may be packaged with or recommend the
use of nonfree software. This is why FSF endorsement of a hardware
product is on a per seller basis rather than a blanket endorsement of
a particular hardware model or chipset.</p>
<p>"The availability of freedom-respecting wireless networking devices is
important because at present, the WiFi devices that ship with nearly
all laptops and PCs require proprietary software. This is a major
obstacle for users seeking to install a 100% free software GNU/Linux
distro, because for most people, WiFi is an essential feature. So, it
is exciting that we can now direct any such user from around the globe
to two different sellers on two different continents that offer a
small and convenient USB WiFi adapter," stated Joshua Gay, FSF
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager. (Update: ThinkPenguin, Inc. can also ship RYF certified USB wifi adapters from Europe.)</p>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including details on the certification of the TET-N150 wireless USB
adapter, as well as information on the driver and firmware for the
device, visit <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">https://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in
applying for certification can consult
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>Subscribers to the FSF's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software Supporter</em></a> newsletter
will receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom
products.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About Tehnoetic</h3>
<p>Tehnoetic is a Romanian technologically ethical online shop targeting
the EU market, <a href="http://www.tehnoetic.com">http://www.tehnoetic.com</a>, and is owned and operated by
Turbureanu Tiberiu-Constantin PFA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 x20<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Tiberiu C. Turbureanu<br />
Turbureanu Tiberiu-Constantin PFA<br />
<a href="mailto:tiberiu-constantin@turbureanu.org">&#116;&#105;&#98;&#101;&#114;&#105;&#117;&#45;&#99;&#111;&#110;&#115;&#116;&#97;&#110;&#116;&#105;&#110;&#64;&#116;&#117;&#114;&#98;&#117;&#114;&#101;&#97;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>
<p><em><a href="https://fsf.org/fr/tehnoetic-un-adaptateur-sans-fil-usb-certifie-fsf-qui-respecte-votre-liberte">Read this article in French</a>.</em><br />
<em><a href="https://fsf.org/ro/tehnoetic-wireless-usb-adapter-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom-romanian">Read this article in Romanian</a>.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/reset-the-net
title: To help Reset the Net, FSF launches guide to email protection
uri: To-help-Reset-the-Net-FSF-launches-guide-to-email-protection
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/reset-the-net
content:
<p>The <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yu">guide</a> recommends free software tools like GnuPG and Enigmail to protect
email communications from prying eyes. To accompany the guide, the FSF also released a <a href="https://u.fsf.org/yw">shareable infographic</a>.</p>
<p>The guide is being released as part of Reset the Net, a day of action
to take steps towards thwarting the government's mass surveillance
capabilities. Today's day of action marks the anniversary of the first
NSA surveillance story revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Tens
of thousands of Internet activists, companies, and organizations are
taking steps to preserve free speech and basic rights on the Internet.</p>
<p>"None of the companies or governments fighting to control the Internet
treat your freedom and privacy as a priority. Maybe we can make them
change over time, but today we can act without their permission to
protect ourselves and our networks, using free software they don't
control," said John Sullivan, Free Software Foundation executive
director.</p>
<p>"The majority of email sent can be easily intercepted by any number of
people--Google will read your email to serve you ads, and the
government may read your email to keep tabs on you or someone in your
community. Today, we're making it easier for people to keep email
private, and to protect the privacy of everyone they email with. It's
up to all of us to build that web of trust, and it all starts today
with Reset the Net," said Zak Rogoff, a Free Software Foundation
campaigns manager.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
campaigns@fsf.org<br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-statement-on-alice-corp-v-cls-bank
uri: US-Supreme-Court-makes-the-right-decision-to-nix-Alice-Corp-patent-b
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-statement-on-alice-corp-v-cls-bank
title:
US Supreme Court makes the right decision to nix Alice Corp. patent, but more work needed to end software patents for good

content:
<p>The FSF, Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), and Open
Source Initiative (OSI) had co-filed an <a href="media/6ab0153b.alice_v_cls-sflc_amicus.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2014/alice_v_cls-sflc_amicus.pdf">amicus curiae</a> brief in
the case, stating their position that software on general-purpose
computers is not patentable.</p>
<p>"Today's ruling is an important and meaningful step in the right
direction, but the Court and Congress must go further," said Zak
Rogoff, a campaigns manager at the FSF.</p>
<p>Software patents force software developers, especially those who write
free software, to navigate a minefield of spurious legal claims. The
number of software patents has ballooned as software companies have
scrambled to amass arsenals of patents to threaten each other, as in
the recently exposed aggression by <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/06/chinese-govt-reveals-microsofts-secret-list-of-android-killer-patents/">Microsoft against Google over
smartphone patents</a>.</p>
<p>In the case ruled on today, Alice Corp. had claimed a patent for an
unoriginal idea, simply because it was implemented in software to run
on a computer.</p>
<p>FSF executive director John Sullivan lauded the Supreme Court for
recognizing this: "For years, lawyers have been adding 'on a computer'
to the end of abstract idea descriptions to try and turn them into
patents, much like kids have been adding 'in bed' to the end of their
fortune cookies to try and make new jokes. We're pleased to see the
Court reject this attempt and send a signal to others."</p>
<p>For decades, the FSF has argued that it is impossible to solve the
problem of software patents by getting individual software patents
struck down. The FSF will continue to work for their complete
abolition, and participate actively in future legal decisions. Those
wishing to become involved in the grassroots movement against software
patents can get started with the FSF-hosted <a href="http://endsoftpatents.org">End Software Patents</a>
project and its prominent <a href="http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Software_patents_wiki:_home_page">wiki</a>. An <a href="http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Alice_v._CLS_Bank_ruling_by_US_Supreme_Court_on_19_June_2014">analysis of the Supreme
Court's ruling</a> is currently underway on the wiki and open for
public participation.</p>
<p>Sullivan added, "Software patents are a noxious weed that needs to be
ripped out by the roots. Too many organizations are clamoring for
'reform,' thinking they can trim the weed into a Bonsai. The FSF is
one of the few organizations working for the only real
solution. Software on general-purpose computers is not patentable,
period."</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942  <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


title: GNU hackers unmask massive HACIENDA surveillance program and design a countermeasure
uri: GNU-hackers-unmask-massive-HACIENDA-surveillance-program-and-design-a
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-hackers-unmask-massive-hacienda-surveillance-program-and-design-a-countermeasure

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-hackers-unmask-massive-hacienda-surveillance-program-and-design-a-countermeasure

content:
<p>After making key discoveries about the details of
HACIENDA, Julian Kirsch, Dr. Christian Grothoff, Jacob Appelbaum, and
Dr. Holger Kenn designed the <a href="https://gnunet.org/kirsch2014knock">TCP Stealth</a> system to protect
unadvertised servers from port scanning.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/NSA-GCHQ-The-HACIENDA-Program-for-Internet-Colonization-2292681.html">Heise Online</a>, the intelligence agencies of the
United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are
involved in HACIENDA. The agencies share the data they collect. The
HACIENDA system also hijacks civilian computers, allowing it to leach
computing resources and cover its tracks.</p>
<div style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;text-align:center;">
<video width="500px" controls="controls">
<source src="media/7b997377.GHM14-en-Julian_Kirsch-Knocking_down_the_HACIENDA.webm" data-original-source="http://audio-video.gnu.org/video/GHM14-en-Julian_Kirsch-Knocking_down_the_HACIENDA.webm" />
</source>
</video>
</div>

<p>Some of the creators of TCP Stealth are also prominent contributors to
the GNU Project, a major facet of the free software community and a
hub for political and technological action against bulk
surveillance. Free software is safer because it is very hard to hide
malicious code in a program anyone can read. In proprietary software,
there is no way to guarantee that programs don't hide backdoors and
other vulnerabilities. The team revealed their work on August 15, 2014
at the annual <a href="https://www.gnu.org/ghm/">GNU Hackers' Meeting</a> in Germany, and Julian Kirsch
published about it in his <a href="https://gnunet.org/kirsch2014knock">master's degree thesis</a>.</p>
<p>Maintainers of <a href="https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Main_Page">Parabola</a>, an <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">FSF-endorsed GNU/Linux
distribution</a>, have already implemented TCP Stealth, making
Parabola users safer from surveillance. The FSF encourages other
operating systems to follow Parabola's lead.</p>
<p>The Free Software Foundation supports and sponsors the GNU
Project. FSF campaigns manager Zak Rogoff said, "Every time you use a
free software program, you benefit from the work of free software
developers inspired by the values of transparency and bottom-up
collaboration. But on occassions like these, when our civil liberties
are threatened with technological tools, the deep importance of these
values becomes obvious. The FSF is proud to support the free software
community in its contributions to the resistance against bulk
surveillance."</p>
<p>The Free Software Foundation <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy">works politically for an end to mass
surveillance</a>. Simultaneously, the Foundation advocates for
individuals of all technical skill levels to take <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/surveillance/">a variety of
actions against bulk surveillance</a>.</p>
<h3>About Julian Kirsch, Christian Grothoff, Jacob Appelbaum, and Holger Kenn</h3>
<p>Julian Kirsch is the author of "Improved Kernel-Based Port-Knocking in
Linux", his Master's Thesis in Informatics at Technische Universitat
Munchen.</p>
<p>Dr. Christian Grothoff is the Emmy-Noether research group leader in
Computer Science at Technische Universitat Munchen.</p>
<p>Jacob Appelbaum is an American independent computer security
researcher and hacker. He was employed by the University of
Washington, and is a core member of the Tor project, a free software
network designed to provide online anonymity.</p>
<p>Dr. Holger Kenn is a computer scientist specializing in wearable
computing, especially software architectures, context sensor systems,
human machine interfaces, and wearable-mediated human robot
cooperation.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project</a>.</p>
<p>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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1-617-542-5942<br />
campaigns@fsf.org<br />
</p>
<p><em>"Knocking down the HACIENDA" by Julian Kirsch, produced by GNU, the
GNUnet team, and edited on short notice by Carlo von Lynx from #youbroketheinternet is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.</em></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-adds-librecmc-to-endorsed-distros-list
title: Free Software Foundation adds libreCMC to its list of endorsed distributions
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-adds-libreCMC-to-its-list-of-endorsed-distrib
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-adds-librecmc-to-endorsed-distros-list
content:
<p><a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">The FSF's list</a> consists of ready-to-use full
systems whose developers have made a commitment to follow the
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html">Guidelines for Free System Distributions</a>. This means each distro
includes and steers users toward exclusively free software. All
distros reject nonfree software, including firmware "blobs," and
nonfree documentation. </p>
<p>The wireless network router is a ubiquitous device found in almost
every home or business. Virtually all routers on the market today
ship with proprietary operating systems. With libreCMC, users can now
replace the proprietary operating system on many routers with a 100%
free software operating system.</p>
<p>"Today, if you run libreCMC on your home router, you will gain more
control over your computing and over the security of your
communications. Over time, as a platform designed for and by free
software users, we hope libreCMC will make it easy for any user to run their own services, and to remotely access and share files without having to rely upon third-parties,"  said Joshua Gay, FSF's licensing and compliance manager.</p>
<p>Bob Call, the founder and lead maintainer of libreCMC, said, "The core goals of the libreCMC project are to provide a solid
platform that gives users the freedom to control their computing, both
in the embedded and large application spaces and eventually in the
area of high-performance computing.  Right now, libreCMC supports five
different versions of routers, as well as the Ben NanoNote. In the
future, we hope to expand support to more devices, provide an easy
solution for users to host their own services, and pave the way for
free software to expand in the embedded world."<br />
</p>
<p>The FSF is currently evaluating routers running libreCMC for its <a href="http://fsf.org/ryf">Respects Your Freedom</a> hardware certification program.</p>
<p>More info about libreCMC and how to get involved can be found out at
<a href="http://librecmc.org">http://librecmc.org</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>
<p>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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Bob Call<br />
Founder &amp; Maintainer<br />
LibreCMC<br />
<a href="mailto:bob@bobcall.me">&#98;&#111;&#98;&#64;&#98;&#111;&#98;&#99;&#97;&#108;&#108;&#46;&#109;&#101;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


title: FSF and Debian join forces to help free software users find the hardware they need
uri: FSF-and-Debian-join-forces-to-help-free-software-users-find-the-hardwa
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-and-debian-join-forces-to-help-free-software-users-find-the-hardware-they-need

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-and-debian-join-forces-to-help-free-software-users-find-the-hardware-they-need

content:
<p>While other databases list hardware that is technically compatible
with GNU/Linux, <a href="http://h-node.org">h-node</a> lists hardware as compatible only if it does
not require any proprietary software or firmware. Information about
hardware that flunks this test is also included, so users know what to
avoid. The database lists individual components, like WiFi and video
cards, as well as complete notebook systems.</p>
<p>The compatibility information comes from users testing hardware on
systems running only free software. Previously, h-node site guidelines
required they be running one of the FSF's <a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros">endorsed
distributions</a>. While the FSF does not include <a href="https://debian.org">Debian</a> on this list
because the Debian project provides a repository of nonfree software,
the FSF does acknowledge that Debian's main repository, which by
default is the only place packages come from, is completely free.</p>
<p>"Unlike other common GNU/Linux distributions, installing official
Debian by default means installing only free software. As long as
Debian users do not add additional package repositories, their systems
are a reliable source of fully free compatibility information. We're
looking forward to working with Debian to help free software users get
the hardware they need, and encourage the companies who provide it,"
said FSF's executive director John Sullivan.</p>
<p>"By collaborating with h-node, Debian for the first time has the
opportunity to join efforts with other free software communities on
the assembly of a database of hardware that doesn't require anything
outside the Debian main archive to work properly," said Lucas
Nussbaum, Debian Project Leader. "Debian is confident that the fruits
of this collaboration will result in the largest curated database of
Debian-compatible hardware, and invites all Debian community members
to contribute hardware compatibility information to h-node."</p>
<p>H-node was started by Antonio Gallo, who continues to be the project's
lead developer. The FSF now provides infrastructure and support. The
software powering the site is also distributed as free software under
version 3 of the GNU General Public License.</p>
<p>Users can contribute either by running one of the FSF's endorsed
distributions, or Debian with only packages from the default main
archive installed. Developers and translators can contribute by
working on the site's code. Information for getting involved is at
<a href="http://h-node.org/help/page/en/Help">http://h-node.org/help/page/en/Help</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.
More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Lucas Nussbaum<br />
Debian Project Leader<br />
<a href="mailto:press@debian.org">&#112;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#115;&#64;&#100;&#101;&#98;&#105;&#97;&#110;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p><em>This post is also available in <a href="https://fsf.org/es/news/fsf-y-debian-se-unen-para-ayudar-a-los-usuarios-de-software-libre-a-encontrar-el-hardware-que-necesitan">Spanish</a>.</em></p>


title: Free Software Foundation statement on the new iPhone, Apple Pay, and Apple Watch
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-statement-on-the-new-iPhone-Apple-Pay-and-A
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-the-new-iphone-apple-pay-and-apple-watch

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-the-new-iphone-apple-pay-and-apple-watch

content:
<p>Today, Apple announced new iPhone models, a watch, and a payment
service. In response, FSF executive director John Sullivan made the
following statement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is astonishing to see so much of the technology press acting as
Apple's marketing arm. What's on display today is widespread
complicity in hiding the most newsworthy aspect of the announcement
-- Apple's continuing war on individual computer user freedom, and
by extension, free speech, free commerce, free association, privacy,
and technological innovation.</p>
<p>Every review that does not mention Apple's insistence on using
<a href="https://defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)</a> to lock down the devices
and applications they sell is doing an extreme disservice to
readers, and is a blow to the development of the free digital
society we actually need. Any review that discusses technical specs
without first exposing the unethical framework that produced those
products, is helping usher people down a path that ends in complete
digital disempowerment.</p>
<p>Keep a tally of how many reviews you read today mention that Apple
threatens anyone who dares attempt installing another operating
system like Android on their Apple phone or watch with criminal
prosecution under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Keep
a tally of how many reviews mention that Apple devices won't allow
you to install any unapproved applications, again threatening you
with jail time if you attempt to do so without Apple's blessing.
Keep a tally of how many reviews highlight Apple's use of software
patents and an army of lawyers to attack those developing a more
free computing environment than theirs.</p>
<p>We've seen several examples since the last Apple product
announcement of times when smartphones and other computers have been
used for political activism and important free speech. We've also
seen several examples of times when such expressions have been
censored. If we continue allowing Apple this kind of control,
censorship and digital "free speech zones" will become the permanent
norm. </p>
<p>There is a reason that the inventor of the US's first internally programmable computer <a href="http://impossiblehq.com/an-unexpected-ass-kicking">shuns
Apple devices as antithetical to vital kinds of creativity</a>. But
it's not enough to just say "Don't buy their products." The laws
Apple and others use to enforce their digital restrictions, giving
them a subsidized competitive advantage over products that respect
user freedom, must be repealed.</p>
<p>At least the watch did end up having a clasp so you can remove it --
we were worried.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We urge users to investigate ways to support the use of mobile and
wearable devices which do not restrict users' essential freedoms. Such
projects include <a href="http://replicant.us">Replicant</a>, a free software fork of Android, and
<a href="https://f-droid.org">F-Droid</a>, an app repository of exclusively free software for
Android. People should also <a href="https://fsf.org/campaigns/apple">let Tim Cook at Apple know how they
feel</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/thinkpenguin-wireless-router-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: ThinkPenguin wireless router now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: ThinkPenguin-wireless-router-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/thinkpenguin-wireless-router-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<p>The <a href="https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/free-software-wireless-n-broadband-router-gnu-linux-tpe-nwifirouter2">TPE-NWIFIROUTER</a> comes pre-installed with <a href="http://librecmc.org">libreCMC</a>, an
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-adds-librecmc-to-endorsed-distros-list">FSF-endorsed</a> embedded GNU/Linux distribution. </p>
<p>"This is a big step forward for computer user freedom. For the first
time, you can purchase a router that ships with only free software
preinstalled. This router and OS give us a platform that we can trust
and control, and that the community can use to begin building our own,
free software based network for communication, file sharing, social
networking, and more," said FSF's executive director John Sullivan.</p>
<p>This is the third product by ThinkPenguin to be awarded the use of the
RYF certification mark. The first two were the TPE-N150USB Wireless N
USB Adapter and the long-range TPE-N150USBL model.</p>
<p>Christopher Waid, ThinkPenguin's founder and CEO, said, "ThinkPenguin,
Inc. was founded with the goal of making free software more easily
adoptable by the masses. Everyone needs a wireless router in their
homes, and so I am very proud that we are able to offer users a router
that ships with 100% free software installed and that is backed by a
reputable certification process provided by the FSF."</p>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including details on the certification of the TPE-N150USB Wireless N
USB adapter, as well as information on the driver and firmware for the
device, visit <a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">http://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in
applying for certification can consult
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>Subscribers to the FSF's
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software Supporter</em></a> newsletter will
receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom products.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About ThinkPenguin, Inc</h3>
<p>Started by Christopher Waid, founder and CEO, ThinkPenguin, Inc. is a
consumer-driven company with a mission to bring free software to the
masses. At the core of company is a catalog of computers and
accessories with broad support for GNU/Linux. The company provides
technical support for end-users and works with the community,
distributions, and upstream projects to make GNU/Linux all that it can
be.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Media Inquires<br />
ThinkPenguin, Inc.<br />
+1 (888) 39 THINK (84465) x703<br />
<a href="mailto:media@thinkpenguin.com">&#109;&#101;&#100;&#105;&#97;&#64;&#116;&#104;&#105;&#110;&#107;&#112;&#101;&#110;&#103;&#117;&#105;&#110;&#46;&#99;&#111;&#109;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


uri: LibrePlanet-is-coming-March-21-22-2015-call-for-proposals-now-open-f
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-is-coming-march-21-22-2015-call-for-proposals-now-open-for-annual-free-software-conference

title:
LibrePlanet is coming March 21-22, 2015, call for proposals now open for annual free software conference

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-is-coming-march-21-22-2015-call-for-proposals-now-open-for-annual-free-software-conference

content:
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2015"><img a="" align="right" src="media/82e1bdbb.logo-email.png" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/libreplanet/2015/graphical_assets/logo-email.png" width="50%" /> </a><p><a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2015">LibrePlanet</a> is an annual conference for free software
enthusiasts. The conference brings together software developers, policy experts,
activists and computer users to learn skills, share accomplishments
and face challenges to software freedom. Newcomers are always welcome,
and LibrePlanet 2015 will feature programming for all ages and
experience levels.</p>

<p>This year, the theme of LibrePlanet is "Free Software Everywhere." The call for sessions seeks talks that touch on the many places and ways that free software is used around the world, as well as ways to make free software ubiquitous. Proposals are encouraged to consider "everywhere" in the broadest sense of the word. LibrePlanet 2015 will take software freedom around the world, to outer space, and consider its role in industry, government, academia, community organizing, and personal computing.</p>

<p>"LibrePlanet is one of the most rewarding things we do all year. This conference brings people from all over the planet who want to make the world a better place with free software," said John Sullivan,
executive director of the FSF.</p>

<h3>Call for Sessions</h3>

<p>"I hope we'll receive session proposals from people with all levels of speaking and technical experience; you don't have to be a coder to speak at
LibrePlanet. Free software users, activists, academics, policymakers,
developers, and others are all key contributors to the free software movement, and we want to showcase all of these skills at LibrePlanet 2015," said Libby Reinish, a campaigns manager at the
FSF.</p>

<p>Call for sessions applications are currently being accepted at
<a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2015/call_for_sessions">https://www.libreplanet.org/2015/call_for_sessions</a> and are due by Sunday, November 2nd, 2014 at 19:59 EST (23:59 UTC).**</p>

<h3>About LibrePlanet</h3>

<p>LibrePlanet is the annual conference of the Free Software
Foundation, and is co-produced by the Student Information Processing Board. What was once a small gathering of FSF members has grown
into a larger event for anyone with an interest in the values of
software freedom. LibrePlanet is always gratis for <a href="https://my.fsf.org/associate/support_freedom">associate members</a>
of the FSF. To sign up for announcements about LibrePlanet 2015, visit
<a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2015">https://www.libreplanet.org/2015</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://libreplanet.org/2014">LibrePlanet 2014</a> was held at MIT from March 22-23,
2014. Over 350 attendees from all over the world came together for
conversations, demonstrations, and keynotes centered around the theme
of "Free Software, Free Society." You can watch videos from past conferences at
<a href="http://media.libreplanet.org">http://media.libreplanet.org</a>.</p>

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>

<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>

<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>

<h3>Media Contacts</h3>

<p>Libby Reinish <br />
Campaigns Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 - 5942 <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">campaigns@fsf.org</a>   </p>

<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-the-gnu-bash-shellshock-vulnerability
title: Free Software Foundation statement on the GNU Bash "shellshock" vulnerability
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-statement-on-the-GNU-Bash-shellshock-vulner
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-statement-on-the-gnu-bash-shellshock-vulnerability
content:
<p>Bash is the <a href="https://www.gnu.org">GNU Project's</a> shell; it is part of the suite of
software that makes up the GNU operating system. The GNU programs plus
the kernel Linux form a commonly used complete <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw">free software</a>
operating system, called GNU/Linux. The bug, which is being referred
to as "shellshock," can allow, in some circumstances, attackers to
remotely access and control systems using Bash (and programs that call
Bash) as an attack vector, regardless of what kernel they are
running. The bug probably affects many GNU/Linux users, along with
those using Bash on proprietary operating systems like Apple's OS X
and Microsoft Windows. Additional technical details about the issue
can be found at <a href="https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2014-6271">CVE-2014-6271</a> and <a href="https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2014-7169">CVE-2014-7169</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/">GNU Bash</a> has been widely adopted because it is a free (as in
freedom), reliable, and featureful shell. This popularity means the
serious bug that was published yesterday is just as
widespread. Fortunately, GNU Bash's license, the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl">GNU General Public
License version 3</a>, has facilitated a rapid response. It allowed
<a href="https://securityblog.redhat.com/2014/09/24/bash-specially-crafted-environment-variables-code-injection-attack/">Red Hat</a> to develop and share patches in conjunction with Bash
upstream developers efforts to fix the bug, which anyone can download
and apply themselves. Everyone using Bash has the freedom to download,
inspect, and modify the code -- unlike with Microsoft, Apple, or other
proprietary software.</p>
<p>Software freedom is a precondition for secure computing; it guarantees
everyone the ability to examine the code to detect vulnerabilities,
and to create new and safe versions if a vulnerability is
discovered. Your software freedom does not guarantee bug-free code,
and neither does proprietary software: bugs happen no matter how the
software is licensed. But when a bug is discovered in free software,
everyone has the permission, rights, and source code to expose and fix
the problem. That fix can then be immediately freely distributed to
everyone who needs it. Thus, <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw">these freedoms</a> are crucial for
ethical, secure computing.</p>
<p>Proprietary, (aka nonfree) software relies on an unjust development
model that denies users the basic freedom to control their
computers. When software's code is kept hidden, it is vulnerable not
only to bugs that go undetected, but to the easier deliberate addition
and maintenance of <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary">malicious features</a>. Companies can use the
obscurity of their code to hide serious problems, and it has been
documented that <a href="http://www.computerworlduk.com/blogs/open-enterprise/how-can-any-company-ever-trust-microsoft-again-3569376/">Microsoft provides intelligence agencies with
information about security vulnerabilities before fixing them</a>.</p>
<p>Free software cannot guarantee your security, and in certain
situations may appear less secure on specific vectors than some
proprietary programs. As was widely agreed in the aftermath of the
OpenSSL "Heartbleed" bug, the solution is not to trade one security
bug for the very deep insecurity inherently created by proprietary
software -- the solution is to put energy and resources into auditing
and improving free programs.</p>
<p>Development of Bash, and GNU in general, is almost exclusively a
volunteer effort, and <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/">you can contribute</a>. We are reviewing Bash
development, to see if increased funding can help prevent future
problems. If you or your organization use Bash and are potentially
interested in supporting its development, please <a href="mailto:donate@fsf.org">contact
us</a>.</p>
<p>The patches to fix this issue can be obtained directly at
<a href="http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bash/">http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bash/</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<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/news/matthew-garrett-joins-free-software-foundation-board-of-directors
title: Matthew Garrett joins Free Software Foundation board of directors
uri: Matthew-Garrett-joins-Free-Software-Foundation-board-of-directors
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/matthew-garrett-joins-free-software-foundation-board-of-directors
content:
<img src="media/52a4c1dc.Matthew_Garrett.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/Matthew_Garrett.jpg" alt="Matthew Garrett" style="float:right; padding-left: 10px" />

<p>He becomes the eighth director on the FSF's board. The full list of
their names and biographies can be found at
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board">http://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board</a>.</p>
<p>"Matthew Garrett is a truly committed defender of users' freedom. The
FSF is fortunate to have him on the board of directors," said FSF
president Richard M. Stallman.</p>
<p>A developer specializing in the interactions between operating system
kernels, platform firmware and system security, much of Garrett's work
has focused on mechanisms for avoiding the oft-suggested tradeoff
between user security and user freedom, ensuring that users have
ultimate control over which software their devices will and will not
run.</p>
<p>FSF executive director John Sullivan said, "Matthew has generously
donated his time and expertise to advise the FSF on many issues in
recent years, especially <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot">Restricted Boot</a> and other disconcerting
trends at the intersection of hardware and proprietary software
distribution. His willingness to increase his involvement in FSF
technical and policy leadership is fantastic news for our members and
supporters."</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Garrett won the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners-announced">Free Software Foundation Award</a>
for the Advancement of Free Software. He holds a PhD in genetics from
the University of Cambridge, and presents frequently around the world
on the topic of free software in wider society.</p>
<p>On accepting the invitation to join the board, Garrett said, "It's
been almost thirty years since the Free Software Foundation was
founded, and in that time free software has become an indispensable
part of computer use everywhere, creating an entire new generation of
users and developers for whom free software has always been
ubiquitous. Unfortunately, the number of threats to user freedom has
also increased over that time. The FSF continues to campaign against
attempts to restrict the rights of users and developers to be in
ultimate control of the software that they use and the devices that
they own, and I'm proud to be able to be a part of that."</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p><em>The above image is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 by nekonoir on Flickr.</em></p>


title: The Free Software Foundation opens nominations for the 17th annual Free Software Awards
uri: The-Free-Software-Foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-17th-annual-Fre
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/the-free-software-foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-17th-annual-free-software-awards

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/the-free-software-foundation-opens-nominations-for-the-17th-annual-free-software-awards

content:
<h3>Award for the Advancement of Free Software</h3>
<p>The Free Software Foundation 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>Individuals who describe their projects as
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point">"open" instead of "free"</a> are eligible nonetheless, provided the
software is in fact <a href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw">free/libre</a>.</p>
<p>Last year, Matthew Garrett was recognized with the
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners-announced">Award for the Advancement of Free Software</a> for his work to keep
"<a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot">Secure Boot</a>" free software compatible, as well as his other work
to make sure that so-called security measures do not come at the
expense of user freedom. Garrett joined a prestigious list of previous
winners including Dr. Fernando Perez, Yukihiro Matsumoto, Rob Savoye,
John Gilmore, Wietse Venema, Harald Welte, Ted Ts'o, Andrew Tridgell,
Theo de Raadt, Alan Cox, Larry Lessig, Guido van Rossum, Brian Paul,
Miguel de Icaza, and Larry Wall.</p>
<h3>Award for Projects of Social Benefit</h3>
<p>Nominations are also open for the 2014 Award for Projects of Social
Benefit.</p>
<p>The Award for Projects of Social Benefit is presented to the 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 social tasks. 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 non-free 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, the <a href="https://gnome.org/opw/">GNOME Foundation's Outreach Program for Women</a>
(OPW) received the award, in recognition of its work to involve women
(cis and trans) and genderqueer people in free software
development. OPW's work benefits society more broadly, addressing
gender discrimination by empowering women to develop leadership and
development skills in a society which runs on technology. OPW does
this critical work using the ideals and collaborative culture of the
free software movement.</p>
<p>Other previous winners have included OpenMRS, GNU Health, Tor, the
Internet Archive, Creative Commons, Groklaw, the Sahana project, and
Wikipedia.</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">https://www.fsf.org/awards</a>.</p>
<p>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>The tentative award committee members are: Marina Zhurakhinskaya,
Matthew Garrett, Rob Savoye, Wietse Venema, Richard Stallman, Suresh
Ramasubramanian, Vernor Vinge, Hong Feng, Fernanda G. Weiden, Harald
Welte, Vernor Vinge, Jonas Oberg, and Yukihiro Matsumoto.</p>
<h3>Instructions</h3>
<p>After reviewing the eligibility rules above, please send your
nominations to <a href="mailto:award-nominations@gnu.org">&#97;&#119;&#97;&#114;&#100;&#45;&#110;&#111;&#109;&#105;&#110;&#97;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>, on or before Sunday,
November 16th, 2014 at 23:59 UTC. Please submit nominations in the
following format:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>In the email message subject line, either put the name of the
    person you are nominating for the Award for Advancement of Free
    Software, or put the name of the project for the Award for
    Projects of Social Benefit.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Please include, in the body of your message, an explanation (forty
    lines or less) of the work done and why you think it is especially
    important to the advancement of software freedom or how it
    benefits society, respectively.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Please state, in the body of your message, where to find the
    materials (e.g., software, manuals, or writing) which your
    nomination is based on.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Information about the previous awards can be found at
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards">https://www.fsf.org/awards</a>. Winners will be announced at an awards
ceremony at the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2015">LibrePlanet conference</a>, March 21-22 2015, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Libby Reinish<br />
Campaigns Manager  <br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


title: Software Freedom Conservancy and Free Software Foundation announce copyleft.org
uri: Software-Freedom-Conservancy-and-Free-Software-Foundation-announce-cop
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/software-freedom-conservancy-and-free-software-foundation-announce-copyleft.org

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/software-freedom-conservancy-and-free-software-foundation-announce-copyleft.org

content:
<p>BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Friday, November 7, 2014 -- Software
Freedom Conservancy and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) today
announce an ongoing public project that began in early 2014:
<a href="http://copyleft.org/guide">Copyleft and the GNU General Public License: A Comprehensive Tutorial and Guide</a>, and the publication of that project in its
<a href="http://copyleft.org">new home on the Internet at copyleft.org</a>.
This new site will not only provide a venue for those who constantly
update and improve the Comprehensive Tutorial, but is also now
home to a collaborative community to share and improve information
about copyleft licenses, especially the GNU General Public License (GPL), and
best compliance practices.</p>
<p>Bradley M. Kuhn, President and Distinguished Technologist of Software
Freedom Conservancy and member of FSF's Board of Directors, currently
serves as editor-in-chief of the project. The text has already grown
to 100 pages discussing all aspects of copyleft -- including policy
motivations, detailed study of the license texts, and compliance
issues.  This tutorial was initially constructed from materials that
Kuhn developed on a semi-regular basis over the last eleven
years. Kuhn merged this material, along with other material regarding
the GPL published by the FSF, into a single, coherent volume, and
released it publicly for the benefit of all users of free software.</p>
<p>Today, Conservancy announces a specific, new contribution: an additional
chapter to the Case Studies in GPL Enforcement section of the tutorial.
This new chapter, co-written by Kuhn and Conservancy's compliance
engineer, Denver Gingerich, discusses in detail the analysis of a
complete, corresponding source (CCS) release for a real-world
electronics product, and describes the process that Conservancy and the
FSF use to determine whether a CCS candidate complies with the
requirements of the GPL. The CCS analyzed is for
<a href="https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/free-software-wireless-n-broadband-router-gnu-linux-tpe-nwifirouter">ThinkPenguin's TPE-NWIFIROUTER wireless router</a>,
which the FSF recently awarded <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/thinkpenguin-wireless-router-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification</a>.</p>
<p>The copyleft guide itself is distributed under the terms of a free
copyleft license, the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license</a>.  Kuhn, who
hopes the initial release and this subsequent announcement will
inspire others to contribute to the text, said, "information about
copyleft -- such as why it exists, how it works, and how to comply --
should be freely available and modifiable, just as all generally
useful technical information should. I am delighted to impart my
experience with copyleft freely. I hope, however, that other key
thinkers in the field of copyleft will contribute to help produce the
best reference documentation on copyleft available."</p>
<p>Particularly useful are the substantial contributions already made to
the guide from the FSF itself. As the author, primary interpreter, and
ultimate authority on the GPL, the FSF is in a unique position to
provide insights into understanding free software licensing. While the
guide as a living text will not automatically reflect official FSF
positions, the FSF has already approved and published one version for
use at its Seminar on GPL Enforcement and Legal Ethics in March 2014.
"Participants at our licensing seminar in March commented positively
on the high quality of the teaching materials, including the
comprehensive guide to GPL compliance. We look forward to
collaborating with the copyleft.org community to continually improve
this resource, and we will periodically review particular versions for
FSF endorsement and publication," said FSF's executive director John
Sullivan.</p>
<p>Enthusiastic new contributors can get immediately involved by visiting
and editing the <a href="http://copyleft.org">main wiki on copyleft.org</a>, or by
<a href="https://gitorious.org/copyleft-org/tutorial/merge_requests">submitting merge requests on copyleft.org's gitorious site</a> for
the guide, or by joining the project <a href="https://lists.copyleft.org/">mailing list</a> and <a href="irc://irc.freenode.net/#copyleft">IRC channel</a>.</p>
<p>copyleft.org welcomes all contributors. The editors have already
incorporated other freely licensed documents about GPL and compliance
with copyleft licenses -- thus providing a central location for all
such works. Furthermore, the project continues to recruit contributors
who have knowledge about other copyleft licenses besides the FSF's GPL
family. In particular, Mike Linksvayer, member of Conservancy's board of
directors, has agreed to lead the drafting on a
section about Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licenses to
mirror the ample text already available on GPL. "I'm glad to bring my
knowledge about the Creative Commons copyleft licenses as a
contribution to improve further this excellent tutorial text, and I
hope that copyleft.org as a whole can more generally become a central
location to collect interesting ideas about copyleft policy," said
Linksvayer.</p>
<h3>About copyleft.org</h3>
<p><a href="http://copyleft.org">copyleft.org</a> is a collaborative project to
create and disseminate useful information, tutorial material, and new
policy ideas regarding all forms of copyleft licensing. Its primary
project is currently a <a href="http://copyleft.org/guide/">comprehensive tutorial and guide</a>,
which describes the policy motivations of copyleft licensing, presents
a detailed analysis of the text of various copyleft licenses, and
gives examples and case studies of copyleft compliance situations.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>About Software Freedom Conservancy</h3>
<p><a href="https://sfconservancy.org">Software Freedom Conservancy</a> is a
not-for-profit organization that promotes, improves, develops and
defends Free, Libre and Open Source software projects. Conservancy is
home to more than thirty software projects, each supported by a dedicated
community of volunteers, developers and users. Conservancy's projects
include some of the most widely used software systems in the world
across many application areas, including educational software deployed
in schools around the globe, embedded software systems deployed in most
consumer electronic devices, distributed version control developer
tools, integrated library services systems, and widely used graphics and
art programs. A <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/members/current/">full list of Conservancy's member projects is
available</a>. Conservancy
provides these projects with the necessary infrastructure and
not-for-profit support services to enable each project's communities to
focus on what they do best: creating innovative software and advancing
computing for the public's benefit.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager  <br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Karen M. Sandler<br />
Executive Director  <br />
Software Freedom Conservancy  <br />
+1 (212) 461-3245<br />
<a href="mailto:info@sfconservancy.org">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#115;&#102;&#99;&#111;&#110;&#115;&#101;&#114;&#118;&#97;&#110;&#99;&#121;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


title: Committee begins review of High Priority Projects list -- your input is needed
uri: Committee-begins-review-of-High-Priority-Projects-list-your-input-i
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-commences-review-of-high-priority-free-software-projects-list-your-input-is-needed

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-commences-review-of-high-priority-free-software-projects-list-your-input-is-needed

content:
<p><a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/"><img src="media/90150979.hpp-logo.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/hpp-logo.png" alt="High Priority Projects logo" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 15px 15px;" /></a></p>
<p><em>This announcement was written by the FSF's volunteer High Priority Projects Committee.</em></p>
<p>Nine and a half years ago the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20050525233616/http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html">first
version</a>
of the High Priority Free Software Projects (HPP) list debuted with
only four projects, three of them related to
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html">Java</a>. Eighteen months
later, Sun began to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html">free Java
users</a>. The
current <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/">HPP list</a>
includes fourteen categories mentioning over forty distinct projects. Computing
is ever more ubiquitous and diverse, multiplying challenges to
surmount in order for all computer users to be free.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly there are thousands of free software projects that are
high priority, each having potential to displace non-free programs for
many users, substantially increasing the freedom of those users. But
the potential value of a list of High Priority Free Software Projects
maintained by the Free Software Foundation is its ability to bring
attention to a relatively small number of projects of great strategic
importance to the goal of freedom for all computer users. Over the
years the list has received <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20060523134509/http://software.newsforge.com/software/06/04/19/2130248.shtml">praise</a>
and
<a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&amp;px=MTAwMTY">criticism</a>
-- frankly not nearly enough, given the importance of its aims -- and
been <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/301499/">rebooted</a>. As the list
approaches its tenth year, we aim to revitalize and rethink it, on an
ongoing basis.</p>
<p>The first step has been to assemble a committee which will maintain
the list, initially composed of the following free software activists:
<a href="http://adaptstudio.ca/">ginger coons</a>, <a href="http://blog.linuxgrrl.com/">Máirín
Duffy</a>, <a href="http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/">Matthew
Garrett</a>, <a href="http://mako.cc/">Benjamin Mako
Hill</a>, <a href="http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/">Mike
Linksvayer</a>, <a href="http://lydiapintscher.de/">Lydia
Pintscher</a>, <a href="http://gnomg.org">Karen
Sandler</a>, <a href="http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/">Seth
Schoen</a>, and <a href="http://upsilon.cc/~zack">Stefano
Zacchiroli</a>. The committee has drafted this
announcement and the following plan.</p>
<p><strong>We need your input! Send your suggestions of projects to <a href="mailto:hpp-feedback@gnu.org">&#104;&#112;&#112;&#45;&#102;&#101;&#101;&#100;&#98;&#97;&#99;&#107;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</strong>  Remember, we're looking for projects of great strategic
importance to the goal of freedom for all computer users. If you wish, we encourage
you to publish your thoughts independently (e.g., on your blog) and send a us a link.
Keep in mind that not every project of great strategic importance to the
goal of freedom for all computer users will be a software development
project. If you believe other forms of activism, internal or external
(e.g., making free software communities safe for diverse participants,
mandating use of free software in the public sector), are most crucial,
please make the case and suggest such a project!</p>
<p>Based on the received input, the current content of the list, and our
own contributions, we will publish a substantially revised list and an analysis before
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2015/">LibrePlanet 2015</a> and expect a lively
discussion at that event. If we are successful, we will have the immediate impact of bringing widespread coverage of free software movement strategy and the ongoing impact of garnering substantial attention and new effort for
listed projects. (Note that we're also interested in outreach and measurement
suggestions. A revised and maintained list is necessary but not sufficient
for success.)</p>
<p>Finally, we've already made a few minor changes to the HPP list in
order to fix long-standing issues that have been reported in the past.
We are looking forward to your feedback at <a href="mailto:hpp-feedback@gnu.org">&#104;&#112;&#112;&#45;&#102;&#101;&#101;&#100;&#98;&#97;&#99;&#107;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> as
we work on more substantial improvements!</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreboot-x200-laptop-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: Libreboot X200 laptop now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: Libreboot-X200-laptop-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreboot-x200-laptop-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<img alt="LibreBoot X200" src="media/1bc17cd0.librebootx200.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/librebootx200.jpg" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<p>This is the second Libreboot laptop from Gluglug (a project of
Minifree, Ltd.) to achieve <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">RYF certification</a>, the first being the
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/gluglug">Libreboot X60</a> in <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/gluglug-x60-laptop-now-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">December 2013</a>. The Libreboot X200 offers
many improvements over the Libreboot X60, including a faster CPU,
faster graphics, 64-bit GNU/Linux support (on all models), support for
more RAM, higher screen resolution, and more. The Libreboot X200 can
be purchased from Gluglug at <a href="http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/libreboot-x200/">http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/libreboot-x200/</a>.</p>
<p>The Libreboot X200 is a refurbished and updated laptop based on the
Lenovo ThinkPad X200. In order to produce a laptop that achieved the
Free Software Foundation's certification guidelines, the developers at
Gluglug had to replace the low-level firmware as well as the operating
system. Microsoft Windows was replaced with the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">FSF-endorsed</a>
<a href="https://trisquel.info/">Trisquel GNU/Linux</a> operating system, which includes the GNOME 3
desktop environment. The free software boot system of Libreboot and
the GNU GRUB 2 bootloader were adapted to replace the stock
proprietary firmware, which included a BIOS, Intel's Management Engine
system, and Intel's Active Management Technology (AMT) firmware.</p>
<p>The FSF has previously <a href="https://fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-technology">written</a> about Intel's ME and AMT, calling
attention to how this proprietary software introduces a fundamental
security flaw -- a back door -- into a person's machine that allows a
perpetrator to remotely access the computer over a network. It enables
powering the computer on and off, configuring and upgrading the BIOS,
wiping the hard drives, reinstalling the operating system, and
more. While there is a BIOS option to ostensibly disable AMT, because
the BIOS itself is proprietary, the user has no means to verify
whether this is sufficient. The functionality provided by the ME/AMT
could be a very useful security and recovery measure, but only if the
user has control over the software and the ability to install modified
versions of it.</p>
<p>"The ME and its extension, AMT, are serious security issues on modern
Intel hardware and one of the main obstacles preventing most Intel
based systems from being liberated by users. On most systems, it is
extremely difficult to remove, and nearly impossible to
replace. Libreboot X200 is the first system where it has actually been
removed, permanently," said Gluglug Founder and CEO, Francis Rowe.</p>
<p>"This is a huge accomplishment, but unfortunately, it is not known if
the work they have done to remove the ME and AMT from this device will
be applicable to newer Intel-based laptops. It is incredibly
frustrating to think that free software developers may have to invest
even more time and energy into figuring out how to simply <strong>remove</strong>
proprietary firmware without rendering the hardware nonfunctional. On
top of that, the firmware in question poses a serious security threat
to its users -- and the organizations who employ them. We call on
Intel to work with us to enable removal of ME and AMT for users who
don't want it on their machines," said FSF's executive director, John
Sullivan.</p>
<p>In order to remove the ME, AMT, and other proprietary firmware from
the laptop, the Libreboot developers had to first reverse engineer
Intel's firmware. They then created a small software utility to
produce a free firmware image that conforms to Intel's
specifications. Finally, to install their firmware on the device, they
used special hardware (an SPI flasher) that they directly connected to
a small chip on the motherboard itself. After many months of work, the
Libreboot developers managed to completely overwrite the proprietary
firmware with Libreboot and GNU GRUB 2. Those who purchase a Libreboot
X200 from Gluglug will receive a laptop that has had all of this work
already done to it and will be able to update or install new firmware
to their device without needing to make use of any special hardware or
complicated procedures.</p>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/gluglug">details</a> on the certification of the Libreboot X200,
visit <a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">http://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in
applying for certification can consult
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>Subscribers to the FSF's <a href="http://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software Supporter</em></a> newsletter
will receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom
products.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org/?pk_campaign=RYFX200PR&amp;pk_kwd=donate">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About Gluglug and Minifree, Ltd</h3>
<p>Francis Rowe is the Founder and CEO of Minifree Ltd in the UK, which
owns and operates Gluglug, a project to promote adoption of free
software globally. To purchase products sold by Gluglug, visit
<a href="http://shop.gluglug.org.uk">http://shop.gluglug.org.uk</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Francis Rowe<br />
Founder &amp; CEO<br />
Gluglug<br />
<a href="mailto:info@gluglug.org.uk">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#103;&#108;&#117;&#103;&#108;&#117;&#103;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;&#46;&#117;&#107;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-adds-guix-system-distribution-to-list-of-endorsed-distributions
title: FSF adds Guix System Distribution to list of endorsed distributions
uri: FSF-adds-Guix-System-Distribution-to-list-of-endorsed-distributions
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-adds-guix-system-distribution-to-list-of-endorsed-distributions
content:
<p><a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">The FSF's list</a> consists of ready-to-use full GNU/Linux systems
whose developers have made a commitment to follow the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html">Guidelines for
Free System Distributions</a>. This means each distro includes and
steers users toward exclusively free software. All distros on this
list reject nonfree software, including firmware "blobs" and nonfree
documentation. The <a href="http://www.gnu.org/s/guix">Guix System Distribution</a> is a new and growing
distro that currently ships with just over 1000 packages, already including 
almost all of the programs available from the GNU Project.</p>
<p>As the name suggests, at the heart of the Guix System Distribution is
the GNU Guix (pronounced like "geeks") package management system. GNU
Guix offers users uncommon <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/guix/manual/guix.html#Features">features</a> such as transactional
upgrades and rollbacks, as well as declarative operating system
configuration.</p>
<p>"The Guix System Distribution is a flexible, cutting edge, and bare
bones distro ideally suited for experienced users. However, both the
distro and the GNU Guix package management system itself have an
active and welcoming community of contributors. I look forward to
watching this project mature and encourage people to get involved,"
said Joshua Gay, FSF's licensing and compliance manager.</p>
<p>"The goal of GNU Guix is to bring the GNU system, as was envisioned 31
years ago, and to transcribe its ethical goals in the implementation.
For example, functional package management means that Guix provides
the complete 'Corresponding Source' of its packages, in the sense of
the GNU GPL -- users know precisely how a binary package was obtained.
Unprivileged users can install packages, and the whole system is
customizable and hackable, à la Emacs. We hope to help federate GNU
hackers and computing freedom supporters around the project. It's
ambitious, but because it can help strengthen GNU and defend user
freedom, I think it's worth it," said Ludovic Courtès, lead maintainer
of GNU Guix.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>
<p>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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-free-software-conference-coming-to-mit-march-21-22
title: LibrePlanet free software conference coming to MIT March 21-22
uri: LibrePlanet-free-software-conference-coming-to-MIT-March-21-22
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-free-software-conference-coming-to-mit-march-21-22
content:
<p>Organized around the theme "Free Software Everywhere," <a href="http://libreplanet.org/2015/">the conference's</a> sessions touch on the many places and ways in which free software is used around the world, as well as ways to make free software ubiquitous. Keynote speakers include Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman, Software Freedom Conservancy executive director Karen Sandler, and University of Washington professor Benjamin Mako Hill.<br />
</p>
<p>This year's LibrePlanet conference will feature over <a href="http://libreplanet.org/2015/program/">30 sessions</a>, such as <em>Attribution revolution -- turning copyright upside-down</em>, <em>Fighting surveillance with a free, distributed, and federated net</em>, and <em>Librarians fight back: free software solutions for digital privacy</em>, as well as a hands-on workshop showing participants how to replace even the low-level proprietary software on laptops with something that respects their freedom.</p>
<p>"If you're bothered by the loss of control over your computer and cell phone and all your digital information, and want to know what you can do about it, come to LibrePlanet. The LibrePlanet program is full of presenters who are working from a variety of disciplines to protect our freedom, privacy, and security as computer users," said Libby Reinish, a campaigns manager at the Free Software Foundation. </p>
<p><a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=20">Online registration</a> for LibrePlanet 2015 is now open; attendees may also register in person at the event. </p>
<h3>About LibrePlanet</h3>
<p>LibrePlanet is the annual conference of the Free Software
Foundation, and is co-produced by the Student Information Processing Board. What was once a small gathering of FSF members has grown
into a larger event for anyone with an interest in the values of
software freedom. LibrePlanet is always gratis for <a href="https://my.fsf.org/associate/support_freedom/join_fsf">associate members</a>
of the FSF. To sign up for announcements about LibrePlanet 2015, visit
<a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2015">https://www.libreplanet.org/2015</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://libreplanet.org/2014/">LibrePlanet 2014</a> was held at MIT from March 22-23,
2014. Over 350 attendees from all over the world came together for
conversations, demonstrations, and keynotes centered around the theme
of "Free Software, Free Society." You can watch videos from past conferences at
<a href="http://media.libreplanet.org">http://media.libreplanet.org</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contact</h3>
<p>Libby Reinish<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<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/news/conservancy-and-christoph-hellwig-gpl-enforcement-lawsuit
uri: Statement-in-support-of-Software-Freedom-Conservancy-and-Christoph-Hel
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/conservancy-and-christoph-hellwig-gpl-enforcement-lawsuit
title:
Statement in support of Software Freedom Conservancy and Christoph Hellwig, GPL enforcement lawsuit 

content:
<p>On Thursday, March 5, 2015, Christoph Hellwig, with support from the
<a href="https://sfconservancy.org/">Software Freedom Conservancy</a>, filed <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/mar/05/vmware-lawsuit/">suit in Hamburg, Germany</a>
against VMware Global, Inc. Hellwig is a prominent contributor to the
kernel Linux, releasing his contributions under the terms of the GNU
General Public License (GPL) version 2. VMware, like everyone, is free
to use, modify, and distribute such software under the GPL, so long as
they make available the human-readable source code corresponding to
their version of the software when they distribute it.</p>
<p>This simple and fair obligation is the cornerstone of the successful
cooperation we've seen for decades between organizations both
for-profit and non-profit, users, and developers—the same cooperation
which has given us the GNU/Linux operating system and inspired a
wealth of free software programs for nearly every imaginable use.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, VMware has broken this promise by not releasing the
source code for the version of the operating system kernel they
distribute with their ESXi software. Now, after <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/vmware-lawsuit-faq.html">many years</a> of
trying to work with VMware amicably, the Software Freedom Conservancy
and Hellwig have sought the help of German courts to resolve the
matter. While the Free Software Foundation (FSF) is not directly
involved in the suit, we support the effort.</p>
<p>"From our conversations with the Software Freedom Conservancy, I know
that they have been completely reasonable in their expectations with
VMware and have taken all appropriate steps to address this failure
before resorting to the courts. Their motivation is to stand up for
the rights of computer users and developers worldwide, the very same
rights VMware has enjoyed as a distributor of GPL-covered software.
The point of the GPL is that nobody can claim those rights and then
kick away the ladder to prevent others from also receiving them. We
hope VMware will step up and do the right thing," said John Sullivan,
FSF's executive director.</p>
<p>The suit and preceding GPL compliance process undertaken by
Conservancy mirror the work that the FSF does in its own Licensing and
Compliance Lab. Both the FSF and Conservancy take a fair, non-profit
approach to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/compliance">GPL enforcement</a>, favoring education and collaboration
as a means of helping others properly distribute free
software. Lawsuits are always a last resort.</p>
<p>You can support Conservancy's work on this case by <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/donate/">making a donation</a>.</p>
<h2>Media Contact</h2>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/kat-walsh-joins-fsf-board-of-directors
title: Kat Walsh joins FSF board of directors
uri: Kat-Walsh-joins-FSF-board-of-directors
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/kat-walsh-joins-fsf-board-of-directors
content:
<img alt="Kat Walsh" src="media/ed664588.Kwlash_5900_small.jpg" data-original-source="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Kwlash_5900_small.jpg" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<p>The full list of FSF board members, including biographies can be found at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board">https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board</a>.</p>
<p>"Seeing how Kat Walsh has championed software freedom in other organizations, she is a natural choice for the FSF board," said FSF president Richard M. Stallman.</p>
<p>A lawyer with extensive background in the free culture movement, Walsh brings a wealth of experience with law and licensing to the FSF board. In particular, her skills will help support and oversee the FSF's licensing work on the GNU General Public License (GPL) as well as the LGPL and GFDL. Kat worked as a staff lawyer at Creative Commons, where she was on the team that drafted the last major revision to the family of Creative Commons licenses, completed in November 2013 with the release of the 4.0 licenses.</p>
<p>Walsh also brings a deep understanding of non-profit management. An active contributor to Wikipedia, Walsh was elected to the board of directors of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) for three terms between 2006 and 2013 and served as the organization's chair from 2012 to 2013. During her tenure on the board, she helped oversee the organization's growth from a staff of 3 to over 150. In 2005, the FSF awarded Wikipedia the first ever Free Software Award for Projects of Social Benefit, which is presented annually to the 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>FSF board member Benjamin Mako Hill said, "As a WMF advisory board member since 2007, I have worked with Kat extensively and have seen her deep commitment to free software firsthand. Kat's consistent and clear advocacy for free software, free documentation, and free media formats in the Wikipedia community and the Wikimedia organization has played an important role in Wikimedia's strong defense of free software and its advocacy of free software principles more broadly. I am thrilled she will bring that commitment and passion to the FSF board."</p>
<p>FSF executive director John Sullivan said, "In addition to her commitment to free software, Kat's deep experience in nonprofit management and her leadership in licensing bring important skills to the FSF board. Kat has been an FSF associate member and supporter for many years and we are excited that she agreed to step into a leadership position within our organization and movement."</p>
<p>Walsh is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the US Patent Bar, and holds a JD from George Mason University. On accepting the invitation to join the board, Walsh said, "I'm honored to join the leadership of this organization—the FSF's work and principles support a free society by enabling individuals to control the software that is an increasing part of everyone's life, particularly as the consequences of losing that control—particularly loss of privacy and freedom of speech—become greater. I look forward to using my skills to help advance its mission."</p>
<p>The announcement was made at LibrePlanet, a conference organized by the FSF and MIT's SIPB that is being held this weekend in Cambridge, Massachusetts. LibrePlanet has been held annually since 2009 and brings together participants from around the world for talks and events related to the broader free software movement. Walsh, who has attended every LibrePlanet meeting, was in attendance for the announcement.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners
title: Sébastien Jodogne, Reglue are Free Software Award winners
uri: Sébastien-Jodogne-ReGlue-are-Free-Software-Award-winners
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners
content:
<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/fs-award">Award for the Advancement of Free
Software</a> is given annually 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>This year, it was given to Sébastien Jodogne for his work on free
software medical imaging with his project Orthanc.</p>
<img alt="Sébastien Jodogne" src="media/12e0d409.jodogne.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2015/jodogne.png" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<p>One of Jodogne's nominators said, "The Orthanc project started in
2011, when Sébastien noticed in his work as a medical imaging engineer
that hospitals are very exposed to lock-in problems when dealing with
their medical imaging flows....Freely creating electronic gateways
between imaging modalities (autorouting), between medical departments,
or even between hospitals remains a challenging task. But the amount
of medical images that are generated, analyzed, and exchanged by
hospitals is dramatically increasing. Medical imaging is indeed the
first step to the treatment of more and more illnesses, such as
cancers or cardiovascular diseases."</p>
<p>Jodogne said, "Technology and humanism are often opposed. This is
especially true in the healthcare sector, where many people fear that
technological progress will dehumanize the treatments and will reduce
the patients to statistical objects. I am convinced that the
continuous rising of free software is a huge opportunity for the
patients to regain control of their personal health, as well as for
the hospitals to provide more competitive, personalized treatments by
improving the interoperability between medical devices. By
guaranteeing the freedoms of the users, free software can definitely
bring back together computers and human beings."</p>
<p>Jodogne joins a distinguished list of previous winners, including the
2013 winner, Matthew Garrett.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/sb-award">Award for Projects of Social
Benefit</a> 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. This award
stresses the use of free software in the service of humanity. </p>
<p>This year, the award went to Reglue, which gives GNU/Linux computers
to underprivileged children and their families in Austin, TX. According to Reglue, Austin
has an estimated 5,000 school-age children who cannot afford a
computer or Internet access. Since 2005, Reglue has given over 1,100
computers to these children and their families. Reglue's strategy
diverts computers from the waste stream, gives them new life with free
software, and puts them in the hands of people who need these machines
to advance their education and gain access to the Internet.</p>
<img alt="FSF executive director John Sullivan and Ken Starks" src="media/7b8feed9.reglue.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2015/reglue.png" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<p>One nomination for Reglue read, "Mr. Starks has dedicated his life to
distributing free software in many forms, both the digital form...and
by building new computers from old parts, giving a new life to old
machines by re-purposing them into computers given to extremely needy
children and families. They are always loaded with free, GNU/Linux
software, from the OS up."</p>
<p>Ken Starks, founder of Reglue, was present at the ceremony to accept
the award. While all free 'as in freedom' software is not free of
charge, Reglue focuses on finding empowering free software that is
also gratis. He said of his work with Reglue, "A child's exposure to
technology should never be predicated on the ability to afford it. Few
things will eclipse the achievements wrought as a direct result of
placing technology into the hands of tomorrow." </p>
<p>Nominations for both awards are submitted by members of the public,
then evaluated by an award committee composed of previous winners and
FSF founder and president Richard Stallman. This year's award
committee was: Hong Feng, Marina Zhurakhinskaya, Yukihiro Matsumoto,
Matthew Garrett, Suresh Ramasubramanian, Fernanda Weiden, Jonas Öberg,
Wietse Venema, and Vernor Vinge.</p>
<p>More information about both awards, including the full list of
previous winners, can be found at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards">https://www.fsf.org/awards</a>.<br />
</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Photos under CC BY-SA 4.0
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Attribution</a> </p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2015-brings-free-software-luminaries-to-mit
title: LibrePlanet 2015 brings free software luminaries to MIT
uri: LibrePlanet-2015-brings-free-software-luminaries-to-MIT
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-2015-brings-free-software-luminaries-to-mit
content:
<div style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 4px; background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Richard Stallman at LibrePlanet" src="media/ded7d939.rms1.png" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2015/rms1.png" width="250" />
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;">Richard Stallman gave the opening keynote</p>
</div>

<p>At a ceremony on Saturday, March 21st, Free Software Foundation executive director John Sullivan announced the winners of the FSF's annual Free Software Awards. Two awards were given: the Award for the Advancement of Free Software was presented to Sébastien Jodogne for his work on free software medical imaging, and the Award for Projects of Social Benefit was presented to Reglue, an Austin, TX organization that gives GNU/Linux laptops to families in need.</p>
<p>Software Freedom Conservancy executive director Karen Sandler closed out the conference with a rallying cry to "Stand up for the GNU GPL," in which she discussed a lawsuit recently filed in Germany to defend the GNU General Public License. When she asked the audience who was willing to stand up for copyleft, the entire room rose to its feet.<br />
</p>
<div style="float: left; width: 250px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 4px; background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Karen Sandler at LibrePlanet" src="media/340c62fd.karen2.png" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2015/karen2.png" width="250" />
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;">Karen Sandler gave the closing keynote</p>
</div>

<p>Videos of all the conference sessions, along with photographs from the conference, will soon be available on <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org">https://media.libreplanet.org</a>, the conference's instance of GNU MediaGoblin, a free software media publishing platform that anyone can run. </p>
<p>LibrePlanet 2015 was produced in partnership by the Free Software Foundation and the Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) at MIT. </p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Libby Reinish<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
campaigns@fsf.org</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/community-is-the-focus-of-2015s-international-day-against-drm
title: Community is the focus of 2015's International Day Against DRM
uri: Community-is-the-focus-of-2015-s-International-Day-Against-DRM
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/community-is-the-focus-of-2015s-international-day-against-drm
content:
<p>The groups are united in envisioning a world without <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)</a>, technology that places arbitrary restrictions on what people can do with digital media, often by spying on them. As the largest anti-DRM event in the world, the International Day Against DRM is an important counterpoint to the pro-DRM message broadcast by powerful media and software companies. The Day is coordinated by <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org">Defective by Design</a>, the anti-DRM campaign of the Free Software Foundation.</p>
<p>This year, community members are the highlight of the Day. Activists have organized <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Defective_by_Design/Day_Against_DRM_2015#Events">twelve events</a> in Bangladesh, Canada, England, Guatemala, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, the US, and Greece (as of May 5th).</p>
<div style="float: right; width: 100%; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 4px; background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Map of events for the 2015 International Day Against DRM" src="media/92ce7c80.idad-2015-map.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/idad-2015-map.png" width="100%" />
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;">Events in at least nine countries. See <a href="http://dayagainstdrm.org">dayagainstdrm.org</a> for the most up-to-date list.</p>
</div>

<p>Four individuals with unique perspectives also worked with Defective by Design to write <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/dayagainstdrm#readings">community posts</a>: two blind anti-DRM activists, an anti-DRM tech librarian, and a social scientist/activist analyzing the rise of DRM in streaming media services.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/dayagainstdrm#stores">Bookstores and publishers</a>, including O'Reilly Media, are offering sales on DRM-free media and advocacy organizations allied with Defective by Design will also be making official statements. Activists in Russia, Romania, and France have already translated the <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/dayagainstdrm#printable">anti-DRM flyer</a> into their native languages, and more translations are in progress. More groups are expected to join on the day itself.</p>
<p>Zak Rogoff, campaigns manager for the Free Software Foundation,
said "Powerful entertainment and technology companies use DRM to
restrict our use of digital media, demanding control over our
computers and network connections in the process. Our community
is doing everything we can to organize and build tools to protect
our freedom. Our opponents are strong enough to have the
government on their side in most countries, but when we come
together, we are strong too."</p>
<p>Individuals can participate with a variety of online and
in-person actions on <a href="http://dayagainstdrm.org">dayagainstdrm.org</a>, from media downloads
to gatherings. To be part of Defective by Design's year-round
anti-DRM campaigns, supporters can <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org/join">join the low-volume Action
Alerts email list</a> or join the discussion on the <a href="https://lists.defectivebydesign.org/mailman/listinfo/drm-elimination-crew">email
discussion list</a> or <a href="irc://irc.gnu.org/dbd">#dbd IRC
channel</a>. Media stores, activist organizations and other
groups interested in participating in the International Day
Against DRM today or in 2016 should contact
<a href="mailto:info@defectivebydesign.org">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#100;&#101;&#102;&#101;&#99;&#116;&#105;&#118;&#101;&#98;&#121;&#100;&#101;&#115;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>.</p>
<h3>About Defective By Design</h3>
<p>Defective by Design is the Free Software Foundation's campaign against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). DRM is the practice of imposing technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital media, creating a good that is defective by design. DRM requires the use of proprietary software and is a major threat to computer user freedom. It often spies on users as well. The campaign, based at defectivebydesign.org, organizes anti-DRM activists for in-person and online actions, and challenges powerful media and technology interests promoting DRM. Supporters can donate to the campaign at <a href="https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=40">https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&amp;id=40</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<h3>Media Contact</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
(202) 489-6887<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsf-is-hiring-seeking-a-full-time-web-developer
title: The FSF is hiring: Seeking a Boston-area full-time web developer
uri: 2015-05-08-The-FSF-is-hiring-Seeking-a-Boston-area-full-time-Web-Developer
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsf-is-hiring-seeking-a-full-time-web-developer
content:
<p>This position, reporting to the executive director, works closely with
our sysadmin team to maintain and improve the FSF's Web presence. 
It's an especially exciting time to join the FSF team, because we will
be celebrating our 30th anniversary this October.</p>
<p>The FSF uses several different free software web platforms in the
course of its work, both internally and externally. These platforms
are critical to work supporting the GNU Project, free software
adoption, free media formats, and freedom on the Internet; and to
opposing bulk surveillance, Digital Restrictions Management, software
patents, and proprietary software.</p>
<p>We are looking for someone who is primarily interested in keeping
these systems up-to-date and working, as well as customizing them when
necessary. While the main duties will relate to the backend systems,
frontend experience with templates, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and design
tools will be a big plus.</p>
<p>The web developer will also contribute to decisions about which new
platforms to use or which existing ones to retire. The infrastructure
of www.fsf.org, shop.fsf.org, and audio-video.gnu.org will likely be
changed this year, so there will be some critically important research
and work to be done right away.</p>
<p>We emphasize opportunities to contribute work done at the FSF to the
upstream projects we use, to benefit the broader free software
community.</p>
<p>You'll primarily work with:</p>
<ul>
<li>CiviCRM</li>
<li>Drupal</li>
<li>MediaWiki</li>
<li>Plone / Zope</li>
<li>Ikiwiki</li>
<li>Request Tracker</li>
<li>Django / Satchmo</li>
<li>Etherpad</li>
<li>CAS</li>
<li>GNU social</li>
<li>GNU MediaGoblin</li>
</ul>
<p>Because the FSF works globally and seeks to have our materials
distributed in as many languages as possible, multilingual candidates
will have an advantage. English, German, French, Spanish, Mandarin,
Malagasy, and a little Japanese, are represented among current FSF
staff.</p>
<p>With our small staff of twelve, 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.</p>
<p>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. This position is a great starting point for anyone
who might be interested in other roles on our technical team in the
future.</p>
<h2>Benefits and salary</h2>
<p>The job must be worked on-site at FSF's downtown Boston
office. An on-site interview will be required with the executive
director and other team members.</p>
<p>This job is a union position. The salary is fixed at $51,646.40 annually. Other
benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li>conference travel opportunities,</li>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's
    HMO Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF,</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases, and</li>
<li>potential for an annual performance bonus.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Application instructions</h2>
<p>Applications must be submitted via email to <a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. The
email must contain the subject line "Web Developer". A complete
application should include:</p>
<ul>
<li>resume,</li>
<li>cover letter, and</li>
<li>links to any previous work online.</li>
</ul>
<p>All materials must be in a free format (such as plain text, PDF,
or OpenDocument, and not Microsoft Word). Email submissions that
do not follow these instructions will probably be overlooked. No
phone calls, please.</p>
<p><strong>Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position
  is filled. The priority deadline was Wednesday, May 27th, 10:00AM EDT, 
  but we are still accepting applications at this time.</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-announces-deputy-director-search
title: Free Software Foundation announces deputy director search
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-announces-deputy-director-search
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-announces-deputy-director-search
content:
<p>This new position would work closely in support of the executive
director to coordinate and amplify the work of an expanding, 12-person
staff; represent the FSF to conference, supporter, and donor audiences
internationally; and play a key role in improving the FSF's overall
effectiveness by driving initiative prioritization, fundraising,
resource allocation, hiring, and internal process development.</p>
<p>Now is an especially exciting time to join the FSF team, since this year
is our 30th anniversary. We are taking the opportunity to both reflect
on the past and plan ahead for the next 30 years.</p>
<p>In addition to being a talented general manager and project
coordinator, the right candidate will bring significant expertise to
at least one of the FSF's major work areas -- technology
infrastructure and software development, licensing and compliance,
public advocacy and engagement, fundraising, or operations.</p>
<p>This role is for someone who:</p>
<ul>
<li>is a dedicated free software user;</li>
<li>cares deeply about the impact of control over technology on the
    exercise of individual freedoms;</li>
<li>stays highly organized, even during high-stress situations,</li>
<li>inspires and motivates others;</li>
<li>is a reliably rational, diplomatic, and productive voice in
    discussions, both online and offline;</li>
<li>loves puzzles and problem-solving; and</li>
<li>enjoys the challenges of working in the public eye, including
    fielding and responding to criticisms.</li>
</ul>
<p>Because of financial control duties, the position must be worked from
the FSF's headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. Relocation assistance
is available. Candidates currently located outside the US may apply;
we have sponsored visas in the past.</p>
<p>Salary would be commensurate with experience. Benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's HMO
    Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF,</li>
<li>a shiny silver Deputy star,</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases, and</li>
<li>potential for an annual performance bonus.</li>
</ul>
<p>Applications must be submitted via email to <a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. The
email must contain the subject line "Deputy Director". A complete
application should include:</p>
<ul>
<li>resume or CV,</li>
<li>cover letter,</li>
<li>writing sample (1000 words or less), and</li>
<li>links to published work online, such as articles, code
    contributions, or conference presentation videos.</li>
</ul>
<p>All materials must be in a free format. Email submissions that do not
follow these instructions will probably be overlooked. No phone calls,
please.</p>
<p>Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsf-is-hiring-a-full-time-outreach-and-communication-coordinator
title: The FSF is hiring: Seeking a full-time outreach and communication coordinator
uri: 2015-06-17-The-FSF-is-hiring-Seeking-a-full-time-outreach-and-communication-coor
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsf-is-hiring-a-full-time-outreach-and-communication-coordinator
content:
<p>The Free Software Foundation (FSF), a Boston-based 501(c)(3) charity
with a world wide mission to protect freedoms critical to the
computer-using public, seeks a motivated and organized tech-friendly
Boston-based individual to be its full-time outreach and communication
coordinator.</p>
<p>This position, reporting to the executive director, works closely with
our <a href="https://fsf.org/campaigns">campaigns</a>,
<a href="https://fsf.org/licensing">licensing</a>, and
<a href="https://fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin">technical</a> staff, as well as our
board of directors, to edit, publish, and promote high-quality,
effective materials both digital and printed.</p>
<p>These materials are a critical part of advancing the FSF's work to
support the GNU Project, free software adoption, free media formats,
and freedom on the Internet; and to oppose DRM, software patents, and
proprietary software.</p>
<p>Some of the position's more important responsibilities include:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>stewarding the online publication and editing process for all
    outreach staff; including copyediting, formatting, posting, and
    maintaining material on our Web sites; and sending out e-mail
    messages to our lists;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>producing and improving our monthly e-mail newsletter the <a href="https://fsf.org/fss">Free
    Software Supporter</a>;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>improving the effectiveness of our audio and video materials use;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>editing and building our biannual printed
    <a href="https://fsf.org/bulletin">Bulletin</a>;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>promoting our work and the work of others in the area of computing
    freedom on social networking sites;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>helping to produce fundraising materials and assisting with our
    fundraising drives;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>cultivating the community around the
    <a href="https://libreplanet.org">LibrePlanet</a> wiki and network, including
    the annual conference;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>working with and encouraging volunteers; and</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>being an approachable, humble, and friendly representative of the
    FSF to our worldwide community of existing supporters and the
    broader public, both in person and online.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>A successful candidate will have strong editing skills, especially in
the area of copyediting, and will take pride in working with a team to
create consistently polished and effective materials.</p>
<p>While this is a job for a person who is passionate about technology
and its social impact, it is not primarily a technical position. The
main technical requirement is a willingness to learn to use many new
and possibly unfamiliar pieces of software, with a positive attitude.
That being said, experience with CiviCRM and GNU/Linux will be
considered a big plus, and experience with any of the following
technologies should be mentioned: Plone, Drupal, Ikiwiki, Subversion,
Git, CVS, Ssh, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Emacs, LaTeX, Inkscape, GIMP,
Markdown, or MediaWiki.</p>
<p>Because the FSF works globally and seeks to have our materials
distributed in as many languages as possible, multilingual candidates
will be noticed. English, German, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Malagasy,
and a smattering of Japanese are represented among current FSF staff.</p>
<p>With our small staff of twelve, each person makes a clear
contribution. We work hard, but offer a humane and fun work
environment.</p>
<h2>Benefits and salary</h2>
<p>The job must be worked on-site at the FSF's office in downtown Boston.</p>
<p>This is a union position. The salary is fixed at $51,646.40 and is
non-negotiable. Other benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's HMO
    Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF,</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases, and</li>
<li>potential for an annual performance bonus.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Application instructions</h2>
<p>Applications must be submitted via email to <a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. The
email must contain the subject line, "Outreach and Communications
Coordinator". A complete application should include:</p>
<ul>
<li>resume,</li>
<li>cover letter, </li>
<li>writing sample (1000 words or less),</li>
<li>links to published work online, and</li>
<li>three or more edits you would suggest to this job posting.</li>
</ul>
<p>All materials must be in a free format (such as plain text, PDF, or
OpenDocument, and not Microsoft Word). Email submissions that do not
follow these instructions will probably be overlooked. No phone calls,
please.</p>
<p><strong>Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the
position is filled. To ensure consideration, apply before 10:00am EST
on Wednesday, July 1st.</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-endorses-embedded-gnu-linux-distro-proteanos-as-fully-free
title: FSF endorses embedded GNU/Linux distro ProteanOS as fully free
uri: FSF-endorses-embedded-GNU-Linux-distro-ProteanOS-as-fully-free
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-endorses-embedded-gnu-linux-distro-proteanos-as-fully-free
content:
<p><a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">The FSF's list</a> consists of ready-to-use full GNU/Linux systems
whose developers have made a commitment to follow the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html">Guidelines for
Free System Distributions</a>. This means each distro includes and
steers users toward exclusively free software. All distros on this
list reject nonfree software, including firmware "blobs" and nonfree
documentation.</p>
<p><a href="http://proteanos.com">ProteanOS</a> is a new, small, and fast distribution that primarily
targets embedded devices, but is also being designed to be part of the
boot system of laptops and other devices. The lead maintainer of
ProteanOS is P. J. McDermott, who is working closely with the
<a href="http://libreboot.org">Libreboot</a> project and hopes to have ProteanOS be part of the boot
system of Libreboot-compatible devices.</p>
<p>"ProteanOS combines the ease of installation of a binary distribution
with the flexibility of a source distribution or build system: its
platform configuration feature allows binary packages to be configured
at build-time and run-time for different hardware and use cases,"
said McDermott.</p>
<p>The distro is being independently developed and is not based on other
distributions. Users and potential contributors will find a complete
toolchain with which the distro can build all of its own
packages. Those interested in contributing to ProteanOS can start by
<a href="http://lists.proteanos.com">joining the project mailing list</a> and looking over the <a href="http://proteanos.com/dev/">developer
documentation</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate/">https://my.fsf.org/donate/</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>
<p>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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<h3></h3>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/canonical-updated-licensing-terms
title: Statement on Canonical's updated licensing terms for Ubuntu GNU/Linux
uri: Statement-on-Canonical-s-updated-licensing-terms-for-Ubuntu-GNU-Linux
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/canonical-updated-licensing-terms
content:
<p><a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/intellectual-property-policy">This update</a> now makes Canonical's policy
unequivocally comply with the terms of the GNU General Public License
(GPL) and other free software licenses. It does this by adding a
"trump clause" that prevails in all situations possibly covered by the
policy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Ubuntu is an aggregate work of many works, each covered by their own
license(s). For the purposes of determining what you can do with
specific works in Ubuntu, this policy should be read together with
the license(s) of the relevant packages. For the avoidance of doubt,
where any other license grants rights, this policy does not modify
or reduce those rights under those licenses.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In July 2013, the FSF, after receiving numerous complaints from the
free software community, brought serious problems with the policy to
Canonical's attention. Since then, on behalf of the FSF, the GNU
Project, and a coalition of other concerned free software activists,
we have engaged in many conversations with Canonical's management and
legal team proposing and analyzing significant revisions of the
overall text. We have worked closely throughout this process with the
Software Freedom Conservancy, who provides their expert analysis <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/jul/15/ubuntu-ip-policy/">in a
statement published today.</a></p>
<p>While the FSF acknowledges that the first update emerging from that
process solves the most pressing issue with the policy -- its
interference with users' rights under the GNU GPL and potentially
other copyleft licenses covering individual works within Ubuntu -- the
policy remains problematic in ways that prevent us from endorsing it
as a model for others. The FSF will continue to provide feedback to
Canonical in the days ahead, and urge them to make additional changes.</p>
<p>Today's "trump clause" makes clear that, for example, Canonical's
requirement that users recompile Ubuntu packages from source code
before redistributing them is not intended to and does not override
the GPL's explicit permission for users to redistribute covered
packages in binary form (with no recompilation requirement) as long as
they also provide the corresponding source.</p>
<p>While this change handles the situation for works covered by the GPL,
it does not help works covered by lax permissive licenses (such as the
X11 license) that do allow such additional restrictions. With that in
mind, the FSF has urged Canonical to not only respect the GPL but to
also change its terms to remove restrictions on <em>any</em> of the free
works it distributes, no matter which license covers that software. In
the meantime, this is a useful reminder that developers are nearly
always better off choosing copyleft licenses like the GPL in order to
prevent others from imposing arbitrary restrictions on users.</p>
<p>Further, the patent language in the current policy should be replaced
with a real pledge to only make defensive use of patents and to not
initiate litigation against other free software developers. The
trademark policy should be revised to provide better guidance to
downstream distributors so that they can be confident they know
exactly where and when trademarks need to be removed in order to
comply with the policy.</p>
<p>Canonical, in our conversations, repeatedly expressed that it is their
full intention to liberally allow use of their trademarks and patents
by community projects, and not to interfere with the exercise of
rights under any copyleft license covering works within Ubuntu. While
we appreciate today's development and do see it as a big step in that
direction, we hope they will further revise the policy so that users,
to the greatest extent possible, know their rights in advance rather
than having to inquire about them or negotiate them. To this end, it
will be important to choose language and terms that emphasize <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/freedom-or-power.html">freedom
over power</a> and avoid terms like <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html">intellectual property</a>, which
spread bias and confusion.</p>
<p>It would be helpful for the FSF, as we evaluate the importance of the
remaining work like this to be done with Canonical in relation to the
other activities of the FSF's Licensing and Compliance Lab (such as
doing GPL enforcement, and developing public educational materials
about free software licensing), to know how significantly you, as a
free software user, see this policy affecting your rights. Please
contact 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>, and <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/contact-us">Canonical via their contact
form.</a></p>
<p>Donations to support the work of the FSF's Licensing and Compliance
Lab in safeguarding your freedoms can be made at
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Over 80% of the FSF's annual funding comes
from individuals like you.</p>
<p>Lastly, we wish to thank FSF general counsel Eben Moglen and everyone
at the <a href="https://softwarefreedom.org">Software Freedom Law Center</a> for their pro bono legal
counsel and extensive participation in the conversations of the last
two years.</p>


title: FSF invites the free software community to its 30th birthday party on October 3rd, 2015
uri: FSF-invites-the-free-software-community-to-its-30th-birthday-party-on
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-invites-the-free-software-community-to-its-30th-birthday-party-on-october-3rd-2015

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-invites-the-free-software-community-to-its-30th-birthday-party-on-october-3rd-2015

content:
<p><img alt="FSF30 logo" src="media/668b8710.FSF30-lettermark-effects.svg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/logos/fsf30-logo/FSF30-lettermark-effects.svg" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" /> </p>
<p>The event homepage is <a href="https://fsf.org/fsf30/celebration">https://fsf.org/fsf30/celebration</a> and the RSVP form is <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&amp;id=26">open</a>. The FSF encourages use of the hashtag #FSF30 on social media (read the foundation's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/share/">position on different social media platforms</a>).</p>
<p>The FSF is also planning a mini-conference, also on October 3, during the day, where the free software community will share lessons from its first thirty years and plan for the future. The foundation may also hold a fundraising dinner on Friday, October 2nd.</p>
<h1>Volunteer or Sponsor</h1>
<p>The FSF is seeking volunteers to help set up the venue and greet guests. Individuals with skills in free software livestreaming are also needed. All volunteers will receive a special reverse birthday gift from the FSF.</p>
<p>The foundation is also seeking general event, beer, or food sponsors. To sponsor or recommend a sponsor, or to volunteer, contact <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>
<h1>Satellite events</h1>
<p>Supporters around the world have already expressed interest in holding their own local events for the FSF's birthday. The foundation would be delighted to cover these events on its blog or come up with a creative way of connecting them to the event in Boston. Please contact <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 organizing a satellite event.</p>
<h1>Streaming</h1>
<p>The FSF intends to livestream the event and post videos online afterwards. Volunteers with free software video skills are needed as well.</p>
<p><strong>Read the New Yorker article, <em><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-gnu-manifesto-turns-thirty">The GNU Manifesto Turns Thirty</a></em> by Maria Bustillos.</strong></p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Georgia Young <br />
Program Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsfs-statement-on-windows-10
title: The FSF's statement on Windows 10
uri: The-FSF-s-statement-on-Windows-10
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/the-fsfs-statement-on-windows-10
content:
<p>Microsoft uses draconian laws to prevent anyone from popping the hood
on Windows and studying the source code that underlies it. Because of
this, the world's most widespread computer system is completely
outside the control of its users. This puts Microsoft in a dominant
position over its customers, which it takes advantage of to treat them
as a product. In fact, Microsoft announced that, with Windows 10, it
will begin <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/07/17/windows-10-forced-automatic-updates/1">forcing lower-paying users to test less-secure new
updates</a>
before giving higher-paying users the option of whether or not to
adopt them.</p>
<p>Increased public scrutiny has forced Microsoft to adjust its
advertising to focus on how secure it is and how well it protects
privacy. But who does it secure and protect? Certainly not the user.
Since Windows 10 is nonfree software, users and independent security
experts can't access the source code, so they are forced
to take Microsoft's word for it that their computers are safe and their
data is being used responsibly. And it hardly seems warranted to trust
a company that is reported to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-06-14/u-s-agencies-said-to-swap-data-with-thousands-of-firms">give the NSA special security tip-offs</a>
that it could use to crack into Windows computers.</p>
<p>Advertising companies are surely licking their chops over Windows 10's
new privacy policy, which <a href="https://edri.org/microsofts-new-small-print-how-your-personal-data-abused/">asserts the privilege to sell almost any
information it wants about
users</a>,
even creating a unique advertising ID for each user to increase
sweeten the deal.</p>
<p>By contrast, free software like the GNU/Linux operating system is
developed by professional and volunteer communities working
transparently, freely sharing their work with each other and the
world. Users have meaningful influence over the software development
process and complete choice over what code they run. This means the
software usually treats them with respect. Even if a free software
developer took a page from Microsoft's book and began abusing its
users, it would have no way to keep them locked in -- when this
happens, independent experts copy the source code, remove the
offending bits and help people switch to the user-respecting version.</p>
<p><strong>Because it is fundamentally insecure and scoffs at privacy, Windows
is an open window onto you. Because it locks users and independent
experts out of the development process, it is also a locked door to
your computer, and only Microsoft has the key. If you are considering
replacing your operating system with Windows 10, we hope you switch to
GNU/Linux instead. <a href="https://www.fsf.org/windows/pledge">Join thousands of others and pledge to try
GNU/Linux today</a>.</strong></p>
<p>The FSF maintains a list of <a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.en.html">endorsed GNU/Linux
distributions</a>, and
there are myriad resources online for getting started. If you want to
try free software but you can't be persuaded to leave Windows quite
yet, <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/for-windows.html">try these free programs that work on
Windows</a>. If you are
thinking about buying a new computer, check out the laptops we certify
through our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">Respects Your Freedom
program</a>. If
you're the type that builds their own computer, use
<a href="https://h-node.org/">h-node</a>, the community-maintained database of
computer components that work well with free software.</p>
<p>We can't hope to match Microsoft's huge advertising budget, but if
you're on social media (see <a href="https://www.fsf.org/share">our
recommendations</a> for user-respecting social
media systems) you can help raise awareness of Windows' abuses and
encourage people to switch, in your own words. Help us jam Microsoft's
ridiculous #UpgradeYourWorld hashtag by including it in your posts
encouraging people to steer clear of Windows.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<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>


title: Free Software Foundation seeks nominations for 18th annual Free Software Awards
uri: Free-Software-Foundation-seeks-nominations-for-18th-annual-Free-Softwa
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-seeks-nominations-for-18th-annual-free-software-awards

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-seeks-nominations-for-18th-annual-free-software-awards

content:
<h3>Award for the Advancement of Free Software</h3>
<p>The Free Software Foundation 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, Sébastien Jodogne was recognized with the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-award-winners">Award for
the Advancement of Free Software</a> for his work on free
software medical imaging with his project <a href="http://www.orthanc-server.com/">Orthanc</a>. Jodogne
joined a prestigious list of previous winners including Matthew
Garrett, Dr. Fernando Perez, Yukihiro Matsumoto, Rob Savoye, John
Gilmore, Wietse Venema, Harald Welte, Ted Ts'o, Andrew Tridgell,
Theo de Raadt, Alan Cox, Larry Lessig, Guido van Rossum, Brian
Paul, Miguel de Icaza, and Larry Wall.</p>
<h3>Award for Projects of Social Benefit</h3>
<p>Nominations are also sought for the 2015 Award for Projects of Social
Benefit.</p>
<p>The Award for Projects of Social Benefit is presented to the
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 non-free 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, <a href="http://www.reglue.org/">Reglue</a> received the award, in recognition of its
work giving GNU/Linux computers to underprivileged children and
their families in Austin, TX. According to Reglue, Austin has an
estimated 5,000 school-age children who cannot afford a computer
or Internet access. Since 2005, Reglue has given over 1,100
computers to these children and their families. Reglue's strategy
diverts computers from the waste stream, gives them new life with
free software, and puts them in the hands of people who need
these machines to advance their education and gain access to the
Internet.</p>
<p>Other previous winners have included the GNOME Outreach Program
for Women (now Outreachy), OpenMRS, GNU Health, Tor, the Internet
Archive, Creative Commons, Groklaw, the Sahana project, and
Wikipedia.</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">https://www.fsf.org/awards</a>.</p>
<p>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>The tentative award committee members are: Hong Feng, Marina
Zhurakhinskaya, Yukihiro Matsumoto, Suresh Ramasubramanian, Fernanda
Weiden, Matthew Garrett, Jonas Öberg, Wietse Venema, Vernor Vinge, Rob
Savoy, Harald Welte, and Andrew Tridgell.</p>
<h3>Instructions</h3>
<p>After reviewing the eligibility rules above, please send your
nominations to <a href="mailto:award-nominations@gnu.org">&#97;&#119;&#97;&#114;&#100;&#45;&#110;&#111;&#109;&#105;&#110;&#97;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#103;&#110;&#117;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>, on or before Sunday,
November 1st, 2015 at 23:59 UTC. Please submit nominations in the
following format:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>In the email message subject line, either put the name of the
    person you are nominating for the Award for Advancement of
    Free Software, or put the name of the project for the Award
    for Projects of Social Benefit.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Please include, in the body of your message, an
    explanation (forty lines or less) of the work done and why
    you think it is especially important to the advancement of
    software freedom or how it benefits society, respectively.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Please state, in the body of your message, where to find the
    materials (e.g., software, manuals, or writing) which your
    nomination is based on.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Information about the previous awards can be found at
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards">https://www.fsf.org/awards</a>. Winners will be announced at an
awards ceremony at the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference">LibrePlanet conference</a>, March 19-20
2016, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA,
USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information
for journalists and publishers, is at
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Georgia Young<br />
Program Manager  <br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/now-fsf-cerified-to-respect-your-freedom-taurinus-x200
title: Taurinus X200 laptop now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: Taurinus-X200-laptop-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/now-fsf-cerified-to-respect-your-freedom-taurinus-x200
content:
<p>This is the first product of Libiquity to achieve <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">RYF
certification</a>. The Taurinus X200 has the same architecture and
certified software as the Libreboot X200, which was certified in
January 2015. The Taurinus X200 can be purchased from Libiquity at
<a href="https://shop.libiquity.com/product/taurinus-x200">https://shop.libiquity.com/product/taurinus-x200</a>.</p>
<p>The Taurinus X200 is a refurbished and updated laptop based on the
Lenovo ThinkPad X200, with all of the original low-level firmware and
operating system software replaced. It runs the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">FSF-endorsed</a>
<a href="https://trisquel.info/">Trisquel GNU/Linux</a> operating system and the free software boot
system, <a href="http://libreboot.org/">Libreboot</a>. Perhaps most importantly, all of Intel's
Management Engine (ME) firmware and software has been removed from
this laptop.</p>
<p><a href="media/9cd726e8.taurinus-x200-right.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/taurinus-x200-right.jpg"><img align="right" alt="" height="202" src="media/9cd726e8.taurinus-x200-right.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/taurinus-x200-right.jpg" width="270" /></a></p>
<p>The FSF has previously <a href="https://fsf.org/blogs/community/active-management-technology">written</a> about Intel's ME, calling
attention to how this proprietary software introduces a fundamental
security flaw -- a back door -- into a person's machine that allows a
perpetrator to remotely access the computer over a network. It enables
powering the computer on and off, configuring and upgrading the BIOS,
wiping the hard drives, reinstalling the operating system, and
more. The functionality provided by the ME could be a very useful
security and recovery measure, but only if the user has control over
the software and the ability to install modified versions of it.</p>
<p>"With a rise in manufacturing of treacherous computing chips and each
successive version of Intel's Management Engine becoming more
treacherous than the last, it would seem that the public is being
inundated with hardware that is defective by design. Therefore, it is
refreshing to have companies like Libiquity making strong
commitments to computer user freedom. The FSF is excited to be able to
award the use of the RYF certification mark on yet another laptop,"
stated FSF's licensing &amp; compliance manager, Joshua Gay.</p>
<p>Libiquity (a portmanteau of "liberty" and "ubiquity") defines its
mission as "freedom everywhere, in personal electronics and embedded
systems." In addition to providing hardware that respects your
freedom, Libiquity also leads the development of
<a href="http://proteanos.com/">ProteanOS</a>, an FSF-endorsed distribution, and
they work in partnership with and contribute to Libreboot.</p>
<p>"Libiquity is proud that its first hardware product, the Taurinus X200
subnotebook, has been certified by the FSF to respect its users'
freedom and privacy.  We are honored to be the first US company with
an RYF-certified laptop product, and we look forward to further
working with the FSF and the free software community to develop and
offer additional freedom-respecting products and services in the
future," stated founder and CEO, Patrick McDermott.</p>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/libiquity">details</a> on the certification of the Taurinus X200,
visit <a href="http://www.fsf.org/ryf">http://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in
applying for certification can consult
<a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>Subscribers to the FSF's <a href="http://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software Supporter</em></a> newsletter
will receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom
products.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About Libiquity</h3>
<p>Founded by CEO Patrick McDermott, Libiquity is a privately held
New Jersey, USA company that provides world-class technologies which
put customers in control of their computing.  The company develops and
sells electronics products, provides firmware and embedded systems
services, and leads the development of the innovative and flexible
ProteanOS embedded operating system.  More information about Libiquity
and its offerings can be found on its Web site at
<a href="http://www.libiquity.com/">http://www.libiquity.com/</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Patrick McDermott<br />
Founder and CEO<br />
Libiquity LLC<br />
<a href="mailto:info@libiquity.com">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#108;&#105;&#98;&#105;&#113;&#117;&#105;&#116;&#121;&#46;&#99;&#111;&#109;</a></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-conservancy-publish-principles-for-community-oriented-gpl-enforcement
title: FSF, Conservancy publish principles for community-oriented GPL enforcement
uri: FSF-Conservancy-publish-principles-for-community-oriented-GPL-enforce
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-conservancy-publish-principles-for-community-oriented-gpl-enforcement
content:
<p>The FSF and Conservancy each lead worldwide efforts to ensure
compliance with the GPL family of licenses. <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/enforcement-principles">The principles they
follow</a> are designed to make copyleft license enforcement first and
foremost serve the goal of protecting user freedom, which includes
assisting companies to correctly distribute free software. This means
carefully verifying violation reports, approaching companies privately
rather than publicly shaming them, treating legal action as a last
resort, and never prioritizing financial gain over defending the
freedom of users.</p>
<p>"GPL enforcement is mostly an educational process working with people
who have made honest mistakes, but it must be undertaken with care and
thoughtfulness. Our goal is not to punish or censure violators, but to
help them come into compliance. Abiding by these principles aids our
work in bringing about that outcome," said FSF's licensing and
compliance manager, Joshua Gay.</p>
<p>The FSF does license enforcement for programs that are part of the GNU
Project, when their copyright is assigned to the FSF, and actively
encourages developers to <a href="http://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.en.html">apply for their programs to become part of
GNU</a>. License violations can be reported by email following the
instructions at <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html">http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html</a>.</p>
<p>"These principles have guided our efforts in defending the rights of
computer users since at least 2001. We wanted to collect them and
write them down in one place both to bust some myths about our GNU GPL
enforcement work, and to help other individuals and organizations
get started with their own processes," said FSF's executive director,
John Sullivan.</p>
<p>Conservancy has also released an <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/oct/01/compliance-principles/">announcement</a> and will host the
<a href="https://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/principles.html">document on its website</a>.</p>
<p>Conservancy's executive director Karen Sandler will be joining FSF
licensing &amp; compliance manager Joshua Gay and FSF copyright and
licensing associate Donald R. Robertson, III, on Saturday, October 3rd
for the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fsf30/summit">User Freedom Summit</a> in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where
they will be running a workshop session titled <em>Community Licensing
Education &amp; Outreach</em>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.
More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.
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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-ethical-repo-criteria
title: GNU ethical criteria for code repositories emphasize privacy, freedom, and copyleft
uri: GNU-ethical-criteria-for-code-repositories-emphasize-privacy-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-ethical-repo-criteria
content:
<p>The criteria emphasize protection of privacy (including accessibility through the <a href="https://www.torproject.org">Tor network</a>), functionality without <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs">nonfree JavaScript</a>, compatibility with copyleft licensing and philosophy, and equal treatment of all users' traffic.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria.html">Published on gnu.org</a>, the criteria are directed at services hosting parts of the GNU operating system, but they're recommended for anyone who wants to use a service for publicly hosting free source code (and optionally, executable programs as well). Moving forward, the GNU community and the FSF will update the criteria in response to technological and social changes in the landscape of code hosting.</p>
<p>Ethical code hosting is directly important for users of free software, not just developers. Repositories usually provide Web sites with downloadable executable programs compiled from the code they host, and are thus a popular way for users to receive up-to-date copies of free software. The sites also host issue trackers, which users employ to submit bug reports and provide feedback to developers.</p>
<p>Because they are central to free software in so many ways, the practices of code hosting services have ripples into much of the world of free software, and software in general. Some prominent code hosting services are currently in flux. Gitorious, a code hosting service preferred by many free software developers, was recently assimilated into the up-and-coming Gitlab. SourceForge, a code hosting service that has been central to the free software community for decades, has lost credibility in recent years because of its inclusion of intrusive and deceptive advertising in its Web site and download system.</p>
<p>Skilled volunteers have been working in recent weeks on evaluations of the repository services Github, Gitlab, SourceForge, GNU Savannah, and more, which the FSF intends to publish soon. The FSF calls on developers to use code hosting services that score at least <em>acceptable</em> per the criteria, and for everyone who cares about free software to share these criteria with the administrators of hosting sites. To discuss the criteria, please use the <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss">libreplanet-discuss community mailing list</a>. To contribute to the evaluation process or ask the maintainers questions, use the instructions on the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria.html">criteria page</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>
<p>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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff<br />
Campaigns Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 x31<br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


uri: Library-of-Congress-issues-limited-exemptions-to-DMCA-anti-circumventi
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/library-of-congress-issues-limited-exemptions-to-dmca-anti-circumvention-provisions-but-leaves-users-without-full-control-over-their-own-computing

title:
Library of Congress issues limited exemptions to DMCA anti-circumvention provisions but leaves users without full control over their own computing

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/library-of-congress-issues-limited-exemptions-to-dmca-anti-circumvention-provisions-but-leaves-users-without-full-control-over-their-own-computing

content:
<p>The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) contains provisions
penalizing the circumvention of "technological protection measures".
These measures are digital jails denying users access to the software
and other digital works they possess, preventing them from examining
or changing the software on their devices. While such measures are
nominally meant to protect copyrighted works, in reality they function
as unacceptable restrictions on computer user freedom. The Free
Software Foundation (FSF) opposes such Digital Restrictions Management
(DRM) systems. The FSF further opposes the DMCA's anti-circumvention
provisions, and demands that Congress repeal those provisions. Other
countries with similar laws should follow suit.</p>
<p>Every three years, the Library of Congress reviews proposals granting
limited exemptions from the DMCA's broad ban on users controlling the
software and data on devices encumbered with DRM. This <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/DMCA-exemption-commenting-process-broken">flawed
process</a>
is meant to lessen the DMCA's harm by giving user rights advocates an
opportunity to request exemptions allowing circumvention in particular
cases. Even when such petitions succeed, the resulting exemptions last only three years, meaning that advocates
must repeatedly fight to retain the limited ground they won.</p>
<p>In the round that just concluded, the <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/end-DMCA-anti-circumvention-provisions">Free Software Foundation
demanded that the Library of Congress grant every proposed
exemption</a>.
In each comment, we explained the importance of free software;
software that "users are free to study, share and improve," which
enables users to enjoy the universal right of controlling their own
computing. Users have the right to modify and access all software they
possess, regardless of its purpose or on what device it runs. Since
DRM requires proprietary software to take control of a user's computer
away from her, it is fundamentally incompatible with a fully free
world. Users cannot enjoy their rights so long as DRM cages them and the DMCA threatens them to stay in the
cage. There should be no penalties for users controlling their own software
or for sharing tools to help others do the same.</p>
<p>Before outlining the <a href="media/4bc77ec5.fedreg-publicinspectionFR.pdf" data-original-source="http://copyright.gov/1201/2015/fedreg-publicinspectionFR.pdf">list of
exemptions</a>,
the Library of Congress provides a clear warning (one that did not
appear in previous exemption rulemaking documents) that the potential
scope of its exemptions is limited by law. Specifically, it makes
clear that under Section 1201, it cannot make it legal for a person to
share her methods for circumventing some digital restriction
technology, including "products and services that are used to
circumvent technological measures that control access to copyrighted
works (for example, a password needed to open a media file)," or
"products and services used to circumvent technological measures that
protect the exclusive rights of the copyright owner in their works
(for example, technology that prevents the work from being
reproduced)." (p. 5) It claims that the sharing of passwords and
software is illegal trafficking and that it will take an act of
Congress to change this. Even if the Library of Congress believes it
cannot grant such exemptions, it does have the power to recommend that
Congress to correct this fatal flaw.</p>
<p>Advocates did succeed in securing several important
exemptions. The <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/oct/27/DMCA-win/">Software Freedom
Conservancy</a>
successfully won back some rights for Smart TV owners. Although the
exemption granted for Smart TVs is narrower than what was requested,
it allows users to circumvent DRM for the sole purpose of enabling
interoperability of programs on their Smart TVs. The <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/10/victory-users-librarian-congress-renews-and-expands-protections-fair-uses">Electronic
Frontier
Foundation</a>
was also victorious in several proposed exemptions. Users of tablets
and multi-player video games run via servers, for example, now have
exemptions protecting some of their uses. Many other users had their
previously granted exemptions maintained, such as those related to
cell phones. The FSF supported these exemptions because they carve out a little more space for user freedom. These victories are a testament
to the dedication and hard work of advocates in the face of a
difficult system. In other areas, however, change was even more
limited.</p>
<p>For example, while the Library of Congress granted an exemption
related to software on motor vehicles and farming equipment, it
limited this exemption to only the owners of the vehicles. Thus, while
users may circumvent DRM on their own vehicles, they may not ask third
parties to do the work. For many users, not being able to have third
parties access software for them is in practice just as bad as not
being able to do it themselves, and denies them fundamental rights of
association and expression. The exemption also does not extend to
"computer programs primarily designed for the control of telematics or
entertainment systems" (p. 43), therefore blocking installation of
many legitimately useful free software programs.</p>
<p>Further, the Library of Congress limited the exemption in light of
regulations unrelated to copyright . In its statement, it says "while
from a copyright perspective proponents had made the case for an
exemption, based on the record, the exemption needed to be carefully
tailored". (p. 42) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opposed
any exemption for motor vehicles, attempting to shoehorn its own
duties regarding emissions control into what is nominally an act
related to copyright. This is despite the fact that the
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/epa-opposed-dmca-exemptions-that-could-have-revealed-volkswagen-fraud">anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA actually helped hide
unlawful activity by
Volkswagen</a>
in which they used proprietary software in order to trick EPA tests on emissions.
If users and researchers had been permitted to access the software on
their own vehicles, they may have discovered Volkswagen's fraud years
earlier than the EPA did.</p>
<p>Interference from other government agencies, such as the Food and Drug
Administration, is found throughout the statement on exemptions. These
agencies are not tasked with enforcing copyright. Instead, they are
trying to use the DMCA's penalties to control users regardless of
whether any crime occurs. The government should not presume that all
users are guilty of violating the law, and should not punish all users
in its quest to enforce the law against the few who might break it.
But using DRM to enforce the law does just that, as DRM blocks ethical
and lawful activities. That government agencies are attempting to use
the DMCA to punish and control users based on regulations wholly
unrelated to copyright demonstrates that DRM has nothing to do with
rights, and everything to do with restriction.</p>
<p>While users might feel relief in receiving some exemptions, we cannot
endorse a process that leaves so many out in the cold. While we do
celebrate our victories and those of our allies in this process, the
very real danger is that these exemptions will be used to argue
against us, on the grounds that such "safety valves" are enough to
solve the problems with DRM or the DMCA's anti-circumvention
provisions. They are not. The exemptions process allows users to
partially control some of their devices and software, but robs them of
the necessary tools and the help of third parties. This process
further allows government agencies to co-opt a law nominally about
copyright to implement restrictions wholly unrelated to that area of
law. The FSF calls on Congress to end this broken process and repeal
the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreboot-t400-laptop-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: Libreboot T400 laptop now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: Libreboot-T400-laptop-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreboot-t400-laptop-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<img alt="Libreboot T400" src="media/0c9800ee.libreboot-t400.jpg" data-original-source="https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/libreboot-t400.jpg" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<p>This is the third Libreboot-series laptop from Minifree (formerly
known as Gluglug) to achieve <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">RYF certification</a>, the first being
the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/gluglug-x60-laptop-now-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">Libreboot X60</a> in December 2013, followed by the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/news/libreboot-x200-laptop-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom">Libreboot
X200</a> in January 2015. The Libreboot T400 can be purchased from
Minifree at <a href="http://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t400/">http://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t400/</a>.</p>
<p>The Libreboot T400 is a refurbished and updated laptop based on the
Lenovo ThinkPad T400. Just as with the Libreboot X200, in order to
achieve the Free Software Foundation's RYF certification guidelines,
Minifree had to replace the low-level firmware as well as the
operating system. Microsoft Windows was replaced with the
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">FSF-endorsed</a> <a href="https://trisquel.info/">Trisquel GNU/Linux</a> operating system, which
includes the GNOME 3 desktop environment. The free software boot
system of <a href="http://libreboot.org/">Libreboot</a> and the GNU GRUB 2 bootloader were adapted to
replace the stock proprietary firmware, which included a BIOS and
Intel's Management Engine firmware.</p>
<p>The mission of both Libreboot and Minifree is to push the free
software movement forward in a fundamental way, at the hardware and
firmware level.</p>
<p>"While we don't require that companies selling Respects Your Freedom
certified products also develop or fund free software projects
directly, in the case of Minifree, sales of their products do directly
fund the Libreboot project. It is doubly exciting to be able to
endorse a new freedom-respecting hardware product while also
encouraging people to support the development of an important free
software project," said FSF's licensing &amp; compliance manager, Joshua
Gay.</p>
<p>"We call on more people and companies to get involved with Libreboot
development. We also need hardware manufacturers to cooperate. This is
a long battle, and one that the Libreboot project has taken on.  We're
doing this because we believe users deserve to have full control over
their own computing, and the freedom to share with others," said
Francis Rowe, founder of Minifree and lead maintainer of Libreboot.</p>
<p>To learn more about the Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including details on the certification of the Libreboot T400, visit
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">https://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in applying for
certification can consult
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>Subscribers to the FSF's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software Supporter</em></a> newsletter
will receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom
products.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About Minifree and Libreboot</h3>
<p>Minifree Ltd, trading as Ministry of Freedom (formerly trading as
Gluglug), is a UK supplier shipping worldwide that sells
GNU/Linux-libre computers with the Libreboot firmware and Trisquel
GNU/Linux-libre operating system preinstalled.</p>
<p>Libreboot is a free BIOS/UEFI replacement, offering faster boot
speeds, better security, and many advanced features compared to most
proprietary boot firmware.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Francis Rowe<br />
Founder &amp; CEO<br />
Minifree Ltd <br />
+44 1268 857 837<br />
<a href="mailto:info@gluglug.org.uk">&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#64;&#103;&#108;&#117;&#103;&#108;&#117;&#103;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;&#46;&#117;&#107;</a></p>
<p>###</p>


uri: Free-Software-Foundation-submits-comments-to-U-S-Department-of-Educat
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-submits-comments-to-u-s-department-of-education-encouraging-free-licensing-for-all-grant-funded-materials

title:
Free Software Foundation submits comments to U.S. Department of Education encouraging free licensing for all grant-funded materials

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-submits-comments-to-u-s-department-of-education-encouraging-free-licensing-for-all-grant-funded-materials

content:
<p>The Department was seeking comments on proposed rules that would
ensure that works created with competitive grant funds from the
Department would be licensed to give the public and educational
institutions the right to freely modify and distribute the works. The
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/2015-ed-comment">FSF's comment</a> lauded this goal, but suggested an important
wording change in the regulation to ensure that "the license must
grant public permission to 'distribute modifications' or equivalently
'distribute adaptations.'" Earlier this month, the FSF <a href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/send-comments-to-doe-12-15">also called on
free software supporters</a> to submit comments of their own, or add
their signature to the FSF's filing.</p>
<p>"What the Department of Education is proposing is a great step for
education and for computer user freedom. We submitted our comment,
along with comments from our community, to ensure that the updated
regulations create the greatest benefit: that all public grant-funded
educational works carry the essential <a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html">four freedoms</a>," said FSF's
executive director, John Sullivan.</p>
<p>In addition to the comments, the FSF provided the Department with <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/2015-ed-letter">a
letter</a> calling for a mechanism to submit comments electronically
without the use of proprietary software. Currently, comments submitted
digitally to federal agencies that participate in the eRulemaking
Program require submission via the Regulations.gov interface. This
interface requires the use of JavaScript that is not freely licensed.</p>
<p>When software is proprietary, that means that some company claims
ownership of it, and through that ownership claim, imposes
restrictions on users as to how they can or can't use the software.
When the government requires citizens run such software, it is
requiring that they accept the specific and arbitrary terms imposed by
that company. The FSF's letter stresses that citizens should not be
required to engage with any particular private company in order to
participate in public proceedings, or use any governmental Web sites
or network service.</p>
<p>"The public should be able to communicate with government agencies
without being forced to use proprietary software. In this day and age,
not providing a free software friendly mechanism of submitting
comments in digital format creates a real barrier to communication and
participation. In accordance with the same principles motivating this
very NPRM, we encourage the Department of Education and other
governmental agencies to offer methods of digital submission that do
not require the use of proprietary JavaScript," said FSF's licensing
and compliance manager, Joshua Gay.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing and Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a></p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/whats-your-vision-for-the-fsf-fill-out-our-survey-1
title: What's your vision for the FSF? Fill out our survey.
uri: What-s-your-vision-for-the-FSF-Fill-out-our-survey
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/whats-your-vision-for-the-fsf-fill-out-our-survey-1
content:
<p>We continue to rely on the expertise of the free
software movement to inform our initiatives and strategies. Taking the
first step into our next thirty years, we want to hear your feedback,
your suggestions, and your vision for the future of the FSF.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.fsf.org/survey?pk_campaign=survey-launch&amp;pk_kwd=survey">Fill out the survey now!</a></strong></p>
<p>The survey takes only five to fifteen minutes to complete, and it will
be up until the end of January. The FSF eagerly awaits the results,
and we plan to publicly share insights from them.</p>
<p>It's important that this survey reach a large and diverse range of
people who use free software or care about it. Please share it by
whatever means will reach your friends best — <a href="https://www.fsf.org/share?u=https://www.fsf.org/survey&amp;t=The%20Free%20Software%20Foundation%20needs%20your%20feedback.%20Their%20vision%20survey%20is%20up%20until%20the%20end%20of%20January.">social media</a>
(hashtag #fsfsurvey), email, IRC, or word of mouth.</p>
<p>One more thing: Our yearly fundraiser is ending soon. We need to raise
$450,000 by the end of January to continue being a guiding light for
free software and to turn the results of this survey into
action. <strong>Please <a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?pk_campaign=survey-launch&amp;pk_kwd=donate">become a member</a> for $10 a month, or
<a href="https://my.fsf.org/join?pk_campaign=survey-launch&amp;pk_kwd=join">make a one-time donation</a> to help us reach our goal.</strong></p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff <br />
Campaigns Manager  <br />
Free Software Foundation  <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 x31  <br />
<a href="mailto:campaigns@fsf.org">&#99;&#97;&#109;&#112;&#97;&#105;&#103;&#110;&#115;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> <br />
</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/edward-snowden-will-kick-off-libreplanet-2016-in-cambridge
title: Edward Snowden will kick off LibrePlanet 2016 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
uri: Edward-Snowden-will-kick-off-LibrePlanet-2016-in-Cambridge-Massachuse
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/edward-snowden-will-kick-off-libreplanet-2016-in-cambridge
content:
<p>The annual free software conference will kick off at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's (MIT) Stata Center in Cambridge,
Massachusetts on the morning of Saturday, March 19th with
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2016/program/index.html">"The last lighthouse: Free software in dark times"</a>, in which
Snowden (who will appear via a free software live video stream) and
Daniel Kahn Gillmor will discuss free software, surveillance, power,
and control of the future.</p>
<div style="float: right; width: 230px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 4px; background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Daiel Kahn Gillmor" src="media/43472830.dkg.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2016/dkg.png" width="230" />
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="media/f6491463.80x15.png" data-original-source="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />Daniel Kahn Gillmor <br />This work by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Daniel Kahn Gillmor</span> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.</p></div>

<div style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 4px; background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Edward Snowden" src="media/a5f827db.Edward_Snowden-2.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/libreplanet/2016/Edward_Snowden-2.png" width="250" />
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="media/c6614496.80x15.png" data-original-source="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/80x15.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type">Edward Snowden<br />Screenshot of Citizen Four by Praxis Films.</span> by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Laura Poitras</span> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0</a></p></div>

<p>"We're thrilled and honored to be hosting this conversation. Edward
Snowden has ignited desperately needed discussion around the world
about the meaning of privacy, the power of governments and large
corporations, and the impact of secretive technology on our freedom. I
can't think of a more powerful way to launch this year's conference,
and I can't wait to see what great things the LibrePlanet community of
activists and developers will do with the energy," said FSF's
executive director John Sullivan.</p>
<p>Edward Snowden is a former intelligence officer who served the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), NSA, and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
for nearly a decade as a subject matter expert on technology and
cybersecurity. In 2013, he revealed the NSA was unconstitutionally
seizing the private records of billions of individuals who had not
been suspected of any wrongdoing, resulting in the largest debate
about reforms to US surveillance policy since 1978. Today, he works on
methods of enforcing human rights through the application and
development of new technologies. He joined the board of Freedom of the
Press Foundation in February 2014.</p>
<p>Daniel Kahn Gillmor is a technologist with the ACLU's Speech, Privacy
and Technology Project, and a free software developer. He's a Free
Software Foundation Associate member, a member of Debian, a contributor to a
wide range of free software projects, and a participant in protocol
development standards organizations like the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF), with an eye toward
preserving and improving civil liberties and civil rights through our
shared infrastructure.</p>
<p>For the third year in a row, LibrePlanet will be held at MIT's Stata
Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 19th and
20th, 2016. Co-presented by the Free Software Foundation and MIT's
Student Information Processing Board (SIPB), the rest of the
<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2016/program">LibrePlanet program</a> will be announced soon.</p>
<p><a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/register?id=29&amp;reset=1">Registration for LibrePlanet is now open</a>. Admission to the
conference is gratis for <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">FSF members</a> and students.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Georgia Young<br />
Program Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:georgia@fsf.org">&#103;&#101;&#111;&#114;&#103;&#105;&#97;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a></p>


uri: Free-Software-Foundation-submits-comment-to-Copyright-Office-with-over
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-submits-comment-to-copyright-office-with-over-1200-co-signers-calling-for-end-to-dmca-anti-circumvention-provisions

title:
Free Software Foundation submits comment to Copyright Office with over 1200 co-signers calling for end to DMCA anti-circumvention provisions

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/free-software-foundation-submits-comment-to-copyright-office-with-over-1200-co-signers-calling-for-end-to-dmca-anti-circumvention-provisions

content:
<div style="float: right; width: 430px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 4px; background-color: #EEEEEE; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Activists deliver comment to Copyright Office" src="media/75e4f2fc.usco-comment.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/images/dmca-comment-delivery/usco-comment.jpg" width="430" />
<p style="margin: 10px 0px;"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="media/915ca4ed.80x15.png" data-original-source="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Christi Vandermale</span> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</p></div>

<p>The Copyright Office was seeking comments in response to a request
from Congress to study the effects of the DMCA's anti-circumvention
provisions and the triennial exemptions process. The DMCA's
anti-circumvention provisions create legal penalties for the
circumvention of technologies that restrict access to copyrighted
works, known as Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). It further
criminalizes the sharing of tools needed to avoid DRM. The DMCA also
set up a system where activists, academics and researchers may request
that certain uses be exempted from the anti-circumvention
provisions. Every three years they may submit a request to the
Copyright Office that the circumvention of a particular type of work
be free from the DMCA's penalties. Even when an exemption is granted,
it expires three years later when the next round of the exemptions
process begins, requiring repeated effort to maintain narrow
exemptions.</p>
<p>In response, the FSF published <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/2016-dmca-study-comment">a comment</a> and called on people in
the United States to co-sign that comment through its
<a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org">Defective By Design</a> campaign to end the use of DRM. Over 1200
people in the United States heeded the call and co-signed the
comment. In addition, the FSF asked users in the international
community to advocate with their local governments about the dangers
of DRM.</p>
<p>The FSF's comment detailed the damaging effects of DRM on all users,
and called for the repeal of the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions
and to bring an end to the exemptions process. The comment explained
how DRM is about the restriction of computer-users, not enforcing
rights. DRM does not respect the rights of users, and gives the DRM
implementer a degree of power not envisioned even under copyright
law. It permits companies and governments to spy on users, prevent
them from controlling their own computing, and abrogates users' rights
to even legally permitted copying and modification of copyrighted
materials. It interferes with the work of academics and librarians,
preventing them from studying and archiving works. It prevents
security researchers from discovering vulnerabilities and fraud, as
was the case when Volkswagen used software to
<a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/epa-drm-drone">defeat emission control tests</a>.</p>
<p>Given all the damage DRM causes, a law that enforces DRM and creates
legal penalties for trying to avoid its harms is untenable. No system
of exemptions can fix a fundamentally broken law.</p>
<p>"DRM is used to restrict and spy on users. Any use of DRM harms users,
so no system of exemptions, no matter how perfectly run, can ever
solve the problems the DMCA causes," said FSF's executive director,
John Sullivan.</p>
<p>In addition to the comments, the FSF provided the Copyright Office
with <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/2016-dmca-study-letter">a letter</a> calling for a mechanism to submit comments
electronically without the use of proprietary software. Currently,
comments submitted digitally to federal agencies that participate in
the eRulemaking Program require submission via the Regulations.gov
interface. This interface requires the use of JavaScript that is not
freely licensed, meaning that it is proprietary software.</p>
<p>When software is proprietary, that means that some company or
individual claims ownership of it, and through that ownership claim,
imposes restrictions on users as to how they can or can't use the
software. When the government requires citizens run such software, it
is requiring that they accept the specific and arbitrary terms imposed
by that company. The FSF's letter stresses that citizens should not be
required to engage with any particular private company in order to
participate in public proceedings, or use any governmental Web sites
or network service.</p>
<p>Unlike other government agencies, the Copyright Office refused to
accept comments even via the post. The Copyright Office is effectively
denying all citizens the ability to communicate with their
government. As such, the FSF was forced to hand-deliver the comment
and signatures.</p>
<p>"This situation is completely unjust and the Copyright Office's
behavior is simply reprehensible. No one should be forced to use
proprietary software simply to communicate with their
government. Hand-delivering documents to an office in Washington
D.C. is not possible for the vast majority of people in this
country. The Copyright Office and all government agencies must provide
a way to submit comments that does not require proprietary software,"
said FSF's licensing and compliance manager, Joshua Gay.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About Defective By Design</h3>
<p>Defective by Design is the Free Software Foundation's campaign against
Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). DRM is the practice of imposing
technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital
media, creating a good that is defective by design. DRM requires the
use of proprietary software and is a major threat to computer user
freedom. It often spies on users as well. The campaign, based at
defectivebydesign.org, organizes anti-DRM activists for in-person and
online actions, and challenges powerful media and technology interests
promoting DRM. Supporters can donate to the campaign at
<a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/donate">https://www.defectivebydesign.org/donate</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing and Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a> </p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/thinkpenguin-vpn-mini-router-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
title: ThinkPenguin VPN mini-router now FSF-certified to respect your freedom
uri: ThinkPenguin-VPN-mini-router-now-FSF-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/thinkpenguin-vpn-mini-router-now-fsf-certified-to-respect-your-freedom
content:
<img src="media/2aa82803.mini-router.jpg" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/ryf/mini-router.jpg" />

<p>This is the fourth product and second router from ThinkPenguin to
achieve <a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">RYF certification</a>. The TPE-R1100, just like the
TPE-NWIFIROUTER Wireless-N router that was certified in Sept. 2014,
runs <a href="https://librecmc.org">LibreCMC</a>, an <a href="https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html">FSF-endorsed GNU/Linux distribution</a>. The
TPE-R1100 can be purchased from ThinkPenguin at
<a href="https://ThinkPenguin.com/TPE-R1100">https://ThinkPenguin.com/TPE-R1100</a>.</p>
<p>The Free Software Wireless-N Mini Router is not intended to replace
one's existing wifi router or modem. Instead, it connects to your
existing router and provides a simple and inexpensive way to have
multiple devices on your network all tunnel their traffic through a
VPN service provider without having to configure each device
individually. In the effort to make connecting to a VPN as simple as
possible, users are given the option to purchase a VPN service with the
router preconfigured to work with that service.</p>
<p>"In light of the ever growing number of attacks on civil liberties,
privacy, and encryption, ThinkPenguin is excited to announce this
privacy-enhancing product,” said Christopher Waid, president of
ThinkPenguin, Inc. “We've developed the Wireless-N Mini Router to make
it easier for users to adopt privacy friendly VPN providers no matter
what the user's level of technical expertise."</p>
<p>Purchasing a VPN subscription through ThinkPenguin is not required,
and ThinkPenguin is creating detailed documentation to help users to
configure their device to connect to the VPN service provider of their
choice.</p>
<p>"One of the FSF's short term goals is that we can have at last one RYF
certified product for each class of computing device that people use
in their day-to-day lives. With this VPN-dedicated mini-router, we now
have a way of encouraging people to enhance the security and privacy
of each of their wireless-enabled RYF certified devices, which is
especially useful for embedded devices not designed to run their own
free software VPN client," said FSF's licensing &amp; compliance
manager, Joshua Gay.</p>
<p>Those purchasing the TPE-R1100 can choose to pay a little more to
flash the latest version of LibreCMC, and the proceeds of that
purchase will go toward supporting the development of LibreCMC.</p>
<p>To learn more about Respects Your Freedom hardware certification,
including details on the certification of the TPE-R1100, visit
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/ryf">https://www.fsf.org/ryf</a>. Hardware sellers interested in applying for
certification can consult
<a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria">https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/criteria</a>.</p>
<p>Subscribers to the FSF's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/fss"><em>Free Software Supporter</em></a> newsletter
will receive announcements about future Respects Your Freedom
products.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About ThinkPenguin, Inc</h3>
<p>Started by Christopher Waid, founder and CEO, ThinkPenguin, Inc., is a
consumer-driven company with a mission to bring free software to the
masses. At the core of company is a catalog of computers and
accessories with broad support for GNU/Linux. The company provides
technical support for end-users and works with the community,
distributions, and upstream projects to make GNU/Linux all that it can
be.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay <br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>
<p>Media Inquires<br />
ThinkPenguin, Inc.<br />
+1 (888) 39 THINK (84465) x703<br />
<a href="mailto:media@thinkpenguin.com">&#109;&#101;&#100;&#105;&#97;&#64;&#116;&#104;&#105;&#110;&#107;&#112;&#101;&#110;&#103;&#117;&#105;&#110;&#46;&#99;&#111;&#109;</a><br />
</p>
<p>###</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-free-software-conference-coming-to-mit-in-one-week-march-19-20
title: LibrePlanet free software conference coming to MIT in one week, March 19-20
uri: LibrePlanet-free-software-conference-coming-to-MIT-in-one-week-March
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/libreplanet-free-software-conference-coming-to-mit-in-one-week-march-19-20
content:
<p><a href="http://libreplanet.org/2016/">LibrePlanet 2016</a> will feature sessions for all ages and experience levels, and <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/libreplanet-2016-fork-the-system/">a promotional video for the event has just been released.</a></p>
<p>Organized around the theme "Fork the System", the conference's
sessions will examine how free software creates the opportunity of a
new path for its users, allows developers to fight the restrictions of
a system dominated by proprietary software by creating free
replacements, and is the foundation of a philosophy of freedom,
sharing, and change. Keynote speakers include NSA whistleblower Edward
Snowden in conversation with the ACLU's Daniel Kahn Gillmor; Open
Source Initiative board president Allison Randal; Free Software
Foundation founder Richard Stallman; and Software Freedom Conservancy
executive director Karen Sandler.</p>
<p>This year's LibrePlanet conference will feature over <a href="http://libreplanet.org/2016/program/">40 sessions</a>,
such as <em>Yes, the FCC might ban your operating system</em>, <em>Trans Code:
Free software as model &amp; critique of diversity by transgender
hackers</em>, and <em>Ending Online Tracking! Privacy Badger and Beyond!</em>, as
well as a hands-on workshop showing participants how to use the free
software 3-D animation program Blender and a Libreboot install workshop.</p>
<p>"This year's LibrePlanet conference will be our biggest ever, and it's
not hard to see why," said Georgia Young, program manager at the Free
Software Foundation. "From the conversation with Edward Snowden, to
strategy sessions aimed at helping activists use free software in
their social change work, to talks encouraging free software advocacy
in school and your workplace, the conference offers intriguing ways
for anybody to Fork the System."</p>
<p>Due to high demand, advance registration is closed. Attendees may
register in person at the event.</p>
<h3>About LibrePlanet</h3>
<p>LibrePlanet is the annual conference of the Free Software Foundation,
and is co-produced by the Student Information Processing Board. What
was once a small gathering of FSF members has grown into a larger
event for anyone with an interest in the values of software
freedom. LibrePlanet is always gratis for <a href="https://my.fsf.org/join">associate members</a> of
the FSF. To sign up for announcements about LibrePlanet 2016, visit
<a href="https://www.libreplanet.org/2016">https://www.libreplanet.org/2016</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://libreplanet.org/2015/">LibrePlanet 2015</a> was held at MIT from March 21-22, 2015. Over 350
attendees from all over the world came together for conversations,
demonstrations, and keynotes centered around the theme of "Free
Software Everywhere." You can watch videos from past conferences at
<a href="http://media.libreplanet.org">http://media.libreplanet.org</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contact</h3>
<p>Georgia Young 
Program Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<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>


title: Library Freedom Project and Werner Koch are 2015 Free Software Awards winners
uri: Library-Freedom-Project-and-Werner-Koch-are-2015-Free-Software-Awards
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/library-freedom-project-and-werner-koch-are-2015-free-software-awards-winners

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/library-freedom-project-and-werner-koch-are-2015-free-software-awards-winners

content:
<p>
<img alt="Award being accepted by Alison Macrina and Nima Fatemi" src="media/49342f16.library-freedom.medium.png" data-original-source="https://media.libreplanet.org/mgoblin_media/media_entries/358/library-freedom.medium.png" style="float: left; width:50%; padding:0.5em;" />
</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/sb-award">Award for Projects of Social Benefit</a> 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. This award
stresses the use of free software in the service of humanity.</p>
<p>This year, it was given to the <a href="https://libraryfreedomproject.org/">Library Freedom Project</a>, a
partnership among librarians, technologists, attorneys, and privacy
advocates which aims to make real the promise of intellectual freedom
in libraries. By teaching librarians about surveillance threats,
privacy rights and responsibilities, and digital tools to stop
surveillance, the project hopes to create a privacy-centric paradigm
shift in libraries and the local communities they serve. Notably, the
project helps libraries launch Tor exit nodes. Project founders Alison
Macrina and chief technology wizard Nima Fatemi accepted the award.</p>
<p>
<img alt="Werner Koch" src="media/0941773b.Werner_Koch_Portrait_01.2015-2.medium.jpg" data-original-source="https://media.libreplanet.org/mgoblin_media/media_entries/356/Werner_Koch_Portrait_01.2015-2.medium.jpg" style="float: right; width:30%; padding:0.5em;" />
</p>

<p>
<img alt="Award being accepted by David Shaw" src="media/c8b451a7.david-shaw.medium.png" data-original-source="https://media.libreplanet.org/mgoblin_media/media_entries/359/david-shaw.medium.png" style="float: left; width: 25%; padding:0.5em;" />
</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/awards/fs-award">Award for the Advancement of Free Software</a> is given annually
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>This year, it was presented to Werner Koch, the founder and driving
force behind GnuPG. GnuPG is the defacto tool for encrypted
communication. Society needs more than ever to advance free encryption
technology. Werner Koch
was unable to attend, so the award was accepted on his behalf by David
Shaw, a GnuPG contributor since 2002.</p>
<br />

<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>John Sullivan<br />
Executive Director<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942<br />
<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>
<p>
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="media/32907bee.88x31.png" data-original-source="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" rel="dct:type">Photo of Werner Koch</span> by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Willi Nothers </span>, licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>
</p>

<p>
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="media/32907bee.88x31.png" data-original-source="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" rel="dct:type">Other photos</span> by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Kori Feener</span>, licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>
</p>


title: Anti-DRM activists go to W3C meeting to protest Digital Restrictions Management in Web standards
uri: Anti-DRM-activists-go-to-W3C-meeting-to-protest-Digital-Restrictions-M
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/anti-drm-activists-go-to-w3c-meeting-to-protest-digital-restrictions-management-in-web-standards

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/anti-drm-activists-go-to-w3c-meeting-to-protest-digital-restrictions-management-in-web-standards

content:
<img alt="Protesters marching outside the W3C office." src="media/218a483a.eme-protest-small.png" data-original-source="http://static.fsf.org/nosvn/dbd/no-drm-in-html/eme-protest-small.png" style="float: right; width: 250px; margin: 10px 0px 10px 10px;" />

<p>The protest began outside the W3C office and continued with a march
past Google's Cambridge office, to Microsoft's office nearby. The
companies are both supporters of <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/dbd-condemns-drm-in-html">Encrypted Media Extensions
(EME)</a>, the proposal to enshrine <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management">DRM</a> in Web standards. The
protest included free software users and developers, including
Richard Stallman and Chris Webber, the maintainer of the GNU
MediaGoblin decentralized publishing platform. A small number of
protesters split from the group, their actions were <em>not</em> condoned
by the FSF, to enter the W3C meeting but they were ejected by
police.</p>
<p>DRM in Web standards would make it cheaper and more politically
acceptable to impose restrictions on users, opening the floodgates to
a new wave of DRM throughout the Web, with all the vulnerabilities,
surveillance and curtailed freedom that DRM entails.</p>
<p>In the week before the protest, Dutch activists held their own
demonstration at the Amsterdam W3C office, and a Brazilian Web expert
met with staff at the W3C office in São Paulo. Concerned people from
around the world posted <a href="https://media.libreplanet.org/u/zakkai/collection/no-drm-in-web-standards/">selfie photos with protest signs against
DRM</a>, many in front of other W3C offices. For every person at the
protest, there were about five hundred who spoke up online against
Encrypted Media Extensions.</p>
<p>"The fight against digital restrictions in Web standards is a new
front in the struggle for liberty and expression on the global
network. It matters for many of the same reasons as protecting strong
encryption and net neutrality, or reigning in online surveillance:
increasingly, the Web mediates our politics and our society. We cannot
be free without a free Web" said by Zak Rogoff, FSF campaigns manager.</p>
<p>The W3C responded to the pressure with multiple posts on the topic in
recent weeks, and participated in a public dialogue about the issue
following the protest. The dialogue was hosted by the MIT Media Lab
and included Richard Stallman of the Free Software Foundation, Joi Ito
of the Media Lab and Danny O'Brien of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF). At the public dialogue, W3C staff member Harry
Halpin pledged to resign in protest if the standards body recommend
Encrypted Media Extensions.</p>
<p>The FSF, EFF and others concerned with Internet and software freedom
have been protesting Encrypted Media Extensions since 2013. The Free
Software Foundation's opposition to Encrypted Media Extensions has
included a <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=183&amp;reset=1">petition</a> to Stop the Hollyweb, signed by more than
33,000 people and <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/oscar-awarded-w3c-in-the-hollyweb">delivered to the W3C with fanfare</a>, a <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/dbd-condemns-drm-in-html">joint
letter</a> signed by 27 organizations, and a <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/cancelnetflix">boycott against
Netflix</a> for its role in developing Encrypted Media
Extensions. This work is coordinated through the Foundation's anti-DRM
campaign, <a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/">Defective by Design</a>.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About Defective By Design</h3>
<p>Defective by Design is the Free Software Foundation's campaign against
Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). DRM is the practice of imposing
technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital
media, creating a good that is defective by design. DRM requires the
use of proprietary software and is a major threat to computer user
freedom. It often spies on users as well. The campaign, based at
defectivebydesign.org, organizes anti-DRM activists for in-person and
online actions, and challenges powerful media and technology interests
promoting DRM. Supporters can donate to the campaign at
<a href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/donate">https://www.defectivebydesign.org/donate</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff <br />
Campaigns Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 <br />
campaigns@fsf.org <br />
</p>


title: Interpreting, enforcing and changing the GNU GPL, as applied to combining Linux and ZFS
uri: Interpreting-enforcing-and-changing-the-GNU-GPL-as-applied-to-combin
feed_id:
http://www.fsf.org/news/interpreting-enforcing-and-changing-the-gnu-gpl-as-applied-to-combining-linux-and-zfs

url:
http://www.fsf.org/news/interpreting-enforcing-and-changing-the-gnu-gpl-as-applied-to-combining-linux-and-zfs

content:
<p>The <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/zfs-and-linux">FSF's statement</a> explains why the current license of ZFS
prevents it from being combined with Linux. To reach that conclusion,
the statement covers all the necessary background for understanding
license incompatibilities and violations in general.</p>
<p>In January of 2005, the FSF added to its <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#CDDL">license list</a> an
explanation that the Common Development and Distribution License,
version 1.0 (CDDL), though a free license, is incompatible with all
versions of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL). While the CDDL
is not commonly used, it is the license that Sun Microsystems (and now
Oracle) chose for distributing the file system ZFS. ZFS was originally
written for Solaris, but recent projects aim to make it work as a
module with other operating system kernels, including Linux, which is
licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL version 2.</p>
<p>"Normally, incompatibility questions like this are raised by people
trying to write proprietary modules for copyleft free programs. They
want to benefit from the work done by free software developers without
providing others the same freedom, and they treat users unethically.
That is not the case here, because ZFS is free software. The ideal
solution would be for Oracle, who has become a large and tremendously
influential distributor of GPL-covered code, to show their leadership
by giving explicit permission allowing their ZFS work to be used under
the GPL," said FSF's licensing and compliance manager, Joshua Gay.</p>
<p>FSF's executive director John Sullivan added, "The FSF does not
develop Linux and does not presume to tell the developers of Linux
when to do GPL enforcement. What we do is provide general materials
that make clear the intent behind the GNU family of licenses, and the
legal basis for that intent, to create shared and reliable best
practices surrounding their use. As this statement makes clear, we
support and encourage GPL enforcement work in this area and others
when it is done in agreement with these best practices, and in accord
with the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/enforcement-principles">Principles of Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement</a>."</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>About the GNU Operating System and Linux</h3>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html</a>.</p>
<p>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
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Joshua Gay<br />
Licensing &amp; Compliance Manager<br />
Free Software Foundation<br />
+1 (617) 542 5942  <br />
<a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">&#108;&#105;&#99;&#101;&#110;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a><br />
</p>


feed_id: http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-releases-ethical-evaluations-of-code-hosting-services
title: GNU releases ethical evaluations of code-hosting services
uri: GNU-releases-ethical-evaluations-of-code-hosting-services
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-releases-ethical-evaluations-of-code-hosting-services
content:
<p>The completed evaluations can be viewed on the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria-evaluation.html">evaluation page</a>,
while the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/repo-criteria.en.html">criteria page</a> offers more information on the evaluation
process, as well as the criteria themselves.</p>
<p>Repositories are used not only by software developers but also by
software users, and they have a large impact on the free software
community. The evaluations promote and honor good ethical practices on
the part of repositories, and make it easy for users to find services
that respect them.</p>
<p>Version 1.0 of the criteria ranks sites on a score from F
(unacceptable) to A+ (extra credit). No site has yet received extra
credit, but Savannah achieved an A grade. An F grade shows the service
has not met even the minimum ethical standards expected for the
hosting of a GNU package. <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/repo-criteria-discuss">GNU's Repo Criteria Discussion list</a> is
happy to offer assistance to repository-hosting organizations seeking
to improve their service's score.</p>
<p>One service which has passed the criteria is GitLab. "We want to allow
everyone to contribute to software. We recognize that many people have
a need for free software to do this," said GitLab's CEO Sytse
Sijbrandij, adding that "as a former developer myself, I think it is
natural that you can contribute to the software you use to
collaborate." Many repository sites require the user to run
proprietary JavaScript to access their full functionality, but GitLab
has addressed this by <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/2015/05/20/gitlab-gitorious-free-software/">relicensing its JavaScript as free
software</a>.</p>
<p>Savannah, which has also passed these criteria, "host[s] projects for
the sake of the ideals of freedom and community that the free software
movement stands for," according to its Web site, which also makes
clear that "[t]he space given to you on this server is given for the
expressed purpose of advancing free software." Savannah is hosted by
the FSF but run almost entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers.</p>
<p>Andrew Ferguson, a community member who played a leadership role in
the evaluation project, said "More volunteers with coding ability are
needed to aid the development of existing repository services to help
them meet these criteria. All community members are encouraged to
write the administrators of code-hosting services, to build awareness
and a motivation to improve their ethical evaluations. GitHub has
responded to some requests from the free software community and has
recently updated its <a href="http://choosealicense.com/">license chooser</a> to include the GPLv3
license. However more community advocacy is required, as GitHub still
fails to meet the criteria."</p>
<p>General discussion regarding the criteria or evaluations can be
directed to the <a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss">libreplanet-discuss</a> mailing list. If you'd like
to lend your help evaluating repositories, please join the
<a href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/repo-criteria-discuss">repo-criteria-discuss</a> list.</p>
<h3>About the Free Software Foundation</h3>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>
<p>More information about the FSF, as well as important information for
journalists and publishers, is at <a href="https://www.fsf.org/press">https://www.fsf.org/press</a>.</p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p>Zak Rogoff <br />
Campaigns Manager <br />
Free Software Foundation  <br />
+1 (617) 542 5942 x31 <br />
<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/news/fsf-job-opportunity-operations-assistant-2016
title: FSF Job Opportunity: Operations Assistant
uri: 2016-04-27-FSF-Job-Opportunity-Operations-Assistant
url: http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-job-opportunity-operations-assistant-2016
content:
<p>This position works closely with FSF staff and management to ensure
all administrative functions of the FSF run smoothly and efficiently,
preserving our 4-star Charity Navigator rating and boosting all areas
of our work.</p>
<p>The Operations Assistant is responsible for handling phone calls,
managing office operations, and being a friendly face for visitors to
our office at the center of Boston's Downtown Crossing. Examples of
job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:</p>
<ul>
<li>fulfilling orders for FSF merchandise and related bookkeeping,</li>
<li>blogging about merchandise-related news,</li>
<li>processing incoming donations,</li>
<li>coordinating volunteers,</li>
<li>updating our contact database,</li>
<li>organizing fundraising mailings, membership mailings, and similar
    communications,</li>
<li>assisting with local and special events, including our annual
    LibrePlanet conference,</li>
<li>assisting with website maintenance, and</li>
<li>looking after the office space.</li>
</ul>
<p>This is a great opportunity for a team-oriented self-starter who
thrives on multitasking, is calm under pressure, has an eye for
detail, and wants to make a difference. The position must be worked
from the Boston office, and the position must be able to lift small to
medium-size packages (up to 50 pounds) on a regular basis. With our
small staff of thirteen, each person makes a clear contribution. We
work hard, but offer a humane and fun work environment.</p>
<p>Because our mission is worldwide, language skills and a demonstrated
ability to interact with people across cultures and age groups will be
highly valued. While the position does not require advanced computer
skills, a willingness to learn and work with new software is a must.
We use free software like CiviCRM, Plone, Emacs, and LibreOffice, all
running on GNU/Linux.</p>
<p>The FSF is a growing organization and provides great potential for
advancement; existing staff get the first chance at any new job
openings. Previous Operations Assistants have often gone on to hold
other positions within the organization.</p>
<h2>Benefits and salary</h2>
<p>This job is a union position. The salary is fixed at $51,646/year and
is non-negotiable. Other benefits include the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>full family health coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield's HMO
    Blue program,</li>
<li>subsidized dental plan,</li>
<li>four weeks of paid vacation annually,</li>
<li>seventeen paid holidays annually,</li>
<li>public transit commuting cost reimbursement,</li>
<li>403(b) program through TIAA-CREF, and</li>
<li>yearly cost-of-living pay increases (based on government
    guidelines).</li>
</ul>
<p>Resumes and cover letters must be submitted via email to
<a href="mailto:hiring@fsf.org">&#104;&#105;&#114;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#64;&#102;&#115;&#102;&#46;&#111;&#114;&#103;</a>. The email must contain the subject line, "Operations
Assistant". Resumes should be attached in text, PDF, or OpenDocument.
No Word documents, please. Email submissions that do not follow these
instructions will be ignored.</p>
<p><strong>Applications must be received by Friday, May 20, 2016.</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<h2>About the Free Software Foundation</h2>
<p>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
<a href="https://donate.fsf.org">https://donate.fsf.org</a>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.</p>


