= Icelandic developer receives Nordic Free Software Award =
[Permanent URL: http://fsfe.org/news/2010/news-20101108-01 ]
Bjarni Rúnar Einarsson, Free Software developer and community
builder from Iceland, has received the Nordic Free Software Award.
This annual prize was awarded on Saturday by Föreningen för Fri Kultur
och Programvara and Free Software Foundation Europe at the Free
Software Conference and Nordic Summit (FSCONS) which took place in
Gothenburg, Sweden this weekend.
Einarsson has been a leading figure in Iceland's Free Software
movement for more than a decade. He has been driving the country's
Free Software and free culture community, founding and participating
in various groups such as Vinix, contributing to the KDE project, and
starting netverjar.is, an organisation fighting for civil rights on
the Internet.
"Without Bjarni, Iceland's Free Software community wouldn't be what it
is today," says Karsten Gerloff, President of the Free Software
Foundation Europe. "People like Bjarni are the lifeblood of our
community. I'm very glad to see his work recognised in this way."
Bjarni has advocated the use of Free Software by maintaining and
distributing CDs with a free operating system, both translating and
developing Free Software for several years.
"The Nordic Free Software Award is special because it's a recognition
from your peers," comments 2009 award recipient, the Swedish Free
Software developer Daniel Stehnberg. "It means having your work
appreciated by people who understand what you have achieved."
== Links ==
Föreningen för Fri Kultur och Programvara
http://ffkp.se
Free Software Foundation Europe
http://fsfe.org
== Media contacts ==
Iceland:
Smári McCarthy - smari(a)immi.is +354 662 2701
Denmark:
Anne Østergaard - anne(a)ostergaard.nu +45 35 42 88 73
Sweden:
Daniel Stenberg - daniel(a)haxx.se +46 705 44 31 77
Norway:
Anders Kringstad - akai(a)underworld.no +47 932 82 137
Finland:
Otto Kekäläinen - otto(a)fsfe.org +358 44 566 2204
Rest of Europe:
Karsten Gerloff - gerloff(a)fsfeurope.org +49 176 9690 4298
== 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/
(Please support us to reach more people in their native language. Join
our translator team http://fsfe.org/contribute/translators/.)
= FSFE Newsletter - November 2010 =
[Permanent URL: http://www.fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-201011.en.html]
This edition explains how we counter the lobby work of proprietary
organisations at the European level, what we do at the United Nations
level to inform more people about the dangers of software patents,
what we are doing to get rid of non-free software advertisement on
public websites, and what you can do to make a change.
Beside that the Document Foundation was formed to take care of the
development of Libre Office. More and more organisations raise
awareness about government spendings on non-free software, like the
[1]parlamentarian group Digital Sustainability in Switzerland and our
associated organisation [2]ANSOL in [3]Portugal (Portuguese). The
Austrian Fellows asked the political parties in Vienna about their
[4]stance on Free Software related issues, the Fellowship interviews
started again with a [5]new interview with Leena Simon, Karsten gave a
talk about "Power and Freedom" at Tedx [6]which was recorded
(bittorent), and I (Matthias) informed the listeners of Dradio Wissen
about [7]Free Software licenses (German).
== Facts against BSA's fictions on Open Standards ==
Open Standards are always a hot topic in Brussels. Where Open
Standards go, Free Software can easily follow. That's why [8]we're
pushing for Open Standards in the rules and recommendations that the
European Commission makes for public bodies across Europe. For example
we document the changes of EU's new interoperability recommendations (
[9]European Interoperability Framework), we [10]publish analysis, and
with [11]Document Freedom Day we raise awareness for the topic in a
wider public.
But not everyone out there likes Open Standards. The Business Software
Alliance (BSA), a lobby group for proprietary software, is pressuring
the European Commission to remove the last traces of support for Open
Standards from the latest version of the European Interoperability
Framework (EIF).
We obtained a [12]copy of a letter sent to the Commission by the BSA.
We [13]analysed their arguments and explained why their claims are
false, and why Open Standards are key to interoperability and
competition in the European software market. In short we dealt with
the following points:
- Restriction-free patent licensing opens up participation and
promotes innovation
- The example standards cited by the BSA are irrelevant to the
software field
- (F)RAND licensing in software standards is unfair and
discriminatory
- The BSA's letter to the Commission isn't supported by its own
- membership, much less by the software industry as a whole
- (F)RAND is incompatible with the most widely used Free Software
licenses
- Restriction-free specifications will promote standardisation,
competition and interoperability
We sent a [14]letter with those arguments to the European Commission
to support Open Standards and interoperability, and [15]informed the
press about it. Although this topic is quite complex, several media
outlets picked it up. You might especially be interested in an article
by Glyn Moody about [16]"A (Final) Few Words on FRAND Licensing".
== WIPO - Fighting software patents at WIPO ==
But why wait until we have to deal with topics at the European level?
We always try to fix them at the root, so we work in some committees
of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). From October
11-15, WIPO's Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) had its
15th session. We participate there because the committee discusses
questions related to patents and standards.
Our main goals in the committee are to convince WIPO member states and
WIPO staff why software should not be patentable, explain to them the
relation between standards and patents from the perspective of Free
Software, and make them understand how rules must be shaped so that
their countries can get the most out of Free Software.
In our most important statement [17]"Statement on the relation between
standards and patents at WIPO SCP/15" we explain why software
standards must be implementable in any software or business model,
including those based on Free Software. We argued that when patents
are included in software standards, they need to be licensed in a
manner that does not restrict their implementation in any way. Besides
the absence of any other restriction, that means royalty-free
licensing to any party implementing the standard.
== PDFreaders: 2162 public websites advertise non-free software ==
One month, one campaign, one goal: getting rid of non-free software
advertisements on public websites. In four weeks, we received reports
concerning [18]2162 European institutions who advertise non free
PDFreaders. Apart from the 305 activists who participated to the
search, 1500 individuals, 46 businesses and 38 organisations signed
our [19]Petition For The Removal Of Proprietary Software Advertising
On Public Websites. Now that the hunt is over, it's time to chase up
those websites which encourage visitors to jeopardise their freedom.
It's time to stamp out the ads!
Highly motivated volunteers searched the internet for public websites
that advertise for non-free software and reported [20]2162
institutions. Some of them, like Massimo Barbieri and Lucas Bickel
individually reported more than 350! Alessandro Albini, Rainer
Schmitz, and Павел Харитонов (Pavel Kharitonov) also made a remarkable
contribution in reporting around 50 institutions each.
But we will not stop with a list of institutions. In the coming weeks,
we will [21]send letters to the institutions to draw their attention
to their unfair advertising. In the name of the signatories of the
[22]petition, we will ask the institutions to either remove any
recommendation for non-free software from their website, or give a
choice of several programs.
== Get active: stamp out the ads! ==
Wherever you are, whatever time you have, you can contribute to the
removal of non-free software adverts on public website. The amazing
work of the ads hunters and [23]our translators has laid a firm
foundation for the next phase. Now it is up to you to enable us to get
things done. You can make a difference! Help us to [24]translate the
letter into missing languages or [25]donate to the PDF readers
campaign fund to help cover the 1600 EUR for postage and the extra
costs of administration to deliver the messages throughout Europe.
Help us stamp out the ads!
Hope to see you at [26]FSCONS,
Regards,
Matthias Kirschner- FSFE
1.
http://www.digitale-nachhaltigkeit.ch/2010/10/beschwerde-ans-bundesgericht/
2. http://ansol.org/
3.
http://listas.ansol.org/pipermail/ansol-imprensa/2010-September/000085.html
4. http://wiki.fsfe.org/groups/vienna/Wahl2010
5. http://blogs.fsfe.org/fellowship-interviews/?p=119
6.
http://download.fsfe.org/torrents/TEDxEutropolis-Karsten_Gerloff-Power_and_…
7. http://blogs.fsfe.org/mk/?p=679
8. http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/?p=408
9. http://fsfe.org/projects/os/eifv2.en.html
10. http://fsfe.org/projects/os/ps.en.html
11. http://www.documentfreedom.org/
12. http://fsfe.org/projects/os/bsa-letter-ec.pdf
13. http://fsfe.org/projects/os/bsa-letter-analysis.en.html
14. http://fsfe.org/projects/os/bsa-eif-letter-fsfe-response.pdf
15. http://fsfe.org/news/2010/news-20101016-01.en.html
16.
http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/open-enterprise/2010/10/a-final-few-words-…
17. http://fsfe.org/projects/wipo/statement-20101013.en.html
18. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/buglist.en.html
19. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/petition.en.html
20. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/buglist.en.html
21. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/letter.en.html
22. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/petition.en.html
23. http://fsfe.org/contribute/translators/translators.en.html
24. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/letter.en.html
25. http://fsfe.org/donate/donate.en.html
26. http://www.fscons.org/
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <http://www.fsfe.org>
FSFE News <http://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <http://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <http://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <http://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
= End non-free advertisement: stamp out the ads! =
[permanent URL : http://www.fsfe.org/news/2010/news-2010-11-02-01.html]
One month, one campaign, one goal: getting rid of non-free software
advertisements on public websites. In four weeks, FSFE received
reports concerning 2162 European institutions[1] who advertise
non-free PDF readers. Apart from the 305 activists who participated to
the search, 1500 individuals, 46 businesses and 38 organisations
signed our Petition For The Removal Of Proprietary Software
Advertising On Public Websites[2]. Now that the hunt is over, it's time
to chase up those websites which encourage visitors to jeopardise
their freedom. It's time to stamp out the ads!
Highly motivated volunteers searched the internet for public websites
that advertise non-free software and reported 2162 institutions[3].
Some of them, like Massimo Barbieri and Lucas Bickel individually
reported more than 350! Alessandro Albini, Rainer Schmitz, and Pavel
Kharitonov also made a remarkable contribution in reporting around 50
institutions each.
But the FSFE won't stop with a list of institutions. In the coming
weeks, FSFE will send letters to the institutions[4] to draw their
attention to their unfair advertising. In the name of the signatories
of the petition[5], FSFE will ask the institutions to either remove
any recommendation for non-free software from their website, or give a
choice of several programs.
Wherever you are, whatever time you have, you can contribute to the
removal of non-free software adverts on public websites. The amazing
work of the ads hunters and our translators[6] has laid a firm
foundation for the next phase. Now it is up to you to enable us to get
things done. You can make a difference! Help us to translate the
letter[7] into missing languages or donate to the PDF readers campaign
fund[8] to help cover the 1600 EUR for postage and the extra costs of
administration to deliver the messages throughout Europe. Help us
stamp out the ads!
== 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/
1. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/buglist.en.html
2. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/petition.en.html
3. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/buglist.en.html
4. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/letter.en.html
5. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/petition.en.html
6. http://fsfe.org/contribute/translators/translators.en.html
7. http://fsfe.org/campaigns/pdfreaders/letter.en.html
8. http://fsfe.org/donate/donate.en.html