[GNU/FSF Press] FSF reboots its High Priority list with a grant and call for input

[Joshua Gay]

FSF reboots its High Priority list with a grant and call for input

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Wednesday, October 1, 2008 -- The Free
Software Foundation (FSF) today announced a "reboot" of its High
Priority Projects list with an accompanying $10,000 grant from
Worldlabel.com Inc. The grant will seed a new fund to promote projects
on the list, and the FSF is calling for a community conversation about
the biggest challenges computer users face using free "as in freedom"
software.

Russell Ossendryver, owner of <http://www.Worldlabel.com>, said,
"smaller companies and individuals can pool their resources in support
of critical free software projects, but awareness is key. There are
many threats from proprietary software and I wanted to contribute to a
program that can help solve those problems. I am looking forward to
working with the FSF to find creative ways to promote the cause."

FSF campaigns manager Joshua Gay emphasized that the list is not
considered static or complete, and that the FSF is seeking community
input. "The FSF is asking the community of free software users who
understand the critical issues that free software faces to tell us
about the areas where they face problems. Problems that affect the
most users are of the highest priority."

The list is online at <http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/>. 
It includes Gnash, a project to replace Adobe's proprietary Flash
player; Coreboot, a free software replacement for proprietary BIOSes;
a call for a free software replacement for the VOIP and multimedia
chat program Skype; a free software membership and donor transaction
and contact system for non-profit organizations; a free software
replacement for Google Earth; and several more.

While the FSF doesn't itself develop or take credit for these
projects, it seeks to use its position and visibility in the community
to help bring them beneficial help and attention.


  About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and
use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free
software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and
political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites,
located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information
about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at
<http://donate.fsf.org>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

  Media Contacts

Joshua Gay  
Campaigns Manager  
Free Software Foundation  
<address@hidden>  

Matt Lee  
Campaigns Manager  
Free Software Foundation  
<address@hidden>  

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