= Position paper for the boost of Open Educational Resources on the basis of Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150210-01.sv.html ]
Together with FSFE and other partners, the Bündnis Freie Bildung ("Free
Education Alliance") today publishes its position paper about the
creation and usage of Open Educational Resources (OER). Therein, the
Bündnis demands a consequent publishing of all OER-material under public
licences and their availability as Free Software and in Open Standard
formats.
The Bündnis Freie Bildung is following a vision to have "all educational
resources usable without any legal or technical barriers". This can only
be achieved by using Free Software and Open Standards. Consequently, we
find it as a core postulation of the alliance's initial position
paper[1] "Der Weg zur Stärkung freier Bildungsmaterialien" ("The road to
boost Open Educational Resources" only available in German). The paper
has a specific focus on the creation and usage of OER inside the German
educational system.
"In the upcoming years, Open Educational Resources will receive an
ever growing importance inside all sectors of public and private
education", says Erik Albers from the FSFE. "To bring OER to their
full potential, Free Software is indispensable. We are happy to join
the Bündnis Freie Bildung today to bring an understanding of this
context into politics and society."
Furthermore, the position paper demands to consider the use of Free
Software already during the development or extension of IT
infrastructures. In addition, it shall be mandatory to publish
educational resources that have been paid with public money as Open
Educational Resources. By this, the Bündnis Freie Bildung expects a
higher fairness in education and the promotion of participative
structures inside the educational system. Both are characteristics, that
experience an ever growing importance with the ongoing digitalisation of
learning and teaching.
"The more we see classic educational environments equipped with
computers, the more important it is to offer every learner an
education that is independent from manufacturers and products, that
is participative and is built on top of free educational material.
For the FSFE, this begins with Free Software and achieves perfection
in interaction with OER", says Erik Albers.
== About the Bündnis Freie Bildung ==
The Bündnis Freie Bildung[2] is a coalition of organisations and
individuals with the aim to pin the usage and support of Open Education
Resources into politics and society. The alliance was founded by
Creative Commons Germany, Open Knowledge Foundation Germany and
Wikimedia Germany. The FSFE affiliates with the Bündnis as a partner.
Inside the alliance, the FSFE raises awareness about free technology -
namely Free Software and Open Standards - as a necessary condition for a
sustainable development of Open Educational Resources.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://buendnis-freie-bildung.de/positionspapier-oer/
2. http://buendnis-freie-bildung.de/
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Show your love for Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150209-01.sv.html ]
Every year on 14th February, the Free Software Foundation Europe asks
all Free Software users to think about the hard-working people in the
Free Software community and to show them their appreciation individually
on this "I love Free Software"-Day.
Like last year[1] the campaign is dedicated to the people behind Free
Software because they enable us to use, study, share and improve the
software which enables us to work in freedom. This time the focus
especially lies on the small contributions to the big picture of the
Free Software community.
"When people think of the Free Software they need and admire, many
think of large well-known applications. These softwares and the
organisations behind it are very important indeed. But we should
also think of the countless developers who spend their free or work
time to write and improve the smaller bits of software we also rely
on." says Max Mehl, this year's #ilovefs[2] campaign manager.
"Coders are no machines and their contributions deserve our respect
and gratitude."
For I love Free Software Day 2015 FSFE has several suggestions how to
show one's love to the people behind Free Software, for example:
- *Pictures* A picture is worth thousand words. The Free Software
Foundation Europe already collected some images[3] of people showing
how they express their support for Free Software developers in public.
That's a very individual way to participate.
- *Postcards* If you rather prefer to clothe your thoughts in words the
brand-new postcards enable you to do so. It's either suitable for your
valentine or for developers which software you adore. The postcards
can be ordered[4] for free just like FSFE's other promotion material.
- *#ilovefs* always had great online impact so FSFE is once again
looking forward to seeing a lot of messages on microblogs, social
networks, mailing lists, and blogs in a variety of languages.
- *Donations* to developers and organisations dedicated to Free Software
are another way how to declare one's appreciation. Invite them for a
drink or donate to their projects, to FSFE[5] or to other supporters
of Free Software[6].
"Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives. It is
important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us.
Free Software contributors give everybody else the freedom to use,
understand, adapt and share the software they have written. This way
they help to support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of
speech, freedom of press and privacy." says Matthias Kirschner,
FSFE's Vice President. "We should not underestimate the power of a
simple "thank you" to motivate them in their important work for
society. So say thank you on 14th February!"
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140221-01.sv.html
2. http://ilovefs.org
3. https://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs/whylovefs/gallery.sv.html
4. https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword.sv.html#ilovefs-campaign
5. https://fsfe.org/donate/index.sv.html
6. https://wiki.fsfe.org/DonateToFreeSoftwareProjects
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= EU to fund Free Software code review =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141219-01.sv.html ]
The European Parliament has approved funding for several projects
related to Free Software and privacy. In the EU budget for 2015[1],
which the European Parliament adopted[2] on December 17, the
Parliamentarians have allocated up to one million Euro for a project to
audit Free Software programs in use at the Commission and the Parliament
in order to identify and fix security vulnerabilities.
Even though these institutions are tightly locked into non-free file
formats, much of their infrastructure is based on Free Software.
“This is a very welcome decision,” says FSFE's president Karsten
Gerloff. “Like most public bodies, the European institutions rely
heavily on Free Software for their daily operations. It is good to
see that the Parliament and the Commission will invest at least a
little in improving the quality and the programs they use.”
The European Commission's Directorate General for Informatics (DIGIT)
will be in charge of implementing the pilot. FSFE urges the Commission
to work closely with upstream developers. The EC should make the audit
results public as soon as possible, and contribute any improvements it
makes to the upstream projects.
The budget further lists a project to encrypt communications among the
EU institutions, funded with EUR 500,000; and a pilot that uses Free
Software and Open Standards to help civil society actors participate in
lawmaking, by improving AT4AM, the software that MEPs use for drafting
legislation, which the Parliament published as Free Software in 2013[3].
Another project is intended to enable the European Commission to make
unclassified documents publicly available by default.
“Taken together, these projects are a first step towards more
transparent policy making in Europe,” says Gerloff. “We will
continue to work with the Commission and the Parliament to help them
along the path of engaging more consistently and effectively with
the Free Software community.”
Media contact:
Karsten Gerloff
Mail: gerloff fsfe.org
tel.: +49 176 9690 4298
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/budget/data/DB2/2015/en/SEC03.pdf
2. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20141027STO76315/ht…
3. http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2012/07/18/helping-the-european-parliament-to…
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Protect your privacy - Help GnuPG hire a second developer! =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141217-01.sv.html ]
GnuPG is the world's leading privacy tool, with an estimated base of
more than four million active users world-wide, and a thousand new users
each day. It guards emails, files, and programs from snooping and spying
on Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux. This crucial program needs your help to
keep going in 2015 and beyond.
Ongoing government spying revelations have shown how little of our
information is really safe. GnuPG is one of the few tools that can offer
real protection. Edward Snowden used it to encrypt his communications
with journalists. All companies and individuals running Free Software
systems use it to protect their software against manipulation -
sometimes without even knowing about it. Credit card data and backups
are routinely encrypted through GnuPG, and the program will be needed
for many years in the future to restore that data.
GnuPG this is free of charge for all those people around the world, but
it costs money to develop and maintain. For more than a decade, g10 code
GmbH, the company owned and headed by GnuPG's principal author Werner
Koch, has been bearing the majority of these costs. The company is
seeking EUR 120,000 to carry on its work on GnuPG in 2015.
With this money, the company will:
- hire a second developer to work on GnuPG
- maintain the GnuPG software and documentation
- put this vital bit of our privacy infrastructure on a more solid
organisational footing, so that it will remain viable in the long
term.
There are no fancy fundraising videos or goodies. Every cent of your
donation will directly support the future development of GnuPG. Donors
will be listed on the GnuPG website and in the next GnuPG release,
unless they choose to remain anonymous.
You can directly donate to the GnuPG project through this page:
https://gnupg.org/donate/[1]
If you can benefit from a donation receipt by a Germany charity you may
donate to the GnuPG account at the WAU Holland Stiftung:
https://www.wauland.de/en/donation.html#61[2]
Wau Holland Stiftung
Commerzbank Kassel
Königsplatz 32-34
34117 Kassel / Germany
IBAN: DE89 5204 0021 0277 2812 06
BIC: COBADEFF520 or COBADEFFXXX
Stichwort: GnuPG
Bitcoin: 12LKeo24XCzgz6ASSxcUa8BvUfzkEyCpGq
The Wau Holland Stiftung will use the money raised to pay for
development work on GnuPG and Enigmail.
In a blog post, Werner Koch has provided an overview of GnuPG's costs
and revenues over the years:
https://www.gnupg.org/blog/20141214-gnupg-and-g10.html[3]
Media contact:
- Werner Koch, primary GnuPG developer, g10 code: Email: wk AT g10code
DOT org Phone: +49-2104-173855
- Karsten Gerloff, President, Free Software Foundation Europe: Email:
gerloff AT fsfe DOT org Phone: +49 176 9690 4298
- Bernd Fix, Wau Holland Stiftung: Email: bf AT wauland DOT de
About Wau Holland Stiftung:
WHS is a foundation related to the Chaos Computer Club, that was
launched by the father and close friends of the late "information
philosopher" Wau Holland (a.k.a. Herwart Holland-Moritz) to promote and
pursue his unique freethinking in relation to freedom of communication
and informational self-determination.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://gnupg.org/donate/
2. https://www.wauland.de/en/donation.html#61
3. https://www.gnupg.org/blog/20141214-gnupg-and-g10.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Study: To ensure transparency, European Parliament must adopt Free Software, Open Standards =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141212-01.sv.html ]
A study relesead on Friday says that the European Parliament must adopt
Free Software and Open Standards[1] in order to fulfil its transparency
obligations. The authors conclude that "the Rules of Procedure of the
European Parliament should whenever possible make Free Software and Open
Standards mandatory for all systems and data used for the work of
Parliament."
The study, entitled "Ensuring utmost transparency -- Free Software and
Open Standards under the Rules of Procedure of the European
Parliament"[2], was prepared by two legal experts for the Greens/EFA[3]
in the European Parliament. Its authors, the legal experts Carlo Piana
(Italy) and Ulf Öberg (Sweden), argue that the Parliament is committed
to an even higher standard of openness than other EU institutions.
"This study sends a strong signal that Free Software and Open
Standards are essential for the European institutions to fulfil
their transparency obligations," says FSFE's president Karsten
Gerloff. "We call on the European Parliament to implement the
study's recommendations at all levels, and as quickly as possible,
in particular with regard to access and use of documents, email and
encryption, video streaming, and upcoming procurement decisions."
The study lists a number of concrete steps the European Parliament needs
to take in order to fulfil its transparency obligations:
- Immediate technical measures includes to enable access and use of
documents, email and encryption with and through Open Standards. In
other words, the European Parliament must make it possible to work
with ODF, IMAP and OpenPGP inside the Parliament. It must also ensure
that citizens can use these open standards to communicate with the
Parliament, regardless of the software platform they are using.
- When acquiring software and services, the European Parliament should
prefer Free Software based on Open Standards. This is not only allowed
by the EU's procurement rules, but actually "serves the general
economic interest of the EU".
- The European Parliament should continously check that its IT
infrastructure and services comply with the Constitutional Principle
of Openness and the Parliament's own Rules of Procedure to ensure the
utmost transparency.
FSFE and others have repeatedly criticised the Parliament for failing on
transparency. Currently, MEPs and parliamentary staff do not have access
to a standards-compliant email solution, and live video streams from the
Parliament are not accessible for Free Software users.
"The Parliament needs to open itself to the world," says Gerloff.
"Live video streams that allow all Europeans to follow the
Parliament's work are essential to democracy in the 21st century.
Encryption is a necessity to allow the citizens to talk to their
MEPs in confidence. Utmost transparency is one of the EU's
fundamental principles, and Europeans expect their Parliament to do
better in this regard."
The Greens/EFA are soliciting feedback[4] for a second edition of the
study.
Media contact:
Karsten Gerloff
Mail: gerloff fsfe.org
tel.: +49 176 9690 4298
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/activities/os/def.en.html
2. http://www.greens-efa.eu/fileadmin/dam/Documents/Studies/Ensuring-Utmost-Tr…
3. http://www.greens-efa.eu/free-software-and-open-standards-in-the-european-p…
4. http://euwiki.org/Ensuring_utmost_transparency_--_Free_Software_and_Open_St…
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Get secure with a smartcard and support FSFE’s work in 2015 =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141203-01.sv.html ]
Free Software Foundation Europe is a pan-European charity, established
in 2001 to empower users to control technology. To enable the
organisation to intensify its work with the European Commission and to
let more people know about Free Software, the FSFE needs another
€190,000 for its work in 2015. Next year, the FSFE will push harder than
ever to weave software freedom into the fabric of our society.
The new European Commission is currently setting the direction of its
policy making for the coming five years. The FSFE is in frequent contact
with Commission staff who currently see open doors for Free Software in
Brussels. In 2015, the FSFE wants to use this momentum to push for
changes on software procurement, standardisation, and device
sovereignty, and create real progress for Free Software and Open
Standards.
At the same time, in 2015 the FSFE will reach out to more people, and go
to more places where people do not yet know about Free Software. The
FSFE will expand its network of local groups throughout Europe. The
organisation is constantly translating its increasingly popular
promotion materials[1] into many European languages. Local volunteers
can spread the word about Free Software by ordering gratis promotion
packs, and distributing the materials at libraries, cinemas, shops and
in other places, greatly extending the reach of the Free Software
message.
The best way to support the FSFE's work is to[2] become a Fellow (a
sustaining member of the FSFE). All Fellowship contributions directly
benefit the FSFE’s work towards a free society. Fellows receive a state-
of-the-art Fellowship smartcard[3] which, together with the free GnuPG
encryption software and a card reader, can be used to sign and encrypt
e-mails, to secure SSH keys, to securely log into a computer from a
potentially insecure machine, or to store the user’s hard disk
encryption keys. Since the encryption key is stored on the card itself,
it is almost impossible to steal.
There is also the option to make a one time donation to the FSFE[4].
To continue its work in 2015, the FSFE will need €420,000 in total. The
organisation has already secured €230,000 thanks to existing sustaining
members, regular donations, and merchandise sales. The FSFE requires
another €190,000 to underwrite its work in 2015.
- Karsten Gerloff's blog entry about the FSFE's work in the last 12
months[5]
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword.sv.html#promo-material
2. https://fsfe.org/join/join.sv.html
3. https://fsfe.org/fellowship/card.sv.html
4. https://fsfe.org/donate/onetime-donation.sv.html
5. http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2014/12/01/preview-what-fsfe-did-in-2014/
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to
control technology. Software controlled technology is deeply involved
in all aspects of our lives; and it is important that this technology
empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the
right to use, understand, adapt and share software. These rights help
support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and
privacy. (http://fsfe.org)
= Italian consumers shouldn’t have to pay for software they don’t want – Letter to Regulators =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141017-02.sv.html ]
FSFE and Italian consumer association ADUC, along with Italian group
ILS, are asking regulators to take concrete steps to protect Italians
from being forced to pay for software they do not want or need. Italy’s
High Court ruled in September[1] that computer vendors must reimburse
customers for the price of unwanted non-free software that comes pre-
installed on PCs and laptops. Today, FSFE, ADUC and ILS have sent a
letter to the Italian competition authorities[2], calling on them to
ensure that vendors will comply with the High Court’s decision, and
respect the rights of their customers.
“Vendors can’t rightfully ask consumers to jump through hoops in
order to enjoy their legal rights, and the authorities have a duty
to protect those rights,” says FSFE’s President Karsten Gerloff.
“The simple steps we are calling for today would lead to much
greater freedom of choice for Italians. We are hopeful that the
competition authorities will take action to implement the High
Court's ruling.”
- FSFE, ADUC, and ILS are asking the competition watchdog to take the
following steps: When non-free software is pre-installed on a device,
it must carry a prominent notice to users to make them aware of the
possibility to receive a reimbursement for the price of the software
license.
- Hardware vendors should put in place simple procedures for consumers
to claim reimbursements for pre-installed software in line with market
prices. Reimbursement procedures must not be unnecessarily
complicated, and need to be easy for consumers to find and follow.
- Warranty and support provisions for the device must not be affected by
whether a consumer chooses to have the price of the software
reimbursed.
Alternatively, vendors could sell their devices pre-installed with Free
Software, releasing them from the above obligations.
“Only Free Software allows users to fully control what their
computers are doing, and where their personal data goes,” says
FSFE’s President Karsten Gerloff. “Anyone who buys a computer should
have the option of receiving it with Free Software pre-installed.”
In most European countries, it is difficult for consumers to acquire PCs
and laptops without being forced to pay for a license for a non-free
operating system at the same time. FSFE has long been pushing for
vendors to end their current practice of pushing non-free software on
consumers who do not want or need it. The organisation maintains a wiki
page[3] with advice for consumers. Here, buyers can also report their
experiences in obtaining reimbursements from different vendors in
various countries.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140912-01.en.html
2. https://fsfe.org/www.aduc.it/generale/files/file/allegati/Istanza%20AGCM%20…
3. https://fsfe.org//wiki.fsfe.org/WindowsTaxRefund.sv.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Italy: High Court shoots down Windows tax =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140912-01.sv.html ]
Italy's High Court has struck a blow to the practice of forcing non-free
software on buyers of PCs and laptops. According to La Repubblica[1],
the court ruled on Thursday that a laptop buyer was entitled to receive
a refund for the price of the Microsoft Windows license on his computer.
The judges sharply criticised the practice of selling PCs only together
with a non-free operating system as "a commercial policy of forced
distribution". The court slammed this this practice as "monopolistic in
tendency". It also highlighted that the practice of bundling means that
end users are forced into using additional non-free applications due to
compatibility and interoperability issues, whether they wanted these
programs or not
"This decision is both welcome and long overdue", said Karsten
Gerloff, President of the Free Software Foundation Europe. "No
vendor should be allowed to cram non-free software down the throats
of users."
Free Software Foundation Europe has been long been fighting the "Windows
tax", as the involuntary payment to Microsoft is often called. The
organisation maintains a wiki page[2] with advice for consumers who want
to avoid funding the development of non-free software, and accounts from
people who have returned the licenses they were forced to buy.
In response to the ruling, the Italian authorities should discourage the
bundling of software and hardware, and take practical steps to ensure
that consumers can really exercise their freedom of choice. Governments
around Europe should take the same steps, and encourage consumers
everywhere to install and use Free Software[3].
"This practice of forced distribution needs to end," says Gerloff.
"We hope that the Italian authorities will turn this ruling into a
real win for consumers, and ensure that computer buyers can choose
their device with any operating system they want, or none."
The number of the ruling is 19161 / 2014.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://www.repubblica.it/tecnologia/2014/09/11/news/hp_perde_causa_il_softw…
2. https://wiki.fsfe.org/WindowsTaxRefund
3. http://fsfe.org/about/basics/freesoftware.en.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= EC distorts market by refusing to break free from lock-in =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140708-01.sv.html ]
The European Commission has recently renewed its commitment to a
proprietary desktop and secret file formats.The Commission is refusing
to get serious about breaking free from vendor lock-in, and is ignoring
all available alternatives. In doing so, the EU's civil service fails to
practice what it preaches.
In April, the Commission signed two contracts with Microsoft: An
agreement for "high-level services"[1] worth 44 million Euro, and a
framework agreement on software licensing conditions[2]. The actual
licenses are provided by Hewlett-Packard under a separate contract from
2012[3], worth 50 million euro. The contracts cover the Commission
itself, and 54 other EU organisations.
"We are extremely disappointed about the lack of progress here,"
says FSFE president Karsten Gerloff. "The Commission has not even
looked for viable alternatives. Its lazy approach to software
procurement leaves the Commission open to allegations of inertia,
and worse."
The Commission recently admitted publicly for the first time[4] that it
is in "effective captivity" to Microsoft. But documents obtained by
FSFE[5] show that the Commission has made no serious effort to find
solutions based on Open Standards. In consequence, a large part of
Europe's IT industry is essentially locked out of doing business with
the Commission.
In a strategy paper which the Commission released[6] in response to
official questions from MEP Andersdotter, the EC lays out a three-track
approach for its office automation platform for the coming years. This
strategy will only deepen the Commission's reliance on secret,
proprietary file formats and programs.
"The Commission should be setting a positive example for public
administrations across Europe," comments Gerloff. "Instead, it
shirks its responsibility as a public administrations, and simply
claims that such alternatives don't exist. Even the most basic
market analysis would have told the Commission that there's a
vibrant Free Software industry in Europe that it could have relied
on."
Many public organisations in Europe are successfully using Free Software
solutions that implement Open Standards. Examples are the German city of
Munich with its internationally recognised Limux project, and the UK
government, which has made great strides in using Free Software and Open
Standards to obtain value for money in IT procurement. Over the years,
many of these progressive organisations have asked the Commission for
practical and moral support[7] for their course. This latest move by the
Commission will seem a cruel joke to them.
Despite this setback, FSFE will continue to work with the Commission,
and help it improve the way it buys software. It could do so by relying
on specifications and standards rather than brand names, by using an
open call for tender instead of talking to a single vendor, and by
figuring future exit costs into the price of any new solution. These
practices are fast becoming the norm across Europe's public sector. The
EC should practice what it preaches, and adopt these practices for its
own procurement.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:140675-2014:TEXT:EN:HTML
2. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:140672-2014:TEXT:EN:HTML
3. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:105131-2012:TEXT:EN:HTML
4. http://download.fsfe.org/policy/procurement/201401.EC_Future_Office_Automat…
5. http://download.fsfe.org/policy/procurement/
6. http://download.fsfe.org/policy/procurement/201401.EC_Future_Office_Automat…
7. https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/news/mayor-munich-eu-laptops-should-have-libreo…
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= FSFE: 32 Free Software Pact supporters elected to the European Parliament =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140528-01.sv.html ]
The European elections have brought 32 Free Software supporters into the
new European Parliament. Candidates across the political spectrum signed
the Free Software Pact[1], promising to support Free Software and Open
Standards during their time in Parliament. Out of 162 signatories, 32
were elected
"We congratulate the fresh MEPs on their election, and would like to
thank everyone who signed the Free Sotware Pact," says Karsten Gerloff,
president of the Free Software Foundation Europe. "Europe deserves more
software freedom. We rely on these MEPS to make sure that Europeans can
be in full control of the computers they use. FSFE will be happy to
support them in this important effort."
The Free Software Pact campaign is run by April[2] and supported by FSFE
and other Free Software organisations. Candidates who signed the pact
stated their support for Free Software and Open Standards in politics,
law and administration. Free Software activists all over Europe
collected 162 signatures from candidates across the political spectrum
in 16 countries. France is Europeans country with the highest number of
successful elected signatories, followed by Germany and Slovenia.
FSFE's outreach coordinator Erik Albers says: "Please join us in
continuing the push for software freedom in the Parliament. Contact your
Member of the new European Parliament and get her or him to sign the
Free Software Pact! Europe needs their support for Free Software and
Open Standards."
- More information: April's press release on the Free Software Pact
results in France[3]
- List of all Free Software Pact signatures[4]
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://freesoftwarepact.eu/
2. http://april.org
3. http://www.april.org/free-software-pact-162-signataires-dans-16-pays-17-sig…
4. http://freesoftwarepact.eu/europarl2014/
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/