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FSFE Newsletter
by Free Software Foundation Europe 21 May '08

21 May '08

Issues around standardisation continued to make headlines during April. However, other important areas of focus were also under discussion around the world. In Amsterdam, FSFE's Freedom Task Force hosted the first European Legal and Licensing Workshop, leading to broad agreement between many European stakeholders on methods of improving legal infrastructure for Free Software in Europe. In Brazil, the 9th FISL conference provided a forum for various discussion about the adoption and evolution of free technologies. The Fellowship and FSFE volunteers were also active. The Fellows in Berlin had a booth at a distribution release party and the Italian volunteers worked on building the structure to ensure long-term sustainability for their team. Please consider how you can contribute to our movement. You can visit http://fsfeurope.org/contribute for suggestions of ways to get involved. Shane, FSFE Zurich Office 1. FTF workshop leads to broad agreement on European licensing infrastructure 2. Lack of quality in standardisation a serious problem 3. Licensing as a strategic imperative, speech at FISL 4. Fellowship Group at Ubuntu Release Party in Berlin 5. Italian team: new mailing list and renewed blog FORTHCOMING EVENTS: 6. Linuxwochen, Vienna, Austria (2008-05-15 to 2008-05-17) 7. Fellowship meeting in Vienna (2008-05-17) 8. LinuxTag 2008, Berlin, Germany (2008-05-28 to 2008-05-31) 9. 'Strategic implementation of Free Software in business' speech at eLiberatica (2008-05-30) 1. FTF workshop leads to broad agreement on European licensing infrastructure The recent European Legal and Licensing Workshop hosted by FSFE's Freedom Task Force lead to productive discussions and broad agreement on important focus areas in Free Software licensing between commercial and non-commercial stakeholders. The event took place in Amsterdam during early April and was attended to capacity. Shane Coughlan, FTF Coordinator, states that "this marks an example of the growing maturity of Free Software in Europe. We have a great deal to do to ensure strong infrastructure to support the community, but as this workshop showed, the will and ability to create the infrastructure is present in all stakeholders." Documentation from the workshop will be released to the public shortly. 2. Lack of quality in standardisation a serious problem "FSFE published its 'Six questions to national standardisation bodies' before the September 2nd vote last year. [1] Considering the statements about progress made on MS-OOXML, one would have hoped that at least one of these questions enjoyed a satisfactory response," states FSFE's German Deputy country coordinator Matthias Kirschner. He continues: "Unfortunately that is not the case. Issues like the 'Converter Hoax' [2] and the 'Questions on Open Formats' [3] are still equally valid. As the 'Deprecated before use' [4] and 'Interoperability woes with OOXML' [5] documents demonstrate, MS-OOXML interoperability is severely limited in comparison to Open Standards. In addition to these issues, there are the legal concerns that were raised by various parties. [6]" FSFE vice-president Jonas Öberg states: "Governments have to start asking themselves what the ISO seal of approval really means. As demonstrated by the MPEG standards, it never meant that something qualifies as a meaningful 'Open Standard.'" [1] http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-questions [2] http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-converter-hoax [3] http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-questions-for-ms [4] http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-idiosyncrasies [5] http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-interoperability [6] http://www.fsfla.org/svnwiki/stdlib/offdoc/mision 3. Licensing as a strategic imperative, speech at FISL Shane Coughlan, FSFE's Freedom Task Force Coordinator, delivered a speech on the strategic importance of Free Software licensing at this years FISL event in Porte Alegre, Brazil. FISL has grown to be perhaps the largest Free Software event in the world. This year it was attended by 7,000 people and notable speakers included Jon 'Maddog' Hall, Theodore Ts'o from the Linux Foundation and Mitchell Baker from Mozilla Corporation. Well known European faces like Knut Yrvin from Trolltech and Bram Moolenaar, the creator of VIM, were also present. 4. Fellowship Group at Ubuntu Release Party in Berlin The Berlin Fellowship Group attended the "Hardy Heron" release event in Berlin's cbase and featured a talk from Fellow Torsten Grote about Gobuntu -- which aims to be a complete free (as in free speech) GNU/Linux operating system -- and the importance of Free Software in general. The group also had a booth there which attracted many interested visitors who were very eager to learn about Free Software. While Ubuntu is not entirely Free Software, it has helped a lot to make Free Software accessible to many people. The Berlin Fellowship wanted to build on this and foster discussion about our goal of having 100% Free Software available to everyone. If you would like to join in the fun, please note that the Berlin Fellowship meets every second Thursday in the month at the Newthinking Store, Tucholskystr. 48 in 10117 Berlin at 19:30 pm. 5. Italian team: new mailing list and renewed blog The Italian team of the FSFE has just launched a new public discussion mailing list about Free Software and FSFE activities in Italy. All Italian fellows, volunteers and interested people are invited to join us and come up with ideas, proposals and any kind of questions. You can subscribe to the new fsfe-it@ list at: https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/fsfe-it Also, Gnuvox (http://www.gnuvox.info), the blog on Free Software and Free Culture maintained by the Italian team, has just been renewed thanks to the TIS Free Software Center in Bolzano. We have some interesting plans for the future, and we invite all italian Fellows and bloggers to follow Gnuvox , submit comments and new posts too: you can contact the editorial team at: pr-it(at)fsfeurope.org FORTHCOMING EVENTS 6. Linuxwochen, Vienna, Austria (2008-05-15 to 2008-05-17) >From 15 to 17 May, an event of the Linuxwochen Austria will take place in the building of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Rudolf-Sallinger-Platz 1, 3rd district, Vienna. A group of Fellows will be present with a booth where they inform about FSFE, the Fellowship, and Free Software in general. Admission is free for the whole event. 7. Fellowship meeting in Vienna (2008-05-17) The twenty-second Austrian Fellowship meeting is integrated in the Linuxwochen event in Vienna. Fellows and other interested people can meet at the FSFE booth during the whole event to discuss, and at the end of the last day of the event, we will join the Linuxwochen After-Show-Party. 8. LinuxTag 2008, Berlin, Germany (2008-05-28 to 2008-05-31) As in the last years FSFE will be present with a booth at LinuxTag 2008. It takes place at Berlin's Expo Center under the Funkturm. FSFE will inform visitors about various aspects of Free Software, like the Freedom Task Force, software patents, the SELF project, GPLv3, our work in the United Nations, or the Fellowship of FSFE. Also it is planned to sell T-shirts from FSFE and books about Free Software. 9. 'Strategic implementation of Free Software in business' speech at eLiberatica (2008-05-30) Shane Coughlan, FTF coordinator, will deliver a speech entitled 'Strategic implementation of Free Software in business' at the eLiberatica conference in Romania on the 30th of May. You can find a list of all FSFE newsletters on http://www.fsfeurope.org/news/newsletter.en.html Copyright (C) FSFE. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

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BBC TV: Click: Free=beer and facebook-flaming
by MJ Ray 18 May '08

18 May '08

Free software finally gets significant coverage on BBC TV's Click show this week, but I think it's very much Linux rather than GNU/Linux and free cost rather than freedom. They mentioned free security software and even raised the possibility of trojans, but didn't mention how free (as in freedom) software allows any random end-user to check or have it checked. Quite a missed opportunity! However, Click has a regular letters section, so watch it (times below), email click(a)bbc.co.uk and see if we can get the free software view across. The letters section this week seemed to be flaming proprietary SaaS social network site facebook for their pathetic default-permit approach to security of user details. I really think there's a role for something like noserub.com in free software social networking. bbc.co.uk/click is shown on BBC News Channel Saturday 1130, Sunday 0430 and 1130, Monday 0030 and Sunday 0430 on BBC-1 (times BST) bbcworld.com/click is shown Thursday 19:30 GMT, Repeated Friday 09:30 and 12:30 (Asia Pacific only), Saturdays 06:30, Mondays 15:30, Tuesdays 01:30 (not Asia Pacific, Middle East or South Asia) & 07:30 GMT Anyone else see this? Regards, -- MJ Ray (slef) Webmaster for hire, statistician and online shop builder for a small worker cooperative http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ http://mjr.towers.org.uk/ (Notice http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html) tel:+44-844-4437-237

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One or two (or five) questions about free software and hardware
by Robin C. M. Staple 03 May '08

03 May '08

Hi, I have a few questions: 1.) Is the only reason why completely free GNU/Linux distros like Gobuntu or gnewsense don't work as well because of a lack of FOSS drivers? 2.) If so, are there laptops available in the world which one can buy that have completely FOSS hardware (like the OpenMoko phone)? 3.) If such a laptop exists, would any old Joe like myself be able to run a completely free OS? (Given that I am a GNU/Linux noob and know nothing about programming, compiling, etc.) 4.) Is there a list somewhere of "certified FREE hardware" laptops / desktops and where to buy them? 5.) Is the JISUS laptop (http://desktoplinux.com/news/NS3294112608.html) such a machine? Thank you ever so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I am rather new to the issues at hand, have been searching around for a while for answers but can't find any...

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Where do people find the time [for free culture]?
by Bogdan Bivolaru 02 May '08

02 May '08

Video: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010186.html TRANSCRIPT: http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html (via Wade Olson, http://wadejolson.wordpress.com/) " [...] I was having dinner with a group of friends about a month ago, and one of them was talking about sitting with his four-year-old daughter watching a DVD. And in the middle of the movie, apropos nothing, she jumps up off the couch and runs around behind the screen. That seems like a cute moment. Maybe she's going back there to see if Dora is really back there or whatever. But that wasn't what she was doing. She started rooting around in the cables. And her dad said, "What you doing?" And she stuck her head out from behind the screen and said, "Looking for the mouse." Here's something four-year-olds know: A screen that ships without a mouse ships broken. Here's something four-year-olds know: Media that's targeted at you but doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for. Those are things that make me believe that this is a one-way change. Because four year olds, the people who are soaking most deeply in the current environment, who won't have to go through the trauma that I have to go through of trying to unlearn a childhood spent watching /Gilligan's Island/, they just assume that media includes consuming, producing and sharing. It's also become my motto, when people ask me what we're doing--and when I say "we" I mean the larger society trying to figure out how to deploy this cognitive surplus, but I also mean we, especially, the people in this room, the people who are working hammer and tongs at figuring out the next good idea. From now on, that's what I'm going to tell them: We're looking for the mouse. We're going to look at every place that a reader or a listener or a viewer or a user has been locked out, has been served up passive or a fixed or a canned experience, and ask ourselves, "If we carve out a little bit of the cognitive surplus and deploy it here, could we make a good thing happen?" And I'm betting the answer is yes." People are starting to realise what freedom is... What free, collaborative (participatory) culture is. Free software juggernauts are advancing full speed ahead... But there is still a long and hard battle ahead of us. Hooray! Bogdan

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La Quadrature du Net
by Michel Roche 28 Apr '08

28 Apr '08

Hello, I bring to your attention a french initiative against a french law project which would cause many harm at digital freedom in France and maybe in Europe as French president's intention is to use it's European presidence to bring it to Europe. The site : http://www.laquadrature.net/en/ As they have receive support from many existing organisations abroad, I'w wondering if FSFE would join the movement. To join them by email : support AT laquadrature.net And appear at this page : http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-n… What do you think about it ? Michel (France...)

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Re: Licence compliance with GFDL audio recordings?
by Carsten Agger 23 Apr '08

23 Apr '08

> "Alfred M. Szmidt" <ams(a)gnu.org> wrote: [...] >> The GPL was designed for software, audio isn't software, a suitable >> license free audio license would be be a verbatim only, or a all >> permissive one. > > Audio recordings can be software, and definitely Programs in the sense > of the GPL, but I'd suggest an all-permissive licence is simpler too. > Creative Commons licenses (of several descriptions) are also widely used for audio recordings, of course. If in doubt, it should be easy to propagate the license terms as part of the recording (by referring, that is, not by including everything).

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Licence compliance with GFDL audio recordings?
by David Gerard 23 Apr '08

23 Apr '08

I have a question about the GFDL and audio recordings of GFDL text (for accessibility, podcasts, etc): how does one comply with the GFDL in an audio version of a text? Does it really require the entire license also read out? Are GFDL texts therefore not legally available to the blind, etc? (We've also asked licensing(a)fsf.org, but I was wondering if anyone has dealt with this before. Also, a response in less than three months would be useful. Also, if they answer "you should read the licence text and consult your lawyer", I swear I'm going to nuke Boston - our lawyer is Mike Godwin and he says it makes his head hurt.) - d.

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Re: Bill Gates ridicules the GPL, equals software to medicines, insists on sw. patents
by José Pedro Ferreira 23 Apr '08

23 Apr '08

> "I think if you invent drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he said, adding with a shrug: "That may seem radical." I wouldn't expect otherwise... his whole life has been about exploiting the basic needs of the computer users, why would he take a different approach regarding health issues? I think his charity will never compensate for the attack on the fundamental rights that he's been sponsoring. Cheers, Pedro On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 1:11 PM, José Pedro Ferreira <pedro.ferreira(a)fe.up.pt> wrote: > > "I think if you invent drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he said, adding with a shrug: "That may seem radical." > > I wouldn't expect otherwise... his whole life has been about > exploiting the basic needs of the computer users, why would he take a > different approach regarding health issues? > > I think his charity will never compensate for the attack on the > fundamental rights that he's been sponsoring. > > Cheers, > > Pedro > > > > On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 8:32 AM, David B <davidb_info(a)yahoo.es> wrote: > > So much for the allegued "openness" and "open source > > friendliness" of Microsoft: There is no such thing: > > They want to open the breach inside the FOSS community > > separating tame just-business-friendly patent-friendly > > open-source from free(dom) software and marginalise > > (and eventually kill) the GPL and the FSF. > > He goes as far as downplaying the benefits of open > > source software in medical science projects (better > > leave it to Gates' charity) > > Notice they keep insisting on software patentability > > and that no matter if it is open source they want to > > make you pay for software (and Novell is helping them > > in pursuing this strategy). > > > > Source: > > http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/bill-gates-what.html > > > > Best regards. > > David B.(Spain) > > > > One thing Gates won't be leaving behind in > > retirement is his distaste for open source software. > > After one scientist asked if Gates would consider open > > source uses in health research, the man who built his > > $280 billion company on the power of intellectual > > property bristled. > > > > "There's free software and then there's open > > source," he suggested, noting that Microsoft gives > > away its software in developing countries. With open > > source software, on the other hand, "there is this > > thing called the GPL, which we disagree with." > > > > Open source, he said, creates a license "so that > > nobody can ever improve the software," he claimed, > > bemoaning the squandered opportunity for jobs and > > business. (Yes, Linux fans, we're aware of how > > distorted this definition is.) He went back to the > > analogy of pharmaceuticals: "I think if you invent > > drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he > > said, adding with a shrug: "That may seem radical." > > > > it's very revealing that Microsoft tries to separate > > Free software (it tries to characterise it as gratis, > > i.e. zero cost, cheap, shoddy) from open source. Open > > source is, to Microsoft, mainly about visibility, but > > it wants it to be subjected to the same rules, > > including software patents. Where are those geniuses > > who defended Microsoft's seemingly-friendly approach > > towards the OSI? > > > > http://www.endsoftwarepatents.org > > ------ > > ¿Eres un usuario cautivo ó libre? > > ¿controlas tu ordenador o tu ordenador te controla a tí? > > > > Libérate: Usa Gnu/Linux y OpenOffice.org: > > > > http://www.obtengalinux.org/windows/ > > > > Are you a free user or a captive one? > > Do you control your computer or does your computer control you? > > > > Set yourself free: Use Gnu/Linux and OpenOffice.org: > > > > http://www.getgnulinux.org/windows/ > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________ > > Yahoo! Solidario. Intercambia los objetos que ya no necesitas y ayuda a mantener un entorno más ecológico. > > _______________________________________________ > > Discussion mailing list > > Discussion(a)fsfeurope.org > > https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/discussion > > >

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Bill Gates ridicules the GPL, equals software to medicines, insists on sw. patents
by David B 23 Apr '08

23 Apr '08

So much for the allegued "openness" and "open source friendliness" of Microsoft: There is no such thing: They want to open the breach inside the FOSS community separating tame just-business-friendly patent-friendly open-source from free(dom) software and marginalise (and eventually kill) the GPL and the FSF. He goes as far as downplaying the benefits of open source software in medical science projects (better leave it to Gates' charity) Notice they keep insisting on software patentability and that no matter if it is open source they want to make you pay for software (and Novell is helping them in pursuing this strategy). Source: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/bill-gates-what.html Best regards. David B.(Spain) One thing Gates wont be leaving behind in retirement is his distaste for open source software. After one scientist asked if Gates would consider open source uses in health research, the man who built his $280 billion company on the power of intellectual property bristled. Theres free software and then theres open source, he suggested, noting that Microsoft gives away its software in developing countries. With open source software, on the other hand, there is this thing called the GPL, which we disagree with. Open source, he said, creates a license so that nobody can ever improve the software, he claimed, bemoaning the squandered opportunity for jobs and business. (Yes, Linux fans, were aware of how distorted this definition is.) He went back to the analogy of pharmaceuticals: I think if you invent drugs, you should be able to charge for them, he said, adding with a shrug: That may seem radical. its very revealing that Microsoft tries to separate Free software (it tries to characterise it as gratis, i.e. zero cost, cheap, shoddy) from open source. Open source is, to Microsoft, mainly about visibility, but it wants it to be subjected to the same rules, including software patents. Where are those geniuses who defended Microsofts seemingly-friendly approach towards the OSI? http://www.endsoftwarepatents.org ------ ¿Eres un usuario cautivo ó libre? ¿controlas tu ordenador o tu ordenador te controla a tí? Libérate: Usa Gnu/Linux y OpenOffice.org: http://www.obtengalinux.org/windows/ Are you a free user or a captive one? Do you control your computer or does your computer control you? Set yourself free: Use Gnu/Linux and OpenOffice.org: http://www.getgnulinux.org/windows/ ______________________________________________ Yahoo! Solidario. Intercambia los objetos que ya no necesitas y ayuda a mantener un entorno más ecológico.

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Fwd: Licence compliance with GFDL audio recordings?
by David Gerard 22 Apr '08

22 Apr '08

to list as well ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Gerard <dgerard(a)gmail.com> Date: 22 Apr 2008 09:56 Subject: Re: Licence compliance with GFDL audio recordings? To: MJ Ray <mjr(a)phonecoop.coop> On 22/04/2008, MJ Ray <mjr(a)phonecoop.coop> wrote: > "David Gerard" <dgerard(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > We already have spoken versions of Wikipedia articles on Wikipedia. > > These would presumably be a copyright violation if not right there on > > Wikipedia [...] > Not in England if done to allow access by visually impaired people in > certain circumstances (Copyright ... Act 1988 sections 31A-31F). > There's probably other special cases too. Ooh, yes. That is in fact very useful. Thank you! Hopefully there are similar provisions in other legal systems, particularly the US. - d.

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