Discussion January 2014

discussion@lists.fsfe.org

33 participants
21 discussions

Goal for February 14th: More love reports than bug reports! #ilovefs
by Matthias Kirschner 24 Feb '14

24 Feb '14

(If you are reading FSFE's newsletters [1] (and you should when you have not yet given me feedback what I could improve ;) ), and you already use one of our banners [2], you can skip this post because I copied and pasted it. Else please continue.) Let us admit it, the Free Software community is often very critical. Wewrite bug reports, tell others how they can improve the software, ask them fornew features, and to not spare with criticism. Sometimes we forget to say "thank you, for all your work". As in the last years, we want to change this, at least for one day. So on Tuesday the 14th of February we will celebrate the "I love Free Software" - Day [3]. Get active, buy your favourite developer a drink or give them a hug (ask forpermission first), write an e-mail/letter [4] expressing your feelings, create nice pictures, donate to a Free Software initiative, use another of our suggestions [5] or be create yourself to show how you appreciate people, working hard to enlarge or defend our freedom. Beside that help us to promote the activity with our banners [6], by e-mail, (micro)blog or in your (distributed?) social networks. New this year is a whole day event in the Unperfekthaus in Essen (Germany) [7] and that all our Fellows automatically get an login(a)ilovefs.org e-mail alias. So let's make sure that on February 14th there are more love reports, than bug reports! All the best, Matthias 1. http://fsfe.org/news/newsletter.html 2. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs/2012/banners.html 3. http://ilovefs.org 4. http://blogs.fsfe.org/thomaslocke/2012/01/18/why-i-love-free-and-open-sourc… 5. http://ilovefs.org 6. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs/2012/banners.html 7. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs/2012/unperfekthaus.html -- Matthias Kirschner - FSFE - Fellowship Coordinator, German Coordinator FSFE, Linienstr. 141, 10115 Berlin, t +49-30-27595290 +49-1577-1780003 Free Software is important to you? Join today! (fsfe.org/join) Weblog (blogs.fsfe.org/mk) - Contact (fsfe.org/about/kirschner)

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About free SaaSS equivalents
by ilias.k.cs＠freemail.gr 07 Feb '14

07 Feb '14

Hello, Can p2p technologies generally be thought of as free replacements for SaaS ; I'm thinking that one can, in theory, build a Google Docs p2p equivalent that is absolutely free. As it would be peer based, not client-server then-informally speaking-everyone would have access to the same code (the only requirement being that you may connect only to peers that have the same version as you do). Isn't this the way you can provide truly free alternatives just like you do with non-conventional software? I'm asking that question because I haven't seen any campaigns for providing alternatives to SaaSS yet, and I wonder whether there is something wrong with my line of reasoning (too naive?) or I'm just not a good surfer (been a while since someone said surfer, lol) And I know that one can run his own service and be free, but there are cases where having a service without anyone else to be served but yourself doesn't have much point. Thanks, Ilias K.

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Who loves Free Software?
by Max Mehl 30 Jan '14

30 Jan '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hello together, we all love Free Software because one of its great advantages is the strenght of the community. We have great possibilities to influence the development of the tools we use by bug reports, issue trackers, and wish lists. I'm very sure you use some nice tools every day whose author's name you don't even know. Or you wrote some bug reports in an annoyed mood for software, but never thanked the author(s) for the good work? Don't worry, I don't want to make you feel bad about those things. But why not taking the opportunity to thank developers and contributors for their effort to ease and beautify our daily life on a day, many people use to show and celebrate love anyway? This Valentine's Day, we call on you to show your respect and appreciation to all or certain developers and contributors of Free Software. Think about the software you use or which made your life a lot easier and... hm, yes, what? We listed many examples how you can show your love for Free Software on http://ilovefs.org - using banners, hugging developers, wearing T-shirts, or (micro)blogging about it, it's your choice! *Get active*: You are following our mailing lists, so you already know that there're a lot of people loving Free Software and the idea behind it. But did you know that there are also many well-known politicians, artists, or journalists who appreciate Free Software? We want to collect quotes of those people on our special testimonial page [1]. For this, I ask you to suggest (or better directly ask) people whose quote may fit into this page. This can be developers and public advocates of Free Software as well as actors, writers, or business people. Thank you very much, I'm very curious about your suggestions! Best regards, Max [1] http://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs/2014/whylovefs.html - -- Max Mehl - Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) - fsfe.org Schönhauser Allee 6/7, 10119, Berlin | Phone: +49-30-27595290 About me: http://fsfe.org/about/mehl | Blog: blog.max-mehl.com Support us: http://fsfe.org/support | Homepage: max-mehl.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.15 (GNU/Linux) iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJS6pgDAAoJEOxlXmdUnkHi+5oH/20JaZqEicEYR+QaI2XBMI4B 04dCWNU78RmcTiunVyc82ZYdFipmkjvL0bcIkYUY5SbKdV+oyqPy3cCMrfDQFQzD xGjdAh4KXN6FY04CAmwoIQDD+jdthdoiu1RF4tKbGl31Vz/RAV/o+1qYqCgH4V7e 2yUNiOSEn37XCefmYpI1Xn4PjBeLmN2q3bf8/7uUT8NvMCgA1rFz9p6Gv8GYz2VF e4iYPeOqA0zK8+ZeeMn6ebC6t6EkgjjLtiwI/YScDprx0+8hKSgk4+8jB0c8OA6Y 7gB5fhU82QqZdaB+GmM7i3jzS59mekhU8Ak5OBAlUpQ3u+ttA+4Axy05De3YQ3o= =nyyO -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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abolishing cash/banknotes?
by Daniel Pocock 29 Jan '14

29 Jan '14

This bit of news has been getting around: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-24/bank-run-fears-continue-hsbc-restr… I don't think it is about a bank run, more likely it is about trying to get everybody using electronic means of payment to feed more information back to big data. I was really shocked on my last visit to a student bar in London, all the 18 year olds paying for each beer with their card. It seems that younger people are growing into these habits without even thinking about it but the bank in question couldn't wait for older generations to die off and wants to force them into using plastic as well.

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key signing party @ FOSDEM
by Felix C. Stegerman 26 Jan '14

26 Jan '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 Hi, For those who did not know this yet: there is a large pgp key signing party at FOSDEM. If you want to participate, you'll have to register before Monday at https://fosdem.org/2014/keysigning. - - Felix - -- Felix C. Stegerman vice-coordinator, dutch fellowship group of fsfe -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.22 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Icedove - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQIcBAEBCgAGBQJS5Eh1AAoJELIY/ywn/GzG48kP/iRQS6hvVqOwRQv1dNqviE3s 39M92gQ6c6FnX2ICq9yLj95pOeTzg+JByL8/JK78nAzQ4FISVNMpZK7hK/oCUYYU IbmryzYHaaUXJkTzVxQFPShmycTsq1Ws+PlmOeoUB5uey+ZbEH/40DsBEhg7mflv ImxNA90umcmi53b0mlWiskS70kSDKr76W95f/0B2Pu6M2HOn2bjShk2XB0b3r6fa igI0pMR1PWu2gIwtOFZl6nsCdtbrR1XblYolIeuUQKpGeWOKZZyDXcOHPsn3tSiC tgWzJTjHBAYv7SfmwRwmp4ZQPwlvKdjuhoePiGlsF61AHzHxf5hPCA+asNYpeAM3 yZEBLYaWr7cJjGhjfm8QjHkfFu0vTscLgxR/RMcdjaNMuXnhjrxU9BlqSZs9m2Eo jqXuTtp2mc2LtIjCei54NqEuxyVcfE8emVH1Vrf6vCAvJmsAP/It/z7y0sKBXi2h kUp04RtlBnzR9C8CTcKeslDr4wP/aoE31zOxGNtob3Pd09S+hhggvSKDIxy9yFMy qkf4F66QOcDManvG2yyg4yCk6FfNnl2TGhPgpYRwSk8YhjeHvblNUJbsBN/JANDJ tlrdV2jdWHUzOkZze6aFcoy3R3LBMuj1su8/n1JnxXzlFw21C+ETr4IcrdOAZFTx RG+2kQVgSFq2l34JJQfz =oBJ4 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Danish Referendum on the Unified Patent Court
by Carsten Agger 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 There is to be a referendum in Denmark on the Unified Patent Court, which will be a single patent authority for European countries (I believe some non-EU countries participate, while Italy and Spain have declined) http://www.euractiv.com/eu-elections-2014/danish-government-confirms-eu-re-… The Danish free software/digital rights community as embodied e.g. in It-Politisk Forening (http://www.itpol.dk, IT-Political Association of Denmark) of which I am a member, is recommending a NO to the UPC. This is because while software patents are (I believe) not allowed in European patents, the European-level courts have adopted a far more permissive stance than our local patent office, which means that accepting the UPC will result in many more software patents being enforceable in Denmark. All political parties support the UPC and favour a YES at the referendum, except the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP) and the left-wing Enhedslisten (EL). Whereas DPP oppose the UPC on grounds of national sovereignty, EL have argued against giving large corporation an uncontrollable (by us in Denmark, or people outside the EU bureacracy) monopoly on ideas to large corporations. Interestingly, they have explicitly mentioned the threat from software patents currently acknowledged on the European level but not by our local system. I've been invited to a meeting next Monday, and I think I will ad the support of our local FSFE group on the "NO" side. The reasoning is, once again: We do not want any software patents, and we believe this unified patents may easily become a means for introducing software patents on the European level. On the other hand, a Danish "NO" might be a good starting for a general campaign for a complete ban on software patents on the European level. I don't think I have links to a good analysis in English, but people might try Google translating this one: http://www.itpol.dk/notater/enhedspatent-og-softwarepatenter-erhvervsudvalg… -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iEYEARECAAYFAlLYAiEACgkQletyW1YzdSHFnwCeLeUJoUomwKFOeUYI1XwD8mSF MCsAnj5LbQy2coHOokTi0HCllMxtTWwK =/Gys -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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None
by Jacobo Nájera 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

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cryptoparty presentations
by Felix C. Stegerman 20 Jan '14

20 Jan '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 Hi all, Maurice and I are working on some CryptoParty privacy/encryption presentations (that also serve as online resources -- a CryptoParty Handbook Lite if you will). They are available online [1]; the code is on GitHub [2]; feedback is welcome. - - Felix [1] http://obfusk.github.io/keep-it-private [2] https://github.com/obfusk/keep-it-private - -- Felix C. Stegerman vice-coordinator, dutch fellowship group of fsfe -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.22 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Icedove - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQIcBAEBCgAGBQJSzeCOAAoJELIY/ywn/GzG9TQQAJGZIYq5LUx+TM4lrykBnIfY fiElKMWiE3YZuSvBCh5fuizTVAU8tnFoaA6HtTrGQ8dbcfWoZZXNY7inv+uLTO4N 8FF/D9AGw48chrVcirtrtP1KfCjauWt8C0vQk4Oz5BVElgV+5SEuTwS6EL7nPfz/ ODglB9mtnbJCwSW2aVTxucrWr+aWIyqRKmMvd4E7rtSKdh74KfaQXHlE+m7g2Yyy WXa6WqHrdkBIudYgY1QfaB+MdfKICzjDPPLOoJsQtH54fBzF2D3jwMJz48gqSHcV 9Z94b7NcfeBvOuvvKAUWn/Lwu7PSYL8jmegeawjTVlA50O25HgJhHKpBKZk++aRA R9Bz7LAiT3FmRLyrtv6rVwn+yWcUybmdL9eql738DaT+ojNVAZ8u4o590mfi1Cqx EAzed2PI+OM10modgoVLh1hLqE7VLQ34plPoiWXabTAhWNyQC+AUZCtN6mTOr/QU ansBlwIAx5paMZE4iXa/JYSKLvc4ROcYZFVs1+D9Fk7Vjz0azyE62KrYb4lGZQ3N /d5+EM98YbIIwUqfcQ9QNAuuGEx76r6W961UB5j1tC9RVTv4WFT8M6Yx3JDHSDcd L0J2HizehqBi5S0z819BQk5zlCLeVQD+vpMDXFmDgpTFVnyZG1m5SK2oYWx46P6J 63GojRYcmpSYVV7+NaMy =csPA -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Compulsory Routers in your country
by Max Mehl 18 Jan '14

18 Jan '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi there, maybe you followed the Compulsory Routers topic in Germany during the last months [1] and even read my blog entry about the entanglements between Compulsory Routers and the latest NSA leaks [2]. tl;dr: Compulsory Routers are routers provided by Internet Service Providers which cannot be replaced because of technical or legal barriers. This causes on the one hand many problems with competition, technical innovation, and compatibility, but on the other hand also great security risks for everyone of us: If we and many others are forced to use one router model, ISPs create monocultures which can be attacked more easily by miscreants and special tools by intelligence agencies. I know the situation in Germany pretty well because I worked on this issue. But gaining some knowledge of the ISPs' regulations in other countries is harder than I thought in the first place. Could you please give me some insights if there are ISPs in your country with Compulsory Router policies? Or maybe you want to share your thoughts about this topic at all and the implications for Free Software users. I'm looking forward to reading your replies! Best, Max [1] https://blogs.fsfe.org/mk/status-of-compulsory-routers-in-germany/ [2] http://blog.max-mehl.com/2014/why-free-choice-of-routers-is-an-unnegotiable… - -- Max Mehl - Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) - fsfe.org Schönhauser Allee 6/7, 10119, Berlin | Phone: +49-30-27595290 About me: http://fsfe.org/about/mehl | Blog: blog.max-mehl.com Support us: http://fsfe.org/support | Homepage: max-mehl.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.15 (GNU/Linux) iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJS1+S+AAoJEOxlXmdUnkHiYWUH/ia0JAi4Q2gAQBmavTGVFDDP fiZaM9HHzcSEf1W3kpfuNpiFJxTqg9n6EyDfLIwrfMvK2GyOdh67K3UORx1EX5U4 Wu+KA13yNab1kz3mVfccX/QGAbb2jhCUnjXYbb71fFPy33jGLPjix1p331bbdpGc 4Gk390pMemyes6mcTX/+CMLQHvHjiEXFwBZECeflGWLXTVxCLuSG7nlmBdNgkiot EB7CnztDMjNus0J4t/xdB8eDz7Ydh1C9Z0yHfwsHmqVmC79fjsrNiDh1eifxHUlP ZneWQiueHJIqInmMk48CLHVdoDoMeZoneMvV/QnSr12nRJtuVkYNfH3qB7oilbs= =6qoQ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Sucessful Windows Tax Refund in Portugal
by Matthias Kirschner 17 Jan '14

17 Jan '14

Read how Rui got the Windows Tax (46.03€) for his laptop refunded: https://blog.1407.org/2014/01/10/got-my-windows-refund-and-so-can-you/ Regards, Matthias -- Matthias Kirschner - Vice President FSFE Schönhauser Allee 6/7, 10119 Berlin, t +49-30-27595290 Weblog (blogs.fsfe.org/mk) - Contact (fsfe.org/about/kirschner) Receive monthly Free Software news (fsfe.org/news/newsletter.html) Your donation enables our work (fsfe.org/donate)

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Discussion January 2014