Free Software Supporter -- Issue 57, December 2012

           *                   /\                           /\     /o \   /\              ,--,/,----,  / /    /_ _o\  \ \            (           )  \ \__.'  '   './ /           _,'-----,__,;_   \___.---'---___/  *CLINK!*  '.-.  .-.   / -,      /    @    @_              .-.  .-.   >'     /  )     _   '   |~|,,    (o ) (o  )   )    ;_-'    _(,\__,)  | |\/\    '-, ,--', ',-,       / \   \'uuuu'   '.' '-'   '-v-v-v-'_'  )    ,'   "", '---'.   ,|.   3')\,'------' ,-' \   /       """,--, '-'|_|  |_/  / (\,)__,'     ;  /  /       '"\\\'---      \_  ; / ' \   \    |                 HAPPY GNU YEAR 2013!  

Help us make 2013 a great year for free software!

We hope you enjoy this special New Year's issue of the Supporter, complete with an impressive piece of holiday ASCII art by FSF member Chris Webber. As you can hopefully tell, that's a gnu toasting the new year with Gavroche, the adorable goblin mascot of the GNU MediaGoblin project that so many of you generously supported this year.
All of you care about free software, and our job at the FSF is to make your voices heard. In 2013, our goal is to turn up the volume and reach more people than ever before with the message that all software can and should be free. To make this possible, we want to raise $350,000 by January 31st. If you've been following the progress bar on our homepage, you know we're about halfway there. Can you help us reach our goal?

Click here to donate to the FSF or become a member now.

Thanks,
John, Ward, Chrissie, Don, Kira, Jasimin, Jeanne, Josh, Libby, Martin, Nico, Peabo, and Zak

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Welcome to the Free Software Supporter, the Free Software Foundation's monthly news digest and action update -- being read by you and 65,202 other activists. That's 895 more than last month!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Gnu comes bearing gifts, draws shoppers from Microsoft store
• Ubuntu Spyware: What to Do?
• Share freedom this holiday season!
• Interview with Kovid Goyal of Calibre
• GNU Press debuts GNU beanies!
• Who ever thought APIs were copyrightable, anyway?
• 45 organizations join in legal complaint to [Italian] Ministry of Education
• European Parliament adopts deeply flawed unitary patent, gives up power over innovation policy
• RMS around the world
• Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
• LibrePlanet featured resource: Free Software in Government
• GNU Spotlight with Karl Berry: 23 new GNU releases!
• GNU Toolchain update
• Richard Stallman's speaking schedule
• Thank GNUs!
• Take action with the FSF

Gnu comes bearing gifts, draws shoppers from Microsoft store

From December 18th
FSF activists visited a local Microsoft store during its "Tech for Tots" session to wish passersby happy holidays with copies of the GNU/Linux operating system, a free software replacement for Windows 8. The activists were accompanied by a gnu (free software's buffalo-like mascot) and sported Santa hats in the spirit of the season. See pictures here:

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-strikes-again-fsf-surprises-boston-microsoft-store

Read our press release for more details:

• http://www.fsf.org/news/gnu-comes-bearing-gifts-draws-shoppers-from-windows-store

Ubuntu Spyware: What to do?

By Richard Stallman, from December 7th
Ubuntu, a widely used and influential GNU/Linux distribution, has installed surveillance code. When the user searches her own local files for a string using the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu sends that string to one of Canonical's servers. (Canonical is the company that develops Ubuntu.)
One of the major advantages of free software is that the community protects users from malicious software. Now Ubuntu GNU/Linux has become a counterexample. What should we do?

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do

Share freedom this holiday season!

From December 26th
This holiday season, support computer-user freedom by giving an FSF membership to your loved ones. Membership support makes up the lion's share of the FSF's operating costs, and an FSF membership will help fund our work to defend and promote computer-users' freedom.

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/membership/share-freedom-this-holiday-season

Interview with Kovid Goyal of Calibre

From December 13th
This is the latest installment of our Licensing and Compliance Lab's series on free software developers who choose GNU licenses for their works. Calibre is a free ebook library management application developed by users of ebooks for users of ebooks, distributed under GPLv3.

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/interview-with-kovid-goyal-of-calibre

GNU Press debuts GNU beanies!

From December 13th
Keep cozy this winter in our navy blue beanies with GNU embroidered in white on the side. Now available from the shop!

• http://shop.fsf.org/product/gnu-beanie/

Chrissie's blog post about the beanies is here (with Zak modeling!):

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/gnu-press-debuts-gnu-beanies

Who ever thought APIs were copyrightable, anyway?

From December 26th, by Bradley Kuhn
FSF board member and former executive director Bradley Kuhn discusses the landmark copyright case of Oracle v. Google and what it does -- and doesn't -- mean for free software.

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/who-ever-thought-apis-were-copyrightable-anyway

45 organizations join in legal complaint to [Italian] Ministry of Education

From December 17th, by the Free Software Foundation Europe
A group of 45 free software organisations, including FSFE, have signed a legal complaint to Italy's Ministry of Education, warning that it is putting free software at an unfair disadvantage in Italy's schools.

• http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20121217-01.en.html

European Parliament adopts deeply flawed unitary patent, gives up power over innovation policy

On December 11th, the European Parliament adopted a proposal to create a unified patent system for Europe. Unfortunately, instead of productively simplifying Europe's patent laws, this "unitary patent" will leave Europe with a system that is both deeply flawed and prone to overreach.
End Software Patents gives a point-by-point explanation of the dangers of the treaty now threatening innovation and freedom in Europe:

• http://news.swpat.org/2012/12/unitary-patent/

The European free software advocacy organization April "regrets a missed opportunity for the European Parliament to finally create a genuine patent of the European Union":

• http://www.april.org/en/unitary-patent-keys-european-patent-office-and-door-european-parliament

FSF Europe condemns the European Parliament for "[throwing] Europe's researchers and innovators under the bus just to achieve a deal, any deal":

• http://fsfe.org/news/2012/news-20121211-01.en.html

RMS around the world

From December 4th
Richard Stallman spends much of the year travelling around the world, giving talks in English, Spanish and French to a variety of audiences, from university students to professional software developers. Here are pictures from some of his adventures this year:
Spain in May:

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/20120507-murcia

France in June:

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/20120627-marlyleroi

Peru in August:

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/20120824-huacho

Mexico in October:

• http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/20121012-tijuana

Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions to version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing. The Free Software Directory has been a great resource to software users over the past decade, but it needs your help staying up-to-date with new and exciting free software projects.
To help, join our weekly IRC meetings on Fridays. Meetings take place in the #fsf channel on irc.gnu.org, and usually include a handful of regulars as well as newcomers. Everyone's welcome.
The next meeting is Friday, January 11th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm EDT (19:00 to 22:00 UTC). Keep an eye on http://www.fsf.org/blogs for a post in the week before the meeting.
After this meeting, you can check http://fsf.org/events to see the rest of January's weekly meetings as they are scheduled.

LibrePlanet featured resource: Free Software in Government

Every month on LibrePlanet, we highlight one resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that could use your help.
For this month, we are highlighting the Free Software in Government page. Share your knowledge of free software in government and swap ideas for ways to improve it.

• http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Free_Software_in_Government

Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us know at campaigns@fsf.org.

GNU Spotlight with Karl Berry: 23 new GNU releases!

New GNU releases this month as of December 24:

• auctex-11.87
• gprolog-1.4.2
• libosip2-4.0.0
• automake-1.12.6
• gtypist-2.9.2
• libtasn1-3.2
• bison-2.7
• guile-2.0.7
• mediagoblin-0.3.2
• freedink-1.08.20121209
• help2man-1.40.13
• parallel-20121222
• gdb-7.5.1
• icecat-17.0.1
• sed-4.2.2
• global-6.2.7
• kawa-1.13
• ucommon-6.0.3
• gnunet-0.9.5
• libidn-1.26
• xnee-3.15
• gnupg-1.4.13
• libmatheval-1.1.10

To get announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu mailing list: http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu. Nearly all GNU software is available from http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/, or preferably one of its mirrors (http://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html). You can use the url http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/ to be automatically redirected to a (hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.
We welcome Daiki Ueno as the new maintainer of GNU Gettext (and thank Bruno Haible for his long-time development of gettext and many other packages, some still continuing). We also welcome Aleksey Demakov as the maintainer of the new package libjit, now split as a separate package from DotGNU.
A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance. Please see http://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint if you'd like to help. The general page on how to help GNU is at http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html. To submit new packages to the GNU operating system, see http://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html.
As always, please feel free to write to me, karl@gnu.org, with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.

GNU Toolchain update

From December 17th
The GNU toolchain refers to the part of the GNU system which is used for building programs. These components of GNU are together often on other systems and for compiling programs for other platforms.

• http://nickclifton.livejournal.com/12277.html

Richard Stallman's speaking schedule

For event details, as well as to sign-up to be notified for future events in your area, please visit .
So far, Richard Stallman has the following events in the first few months of 2013:

• January 17, 2013, 04:15 PM, Ann Arbor, MI, "A Free Digital Society"
• March 18, 2013, 03:00 PM, Poitiers, France, "The Free Software Movement"
• March 19, 2013, 07:30 PM, Niort, France, "A Free Digital Society"

Other FSF and free software events

• February 2nd-3rd, 2013, Brussels, Belgium, FOSDEM 2013
• March 23-24, 2013, Cambridge, MA, LibrePlanet 2013

Thank GNUs!

We appreciate everyone who donates to the Free Software Foundation, but we'd like to give special recognition to the folks who have donated $500 or more in the last month.

• http://www.gnu.org/thankgnus/2012supporters.html

This month, a big Thank GNU to:

• John David Stone
• Gabor Toth
• Tim Heaney
• Terrance Druggan
• Thomas H. Puckett
• Alipes CME, Inc
• Georges Sancosme
• Roozbeh Pournader
• Håkon A. Hjortland
• Furlotti Family Foundation
• Russell McManus
• Scott Boughton
• Morten Lind
• Mark Nelson
• Skowronski Family Foundation
• Pariksheet Nanda
• Max Lekomcev
• Stefan K. Berg
• Uday Kale
• Doyle Myers
• Vidar Løkken
• Craigslist Charitable Fund
• Benjamin Carl Wiley Sittler
• Joseph Paul Cohen
• Jon Howell
• Eben Moglen
• Kahle/Austin Foundation

You can add your name to this list by donating at https://donate.fsf.org.

Take action with the FSF

Contributions from thousands of individual members enable the FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at http://www.fsf.org/join. If you're already a member, you can help refer new members (and earn some rewards) by adding a line with your member number to your email signature like:
I'm an FSF member -- Help us support software freedom! http://www.fsf.org/jf?referrer=2442
The FSF is also always looking for volunteers (http://www.fsf.org/volunteer). From rabble-rousing to hacking, from issue coordination to envelope stuffing -- there's something here for everybody to do. Also, head over to our campaign section (http://www.fsf.org/campaigns) and take action on software patents, DRM, free software adoption, OpenDocument, RIAA and more.

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Copyright © 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Is AT&T the Grinch That Stole Internet Freedom?

Defeating SOPA. Pushing back on FaceTime blocking. Releasing the Declaration of Internet Freedom. We had some big moments in 2012.
>
> Next year could be even bigger. In 2013 we may need to stand up for Net Neutrality once again. We'll need to beat back profit-hungry forces that would make it harder and more expensive for us to get online. And we'll need to protect our right to communicate online — in private — like never before. 

Together we stopped SOPA and PIPA, bills that would have dismantled the open Internet in the name of copyright enforcement. We forced AT&T to relent when we caught it violating Net Neutrality and harming consumers by blocking the FaceTime video-calling app. 
>
> And we put forward a vision of Internet freedom for all: The Declaration of Internet Freedom was translated into more than 70 languages and signed by thousands of organizations, multiple members of Congress and even the president of Costa Rica.
>
> But make no mistake: In 2013 we'll have to work even harder to keep the Internet free and open.

> A federal court will decide the future of Net Neutrality.
> Local legislators will try to stop communities from building their own broadband networks.
> The SOPA/PIPA forces will be back with new Web-censorship bills.
> Corporations and government will push cybersecurity policies that violate our privacy and harm the Internet.
>
> More than ever before, the public needs to be at the decision-making table every time the future of the Internet is at stake. We need to be ready.
>
> With your tax-deductible gift, we will be.
>
> Thank you for your support.
>
> Best,
>
> Josh, Carrie and the rest of the Free Press team
>
> P.S. A loyal supporter will match all gifts we receive by Dec. 31. Please donate today. Thank you!
>
> Free Press is a nonpartisan organization building a nationwide movement for media that serve the public interest. Learn more at www.freepress.net.
.

Support the FSF: Help us stop Restricted Boot

Read this online at http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/2012-appeal
>
> Dear Pascal,
>
> Our campaign to stop Restricted Boot hit a big milestone this month. We've surpassed 40,000 signers on our pledge. That's more than 40,000 people -- including you -- and 50 organizations who have committed not to purchase or recommend computers that strip users of their freedom to install the free operating system of their choice.
>
> That freedom came under increasing assault this year, as Microsoft released a slew of new devices designed to run Windows 8 and only Windows 8. In the new year, we will release new information about Restricted Boot and amplify your voices of protest. To do that, we need your continued support. Can you donate $50 to help us raise the profile of our campaign against Restricted Boot in 2013?
>
> In January, we'll release an updated white paper with new information about how Secure Boot is being implemented. We aim to take the pledge to the next level as well, building support and awareness until our numbers are 50,000 and counting. We'll also make it easier for people to make informed decisions when purchasing new computers by creating new resources similar to our 2012 Giving Guide. We'll make these resources available online, of course, but we'll also take them out into the streets.
>
> To take the Secure Boot campaign to the next level, we need your continued support. Please renew your membership to the Free Software Foundation today, or consider making a one-time donation of $50 to keep us going in 2013.
>
> Secure Boot raises many issues for protecting user freedom, promoting free software ideals, and encouraging free software adoption. We make every dollar you give part of our comprehensive approach to the advancement of free software. The Free Software Foundation is the only organization that combines support for free software development, worldwide education and outreach efforts, software licensing and compliance, and advocacy in a holistic strategy to stop Restricted Boot. Here's what your support will help us accomplish in 2013:
>
> We will continue to build public support around our statement. When further actions need to be taken to stand up for this freedom as Secure Boot and Restricted Boot are rolled out, we will call upon this base of support.
>
> We will fight Microsoft's attempt at enforcing Restricted Boot on ARM devices like smartphones and tablets. Like any other computer, users must be able to install free software operating systems on these devices. We will monitor Microsoft's behavior to make sure they do not deceive the public again by expanding these restrictions to other kinds of systems.
>
> We will work with (and when necessary, pressure) manufacturers and distributors to make sure that users can change all of the software running on their machine, including the boot firmware itself.
>
> We will continue to work with companies like Lemote, Freedom Included, ZaReason, ThinkPenguin, Los Alamos Computers, Garlach44, and InaTux to make computers available that are preinstalled with fully free GNU/Linux distributions.
>
> We will help provide information about which computers and components are most compatible with free software, including making people aware of which machines have Restricted Boot.
>
> Microsoft and the other companies driving restricted boot must be challenged. The only way to counter their billions of dollars in influence is with the power of your voices and your generosity. We need to raise $350,000 by January 31st to help us amplify your voices in 2013. Please, donate today to help us turn up the volume.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> The Free Software Foundation team
>
> PS. Please help us amplify this email by sharing it with your networks: http://u.fsf.org/blastit

Research Outlays to Decline Next Year

Wall Street Journal (12/18/12) Gautam Naik

Research and development spending by governments and corporations in the U.S. and Europe could decline in 2013 as a result of weak economies and large national debts, according to a Battelle Memorial Institute forecast.  U.S. inflation-adjusted R&D spending is expected to fall by 0.7 percent in 2013 on the assumption that lawmakers will resolve the fiscal cliff issue, but spending could decline further in the absence of a resolution.  U.S. inflation-adjusted R&D spending growth averaged about 4 percent annually from 2004 to 2007, but since 2009 growth has failed to outpace inflation.  Globally, the U.S. remains the leader in R&D, spending $418.6 billion in 2012 in current-dollar terms while China spent $197.3 billion, but Battelle predicts that China could achieve R&D spending parity with the U.S. in 2022 and possibly 2019 if the fiscal cliff remains unresolved.  Worldwide R&D spending in 2013 is projected to increase by 3.7 percent, or $53.7 billion, to nearly $1.5 trillion, of which the largest increase of $22.9 billion is expected to come from China.  The U.S. is predicted to spend $423.7 billion on R&D in 2013, with academic research comprising more than 60 percent of the basic research conducted nationwide.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324677204578185552846123468.html

Merry Chrismas 2012

And full of free gifts

Gnu comes bearing gifts, draws shoppers from Microsoft store

Read the web version of this press release.

Gnu comes bearing gifts, draws shoppers from Microsoft store

Boston, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, December 20th, 2012 -- Today, FSF activists visited a local Microsoft store during its "Tech for Tots" session to wish passersby happy holidays with copies of the Trisquel GNU/Linux operating system, a free software replacement for Windows 8. The activists were accompanied by a gnu (free software's buffalo-like mascot) and sported Santa hats in the spirit of the season. Their action drew smiles from mall-goers who had expected to see costumed people giving gifts, but not quite like this.

On its campaign site, http://fsf.org/windows8, the FSF criticizes Windows 8 for restricting computer users' freedom to modify and share the software on their computers. This action follows a similar one at a Windows 8 launch event in October, when the FSF made international news announcing its campaign to ask computer users to skip Windows 8 in favor of free software.

FSF executive director John Sullivan said, "Tablets and laptops are popular gifts for the holidays, but people often overlook the restrictions that manufacturers slip under the wrapping paper. These restrictions end up locking people into one company's products, and complicating things that should be simple like moving programs from an old laptop to a new one. We invite people to join us by going to http://fsf.org/windows8 and signing the pledge to switch to a free operating system. If you already use one, help a friend or family member switch."

The Prudential Center's Microsoft store is one of many that Microsoft has opened in recent months to promote Windows 8 and its new line of tablets. The aggressive Windows 8 marketing campaign is rumored to cost more than a billion dollars. Windows 8 has drawn criticism for its difficult interface and for being more restrictive than previous versions of the OS. In fact, many of Microsoft's Windows 8 devices have crippled firmware that prevents them from running free operating systems, even alongside Windows.

Along with the free GNU/Linux operating system, holiday shoppers received a copy of the FSF's holiday giving guide. The guide, online at http://fsf.org/givingguide, compares widely known but restrictive tech products with replacements that give users more freedom.

Today's action ended when Prudential Center security arrived on the scene. FSF campaigns manager Zak Rogoff said: "We were prepared for the Microsoft store to ask us to leave. Our Windows 8 campaign is reminding Microsoft that many software users do care about their rights to run a free 'as in freedom' operating system, and will not tolerate digital handcuffs. Microsoft's business model is predicated on these handcuffs, so they don't like what we're doing. If more people knew that free software was an option and had a chance to try it, this store would have a different logo over the door."

The FSF asks supporters to keep their eyes peeled for more appearances by the gnu in coming months. The FSF also expects to release a whitepaper formalizing its critique of Windows 8, as well as a new campaign Web site dedicated to Windows 8.

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.

About Free Software and Open Source

The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as "open source," which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html.

About the GNU Operating System and Linux

Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom. See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.

In 1992, the essential components of GNU were complete, except for one, the kernel. When in 1992 the kernel Linux was re-released under the GNU GPL, making it free software, the combination of GNU and Linux formed a complete free operating system, which made it possible for the first time to run a PC without non-free software. This combination is the GNU/Linux system. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.

Media Contacts

Zak Rogoff and Libby Reinish
Campaigns Managers
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942
campaigns@fsf.org

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