Software freedom needs our advocacy, our words and voices, and our
generosity to spread. The biannual Free Software Foundation Bulletin
is an item made for sharing, its articles from FSF staff and community
members help facilitate the conversation about the importance of free
software in daily life. It is a great tool to help people find their
reason to support free software, to contribute to free software,
or -- for the many who are just learning about it -- to take their
next steps up the ladder to freedom.
The physical printed pamphlets have already been mailed out to
thousands of free software supporters. Now, we are happy to announce
that the online version is now available. The Bulletin has
articles about basic free software concepts, such as how to verify
free software licenses, as well as timely articles tackling complex
issues, such as artificial intelligence in government, and free
software in education. There is even a delightful article (with a
picture!) about the legendary Lemote Yeelong, the first fully free
software-compatible netbook.
In this issue of the Bulletin, you'll learn about:
The dangers of the adoption of nonfree artificial intelligence
software systems by governments around the world, specifically
calling attention to the example of the Dutch "Toeslagenaffaire."
The article illustrates the very real and horrific consequences of
doing injustice to everyday citizens;
An examination of "industry standard" in technology used in
education, and the challenges and opportunities it presents for the
free software community;
Free software on very old computers, the miracle of GNU/Linux
keeping them alive and running (where proprietary commonly software
fails), and the challenges of finding and maintaining updates for
these old machines;
We expect this issue of the Bulletin to be very helpful in spreading
the word of free software. If you know anyone who is seeking freedom
in their digital life, please share -- share freely. (It is,
after all, licensed under a free license). And, in case you
missed it, we published a new item to introduce people to the idea of
free software (and the perils of nonfree software) is the FSF's new
video, Escape to Freedom. We encourage you to watch and
share.
Oh, and that's not all! Don't forget that, for the first time ever,
the FSF is hosting a Mastodon Hour where you can join the FSF in
an interactive session via Mastodon. The discussion topics are
"helping others find their reason to support free software,"
"decentralization and federation," and "on the freedom ladder." The
event will be this Friday, July 8, from 16:00 to 17:00 EDT (20:00 to
21:00 UTC) on Mastodon. This is yet another great way to show your
support for free software while helping others take steps toward
freedom.
Again, all of this great stuff needs our advocacy, our words and
voices, and our generosity. We have just a few more days in our
biannual fundraiser, and everyone's efforts have already resulted in
an impact. Please help the mission of free software by helping other
to find their reason to support free software. And what better way to
do that than through the Bulletin, Escape to Freedom, and Mastodon
Hour -- materials and events aimed to do just that!
We're just about a third away from reaching our spring fundraising goal
of USD 67,000 before July 8. Any financial contribution you can
make goes to help the campaigns team spread the message of free
software. For only $10 a month ($5 if you are a student), you can
join us as an FSF associate member. Bringing new members to the
community is a core part of the fight for software freedom, and helps
us build a foundation of committed activists for years to come. It
will help us create introductory materials such as these, in which we can
assist people directly in their journey to learn more about free
software.
Getting the word out is just as important: please take a moment to
publicly bring attention to the need for free software! Use the
hashtag #UserFreedom, and share this message and others to help us
build even further support.
Did you receive the printed Bulletin in the mail? If so, please let
us know when it arrives and help to get the word out by sharing a
picture of your copy with the hashtag #fsfbulletin! We love seeing
how far these little pamphlets travel -- and free software is
necessary in every corner of the globe.
