[immediate release]
The Vista message: Upgrade to GNU/Linux now!
Microsoft has recently been criticised for some of its decisions regarding its Microsoft Vista operating system, that threaten our fundamental democratic and social values.
"Unfortunately, many of the articles and statements about problems with Microsoft Vista are not truly specific to Vista. Very similar problems exist in any proprietary software," says Georg Greve, FSFE's president. "Ever since the first FSF was founded in 1985, the Free Software Foundations have understood and worked against the threats that proprietary software poses to our society."
He continues: "Because these dangers are more widely understood today we have seen an unprecedented move to Free Software by governments, users and companies alike in the past years. The more proprietary software makes use of its absolute control over the user, the more people are starting to look for alternatives."
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is encouraging all users of proprietary software to consider all costs and alternatives:
Free Software has proven a strong tendency to be more reliable, more secure, and more in line with our democratic and social values. The choice should be easy to make.
In 2006, the FSFE launched its Freedom Task Force (FTF), an activity that offers education and services in Free Software licensing, one of the important issues to consider for any government or company investigating a switch to Free Software. The FTF also answer queries, provide training on all levels, and help to implement best practices in all organisations. With a network of legal and technical experts throughout Europe, it's perfectly equipped to deal with these issues on a daily basis.
One of the technical issues that the FSFE is working on is freedom
From Digital Restriction Management (DRM). This technique gives
industry a hitherto unprecedented power over anything consumers do with their devices and arbitrarily decide and change what the user may do with the digital information at her disposal, completely bypassing national or international laws.
FSFE vice president Jonas Ã\u2013berg explains: "While DRM is a separate issue in some regards, it's important to realise that the media channel providers are pushing for DRM primarily in proprietary software. This is because they know that with proprietary software, the user has no control over it, and there is no way to restore his or her legitimate rights. When using Free Software, the user can change and adapt the software, or have someone do it, thereby bypassing the most unacceptable restrictions. So it is no wonder that the industry is pushing for products such as Microsoft Vista and other proprietary software: it gives them more control over what the user can do."
All of these aspects should be taken into account when looking forward. The COSPA-project, funded by the European Union, considers it an advantage remain "independent of software vendors". And even more importantly, it highlights the fact that Free Software leads to the creation of new software businesses and one step towards reaching the European Union Lisbon goals of making Europe the most competitive knowledge economy by 2010.
FSFE considers this a unique opportunity: With the release of Vista, users will need to upgrade to a new operating system that will feel different and require some time to get used to its functionality. The same is true for any modern GNU/Linux distribution.
It is about the same investment in effort, but it will give you control over your own data.
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.
Contact:
Free Software Foundation Europe Belgium: +32 2 747 03 57 Switzerland: +41 43 500 03 66 UK: +44 29 200 08 17 7 Germany: +49 700 373 38 76 73
Shane Coughlan, FTF Co-ordinator, FSFE extension: 408
Joachim Jakobs, Media Relations, FSFE extension: 404 mobile: +49-179-6919565
Further information: http://fsfeurope.org
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