= FSFE: EC caves in to proprietary lobbyists on interoperability =
Free Software industry criticises remarks by Commission's Vice
President Siim Kallas
[Permanent URL: http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091127-01.en.html ]
27 November 2009, 12:30 CEST, Berlin, Germany
The European Commission (EC) has given in to the demands of lobbyists
for Microsoft and SAP when it revised a key document on interoperability
between electronic government services. The Free Software Foundation
Europe (FSFE) has analysed the evolution of a new version of the
European Interoperability Framework (EIF), showing that Commission has
based its work on the input of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a
lobby group for proprietary software vendors, and ignored the voices of
a large part of the European software industry. At the same time,
remarks by the EC's Vice President about Free Software point to a
worrying lack of awareness within the Commission.
A draft for a revision of the European Interoperability Framework (EIF)
leaked to the press earlier this month [1]. Whereas the earlier version
of the document strongly supports the use of Free Software and Open
Standards in the public sector, the new text only carries a meaningless
description of an "openness continuum", which absurdly enough includes
proprietary specifications.
FSFE has tracked how key parts of the revised European Interoperability
Framework have evolved over time [2]. A version of the document was the
basis of a public consultation in the summer of 2008. FSFE's analysis
shows in detail how from this basis, the views of the BSA lobby group
have influenced the present draft of the text. At the same time, the
European Commission has ignored comments by companies, groups and
individuals in favour of Open Standards and Free Software.
"The European Commission must not make itself the tool of particular
interests. The current draft is unacceptable, and so is the total lack
of transparency in the process that has led to this text," says
Karsten Gerloff, FSFE's President.
On this background, recent remarks by Siim Kallas, the European
Commission's Vice President in charge of administration, show a worrying
lack of awareness of Open Standards and Free Software in parts of the
Commission. In a high-level press conference [3] on November 19 in
Malmö, Sweden, Kallas said that he considered Free Software a problem
for "business continuity". He likened Free Software to a Wikipedia
article, saying that "in Wikipedia text, you see that there are brackets
and footnotes, that information should be confirmed, or should be
checked [...], and if you use open source, if you use the same logic in
operational things, you must have certainty what will happen next."
FSFE is deeply concerned about these remarks. "Mr Kallas is badmouthing
a whole sector of the European IT economy", says Gerloff. "Either Mr
Kallas is actively hostile to Free Software and Open Standards, or he is
entirely ignorant about them. Both is simply not justifiable in a Vice
President of the European Commission in charge of the EC's
administration."
Elmar Geese, Chair of Linux-Verband, a German association of Free
Software businesses with 80 members, shows himself surprised at Mr
Kallas' remarks. "We do not know who advised Mr Kallas to say these
things. To me, this sounds like the propaganda of fear, uncertainty and
doubt from 10 years ago. We invite Mr Kallas to inform himself about the
Free Software industry. I am sure this will change his mind."
Jan Wildeboer, Red Hat EMEA Evangelist, rejects Kallas' remarks.
"Compared to many proprietary alternatives, Free Software shows that it
not only saves money but also delivers high quality solutions. The use
of Free Software in mission-critical environments all over the world is
proof of its quality."
Such statements from the EC give a boost to the critics of the new
version of the EIF. FSFE argues that the original EIF has served well as
a guideline to the European public sector. Even though it is only a
recommendation, it has become an important reference in Europe and
beyond. If it needs to be revised, the new document should improve
interoperability through reliance on Open Standards, rather than promote
proprietary software and specifications. The Commission should go back
to the consultation document and work from there, making sure that this
time comments from all sides are properly addressed.
Red Hat's Wildeboer shares the criticism: "It is good to see that EIFv2
is under more scrutiny now. We need a strong focus on interoperability
based on Open Standards. The leaked draft version shows how a lack of
transparancy can hurt that goal. Now is the time to ask some serious
questions. I fully trust the Commission to reinstate the goals of EIFv1.
Open Standards and Open Specifications are key to interoperability."
FSFE's President Karsten Gerloff argues: "If the Member States of the
European Union want to preserve the credibility of European
institutions, they should reject the current draft of the EIF. Instead,
they should help the Commission to build a better one that puts Open
Standards front and centre."
[1] EIFv2: EC breaks interop, then bows to public protest?
http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/?p=285
[2] *The analysis: EIFv2* Tracking the loss of interoperability
http://fsfe.org/projects/os/eifv2.en.html
[3] http://www.se2009.eu/en/meetings_news/2009/11/19/press_conference_the_minis… (Flash)
== What is the European Interoperability Framework ==
The EIF is a set of interoperability guidelines documents and
initiatives conducted under the auspices of the IDABC (Interoperable
Delivery of European eGovernment Services to public Administrations,
Businesses and Citizens) Programme. The EIF supplements the various
National Interoperability Frameworks in the pan-European dimension.
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these
issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving
people Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central
issues of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org
== Contact ==
Karsten Gerloff
President
Free Software Foundation Europe
e-mail: press at fsfeurope.org
mobile: +49-176-96904298
= Freedom Food: FSFE to cook for its donors =
[Permanent URL: http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091118-01.en.html ]
18 November 2009, 12:30 CEST, Berlin, Germany
For this year's round of fund-raising, the Free Software Foundation
Europe (FSFE) has cooked up something special. The biggest donor of 2009
will share a cooking session with FSFE's President and other members of
the organisation's executive team. FSFE is looking to raise 100,000 Euro
during the last quarter of 2009.
Free Software and cooking are both about creativity, skill and enjoying
yourself. "Recipes can be used for any purpose, including sharing them
with others, and making your own improvements. In these respects cooking
is just like Free Software - you have the freedom to use, study, share
and improve" says FSFE's President Karsten Gerloff.
FSFE has been working for the Free Software community in Europe and
beyond since 2001. Thanks to its supporters, the organisation has been
able to break proprietary monopolies , defend European developers and
users against software patents, and build the Freedom Task Force into
Europe's foremost expert group on legal aspects of Free Software.
Many threats continue to face Free Software however - and FSFE continues
to fight against them. Computer users in Europe are forced to use
proprietary software on a daily basis. Closed standards build walls that
restrict Free Software and its users. Interoperability in the European
public sector is under attack, as proprietary software companies
continue to push their agendas in Europe and around the world.
These are just a few of the issues that donors are entitled to discuss
with senior FSFE staff. "A lot of us at FSFE are passionate hobby chefs.
We are looking forward to sharing a creative time with supporters of
Free Software," says Gerloff.
== The fine print ==
- Qualifying donations must be received between January 1 2009 and
December 31 2009.
- A European location for the cooking event will be determined by
discussion with the selected donor.
- At least two senior FSFE staff will cook for (and happily dine with)
up to four persons chosen by the selected donor.
- Costs for accommodation and travel to the location of the dinner will
be borne by FSFE.
- The list of the top three donors will be published on this website and
updated regularly.
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these
issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving
people Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central
issues of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org
Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) Newsletter - October 2009
October has been a dense, vibrant and challenging month for FSFE.
We have done more work than will fit the limits of this letter.
For this reason, after reading the newsletter, please visit the
news section of our website to have a complete overview of our
work:
http://www.fsfe.org/news/news.html
Giacomo Poderi
1. FSFE suggests to make MySQL independent as solution for Oracle/Sun deal
2. Announcing FSFE's new Finnish country team
3. Fellowship meetings in Frankfurt, Berlin and Vienna
4. Windows 7 to hit consumers with known security problem
5. New Fellowship jabber server
6. Welcome to Alina Mierlus as intern
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
7. EC vs MS: the browser and interoperability cases
IT HAPPENED IN THE PAST
8. Fellows discuss the future of the Fellowship portal
UPCOMING EVENTS
9. FSFE and the Fellows co-organise FSCONS 2009, Lindholmen, Sweden, 13-15 November
10. FSFE to launch the Fellowship grants project
1. FSFE suggests to make MySQL independent as solution for the
Oracle/Sun deal
A lot of rumours spread during the last weeks about the acquisition of
Sun Microsystems by Oracle. Here, the Free Software community is
concerned for the future of MySQL. To shed some light on this issue,
FSFE's president, Karsten Gerloff, published a detailed analysis of the
key points involved in the acquisition. Following this analysis,
FSFE suggested that the best solution to allow the Oracle/Sun deal to
be finalized and secure a free future for MySQL is to make it
independent.
http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/?p=274http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091023-02.html
2. Announcing FSFE's new Finnish country team!
We are pleased to announce the formation of a new country team working
under the FSFE's umbrella: Otto Kekäläinen, Henri Bergius, and
Timo Jyrinki are the members of FSFE's Finnish team. They will work
respectively as team coordinator, deputy coordinator and Finnish
translation coordinator. All of them will participate in the
upcoming FSCONS, where they will meet other FSFE team members to discuss
the team's strategies for cooperation and for their growth in Finland.
To contact the Finnish team you can write an e-mail to:
finland(a)fsfeurope.org
http://www.fsfe.org/contact/local.html
3. Fellowship meetings in Frankfurt, Berlin and Vienna
During the month, the regular Fellowship local meetings took place as
usual. German Fellows met in Frankfurt and in Berlin on the 7th and 8th
of October, while the Austrian Fellows held their usual monthly meeting
on the 16th. Main topics of the evenings have been: Free Software in
education, follow-up on the "Ask your candidate about Free Software!"
campaign, the Fellowship jabber meetings, and specific Free Software
projects Fellows are involved in. To get in touch with your local
Fellowship group or to start one in your own region, have a look at:
http://wiki.fsfe.org/CategoryFellowshipGroup
4. Windows 7 to hit consumers with known security problem
In October, the German federal IT security agency (BSI) issued a report
concerning a 'high-risk' vulnerability in Microsoft's SMB2-Protocol
which also affects Windows 7. Microsoft remained silent about this
warning and did not yet provide a solution to the problem. FSFE
published a press release to highlight that the company's bad practice
of ignoring high risk vulnerabilities is unfortunately the rule, not the
exception. With Free Software, users are not dependent on a single party
to fix such problems for them.
http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091019-01.html
5. New Fellowship jabber server
In order to improve the services to FSFE's Fellows we recently replaced
our old jabber server with a new one based on ejabberd. After a testing
period, we are happy to announce that the new server is up and running!
This change will solve many of the problems that Fellows reported to us
during the past months. To take advantage, remember to update your
account settings!
http://wiki.fsfe.org/Jabber
6. Welcome Alina Mierlus!
On 15 October, Alina Mierlus joined FSFE to start her internship. She
will work with us until mid-February 2010 from our new Berlin office
and will mainly focus on campaigns and events coordination. Alina is from
Romania and worked over the past six years advocating Free Software. She
says: "This internship offers me the opportunity to apply what I've
learned, but for a European Foundation. I've always believed that
campaigns, events and all the things that put people together are the
most important ways to have a healthy community."
Welcome on board Alina!
http://blogs.fsfe.org/alinam/
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
7. EC vs MS: the browser and the interoperability cases
The open issues that Microsoft has with the European Commission (EC) got
shaken up in October. The proposed solutions will not be helpful for
Free Software, so FSFE is keeping up the pressure on the EC.
Commissioner Neelie Kroes wants to close two important cases concerning
Microsoft before the end of her mandate at the Directorate General for
Competition (DG Comp): one case relates to the dominant position of the
company in the browser market, the other to the failure in providing
interoperability information for desktop applications.
FSFE is working to provide input to the Commission in order to make the
settlements as fair as possible for all the actors in the software
market, Free Software included. In the past weeks, we already explained
why we believe that the current details of the settlements are not
satisfactory and provided feedback to the Commissioner. We will soon
deliver a new formal comment concerning the updated version of the
settlements to the Commission.
http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091008-01.html
Relevant Links:
http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/?p=263http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091006-01.htmlhttp://www.fsfe.org/projects/browserbundling/letter-20091005.html
IT HAPPENED IN THE PAST
8. Fellows discuss the future of the Fellowship portal
Two years ago, the Fellows of FSFE started a lively discussion on the
future of the Fellowship portal. The discussion covered the use of
forums, calenders, mailing lists, jabber accounts and other services,
and it was one of the landmarks that brought the Fellowship platform to
the current and improved version.
http://mail.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/press-release/2007q4/000188.html
UPCOMING EVENTS
9. FSFE and the Fellows co-organise FSCONS 2009, Lindholmen, Sweden,
13-15 November
This year, the Free Society Conference and Nordic Summit (FSCONS) in
Lindholmen (Göteborg), Sweden, will be co-organised by FSFE and the
Fellows. Beside the participation of Karsten Gerloff, FSFE's president,
Adriaan de Groot, Freedom Task Force coordinator, who will hold talks,
the Fellows will organise workshops and panels.
http://wiki.fsfe.org/FSCONS-FSFEhttp://fscons.org/
10. FSFE will launch the Fellowship grants project
Thanks to FSFE's donors and tarent GmbH in particular, we will be able
to award three Fellowship grants each month for one year. These grants
will cover the Fellowship contribution for people who have done
exceptional things to bring Free Software forward, and will be awarded
after evaluation of the individual applications. Candidacies can be
submitted to fellowship(a)fsfeurope.org. In December, we will announce
the first three people who will receive the grants.
http://fellowship.fsfe.org/grant.html
You can find a list of all FSFE newsletters on
http://fsfe.org/news/newsletter.html
You can join the Fellowship or find how to support us on
http://fellowship.fsfe.org/joinhttp://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html
You can order our merchandise at
http://fsfe.org/order/order.html
Copyright 2009, Free Software Foundation Europe <pr(a)fsfeurope.org>.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in
any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
= FSFE FSFE in battle for European interoperability =
[Permanent URL: http://fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091109-02.en.html ]
9 November 2009, 16:30 CEST, Berlin, Germany
FSFE has unleashed an advocacy push in order to prevent the European
Commission from hollowing out an important European reference document
on interoperability. A draft for a new version of the European
Interoperability Framework (EIF) leaked to the press last week.
Where the current version strongly encourages the public sector to use
Free Software and Open Standards, the draft threatens to replace this
with meaningless statements which leave the European public sector at
the mercy of proprietary software vendors.
As the EC was gathering comments from Member States, FSFE contacted
senior government staff across Europe, emphasising the danger posed by
the new text and asking them to reject the draft. FSFE's President
Karsten Gerloff explained the importance of the document, the problems
in the draft, and the total failure of transparency in the processes
which led up to the current text.
Karsten Gerloff says: "FSFE will keep its eye on the ball as the
situation develops over the coming days and weeks. With the help of our
friends and supporters, we will work hard to fight off the current
threat to interoperability in the public sector. We will seek the best
possible result through constructive dialogue with Member States and the
European Commission."
[1] http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/?p=285
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these
issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving
people Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central
issues of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org
= FSFE to award 36 Fellowship grants over the next 12 months! =
[Permanent URL: http://www.fsfe.org/news/2009/news-20091109-01.en.html ]
Starting in November 2009, Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) will
award three people with a Fellowship grant every month for the coming
year. Everybody who is actively working for Free Software but cannot
afford the Fellowship contribution can apply for the grant.
Despite financial constraints many people in the Free Software community
devote a great deal of their time to Free Software activities. For
example programming, translating, administrating, organising events,
giving talks or advocating Free Software principles at public events.
FSFE has now found a way to recognise their efforts and let them become
part of the Fellowship.
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE's Fellowship coordinator, says: "The Fellowship
is the primary way people can identify with and support FSFE. It has
always consisted of three aspects: financial support, political weight,
and active engagement. We are offering the Fellowship grant for people
who have shown their dedication to the cause of Free Software. We won't
allow financial problems to hold anyone back from becoming part of the
Fellowship community."
The Fellowship grant is made possible by FSFE's supporters. Thanks to a
generous donation from tarent GmbH, FSFE is finally able to offer the
Fellowship grant to Free Software activists as a reward for exceptional
work. Thanks to these donations, 36 new Fellows will be joining the
Fellowship over the next 12 months.
Elmar Geese, CEO at tarent GmbH says: "We grew closer to the Fellowship
of FSFE since some of our employees are already Fellows. We know that
being a Fellow is a great way to become involved with FSFE and make a
real difference for Free Software. We are glad that our contribution
will allow other enthusiastic people to become part of the Fellowship."
Dedicated Free Software supporters can apply for a Fellowship grant by
writing an e-mail to fellowship(a)fsfeurope.org, explaining what they are
doing to promote Free Software. Each month, FSFE will select outstanding
candidates and announce the decisions at the beginning of the following
month.
More information about the Fellowship grant
http://fellowship.fsfe.org/grant.en.html
Join the Fellowship here!
http://fellowship.fsfe.org/login/join.php
FSFE thanks its supporters!
http://www.fsfe.org/donate/thankgnus.en.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/