# Free Software Supporter Issue 132, April 2019 Welcome to the Free Software Supporter, the Free Software Foundation's (FSF) monthly news digest and action update -- being read by you and 204,182 other activists. That's 654 more than last month! ## TABLE OF CONTENTS * OpenStreetMap and Deborah Nicholson win 2018 FSF Awards * Activists and experts gather in Cambridge for ethical tech conference to celebrate software freedom on March 23-24 * LibrePlanet Day 1: Trailblazing free software together * LibrePlanet Day 2: Welcoming everyone to the world of free software * Resources for preventing the digital world of *Nineteen Eighty-Four* * Seven new devices from ThinkPenguin, Inc. now FSF-certified to Respect Your Freedom * FSF job opportunity: Campaigns manager * RMS article: "Install fests: What to do about the deal with the devil" * Spotify files EU complaint against Apple's App Store rules * A critical flaw in Switzerland's e-voting system is a microcosm of everything wrong with e-voting, security practice, and auditing firms * GNU Linux-Libre kernel officially released for those who seek 100% freedom * About Musix's removal from our list of endorsed distributions * GNOME 3.32 released * Statement from GNU C Library about EU-sponsored FOSSA2 initiative * Introducing Valessio Brito, intern with the FSF tech team * Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory * LibrePlanet featured resource: LibrePlanet: Teams * GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 13 new GNU releases! * GNU Toolchain update: Support GNU Toolchain * Richard Stallman's speaking schedule and other FSF events * Thank GNUs! * GNU copyright contributions * Take action with the FSF! View this issue online here: Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by adding our subscriber widget to your Web site. * Subscribe: * Widget: Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at . ### El Free Software Supporter está disponible en español. Para ver la versión en español haz click aqui: **Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos números del Supporter en español, haz click aquí:** Le Free Software Supporter est disponible en français. Pour voir la version française cliquez ici: **Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines publications du Supporter en français, cliquez ici:** O Free Software Supporter está disponível em Português. Para ver a versão em Português, clique aqui: **Para alterar as preferências do usuário e receber as próximas edições do Supporter em Português, clique aqui:** ### ### ### OpenStreetMap and Deborah Nicholson win 2018 FSF Awards *From March 23* The Free Software Foundation (FSF) recognized OpenStreetMap with the 2018 [Free Software Award for Projects of Social Benefit](https://www.fsf.org/awards/sb-award/) and Deborah Nicholson with the [Award for the Advancement of Free Software](https://www.fsf.org/awards/fs-award). FSF president Richard M. Stallman presented the awards on March 23 in a yearly ceremony during the [LibrePlanet 2019 conference](https://libreplanet.org/2019/) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). * * * ### Activists and experts gather in Cambridge for ethical tech conference to celebrate software freedom on March 23-24 *From March 14* On March 23-24, the FSF presented the eleventh annual LibrePlanet free software conference in Cambridge, at the Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. LibrePlanet is an annual conference for people who care about their digital freedoms, bringing together software developers, policy experts, activists, and computer users to learn skills, share accomplishments, and tackle challenges facing the free software movement, including 3D printing, cryptography, medical devices, privacy, security, and current issues in software licensing. LibrePlanet 2019 focused on the exploration of software freedom and how to bring to life trailblazing, principled new technologies. LibrePlanet talks will soon be available on video at . * * * * * ### LibrePlanet day 1: Trailblazing free software together *From March 23* The LibrePlanet conference has now entered its second decade, and as software infiltrates more and more of daily life, there are many new and important ethical, social, legal, and technological questions to answer. Today's sessions examined the theme of "Trailblazing Free Software" from many different angles, addressing how we can apply the practical advantages of free software while maintaining and defending the indispensable principles behind it. * ### LibrePlanet day 2: Welcoming everyone to the world of free software *From March 24* One of the most important questions that free software is facing in the year 2019 is: how do we make the world of free software accessible to broader audiences? Vast numbers of people are using software every day -- how do we relate our message to something that is important to them, and then welcome them into our community? In order to achieve our mission, we need to invite people and get them to use, create, and proliferate ethical software, until all technology is free. Many of the best talks at LibrePlanet 2019 echoed a message for the free software community to focus on building a culture that's respectful and encouraging for new people, respecting a wide variety of personalities and values. * ### Resources for preventing the digital world of *Nineteen Eighty-Four* *From March 8 by Michele Metts and Benjamin Melançon* At the LibrePlanet conference, Michele "Micky" Metts delivered a closing keynote about how we, as people and as programmers, can work our way out of the digital world of *Nineteen Eighty-Four* that we are living in. After the conference, Micky asked us to share this list of resources with our free software audience. Video of this keynote speech, as well as nearly all of the other speeches, will be available at our [MediaGoblin instance](https://media.libreplanet.org/) soon, so keep an eye on FSF news! * ### Seven new devices from ThinkPenguin, Inc. now FSF-certified to Respect Your Freedom *From March 21* The FSF awarded [Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification](https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom) to seven devices from ThinkPenguin, Inc.: the Penguin Wireless G USB Adapter (TPE-G54USB2), the Penguin USB Desktop Microphone for GNU/Linux (TPE-USBMIC), the Penguin Wireless N Dual-Band PCIe Card (TPE-N300PCIED2), the PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Card Dual Port (TPE-1000MPCIE), the PCI Gigabit Ethernet Card (TPE-1000MPCI), the Penguin 10/100 USB Ethernet Network Adapter v1 (TPE-100NET1), and the Penguin 10/100 USB Ethernet Network Adapter v2 (TPE-100NET2). The RYF certification mark means that these products meet the FSF's standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and privacy. These are not the first devices from ThinkPenguin to receive RYF certification. This fresh batch joins four previously certified devices in the ThinkPenguin lineup. With these additions, ThinkPenguin becomes one of the largest retailers of RYF-certified devices. * ### FSF job opportunity: Campaigns manager *From March 25* The FSF seeks a motivated and talented Boston-based individual to be our full-time campaigns manager. Reporting to the executive director, the campaigns manager works on our campaigns team to lead, plan, carry out, evaluate, and improve the FSF's advocacy and education campaigns. The team also works closely with other FSF departments, including licensing, operations, and tech. The position will start by taking responsibility for existing campaigns in support of the GNU Project, free software adoption, free media formats, and freedom on the network; and against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), software patents, and proprietary software. See application details in the link! * ### RMS article: "Install fests: What to do about the deal with the devil" *From March 19* In ["Install fests: What to do about the deal with the devil,"](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/install-fest-devil) Richard Stallman issues both a caveat to free software novices who would like to transition to using free software exclusively via an install-fest, and a plea to install-fest organizers and volunteers not to make injurious ethical decisions for the people availing themselves of their help. * ### Spotify files EU complaint against Apple's App Store rules *From March 13 by Steve Dent* We're no Spotify fans, but this is exactly the kind of thing that happens because Apple uses unethical Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to maintain its illegitimate app store monopoly. Both Spotify *and* Apple should stop using DRM. * ### A critical flaw in Switzerland's e-voting system is a microcosm of everything wrong with e-voting, security practice, and auditing firms *From March 13 by Cory Doctorow* Switzerland is about to have a national election with electronic voting, overseen by Swiss Post; e-voting is a terrible idea and the general consensus among security experts who don't work for e-voting vendors is that it shouldn't be attempted, but if you put out an RFP for magic beans, someone will always show up to sell you magic beans, whether or not magic beans exist. * ### GNU Linux-libre kernel officially released for those who seek 100% freedom *From March 4 by Marius Nestor* On March 4, the GNU Linux-libre project released the GNU Linux-libre 5.0-gnu kernel for GNU/Linux users who are seeking 100% freedom for their personal computers. * ### About Musix's removal from our list of endorsed distributions *From March 19* Musix was maintained by a sole developer, Marcos Guglielmetti, as a volunteer effort, a truly impressive accomplishment. Maintaining a distribution is a difficult task. Dealing with technical and security issues across an entire system, as well as upholding the ethical standards required for inclusion on our list, takes a great deal of effort. While it is sad that Musix will now reside in our Historical section, we can all still be thankful for the maintainer's work over the years, and for the fact that there are still many endorsed distributions available. Users of Musix should consider switching to another distro on our list to ensure that the security and freedom of their system is up to date. * ### GNOME 3.32 released *From March 13 by the GNOME Project* The latest version of GNOME 3 has been released today. Version 3.32 contains six months of work by the GNOME community and includes many improvements, performance improvements and new features. This release features a refreshed visual style ranging from an entirely new set of app icons to improvements to the user interface style. Many of the base style colors have been saturated, giving them a more vivid, vibrant appearance. Buttons are more rounded and have a softer “shadow” border. Switches no longer use the explicit ON and OFF text, instead using color to indicate state. * ### Statement from GNU C Library about EU-sponsored FOSSA2 initiative *From March 14 by Carlos O'Donell* The GNU C Library project maintainers are excited to see further EU support of free software, most recently in the form of the [EU-sponsored FOSSA2 initiative](https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/news/eur-3000-eur-25000). The initiative provides funding to bug bounty platforms, encouraging developers to work on free software. A total of EUR 45,000 is available to Intigriti/Deloitte to run a program targeting security bugs in the GNU C Library. The program offers prizes, up to EUR 10,000, to the bug bounty participants. The GNU C Library maintainers worked closely with Intigriti, the bug bounty platform provider, to ensure that the program met the needs of the project. We encourage developers all over the world to work on free software, and this initiative only pushes that encouragement over the edge! ### Introducing Valessio Brito, intern with the FSF tech team *From March 6* My name is Valessio Brito. I was born in Jacobina, a very small town in the warm northeastern region of Brazil. I got involved in free software when I was a teenager. I have been an activist and user in the free software movement for 19 years. At the Free Software Foundation, I will be collaborating with the tech team on the streaming and recording of LibrePlanet 2019. I will also be working on preparing laptops to be used in workshops at public schools to introduce free software and programming to students. * ### 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, April 5, from 12pm to 3pm EDT (16:00 to 19:00 UTC). Details here: * ### LibrePlanet featured resource: LibrePlanet: Teams Every month on LibrePlanet, we highlight one resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that could use your help. For this month, we are highlighting LibrePlanet: Teams, which provides information about the global network of groups organized by geographical region or school, all working together for free software in accordance with the LibrePlanet project's mission statement and code of conduct. Joining a local team or student group is easy, and your level of involvement is up to you! 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 . ### GNU Spotlight with Mike Gerwitz: 13 new GNU releases! 13 new GNU releases in the last month (as of March 26, 2019): * [coreutils-9.31](https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/) * [ddrescue-1.24](https://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/) * [dr-geo-19.2](https://www.gnu.org/software/dr-geo/) * [gnuhealth-3.4.1](https://www.gnu.org/software/health/) * [gnupg-2.2.15](https://www.gnu.org/software/gnupg/) * [help2man-1.47.10](https://www.gnu.org/software/help2man/) * [librejs-7.19](https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/) * [linux-libre-5.0-gnu](https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/) * [mit-scheme-10.1.6](https://www.gnu.org/software/mit-scheme/) * [nano-4.0](https://www.gnu.org/software/nano/) * [octave-5.1.0](https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/) * [parallel-20190322](https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/) * [unifont-12.0.01](https://www.gnu.org/software/unifont/) For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu mailing list: . To download: nearly all GNU software is available from , or preferably one of its mirrors from . You can use the URL 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 if you'd like to help. The general page on how to help GNU is at . If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see . As always, please feel free to write to us at with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments. ### GNU Toolchain update: Support GNU Toolchain Donate to support the GNU Toolchain, a collection of foundational freely licensed software development tools including the [GNU C Compiler collection (GCC)](https://gcc.gnu.org/), the [GNU C Library (glibc)](https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/libc.html), and the [GNU Debugger (GDB)](https://sourceware.org/gdb/). * ### Richard Stallman's speaking schedule For event details, as well as to sign-up to be notified for future events in your area, please visit . So far, Richard Stallman has the following events this month: * April 2, 2019, Rennes, France, ["Free Software in Ethics and in Practice"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190329-rennes) * April 2, 2019, Thonon-les-Bains, France, ["« Logiciels libres, société libre »"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190402-thononlesbains) * April 2, 2019, Anthy-sur-Leman, France, ["« Logiciels libres, société libre »"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190402-anthysurleman) * April 4, 2019, Geneva, Switzerland, ["Title TBA"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190404-geneva) * April 5, 2019, Geneva, Switzerland, ["Title TBA"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190405-geneva) * April 6, 2019, Grandvaux, Switzerland, ["Title TBA"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190406-grandvaux) * April 9, 2019, Bern, Switzerland, ["Free software, free society"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190409-bern) * April 11, 2019, Lausanne, Switzerland, ["Title TBA"](https://www.fsf.org/events/rms-20190411-lausanne) ### Other FSF and free software events * April 28, 2019, Bellingham, WA, USA, [Donald Robertson III, "Common licensing issues for free software projects: Learn the most common mistakes developers make in regards to licensing their free software project"](https://www.fsf.org/events/donald-robertson-iii-20190428-bellingham) * April 28, 2019, Bellingham, WA, USA, [John Sullivan, "'Just don't buy it': Consumer choices in free software activism"](https://www.fsf.org/events/john-sullivan-20190428-bellingham) ### 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: * Ben Abrams * Ed Price * Nathan Boy * Sam Halliday * Steve Sprang * Valerio Poggi You can add your name to this list by donating at . ### GNU copyright contributions Assigning your copyright to the Free Software Foundation helps us defend the GPL and keep software free. The following individuals have assigned their copyright to the FSF in the past month: * Ahmed Khanzada (Emacs) * Alex Henrie (GCC) * Amos Bird (Emacs) * Andrew Whatson (Emacs) * Carles Fernandez Prades (GNU Radio) * EfficiOS Inc. (GCC, GDB, GNU Binutils, glibc) * Jan Klötzke (glibc) * Marco Barisione (GDB) Want to see your name on this list? Contribute to GNU and assign your copyright to the FSF. * ### Take action with the FSF! Contributions from thousands of individual members enable the FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at . 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! The FSF is always looking for volunteers (). 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 () and take action on software patents, Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), free software adoption, OpenDocument, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and more. ### Copyright © 2019 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 .