*Please consider adding <[email protected]> to your address book, which
will ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.*

*Read and share online: <[link removed]>*

Welcome to the *Free Software Supporter*, the Free Software
Foundation's (FSF) monthly news digest and action update -- being read
by you and 232,236 other activists.

### Boost the FSF's advocacy for free software in education: Help us reach our stretch goal

*From January 2*

We're thankful for the support we've received so far in our current
fundraising campaign. Since the start of our fundraiser, free software
supporters like you have raised $339,156 to fuel free software
education. During this time, more than 120 new associate members have
joined the FSF community! Program manager Miriam Bastian shares some
of the FSF's recent efforts in education, the theme of our current
fundraiser, and announces a new stretch goal of raising $425,000 to
boost free software education.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

## TABLE OF CONTENTS

* LibrePlanet 2024: May 4 and 5, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
* A message from president Geoffrey Knauth: Reflecting on the origins of software freedom
* New friends-tier associate membership: Enjoy certain benefits and support the FSF from $35
* Free software in education and free software education
* Licensing & Compliance Lab updates and why we need your support to educate, serve the free software community
* Our work isn't over: Keep fighting for the freedom to learn
* Share this holiday fairy tale with your loved ones
* Thanks to overwhelming support, we were able to meet our December 14 matching campaign goal!
* Presenting this season's online FSF bulletin
* Jitsi Meet: An often-overlooked member benefit
* US Federal employees and retirees: Contribute conveniently through the Combined Federal Campaign
* A Jami Manifest to keep the freedom of your communications
* Polish hackers repaired trains the manufacturer artificially bricked. Now the train company is threatening them
* December GNU Emacs news
* Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
* LibrePlanet featured resource: Teaching Materials
* December GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali: Eleven new GNU releases!
* FSF and other free software events
* Thank GNUs!
* GNU copyright contributions
* Translations of the *Free Software Supporter*
* Take action with the FSF!

View this issue online here: <[link removed]>

Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by
adding our subscriber widget to your website.

* Subscribe: <[link removed]>
* Widget: <[link removed]>

Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at
<[link removed]>.

Want to read this newsletter translated into another language? Scroll
to the end to read the *Supporter* in French, Spanish, or Portuguese.

### LibrePlanet 2024: May 4 and 5, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA

*From January 2*

We have exciting news: we found a venue we think will be great for
LibrePlanet: the Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) at 550
Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA, and we also have a new date!
LibrePlanet: Cultivating Community will be held at the WIT on May 4
and 5, 2024. We look forward to having LibrePlanet at this place of
learning and are sure that the conference will benefit from it.

* <[link removed]>
* Register to attend LibrePlanet in person: <[link removed]>
* Register to attend LibrePlanet remotely: <[link removed]>

### A message from president Geoffrey Knauth: Reflecting on the origins of software freedom

*From December 28*

In his year-end message, FSF president Geoffrey Knauth reflects on the
Foundation's mission to protect software users everywhere. Knauth
says, "the FSF is the firmament created to protect and develop the GNU
Project, and, these days, other free software initiatives as
well. Today, GNU is the gold standard of what free software should be:
unambiguously devoted to your computing freedom and rigorously
maintained to provide maximum power and extensibility to users." Read
this and other inspiring words.

* <[link removed]>

### New friends-tier associate membership: Enjoy certain benefits and support the FSF from $35

*From November 9*

We would like to highlight a membership tier that was recently
introduced called *friends*. This new tier grants certain FSF
associate member benefits, such as the USB membership card with
Trisquel GNU/Linux, access to the member forum, use of our XMPP
(Jabber) server, and more for an annual payment of $35. This new tier
is part of an overall restructuring of our membership levels that was
announced to members in early November via email. Our hope is that
this will help even more people, in particular those on a tighter
budget and those for whom exchange rates may pose an additional
barrier, participate in the FSF's efforts as associate members.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### Free software in education and free software education

*From December 26*

Free software is vital for education, and free software education is
vital for a free society. In an outreach effort to bring free software
philosophy to schools, FSF staff Devin Ulibarri and Miriam Bastian
visited Everett High School (EHS) in December and talked with
approximately sixty cybersecurity and robotics students about free
software. It was thrilling to meet all these students and to learn
what interests them. The teens asked us questions like "Is it safe to
use free software?" "What are examples of GNU software that is widely
used?" and "How can a high school student or someone who is just
starting college get involved with free software projects?" Read the
article, review our newest school handouts, and participate in our
efforts to bring free software into education.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### Licensing & Compliance Lab updates and why we need your support to educate, serve the free software community

*From December 21*

The newest member of the Licensing and Compliance Lab shares his
background as well as some of the work he's been a part of since he
began working at the FSF. With licensing and compliance manager Kris
Siewicz on board, the FSF has been able to more actively defend free
software. For example, the Lab took action against a practice of
adding contradictory terms to GNU licenses. In addition to this, the
FSF has had an 11% increase in copyright assignments in the 2023
financial year; has been able to answers questions sent to
[email protected], which often inform updates to the public FAQ and
other publications; and has now reached nearly 17,000 free software
packages listed in the Free Software Directory (FSD).

* <[link removed]>

### Our work isn't over: Keep fighting for the freedom to learn

*From December 19*

Thanks to digital media, and for the first time in history, free (as
in freedom), universal education for all is within reach. Corporate
greed, however, is what stands in the way of this goal. OverDrive and
Follet have used the millions of dollars and incredible engineering
talent they have at their disposal to develop new ways to restrict
readers and spy on them, all while claiming to uphold core educational
principles like universal access and freedom from censorship. IDAD may
be over for this year, but our work against DRM continues. We invite
you to join us in campaigning against DRM in whatever way interests
you.

* <[link removed]>

### Share this holiday fairy tale with your loved ones

*From December 12*

A company offers you a tool to make your life easier, but, when you
use it, you find out that the tool forces you to use it only in the
way the tool's manufacturer approves. Does this story ring a bell?
It's what millions of software users worldwide experience again and
again, day after day. It's the story of Wendell the Elf and the
ShoeTool.

Watch the fairy tale of Wendell the Elf and the ShoeTool to remind
yourself why you shouldn't let your tools tell you how to use them.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### Thanks to overwhelming support, we were able to meet our December 14 matching campaign goal!

*From December 11, updated December 15*

Thanks to overwhelming support, we were able to meet our matching
campaign goal. However, the fundraiser is still in full swing. Help us
reach our goal of $425,000: [link removed]

* <[link removed]>

### Presenting this season's online FSF bulletin

*From December 7*

In this issue of the Bulletin, you'll read and learn about: the
reasons why we stand firm in our resolve for freedom; how to properly
license your program under a free software license; an examination of
trends toward investing in machine potential in lieu of human
potential; what JShelter is, how it protects your online privacy, and
how you can help improve it; and the challenges to buying a house in
freedom.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### Jitsi Meet: An often-overlooked member benefit

*From December 6*

With an associate membership, you can start a Jitsi room and invite
whoever you please, whether or not they have an FSF account. You're
not handing over your credentials to Apple or Google by proxy, only
the bare minimum required to authenticate you -- to a small nonprofit
that cares so strongly about your and our digital autonomy that we
work harder than organizations at twice or ten (or more!) times our
size, against the combined might of just about every major tech
corporation on the planet.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### US Federal employees and retirees: Contribute conveniently through the Combined Federal Campaign

*From December 4*

US federal employees and retirees can support the Free Software
Foundation (FSF) in its mission to protect computer users' freedoms
through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Pledges to support the
FSF through the CFC can be made by designating the FSF as the
beneficiary charity. The FSF's CFC ID is 63210. There are four options
to give: giving through payroll deduction, credit/debit card, e-check,
or pledging volunteer hours. Donors can pledge until the end of the
campaign period on January 15, 2024.

* <[link removed]>

### A Jami Manifest to keep the freedom of your communications

*From December 13 by Cyrille Béraud*

Free Software Award-winning project and GNU package Jami is asking for
your support. Cyrille Béraud, president of Savoir-faire Linux Inc. the
company behind the Jami project, tells us about the work that goes
into its development, the importance of privacy in communication, and
how the free/libre tool helps people communicate confidently in
freedom. Jami's mission is to provide everyone with free, secure
communication software that respects their privacy. Please share the
word, and consider making a contribution to their cause.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### Polish hackers repaired trains the manufacturer artificially bricked. Now the train company is threatening them

*From December 13 by Jason Koebler*

At the junction of DRM and Right to Repair, we learned this month
about Polish trains that stopped working after they were brought to an
independent repair shop for maintenance. It turns out that the trains
were programmed to stop working when such "unauthorized" repairs are
attempted and became useless. Fortunately, hackers were called upon to
fix these trains. The hackers shared their methods in a talk recorded
later in the month. For devices -- whether they be laptops, phones,
cars, or trains -- to truly have a right to repair, the four freedoms
of free software are a necessity.

* <[link removed]>
* <[link removed]>

### December GNU Emacs news

*From December 25 by Sacha Chua*

In these issues: The essentials of Emacs Bookmarks, advanced Org
literate configuration, many new packages, and more!

* [2023-12-25]([link removed])
* [2023-12-18]([link removed])
* [2023-12-11]([link removed])
* [2023-12-04]([link removed])

### Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to
discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth
of useful information, from basic category and descriptions to version
control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing. The Free Software
Directory has been a great resource to software users over the past
decade, but it needs your help staying up-to-date with new and
exciting free software projects.

To help, join our weekly IRC meetings on Fridays. Meetings take place
in the #fsf channel on Libera.Chat, and usually include a handful of
regulars as well as newcomers. Libera.Chat is accessible from any IRC
client -- Everyone's welcome!

The next meeting is Friday, January 5 from 12:00 to 15:00 EST (17:00
to 20:00 UTC). Details here:

* <[link removed]>

### LibrePlanet featured resource: Teaching Materials

Every month on [the LibrePlanet
wiki]([link removed]), we highlight one
resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that could use
your help.

For this month, we are highlighting Teaching Materials, which provides
information about educational materials that can be used in classrooms
to teach youth about free software and why it's important. You are
invited to adopt, spread and improve this important resource.

* <[link removed]>

Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us
know at <[email protected]>.

### December GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali: Eleven new GNU releases!

Eleven new GNU releases in the last month (as of December 29, 2023):

* [aspell-0.60.8.1]([link removed])
* [autoconf-2.72]([link removed])
* [gdb-14.1]([link removed])
* [gnuboot-0.1-rc3]([link removed])
* [grub-2.12]([link removed])
* [health-4.4.0]([link removed])
* [inetutils-2.5]([link removed])
* [libextractor-1.13]([link removed])
* [mes-0.26]([link removed])
* [parallel-20231222]([link removed])
* [taler-0.9.3]([link removed])

*For a full list with descriptions, please see: <[link removed]>*

For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: <[link removed]>.

To download: nearly all GNU software is available most reliably from
<[link removed]>. Optionally, you may find faster download
speeds at a mirror located geographically closer to you by choosing
from the list of mirrors published at
<[link removed]>, or you may use
<[link removed]> to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.

A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance. Please see
<[link removed]> if you'd like to
help. The general page on how to help GNU is at
<[link removed]>.

If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like to
offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
<[link removed]>.

As always, please feel free to write to me, <[email protected]>, with
any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.

### FSF and other free software events

* February 3-4, 2024, ULB Solbosch Campus, Brussels, Belgium, [FOSDEM]([link removed])
* February 6-7, 2024, London, UK, [State of Open Con]([link removed])
* March 14-17, 2024, Pasadena, CA, [SCALE]([link removed])
* May 4-5, 2024, Wentworth Institute of Technology, [LP 2024]([link removed])
* July 12-14, 2024, St. John's University, Queens, New York City, [HOPE XV]([link removed])

### Thank GNUs!

We appreciate everyone who donates to the Free Software Foundation,
and we'd like to give special recognition to the folks who have
donated $500 or more in the last month.

* <[link removed]>

This month, a big Thank GNU to:

* Alessandro Vesely
* Andrew Gaul
* Benjamin Lovy
* Bob Proulx
* Bob Summerwill
* Boone Gorges
* Brewster Kahle
* Charlie Ebert
* Christian Probst
* Colin Strasser
* Cristian & Andreea Francu
* David Chapman
* David Ignat
* David Kirby
* Dean Ujihara
* Dock Williams
* Donald Craig
* Douglas Hauge
* Fumitoshi UKAI
* Inouye Satoru
* Jared Flatow
* Jason Prince
* Jean-Francois Blavier
* John Rakestraw
* Julie and Gerald Sussman
* Kyle McCormick
* Lukas Hais
* Marcus Pemer
* Mark Boenke
* Michael 'Mac' McDaniel
* Morten Lind
* Nardy Pillards
* Nicholas George
* Nicodemus Paradiso
* Nicolas Avrutin
* Paul Morris
* Pedro Brito
* Peter Kunze
* René Genz
* Ron Horrell
* Steve Tuyizere
* Steve Wickert
* The 2A Foundation Inc
* The Kuckelheims
* Uday Kale
* Vermont Community Foundation
* Viraj Navkal
* Wayne Chapeskie

You can add your name to this list by donating at
<[link removed]>.

### GNU copyright contributions

Assigning your copyright to the Free Software Foundation helps us
defend the GNU GPL and keep software free. The following individuals
have assigned their copyright to the FSF (and allowed public
appreciation) in the past month:

* Andriy Gapon (GDB)
* Augustin Chéneau (GNU Emacs)
* Mekeor Melire (GNU Emacs)
* Rahul Juliato (GNU Emacs)
* Sergei Kostiaev (GNU Emacs)
* Zeck S. (GDB)

Want to see your name on this list? Contribute to GNU and assign your
copyright to the FSF.

* <[link removed]>

### Translations of the *Free Software Supporter*

El *Free Software Supporter* está disponible en español. Para ver la
versión en español haz click aquí:
<[link removed]>

**Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos
números del *Supporter* en español, haz click aquí:**
<[link removed]>

Le *Free Software Supporter* est disponible en français. Pour voir la
version française cliquez ici:
<[link removed]>

**Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines
publications du *Supporter* en français, cliquez ici:**
<[link removed]>

O *Free Software Supporter* está disponível em português. Para ver a
versão em português, clique aqui: <[link removed]>

**Para alterar as preferências do usuário e receber as próximas
edições do *Supporter* em português, clique aqui:**
<[link removed]>

### Take action with the FSF!

Contributions from thousands of individual associate members enable
the FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at
<[link removed]>. If you're already a member, you can help
refer new members (and earn some rewards) by adding a line with your
member number to your email signature like:

> I'm an FSF member -- Help us support software freedom!
> <[link removed]>

The FSF is always looking for
[volunteers]([link removed]). From rabble-rousing to
hacking, from issue coordination to envelope stuffing -- there's
something here for everybody to do. Also, head over to our [campaigns
section]([link removed]) and [take action on software
patents]([link removed]), [Digital Restrictions
Management]([link removed]), [free
software]([link removed]) adoption,
[OpenDocument]([link removed]),
and more.

**Do you read and write Portuguese and English?** The FSF is looking
for translators for the *Free Software Supporter*. Please send an
email to <[email protected]> with your interest and a list of your
experience and qualifications.

***

Copyright © 2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit
<[link removed]>.

--
Interested in helping us expand our reach?

* Follow us on Mastodon at <[link removed]> and PeerTube at <[link removed]>, showing your support for federated social networks.
* Get active on the LibrePlanet wiki: <[link removed]>
* Share on your blog or [social network]([link removed]) that you support us, and why you do so.
* Subscribe to our RSS feeds: <[link removed]>
* Join us as an associate member: <[link removed]>; and display your membership button (<[link removed]>) on your website.

Read our Privacy Policy: <[link removed]>

Sent from the Free Software Foundation,

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Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1335
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