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Dear Free Software Supporter,
Free software is software that you can [run, copy, distribute, study,
change, and improve][1] as you please. While these freedoms are rights
that belong to the individual, they are also intrinsically linked to
the concepts of community and sharing. It's imperative that we be
permitted to use, examine, and alter software as we choose, but we
also demand the right to share our improvements with the wider
community.
[1]:[link removed]
[Working Together for Free Software][2] is one of our initiatives that
focuses on the broader world of free software: the community,
programs, and funding that we’re coalescing to mount the crucial
resistance to the abuses of proprietary software. This is a category
that covers a lot of people and a lot of work, and the [Working
Together for Free Software Fund][3] is just one piece of the picture.
[2]:[link removed]
[3]:[link removed]
This fund enables important, mission-aligned free software projects to
utilize the FSF’s nonprofit infrastructure to enhance their
fundraising and other capabilities, without the labor and costs of
[becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on their own][4]. This gives them
access to the organizational strengths of the FSF, plus additional
capacity and unique benefits.
[4]:[link removed]
While all of the projects under the umbrella of the Working Together
for Free Software Fund are absolutely worthy of your attention and
donations, today we're highlighting just a few projects with some
noteworthy announcements. Want to know if your free software project
qualifies? Learn more [here][5]!
[5]:[link removed]
## GNU Guix
Guix (pronounced "geeks") promises users and developers three primary
qualities: freedom, dependability, and hackability. You can use it
either as a package manager compatible with your current GNU/Linux
distribution, or you can use it as your distribution. People are
happily using Guix for software development, bioinformatics,
high-performance computing, research, and more. The Guix project also
encompasses the creation of Guix System, which is on our [list of
endorsed free GNU/Linux distributions][6].
[6]:[link removed]
Thanks to the contributions of nearly 300 volunteers over seven years,
version 1.0 of the GNU Guix package manager [was released][7] in May
2019. Also, Guix has been helping to lead the way on reproducible
builds, which provide large advantages for both security and user
freedom -- you can read more about this topic and see their videos from
LibrePlanet 2018 [here][8]. Read about some more of the ways that
people are using and modifying Guix [here][9]!
[7]:[link removed]
[8]:[link removed]
[9]:[link removed]
*Help Guix flourish and grow: donate [here][10]*
[10]:[link removed]
## GNU Radio
What can you do with radio in 2019? When the radio software is
freedom-respecting, you can do whatever you like! [GNU Radio][11] is a
free software development toolkit that provides signal processing
blocks to implement software radios.
[11]:[link removed]
Occasionally, the innovations possible with this system make news:
most recently, this June, researchers used GNU Radio to increase the
usefulness of the RF tags on [rehabilitated orangutans released back
into the wild in Borneo][12]. To create a heatmap of orangutan
positions, researcher Dirk Gorissen used GNU radio to make a digital
signal processing algorithm. You can read more about Gorissen’s
research [here][13].
[12]:[link removed]
[13]:[link removed]
GNU Radio developers and fans have met for several conferences this
year: [GNU Radio Days][14] in June 2019, and [GRCon][15] in September
2019, in Huntsville, Alabama. GNU Radio will also be a big part of the
Software Defined Radio devroom at FOSDEM next year, which is currently
[welcoming submissions][16].
[14]:[link removed]
[15]:[link removed]
[16]:[link removed]
*Turn up the volume on GNU Radio: donate [here][17]*
[17]:[link removed]
## SeaGL
As the hometown of the dreaded [Amazon][18] and [Microsoft][19],
Seattle may not seem like the best free software town – but sometimes
the best place to organize is right on the doorsteps of our
opposition. Since 2013, the free software community has gathered for
the [Seattle GNU/Linux Conference (SeaGL)][20], a grassroots technical
conference dedicated to spreading awareness and knowledge about the
GNU/Linux community, free software, and freedom-respecting
hardware. FSF staff are frequent participants in the SeaGL
festivities, including former campaigns manager [Molly de Blanc][21]
and current chief technology officer [Ruben Rodriguez][22].
[18]:[link removed]
[19]:[link removed]
[20]:[link removed]
[21]:[link removed]
[22]:[link removed]
This year’s conference is at Seattle Central College on November
15-16, 2019, and as usual, the FSF will have a table. Come talk about
free software with us, learn how you can contribute to the FSF and the
GNU Project, and buy some [GNU gear][23]! We also are making plans for
an FSF meetup during the conference, so stay tuned.
[23]:[link removed]
*Help SeaGL stay aloft: donate [here][24]*
[24]:[link removed]
## GNU Octave
[GNU Octave][25] is a scientific programming language with built-in
plotting and visualization tools; it's intended as an ethical
replacement for the commonly-used MATLAB, which is nonfree. John
W. Eaton began work on Octave all the way back in 1988, and is still
the primary maintainer; [we interviewed him][26] about Octave back in
2012.
[25]:[link removed]
[26]:[link removed]
The latest version, [GNU Octave 5.1.0][27], was released in March of
2019, and improves compatibility with MATLAB, among other improved
functions.
[27]:[link removed]
*Help GNU Octave scale up: donate [here][28]*
[28]:[link removed]
Happy hacking!
Dana Morgenstein
Outreach and Communications Coordinator
--
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