Fwd: Free Software Supporter -- Issue 188, December 2023

Sat Dec 2 08:29:02 PST 2023

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Free Software Foundation <info at fsf.org>
Date: Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 20:36
Subject: Free Software Supporter -- Issue 188, December 2023
To: Karl Semich <baffo32 at gmail.com>

[image: Free Software Foundation]

*Please consider adding info at fsf.org <info at fsf.org> to your address book,
which will ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.*

*Read and share online:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2023/december
<https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2023/december>*

Welcome to the *Free Software Supporter*, the Free Software Foundation's
(FSF) monthly news digest and action update -- being read by you and
232,350 other activists.

[image: Image of a computer with a university displayed on a laptop screen
with students going in and out. The words Freedom and Free Software Inside
are displayed prominently.]
<https://www.fsf.org/appeal?mtm_campaign=fall23&mtm_source=supporter>

Free software, free society, free education!

*From November 8*

We can only learn in freedom if the software we use is free. Your donation
helps us bring free software to schools, universities, and every learner
around the world, thereby protecting not only each learner's freedom, but
also educating everybody on the importance of free software. What better
way is there to learn about free software than by using it? Free software
in education is vital for a free society. Together, we can build a future
in which everyone will be able to learn in freedom and will know their
rights as a user.

Invest in a free future by donating to the FSF today!
<https://my.fsf.org/donate/>

Please consider supporting our work by making a donation, becoming an
associate member, or gifting an associate membership to a loved one. You
will help us reach our goal of collecting USD 375,000 by December 31 and
thereby support us in bringing free software to every learner around the
world.

Plus, if you start an annual associate membership or contribute $140 or
more as a donation we'll send you an exclusive drawstring bag to show off
your support for user rights.

Share the message using the hashtag #LearnLibre on social media networks
<https://u.fsf.org/learnlibre>.**

   - https://www.fsf.org/appeal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

   - EmacsConf joins Free Software Foundation fiscal sponsorship program
   - Worldwide community of activists protest OverDrive and others forcing
   DRM upon libraries
   - FSF Giving Guide: Tech changes, freedom doesn't
   - Protecting free software against confusing additional restrictions
   - Calling for volunteers: Help FSF staff with the GNU Press shop, which
   is open until December 15
   - FSF Free Software Community Meetup on December 15, 2023
   - Now's your chance to submit your session and nominations
   - Software that supports your body should always respect your freedom
   - You paid $1,000 for an iPhone, but Apple still controls it
   - November GNU Emacs news
   - Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
   - LibrePlanet featured resource: Birds of a Feather at LibrePlanet 2024
   - November GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali: Fourteen new GNU releases!
   - FSF and other free software events
   - Thank GNUs!
   - Translations of the *Free Software Supporter*
   - Take action with the FSF!

View this issue online here:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2023/december

Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by adding
our subscriber widget to your website.

   - Subscribe: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/subscribe
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Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter.

Want to read this newsletter translated into another language? Scroll to
the end to read the *Supporter* in French, Spanish, or Portuguese.
EmacsConf joins Free Software Foundation fiscal sponsorship program

*From November 30*

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced on November 30, 2023 that
EmacsConf will join the Working Together for Free Software Fund. The one
and only conference dedicated to the joy of Emacs is joining just before
their event on December 2 and 3, 2023.

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/news/emacsconf-joins-free-software-foundation-fiscal-sponsorship-program
   - https://emacsconf.org/2023/

Worldwide community of activists protest OverDrive and others forcing DRM
upon libraries

*From November 28*

The FSF is hosting its International Day Against DRM (IDAD) again this
year, taking aim at companies that force Digital Restrictions Management
(DRM) upon libraries. This year's IDAD campaign draws attention to the ways
libraries, and by extension, their patrons, are mistreated by corporations
like OverDrive, makers of the "Libby" app that have a near monopolistic
control over digital lending in the United States. Services like OverDrive
and Follet Destiny mandate "controlled digital lending" schemes, imposing
artificial scarcity on a digital good. They also require monthly or annual
fees in order to have the privilege of having a book or piece of media in
circulation. Should the library struggle with paying its licensing fees,
like the New York Public Library, then its "access" is "rescinded." IDAD
will take place digitally and worldwide on December 8, 2023.

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/news/worldwide-community-of-activists-protest-overdrive-and-others-forcing-drm-upon-libraries
   - https://dayagainstdrm.org/

FSF Giving Guide: Tech changes, freedom doesn't

*From November 22*

*This year's FSF Giving Guide is here: Make freedom your gift!* This is the
fourteenth year the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has published its
Ethical Tech Giving Guide as a way to help people make better informed
decisions when finding gifts for friends and family. No matter how you
celebrate this year, we hope that the holidays will prove a fruitful time
for you to educate the people you care about on the importance of free
software. No matter if or how you'll be buying gifts this year, always keep
in mind that retaining your freedom is the greatest gift of all.

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/fsf-giving-guide-tech-changes-freedom-doesnt
   - https://fsf.org/givingguide/v14

Protecting free software against confusing additional restrictions

*From November 14*

While we are pleased when people use GNU licenses to distribute and license
software, we condemn the use of unauthorized, confusing derivatives of the
licenses. In this article, we explain how users are protected against
restrictive terms introduced by people using GNU licenses' terms in
drafting their own, new licenses.

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/protecting-free-software-against-confusing-additional-restrictions

Calling for volunteers: Help FSF staff with the GNU Press shop, which is
open until December 15

*From November 16*

The GNU Press shop is open for the holidays until December 15. If you are
planning to buy something from the GNU Press Shop, *now is the chance*. And
right now, we have a special offer. Order a stuffed baby gnu, one of our
most sought-after items, and receive a special gift with your order: a FSF
or unique floating GNU pin. Our favorite baby gnu is small, soft, poised,
and eager to migrate onto your computer desk or bookshelf.

And if you are in the area and able to join us in the office, we are asking
for assistance in packing, labeling, and sending GNU Press shop orders.
We're organizing multiple volunteer days, with the hours of 14:00 to 21:00
(2:00 PM to 9:00 PM) EST each day. Food and drinks will be provided. Please
let us know which times and dates would work for you from the following:
Tuesday, December 12; and Friday, December 15, 2023.

*Also note that the December 15 date coincides with our upcoming Free
Software Community Meetup, so if you want to come in that day and do both,
you can!*

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/blogs/gnu-press/calling-for-volunteers-help-fsf-staff-with-the-gnu-press-shop
   - https://www.fsf.org/about/contact/fsf-office-directions

FSF Free Software Community Meetup on December 15, 2023

We are inviting you to the first ever FSF Free Software Community Meetup on
Friday, December 15, 2023, from 18:45 to 21:00 (6:45 PM to 9:00 PM) EST.

This is the perfect opportunity to meet other free software supporters,
hangout with Free Software Foundation (FSF) staff, swap stories, and
discuss free software topics while grazing like a gnu on some snacks. If
you support free software and are in the Boston area during this time,
you're invited. Feel free to bring friends and family members along. We'll
start with a Freedom Trail walk and, once we return, we'll warm up in the
office with hot chocolate and snacks.

   - https://www.fsf.org/events/free-software-supporter-meetup-2023-12-15
   - https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=130

Now's your chance to submit your session and nominations

*From November 15*

The window for submitting your session proposals for next year's
LibrePlanet and nominations for this year's Free Software Awards is now
closed, but registration and sponsoring remain open. Please consider
registering for LibrePlanet as a participant and supporting the event as a
sponsor or exhibitor.

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/nows-your-chance-to-submit-your-session-and-nominations
   -
   https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/register-to-be-part-of-libreplanet-2024-cultivating-community
   - https://libreplanet.org/2024/sponsors/

Software that supports your body should always respect your freedom

*From November 3*

It's up to us, advocates of free software, to inform the people around us
of the issues with proprietary software in medical aids. Let's encourage
our friends, parents, and grandparents to ask their doctor about the
software in their medical devices and to choose and insist upon free
software over proprietary software. You could start by sharing this article
with the people who are near and dear to you.

   -
   https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/software-that-supports-your-body-should-always-respect-your-freedom

You paid $1,000 for an iPhone, but Apple still controls it

*From November 12 by Tripp Mickle, Ella Koeze, and Brian X. Chen*

People who purchase an iPhone find themselves asking a question whose
importance only becomes obvious once the time comes to service the phone: *Who
controls my device?* This is due to a devious practice called *parts
pairing*, which employs (proprietary) software to check the device, detects
installed hardware, and decides whether or not it will continue working
purely based on the hardware's origin (i.e. whether or not Apple is getting
a cut). This practice has been reported before and is cataloged on the GNU
website's DRM malware page
<https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary-drm.html#content>, but the
authors' research in this article has found that this malpractice has been
on the rise over the years.

*Tip for viewing articles on *The New York Times* website: Use LibreJS
<https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-librejs-new-and-improved> to avoid
its nonfree JS as well as its nagging popup.*

   -
   https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/12/technology/iphone-repair-apple-control.html

November GNU Emacs news

*From November 27 by Sacha Chua*

In these issues: EmacsConf 2023 updates, Emacs Advent Calendar 2023,
creating flow charts in org-mode, and more!

   - 2023-11-27 <https://sachachua.com/blog/2023/11/2023-11-27-emacs-news/>
   - 2023-11-20 <https://sachachua.com/blog/2023/11/2023-11-20-emacs-news/>
   - 2023-11-13 <https://sachachua.com/blog/2023/11/2023-11-13-emacs-news/>
   - 2023-11-06 <https://sachachua.com/blog/2023/11/2023-11-06-emacs-news/>

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 Libera.Chat, and usually include a handful of regulars
as well as newcomers. Libera.Chat is accessible from any IRC client --
Everyone's welcome!

The next meeting is Friday, December 8 from 12:00 to 15:00 EST (17:00 to
20:00 UTC). Details here:

   - https://www.fsf.org/events/fsd-20231208-irc

LibrePlanet featured resource: Birds of a Feather at LibrePlanet 2024

Every month on the LibrePlanet wiki <https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Main_Page>,
we highlight one resource that is interesting and useful -- often one that
could use your help.

For this month, we are highlighting Birds of a Feather at LibrePlanet 2024,
which has proposals for, and provides information about, Birds of a Feather
sessions at the upcoming LibrePlanet conference. You are invited to add
your own proposal, as well as to share this important resource.

   - https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2024/BOF

Do you have a suggestion for next month's featured resource? Let us know at
campaigns at fsf.org.
November GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali: Fourteen new GNU releases!

Fourteen new GNU releases in the last month (as of November 29, 2023):

   - bash-5.2.21 <https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/>
   - gama-2.27 <https://www.gnu.org/software/gama/>
   - gawk-5.3.0 <https://www.gnu.org/software/gawk/>
   - gettext-0.22.4 <https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/>
   - g-golf-0.8.0-rc-2 <https://www.gnu.org/software/g-golf/>
   - global-6.6.11 <https://www.gnu.org/software/global/>
   - gnutls-3.8.2 <https://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/>
   - gprofng-gui-1.0 <https://www.gnu.org/software/gprofng-gui/>
   - lilypond-2.24.3 <https://www.gnu.org/software/lilypond/>
   - linux-libre-6.6-gnu <https://www.gnu.org/software/linux-libre/>
   - mes-0.25 <https://www.gnu.org/software/mes/>
   - octave-8.4.0 <https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/>
   - parallel-20231122 <https://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/>
   - r-4.3.2 <https://www.gnu.org/software/r/>

*For a full list with descriptions, please see:
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/november-gnu-spotlight-with-amin-bandali-fourteen-new-gnu-releases
<https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/november-gnu-spotlight-with-amin-bandali-fourteen-new-gnu-releases>*

For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu
mailing list: https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu.

To download: nearly all GNU software is available most reliably from
https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/. Optionally, you may find faster download speeds
at a mirror located geographically closer to you by choosing from the list
of mirrors published at https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html, or you may use
https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/ to be automatically redirected to a (hopefully)
nearby and up-to-date mirror.

A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a whole,
are looking for maintainers and other assistance. Please see
https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint if you'd like to help.
The general page on how to help GNU is at https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html
.

If you have a working or partly working program that you'd like to offer to
the GNU project as a GNU package, see
https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html.

As always, please feel free to write to me, bandali at gnu.org, with any
GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.
FSF and other free software events

   - December 2-3, 2023, Online, EmacsConf <https://emacsconf.org/2023/>
   - December 15, 2023, Boston, MA Free Software Community Meetup
   <https://www.fsf.org/events/free-software-supporter-meetup-2023-12-15>
   - February 3-4, 2024, ULB Solbosch Campus, Brussels, Belgium, FOSDEM
   <https://fosdem.org/2024/>
   - February 6-7, 2024, London, UK, State of Open Con
   <https://stateofopencon.com/>
   - March 14-17, 2024, Pasadena, CA, SCALE
   <https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/21x/>
   - Spring, 2024, Location TBD, LP 2024 <https://my.fsf.org/node/62>

Thank GNUs!

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

   - https://www.gnu.org/thankgnus/2023supporters.html

This month, a big Thank GNU to:

   - Alessandro Vesely
   - Christopher Rorvick
   - David Lecompte
   - J.Fossy Weinzinger
   - Massimo Spadotto
   - Michael Gran
   - Michael Stroucken
   - Michael Lewis
   - Nathan Thuma
   - Roland Pesch
   - Savoir-faire Linux inc.
   - Seth Erfurt
   - Thomas Hahn
   - Trevor Spiteri

You can add your name to this list by donating at https://donate.fsf.org/.
Translations of the *Free Software Supporter*

El *Free Software Supporter* está disponible en español. Para ver la
versión en español haz click aquí:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2023/diciembre

*Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos números
del Supporter en español, haz click aquí:*
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id=1691306&cs=0d3b72a0c90547b7396e147292df5e26_1701480948_168

Le *Free Software Supporter* est disponible en français. Pour voir la
version française cliquez ici:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2023/decembre

*Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines publications du
Supporter en français, cliquez ici:*
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id=1691306&cs=0d3b72a0c90547b7396e147292df5e26_1701480948_168

Note: To be added back once we have a volunteer. O *Free Software Supporter*
está disponível em português. Para ver a versão em português, clique aqui:
https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2023/dezembro-pt

*Para alterar as preferências do usuário e receber as próximas edições do
Supporter em português, clique aqui:*
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id=1691306&cs=0d3b72a0c90547b7396e147292df5e26_1701480948_168
Take action with the FSF!

Contributions from thousands of individual associate members enable the
FSF's work. You can contribute by joining at https://my.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!
https://my.fsf.org/join

The FSF is always looking for volunteers <https://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 campaigns section <https://www.fsf.org/campaigns> and take action on
software patents <https://endsoftwarepatents.org/>, Digital Restrictions
Management <https://www.defectivebydesign.org/>, free software
<https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Freedom_Ladder> adoption, OpenDocument
<https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/opendocument/download>, and more.

*Do you read and write Portuguese and English?* The FSF is looking for
translators for the *Free Software Supporter*. Please send an email to
campaigns at fsf.org with your interest and a list of your experience and
qualifications.
------------------------------

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported
License. To view a copy of this license, visit
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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