fsf posts

FSF-approved Trisquel Linux shows free software can stand on its own merits

by Lee Mathews Sep 11th 2009

Getting on the Free Software Foundation's page of acceptable Linux distros isn't the easiest task in the world. Stallman and Co. have very particular requirements about what can and can't be included. A first glance at the page might put you off -- there aren't any big name distros like Ubuntu, Suse, or Fedora.

Trisquel, however, is definitely worth a closer look. It's Ubuntu-based and ships with an excellent (and familiar) group of core apps - Firefox, Evolution, Pidgin, Transmission, OpenOffice, GIMP, Brasero, and several others - Elisa media center is even included. A liveUSB disk creator is also provided so you can easily roll your own portable Trisquel remaster. As per the FSF mandate, everything in the ISO is 100% free.

The distribution just reached version 3.0. A light version is also in the works and is set to drop in a few days. It will feature the XFCE desktop environment and lightweight apps like Epiphany, Sylpheed, and Abiword.

Even if you're not an adamant FOSS advocate, Trisquel is a solid Linux distribution and well worth taking for a test drive.

Tags: foss, free software foundation, FreeSoftwareFoundation, fsf, linux, trisquel

Filed under: Open Source, Humor

Free Software Foundation Hiring

by Grant Robertson Jun 8th 2009

Have a doctorate? Hate web design, razors, soap and capitalism? Able to get by in Boston on $53,849 a year? You may be in luck. The Free Software Foundation is hiring a Campaigns Manager!

According to the FSF's own site, "The campaigns manager implements the FSF communications strategy and works as part of a team to develop and implement issue campaigns and community resources, acting as a spokesperson on matters of software freedom. The campaigns manager handles writing, editing, speaking, and research related to these activist and program efforts; coordinates the GNU chief webmaster and the other webmaster volunteers to develop FSF and GNU web sites; plans and implements proposals to increase fundraising; and serves as a main point of contact between the Foundation and the free software community."

Ok, ok.. so you don't actually have to hate soap. Candidates with significant dislike will also be considered.

Tags: dirty hippies, DirtyHippies, fsf, gnu, humor, jobs

Filed under: Video, Web services, Apple, Microsoft

DefectiveByDesign: London and Manchester Calling

by Nik Fletcher Aug 13th 2007

British readers be warned: the Free Software Foundation's Defective by Design campaign is coming to our side of the pond tomorrow in protest at the BBC's decision to make extensive use of DRM (and in particular MIcrosoft's DRM) in their beta iPlayer software. For those who are unaware of the iPlayer, the BBC is making its programmes available for 'catch-up' via the iPlayer - albeit only for 7 days after download.

The issue is certainly an interesting (and contentious) one, particularly as the BBC is a publicly-funded body so has to make the iPlayer platform neutral at some point in the future, and will only allow U.K. IP addresses access to the content. The protests are outside the BBC's London and Manchester studios tomorrow (Tuesday 14th August), with Download Squad paying the London gathering a visit.

Tags: BBC, Digital Rights Management, DigitalRightsManagement, DRM, FSF, Windows Media, WindowsMedia

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Mozilla, Open Source

IceWeasel: Firefox, really free

by Jordan Running Oct 10th 2006

Firefox is indeed free software, but not in every sense of the word. It's an open source product, but the binaries that they ship contain proprietary plugins and artwork. I'm not too scandalized by this knowledge, but in case your ideological sensibilities are offended, know that you're not alone: IceWeasel is a version of Firefox from the GNU Project that omits all non-free-as-in-speech art and software. It also adds some privacy features including one that guards against "image bugs," i.e. empty images used for user-tracking. If you prefer the full-fledged Mozilla suite, the same site also distributes the Gnuzilla, which exhibits the same principles.

[Via Boing Boing]

Tags: firefox, free, fsf, gnu, gnuzilla, iceweasel, opensource

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Apple, Microsoft, Open Source

Interview with DefectiveByDesign on TDMW

by Grant Robertson Aug 2nd 2006

DefectiveByDesign protests at the Apple Store in Boston, MA

The Haz-Mat suited activists of DefectiveByDesign gained quite a bit of exposure when they waltzed into Apple stores across the country carrying signs and informing customers about the rights they give up when buying DRM controlled music from the iTunes Music Store.

Our sister site, The Digital Music Weblog (she prefers to be called TDMW for short) caught up with the crafty folks at DefectiveByDesign for an interview about Digital Rights Management. DefectiveByDesign is an offshoot of the Free Software Foundation, the non-profit organization that maintains and defends the GNU General Public License, better known for providing the legal framework under which the myriad Linux distributions exist.

If you have any concerns about your rights in a digitally encoded future, you should read this interview. The folks at DefectiveByDesign aren't alone when they predict a bleak digital landscape ahead, where the content providers and device manufacturers are able to lock you in, and keep you from buying competing products by holding your media hostage.

Tags: anti-DRM, Apple, Creative Commons, CreativeCommons, Defective By Design, DefectiveByDesign, DRM, FairPlay, Free Software Foundation, FreeSoftwareFoundation, FSF, GNU, Lawrence Lessig, LawrenceLessig, Microsoft, PlaysForSure, Richard Stallman, RichardStallman

Filed under: Open Source

First draft of GPL version 3 available online

by Jordan Running Jan 16th 2006

As reported last month, this year will see the first update of the GNU General Public License—the license employed by, depending on who you ask, half to three-fourths of all free software—since 1991, and the Free Software Foundation has posted the first draft of the new GPLv3. It's no easy read, but luckily there's a Rationale Document that describes all of the changes in the new version of the license and the rationale behind them. The GPLv3 attempts to fill the gaps that were beginning to show as the march of technology, and even moreso, law left the fifteen-year-old document behind. The FSF is soliciting comments from the public on the changes in GPLv3, so go ahead and tell them what you think.

[Via Slashdot]

Tags: free software, fsf, gnu, gpl, gplv4, open source, Richard Stallman

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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