= Document Freedom Day 2012: Activists around the world celebrate Open
Standards =
[Read online: http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20120328-02.en.html ]
Free Software advocates worldwide are today celebrating information
accessibility and Open Standards. 48 events in 17 countries are using
demonstrations, talks and workshops to explain why Open Standards[1]and
Free Software are crucial to a free and competitive information society.
1. http://fsfe.org/projects/os/os.en.html
A network of 34 international partner organisations[2]are carrying this
message to new audiences, from Cairo to Argentina, Poland to Taiwan, and
the European Parliament[3]to Aberystwyth University.
2. http://documentfreedom.org/partners.html
3. http://erikjosefsson.eu/sites/default/files/global_dfd_invite.html
"The growth of support for Document Freedom Day[4]shows growing demand
for accessible formats and unprejudiced standards" says Campaign
Coordinator Matthias Kirschner. "Citizens, businesses, and politicians
alike are calling for adoption of fairer and more compatible
international standards". Prizes are being awarded this year by Document
Freedom Day teams in Germany[5], Italy[6], Slovakia and Poland[7], to
businesses and government offices which have recently adopted Open
Standards within their organisations.
4. http://documentfreedom.org
5. http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20120328-01.en.html
6. http://www.dfd-arezzo.tk/
7. http://www.linux.org.pl/news/kontener-na-newsy-i-eventy/document-freedom-%2…
Open Standards are a common language, publicly documented, that computer
programs can speak. They are central to interoperability and freedom of
choice in technology. Open Standards allow Free Software developers to
create programs that can interoperate with other solutions, so users can
migrate away from proprietary solutions.
"Fresh support from celebrities like Stephen Fry[8], and major community
groups such as Open Rights Group have introduced Open Standards to new
groups this year" said Deputy Campaign Coordinator, Sam Tuke. "We are
delighted by the response we have received, and the additional political
impact Document Freedom Day has achieved".
8. http://documentfreedom.org/testimonials.html#quote-fry
Document Freedom Day 2012 is facilitated by the Free Software Foundation
Europe, and supported by campaign patrons[9]Google and Oracle.
9. http://documentfreedom.org/sponsors.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/
== About Document Freedom Day ==
Document Freedom Day (DFD) campaigns to celebrate information accessibility
and introduce non-technical audiences to Open Standards. Open Standards are a
basic condition for freedom and choice in software; ensuring the freedom to
access data, and the freedom to build Free Software to read and write
information. Started in 2008, the campaign has resulted in hundreds of events
worldwide, and this year will take place on March 28th. This year 28 partners
are supporting DFD.
http://documentfreedom.org
Contact: Matthias Kirschner, Free Software Foundation Europe,
Linienstr. 141, 10115 Berlin, t +49-30-27595290, m +49-1577-1780003
== 1&1 Internet AG receives German Document Freedom Award ==
[Read online: http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20120328-01.en.html Also
read the international DFD press release under
http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20120328-02.en.html ]
Karlsruhe, 28 March 2012 - 1&1, GMX and WEB.DE receive the German
Document Freedom Award for the use of Open Standards. The prize is
awarded by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and the Foundation
for a Free Information Infrastructure e.V. (FFII). 1&1 is awarded for
automatically adding XMPP for all customers of their mail services. The
Document Freedom Award is awarded annually on the occasion of Document
Freedom Day - the international day for Open Standards. Last years
winners include tagesschau.de [1], Deutschland Radio [2], and the German
Foreign Office [3].
In Karlsruhe FSFE and FFII handed over a certificate and the Document
Freedom Award-cake to Jan Oetjen, CEO 1&1 Internet Portals, and Tino
Anic with his team, who are responsible for this functionality. The
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP, previously called
Jabber) is an Open Standard [4] communication protocol used for
chatting. A variety of chat programs [5] support this protocol, and it
is also used in VoIP applications. Every e-mail users of 1&1, GMX and
WEB.DE get such an XMPP account by default, which has the same name as
the e-mail address.
"Unlike closed services such as Facebook and Skype, 1&1 has provided
open connectivity with the rest of the Jabber/XMPP network for many
years. They are to be commended for supporting truly free communication
using Internet standards." says Peter Saint-Andre, Executive Director of
the XMPP Foundation.
Like 1&1, everyone can set up an XMPP server and enable it to connect
with other XMPP standard compliant servers around the world. People
having an account from 1&1 are able to chat with other contacts, within
or outside the 1&1 network, using any XMPP supporting client they want.
They can chat with customers from other XMPP supporting companies like
Google (with Google Talk), with people who set up their own Free
Software XMPP server, and with all of FSFE's supporters, which also
automatically get an XMPP account. When using Skype, ICQ, Facebook,
Yahoo! Messenger or Microsoft Network (MSN), all the people who want to
chat with each other have to use the same provider.
"Facebook and Microsoft Network (MSN) also use XMPP for their chat
functionality. But they disabled the XMPP server feature to connect with
other XMPP servers. This way Facebook and MSN are restricting their
users to their own service: You are only allowed to talk with people who
also have an account at their service and surrendered their data. By
using XMPP servers which connect with other XMPP servers, you give your
friends the freedom to decide which software and which provider they
want to use and trust!", says Matthias Kirschner, FSFE's German
Coordinator.
"We are very honoured to receive this award. It confirms our decision to
use the open standard XMPP for our online chat within WEB.DE, GMX and
1&1 mailboxes. It allows our users to chat without technical barriers
across the web.", says Jan Oetjen, CEO 1&1 Internet Portals.
Stephan Uhlmann, FFII board member, adds: "We're inspired by companies
like 1&1 Internet AG who not only base their business on Internet open
standards, like email and the web, but also keep these services
interoperable and do not rely on lock-in effects to convince their
customers."
1. https://fsfe.org/news/2011/news-20110330-01.en.html
2. https://fsfe.org/news/2010/news-20100324-01.en.html
3. http://mail.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/press-release-de/2008q1/000124.html
4. https://fsfe.org/projects/os/os.en.html
5. http://xmpp.org/xmpp-software/clients/
== Background information ==
- Press pictures of the award ceremony are available on a seperated
page. http://wiki.fsfe.org/DFD-2012-Karlsruhe
- DRadio Wissen interview with Deputy German Coordinator Torsten Grote
about XMPP (in German) explaining the importance of XMPP.
http://wissen.dradio.de/kommunikation-autarkes-chatten.36.de.html?dram:arti…
(Audio,
http://ondemand-mp3.dradio.de/file/dradio/2012/0/26/drw_201203261034_autark…
unfortunately only mp3).
- Until 30th March - You suggest, we send handcuffs: Who needs education
about standards? https://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20120321-01.en.html
== Other activities and events in Germany during DFD 2012 ==
- FSFE: Information booth about Open Standards and Free Software in the
public library in Offenburg
http://documentfreedom.org/2012/events/#event-20120328-03
- FSFE: Lectures and dicussions about open standards and their
usefullness in the Chaosdorf in Düsseldorf
http://documentfreedom.org/2012/events/#event-20120328-28
- Green Federal Party: Document Freedom Day: Questions about
advertisement for Adobe Reader in parliament
http://gruen-digital.de/2012/03/document-freedom-day-kleine-anfrage-zur-wer…
- Green Party Berlin: Awarding a DFD-cake for the city of Vienna to the
ambassador in Berlin by the Green parliamentary group
http://documentfreedom.org/2012/events/#event-20120328-41
- Pirate Party Baden-Württemberg: Countdown to Document Freedom Day by
the Piratenpartei Baden-Württemberg
http://documentfreedom.org/2012/events/#event-20120328-30
- All other activities during DFD around the globe
http://documentfreedom.org/2012/events/events.en.html
== Press contacts ==
Contact: Matthias Kirschner, Free Software Foundation Europe,
Linienstr. 141, 10115 Berlin, t +49-30-27595290, m +49-1577-1780003
Stephan Uhlmann, Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure
Malmöer Str. 6, 10439 Berlin, t +49-30-41722597, m +49-170-4225008
== About Document Freedom Day ==
Document Freedom Day (DFD) campaigns to celebrate information
accessibility and introduce non-technical audiences to Open Standards.
Open Standards are a basic condition for freedom and choice in
software; ensuring the freedom to access data, and the freedom to
build Free Software to read and write information. Started in 2008,
the campaign this year has 48 events worldwide. This year 34 partners
are supporting DFD on 28th March. http://documentfreedom.org
== 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://www.fsfe.org/
== About FFII ==
The FFII is a not-for-profit association registered in twenty European
countries, dedicated to the development of information goods for the
public benefit, based on copyright, free competition, open standards.
More than 1000 members, 3,500 companies and 100,000 supporters have
entrusted the FFII to act as their voice in public policy questions
concerning exclusion rights ("intellectual property") in data
processing. http://www.ffii.org/
== You suggest, we send handcuffs: Who needs education about standards? ==
[Read online: http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20120321-01.html ]
Do you know a certain politician who should really learn more about
Open Standards? Have you tried to explain the importance of Open Standards to
your boss, friends, local administration or service, but without any results?
Would support from the outside world help? Definitely! Inform our Document
Freedom Day (DFD) team about your situation and we will send a free, remarkable
gift to your contact to help them learn more about the power of Open
Standards.
All you have to do is submit the name and postal address of the person you'd
like the DFD team to contact by March 30. The DFD team will then deliver
by post gratis Open Standards educational packages, consisting of a short
letter explaining the topic and - to symbolise proprietary standards - a pair of
handcuffs! The DFD team is planning to send 100 packages, so submit your
suggestion soon to be sure your contact will receive their free materials. DFD
packages will be sent on April 4, and you can track shipment through our package
tracking map on the right [1].
Your support directly increases the amount of packages sent. Any donation above
the amount of 10 EUR gives you the right to indicate the name of an additional
person who will receive our package. So, who needs education about Open
Standards? Tell us today [1]!
1. http://documentfreedom.org/handcuffs/index.en.html
== About Document Freedom Day ==
Document Freedom Day (DFD) campaigns to celebrate information accessibility
and introduce non-technical audiences to Open Standards. Open Standards are a
basic condition for freedom and choice in software; ensuring the freedom to
access data, and the freedom to build Free Software to read and write
information. Started in 2008, the campaign has resulted in hundreds of events
worldwide, and this year will take place on March 28th. This year 28 partners
are supporting DFD.
== 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://www.fsfe.org/
Contact: Matthias Kirschner, Free Software Foundation Europe,
Linienstr. 141, 10115 Berlin, t +49-30-27595290, m +49-1577-1780003