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Read and share online:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2020/september
Welcome to the Free Software Supporter, the Free Software
Foundation's (FSF) monthly news digest and action update -- being read
by you and 228,323 other activists. That's 82 more than last month!
Submit your session for LibrePlanet 2021 before October 28
From August 20th
The thirteenth edition of the Free Software Foundation's conference on
technology and social justice will be held in spring 2021. The Call
for Sessions is now open, and will close on October 28th. Potential
talks should examine free software through the lens of this year's
theme: Empowering Users. The date of the conference is still to be
determined, and a decision about whether the conference will be held
as usual in person in Boston, or whether it will be held online, as
we did in spring
2020,
will be made this winter.
Visit the LibrePlanet 2021 conference Web
site
Submit a talk for LibrePlanet
2021
We invite activists, hackers, law professionals, artists, students,
developers, young people, policymakers, tinkerers, newcomers to free
software, and anyone looking for technology that aligns with their
ideals, to submit a proposal for a session at LibrePlanet. Session
proposals can focus on software development, copyleft, community, or
other related issues.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The University of Costumed Heroes: A video from the FSF
- Geoffrey Knauth elected Free Software Foundation president; Odile Bénassy joins the board
- Statement from FSF's new president, Geoffrey Knauth
- Thank you for helping us welcome over 200 new members
- Help the FSF tech team empower software users
- The DMCA could use an update, but not the one US Copyright Office recommends
- The FSF's approach to using online videos for advocacy
- Meet the star witness: Your "smart" speaker
- A tech antitrust hearing misses the point
- The age of mass surveillance will not last forever
- EmacsConf 2020 Call For Proposals
- Announcement of LibreOffice 6.4.6
- August GNU Emacs news
- Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
- LibrePlanet featured resource: Group: LibrePlanet Gaming Collective
- GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 14 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:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2020/september
Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by
adding our subscriber widget to your Web site.
Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter.
Want to read this newsletter translated into another language? Scroll
to the end to read the Supporter in French, Spanish, or Portuguese.
The University of Costumed Heroes: A video from the FSF
From August 7th
The University of Costumed Heroes is an animated video telling the
story of a group of heroes falling prey to the powers of proprietary
software in education. The university board acquires cutting-edge
remote learning software that enables them to continue their
operations online, but -- [SPOILER ALERT] -- it may sow the seeds of
their downfall.
This video highlights the importance of resisting the use of
proprietary videoconferencing
programs
for remote education, and in addition to sharing the video, we
encourage you to sign and share our
petition
urging schools to protect students' freedom by communicating and
teaching with free software instead.
Geoffrey Knauth elected Free Software Foundation president; Odile Bénassy joins the board
From August 5th
Long-time free software activist and developer Odile Bénassy, known
especially for her work promoting free software in France, was elected
to the FSF's board of directors. Geoffrey Knauth, who has served on
the FSF's board for over twenty years, was elected president.
Statement from FSF's new president, Geoffrey Knauth
From August 5th
The FSF board chose me at this moment as a servant leader to help the
community focus on our shared dedication to protect and grow software
that respects our freedoms. It is also important to protect and grow
the diverse membership of the community. It is through our diversity
of backgrounds and opinions that we have creativity, perspective,
intellectual strength, and rigor.
Thank you for helping us welcome over 200 new members
From August 18th
In the year 2020, every shred of good news is something to be grateful
for, and the outpouring of support we've experienced during our spring
fundraiser is very good news indeed. Over the course of the last
month, not only did we exceed our goal of 200 new associate members,
but we've gained more memberships this July than in any other July in
the history of the Free Software Foundation associate membership
program. We are thrilled that in a time of many pressing concerns
about freedom and safety, our supporters have grasped the central
importance of the FSF's role in defending our right to control the
software in our lives. We cannot possibly thank you enough for helping
to ensure that we can continue leading this battle.
Help the FSF tech team empower software users
From August 4th
The Free Software Foundation tech team is the four-person cornerstone
of the primary infrastructure of the FSF and the GNU Project,
providing the backbone for hundreds of free software projects, and
they epitomize the hard work, creativity, and can-do attitude that
characterize the free software movement. They’re pretty modest about
it, but I think they deserve some serious credit: it’s only because of
their everyday efforts (with the help of volunteers all over the
world) that the FSF can boast that we can host our own services
entirely on free software, and help other people to become freer every
day. It’s also largely to their credit that the FSF staff were able to
shift to mostly remote work this spring with barely a blip in our
operations.
The DMCA could use an update, but not the one US Copyright Office recommends
From August 31st
The United States Copyright Office has released a report recommending
updates to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), while leaving
anti-circumvention rules unchanged. The anti-circumvention provisions
harm all users, and the only reprieve from its abuse is a comically
broken exemptions system.
For years now, we have called on the government to end this madness and repeal the anti-circumvention provisions. So when the Copyright Office released a report on the DMCA earlier this spring, there was some hope that change would come. But our hopes were dashed when the report's main recommendations related to other rules in the DMCA, in particular the safe harbor provisions. The DMCA's safe harbor provisions implement the take-down notice system that many users are likely familiar with via video sharing sites. Users stung by take-downs likely won't enjoy the Copyright Office's recommendations on that aspect of the law, and the failure to meaningfully address or recommend change to the anti-circumvention provisions is shameful.
The FSF's approach to using online videos for advocacy
From August 6th
A consistent bit of feedback we hear from both current and potential
free software supporters is: do better at using video to communicate
the importance of free software philosophy. If we aim to make free
software a "kitchen table" issue, it is imperative we reach new
audiences and make our points clearly, in formats that successfully
engage people with limited time, across a diverse set of learning
styles. From a technical perspective, this means reaching them where
they are -- or more specifically -- on whatever device they are using
at the moment. This article explains how we make videos as accessible
as possible while staying true to free software principles.
Meet the star witness: Your "smart" speaker
From August 23rd by Sidney Fussell
Not controlling the software you run on your smart device gives new
meaning to the phrase "everything you say can be used against you." In
this article, we learn about the frightening upswing in use of these
devices in police investigations. Remember, if you don't control your
devices, they can be used to control you, and the smartest thing you
can do with "smart" devices is avoid them!
A tech antitrust hearing misses the point
From August 17th
On July 29th, the CEOs of Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon were
called before the US Senate Judiciary Committee to give testimony to
lawmakers considering substantial revisions to antitrust laws. Yet
despite a five-hour hearing, conducted using some of the very same
software which is at the root of these issues, little headway was
made.
It's easy to focus, like these hearings, on the specific objectionable
purposes for which the software these companies are involved with has
been used. Specific actions have caused specific harms, and we
understand the importance of talking about that and potentially taking
or requiring remedial actions. However, it is imperative that we not
stop there. We must go deeper, and expose the fact that it is the very
way our predominant proprietary software culture and legal regimes
operate -- giving software companies immense power over users -- which
will inevitably lead to recurring specific problems until addressed.
The age of mass surveillance will not last forever
From July 20th by Edward Snowden
Ten years ago, Snowden met with journalists in Hong Kong to reveal
classified documents that revealed how state security organs of
several powerful states had conspired to form a system of global mass
surveillance. In this article, he talks about some of the implications
of this scandal, but also talks about how he finds "more cause for
hope than despair," watching how the people of Hong Kong are using
ingenious technological solutions to fight back. Free software is
central to the systems he refers to that "keep our secrets, and
perhaps our souls; systems created in a world where possessing the
means to live a private life feels like a crime," and only free
software can be bent to the purposes of people collectively fighting
for freedom, rather than enabling corporate oligarchs to control what
we see, what we say, and what we think.
As you may remember, Snowden has been a good friend to the FSF, and encouraged FSF membership in his 2016 LibrePlanet conference keynote speech!
EmacsConf 2020 Call For Proposals
From August 24th by Sacha Chua
The Call for Proposals for EmacsConf 2020 is now open, until September
30, 2020. After a successful EmacsConf 2019, we are back again this
year and are once again calling for your participation! EmacsConf is
the conference about the joy of Emacs, Emacs Lisp, and memorizing key
sequences. We are holding EmacsConf 2020 as a virtual (online)
conference again this year, especially now, given the current state of
the world with the ongoing global pandemic. We remain fully committed
to freedom, and we will continue using our infrastructure and
streaming setup consisting entirely of free software, much like the
last EmacsConf.
Announcement of LibreOffice 6.4.6
From August 13th by Italo Vignoli
The Document Foundation announced the availability of LibreOffice
6.4.6, the 6th minor release of the LibreOffice 6.4 family, targeted
at all users relying on the best free office suite ever for desktop
productivity. LibreOffice 6.4.6 includes bug fixes and improvements to
document compatibility and interoperability with software from other
vendors.
August GNU Emacs news
From August 27th by Sacha Chua
In these issues: Emacs Doom for newbies; fido-mode in Emacs 27; modal
editing in Emacs; a tour of Org Roam; and more!
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 irc.freenode.org, and usually include a handful
of regulars as well as newcomers. Freenode is accessible from any IRC
client -- Everyone's welcome!
The next meeting is Friday, September 4th, from 12pm to 3pm EDT (16:00
to 19:00 UTC). Details here:
LibrePlanet featured resource: Group: LibrePlanet Gaming Collective
Every month on the LibrePlanet
wiki, we highlight one
resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that could use
your help.
For this month, we are highlighting Group: LibrePlanet Gaming
Collective, which is a group of software activists organized around
their enthusiasm for video games, especially free software video
games. You are invited to adopt, spread and improve this important
resource.
Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us
know at [email protected].
GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 14 new GNU releases!
14 new GNU releases in the last month (as of August 28, 2020):
For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu.
To download: nearly all GNU software is available from
https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/, or preferably one of its mirrors from
https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html. You can use the URL
https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/ to be automatically redirected to a
(hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.
This month, we welcome Rayner Lucas, Tristan Miller, and Jason Evans
as maintainers of GNU STUMP and WebSTUMP.
A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a
whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance: please see
https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint if you'd like to
help. The general page on how to help GNU is at
https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html.
If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like to
offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see
https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html.
FSF and other free software events
- October 2-4, 2020, online, PyCon India
- October 18-20, 2020, online, ATO
- November 13-14, 2020, online, SeaGL
- November 28-29, 2020, online, EmacsConf 2020
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.
This month, a big Thank GNU to:
- askapache.com
- Insurgo Inc.
- Jake Bailey
- Judicaël Courant
- Matomo.org
- Paul Caruso
You can add your name to this list by donating at
https://donate.fsf.org/.
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:
- Adela Vais (Bison)
- Alexandru-Sergiu Marton (Emacs)
- Andrew Barbarello (Emacs)
- Benjamín Buccianti (Emacs)
- Daniel Martin (Emacs)
- Eli Schwartz (Autoconf)
- Jeff Walsh (Emacs)
- Jesse Medeiros (Emacs)
- Johanan Idicula (Emacs)
- Mark Wielaard (Binutils, GDB, glibc)
- Mingde Zeng GNU (Emacs)
- Matthew White (Emacs)
- Thomas Shields (Autoconf)
Want to see your name on this list? Contribute to GNU and assign your
copyright to the FSF.
Translations of the Free Software Supporter
El Free Software Supporter está disponible en español. Para ver la
versión en español haz click aqui:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2020/septiembre
Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos
números del Supporter en español, haz click aquí:
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id=3095323&cs=d203ecb8e6d94c552aa172f1e648abd8_1599007461_168
Le Free Software Supporter est disponible en français. Pour voir la
version française cliquez ici:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2020/septembre
Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines
publications du Supporter en français, cliquez ici:
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id=3095323&cs=d203ecb8e6d94c552aa172f1e648abd8_1599007461_168
O Free Software Supporter está disponível em português. Para ver a
versão em português, clique aqui:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2020/setembro
Para alterar as preferências do usuário e receber as próximas
edições do Supporter em português, clique aqui:
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id=3095323&cs=d203ecb8e6d94c552aa172f1e648abd8_1599007461_168
Take action with the FSF!
Contributions from thousands of individual members enable the FSF's
work. You can contribute by joining at https://my.fsf.org/join. 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!
https://my.fsf.org/join
The FSF is always looking for volunteers
(https://www.fsf.org/volunteer). 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
(https://www.fsf.org/campaigns) and take action on software patents,
Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), free software adoption,
OpenDocument, and more.
#
Copyright © 2020 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
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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