2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<html newsdate="2012-10-04" type="newsletter">
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<version>1</version>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<head>
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2012-10-01 09:35:26 +00:00
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<title>FSFE Newsletter - October 2012</title>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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</head>
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<body>
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2012-10-01 09:35:26 +00:00
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<h1>FSFE Newsletter - October 2012</h1>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<h2>Software Freedom Day: What alternative is there to Skype?</h2>
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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<p>The Free Software community celebrated the worldwide <a
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href="http://softwarefreedomday.org/">Software Freedom Day</a>, held annually
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the third Saturday in September, with diverse events and meetings. Our <a
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2020-06-10 05:25:06 +00:00
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href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/groups/Manchester">local Fellowship group in
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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Manchester</a> met to test and discuss what alternative there is to Skype.
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They did extensive testing and <a
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href="/news/2012/news-20120920-01.html">published the results</a>.</p>
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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<p>Dressed with hoodies with the slogan "Independent through Free Software" our
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2020-06-10 05:25:06 +00:00
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<a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/groups/Vienna">Vienna Fellowship group</a> had an
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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information booth giving away <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/franz.gratzer/2012/09/17/software-freedom-day-2012-in-vienna/">
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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300 Free Software live CDs and over 1000 Free Software leaflets</a>. At
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Freedom Kosova 2012, Erik Albers <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/eal/2012/09/13/software-freedom-kosova-2012/">
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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gave a talk</a> and the day before he helped to free some Android phones.
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More devices were <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/anaghz/2012/09/17/libre-android-libre-knowledge/">liberated
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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during the Free Your Android workshop</a>, that Torsten Grote organised during
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SFD in Berlin. And, in Cologne, there was a <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/stehmann/?p=572">gathering with lectures about
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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software freedom</a>.</p>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<h2>The resurrection of the debate: Should Europe have software patents?</h2>
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2012-12-05 13:51:33 +00:00
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<p>After <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/513729/">Apple sued Samsung</a>,
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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Personalweb Technologies and Level 3 Communications is suing GitHub, and <a
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href="http://www.softwarefreedom.org/blog/2012/sep/17/twin-peaks-and-the-gpl/">
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"Twin Peaks Software, Inc." is suing Red Hat</a> (they filed a counterclaim
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because of a GNU GPL violation) about patents. </p>
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<p>Meanwhile <a
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2012/09/17/ep-committee-postpones-discussion-of-unitary-patent/">the
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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European Parliament has postponed the debate about the Unitary Patent</a> ,
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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which gives us more time to work on pointing out the <a
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2012/09/04/software-patents-in-europe-game-on/">
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2012-10-01 08:41:14 +00:00
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serious problems and hazards of the proposal</a> to the Legal Affairs
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2012-10-02 05:56:18 +00:00
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Committee.</p>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<p>Our president, Karsten Gerloff, wrote a series of articles about software
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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patents pointing at the current situation <a
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2012/09/05/how-the-european-patent-system-works/">at
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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the European Union level</a> and he <a
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2012/09/06/notes-from-boldrinlevine-2012-the-case-against-patents/">has
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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published his notes</a> about "The Case Against Patents", a recent draft paper
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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by economists Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine. He concludes that
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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we cannot "leave it to the EPO" and that "patent policy
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needs to be integrated into a larger innovation policy strategy"within the EU.</p>
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<h2>France's Prime Minister issues guideline in favour of Free Software</h2>
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2020-05-01 09:03:48 +00:00
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<p>After <a
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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href="https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/community/eole/news/priority-open-source-italian-code-digital-administration">Italy's
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new law</a> on software procurement which clearly prefers Free Software upon
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non-free software, France also took action: On September 19th France's Prime
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Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault <a
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href="http://circulaire.legifrance.gouv.fr/pdf/2012/09/cir_35837.pdf">signed
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a guideline</a>, addressed to all ministries, that the French public
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administration should favour Free Software. The advantages the Prime Minister sees
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in Free Software, are its lower costs and that it increases flexibility and
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competition in the IT market. The public administration should make "an
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educated choice", and do "a systematic review of free alternatives when doing
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development and major revisions of applications."</p>
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<p>The cross-ministry IT services give a set of recommendations to be implemented
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by the French ministries aiming at developing and improving the use of Free
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Software such as: find Free Software alternatives, follow and contribute to
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the communities, or improve the culture of Free Software and Free licences.</p>
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<p>FSFE's new intern Léopold Baillard explains this in detail in <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/leobaillard/2012/09/26/french-prime-minister-recommands-free-software-in-public-administrations/">his
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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first blog post</a>; <a
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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href="https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/news/french-guideline-favours-use-free-and-open-source">EC's
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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joinup wrote about it</a>; and the French Free Software organisation APRIL
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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also has <a
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href="http://www.april.org/en/ayrault-circular-progress-use-free-software-french-administration-pending-legislative-part">good
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information on the case</a>.</p>
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<h2>Something completely different</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>Free Software policies from France, Italy, UK, or Sweden were also a
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topic in the German Parliament. On Friday 21st September, your editor was
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invited to speak there as an expert for Free Software. In the next weeks you
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will receive a summary on this topic, but, until then you can <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/mk/?p=1005"> take a look at the questions</a>
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2012-10-01 09:30:21 +00:00
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your editor had to answer before it, as well as links to the written
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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statements from the other invited experts.</li>
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<li>FSFE's president Karsten Gerloff was busy giving talks: During Finland's
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Openmind conference he spoke about Free Software migrations, procurement, and
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overcoming common obstacles. Another talk was about the <a
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2020-07-06 10:28:56 +00:00
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href="/freesoftware/secure-boot.html">intense
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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battle about who will control the computers we will use tomorrow</a>, and
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why the general-purpose computer is worth fighting for.</li>
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2012-10-01 09:08:06 +00:00
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<li>There is information that the City of Freiburg wants to switch to a
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proprietary office suite. FSFE, together with OSB Alliance and BIKT, wrote <a
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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href="/news/2012/news-20120918-01.html">an open letter about it</a> asking
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several questions to the City's officials (German). EC's joinup <a
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href="http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/news/advocacy-groups-decry-freiburgs-stealth-return-proprietary-office">reported
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about it in English</a>.</li>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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<li>"How can I change the license, so my software cannot be used for military
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use?" Richard Stallman <a
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href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/programs-must-not-limit-freedom.html">published
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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an article</a> arguing, why a program must not restrict what jobs its users
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do with it, and why we cannot stop torture through software licenses.</li>
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<li>"Who controls the internet controls the data. Who controls the data,
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controls the future", says Georg (T)ORwell in the <a
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href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o66FUc61MvU">latest episode "Big
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Brother is WWWatching you"</a> from Juice Rap News (youtube link, you can
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use <a href="http://rg3.github.com/youtube-dl/">youtube-dl</a> to download
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it). It is about several Free Software connected topics and the advantages of
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<a href="https://www.torproject.org/">TOR</a>, and also features the
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Linksys-WRT-54 router, which was the first GNU GPL violation court case
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worldwide.</li>
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<li>Thanks to Kåre Thor Olsen the article <a
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href="/freesoftware/society/democracy.html">"Democracy requires Free
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Software"</a> is now translated also into Danish. It is now available in 12
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languages, thanks to all the volunteers in our <a
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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href="/contribute/translators/translators.html">our translators
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team</a>.</li>
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2012-10-01 08:39:33 +00:00
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<li>FSF is <a
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href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/join-the-fsf-and-friends-in-updating-the-free-software-directory-3">updating
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the Free Software directory</a>, and is looking for your help with this
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task.</li>
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2020-06-13 05:30:49 +00:00
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<li>From the <a href="https://planet.fsfe.org">planet aggregation</a>: </li>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<ul>
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<li>Isabel (now Drost-Fromm) took your editors advise from the <a
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href="/news/nl/nl-201208.html">August newsletter</a> (under "The
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Fellowship: One to rule them all") and <a
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href="http://blog.isabel-drost.de/index.php/archives/423/moving-to-a-new-domain">made
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sure that Thilo became a Fellow</a> before their wedding. Of course
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marrying did not stop her to <a href="http://blog.isabel-drost.de/">write
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several other blog posts</a> last month. FSFE thanks the two of them for
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their support, and wishes them all the best for their marriage.</li>
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<li>FSFE's intern Ana Galan has a journalist background. She now wrote
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about her experience from Campus Party in <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/anaghz/2012/09/15/my-first-time/">"my first
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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time"</a>, as well as the above mentioned <a href="
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2020-07-07 16:47:39 +00:00
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https://blogs.fsfe.org/anaghz/2012/09/17/libre-android-libre-knowledge/">Free
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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Your Android workshop at Berlin's Software Freedom Day</a>.</li>
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<li>How much do you pay per month for Free Software? Last month <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/torsten.grote/2012/09/22/paying-for-free-software/">Torsten
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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Grote payed $25</a> and your editor $20 for Twidere, an Android
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Status.net and Twitter client, who's developer <a
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href="https://github.com/mariotaku/twidere#consider-donate">needs new
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hardware</a>.</li>
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<li>Can you verify <a
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href="http://computerfloss.com/2012/09/which-languages-should-you-be-familiar-with-for-a-career-in-web-programming/">
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Karl Beecher's results</a> that PHP is essential to a career in web
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programming?</li>
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<li>On the technical side Torsten also wrote about his <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/torsten.grote/2012/09/12/first-experiences-installing-the-new-kolab-3-0/">
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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first experiences installing the Kolab 3.0</a>, Daniele Domenichelli had
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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some fun with the <a href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/drdanz/?p=705">KDE
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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telepathy text user interface plugins</a>, <a
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href="http://matija.suklje.name/migration-done">Matija Šuklje</a> and <a
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href="http://www.softmetz.de/2012/09/05/das-neue-softmetz-de/">Christian
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Kalkhof</a> both migrated their websites, Alexandre De Dommelin wrote
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about <a
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href="http://www.tuxz.net/blog/archives/2012/09/25/high_availability_-_automated_origin_failover_usin/">
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how a small hosted site gets redundancy</a>, and Alexandre Keledjian <a
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2020-06-11 05:35:21 +00:00
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/dervishe/2012/08/13/des-logiciels-libres-et-un-petit-script-vous-aident-a-gagner-de-la-place/">describes
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how to convert your audio CDs into FLAC</a> (French).</li>
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<li>And finally FSFE would like to thank Michael Stehmann who organised an
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FSFE Fellowship project room at FrOSCon, which dealt with <a
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href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/stehmann/?p=565">the usage of Free Software
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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in SMEs</a> (German).</li>
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</ul>
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</ul>
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<h2>Get active: Less than 3 minutes to support FSFE</h2>
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<p>To make it short: If you care about Free Software and support what FSFE is
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doing, please <a href="/support/support.html">become a supporter of FSFE</a>.
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It does not cost any money and takes less than 3 minutes to do so. If you are
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interested you can <a href="/news/2012/news-20120925-01.html">read about the
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background of this</a>.</p>
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2020-04-15 08:06:18 +00:00
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<p>Thanks to all the <a href="https://my.fsfe.org/donate">Fellows</a> and
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<a href="donate/thankgnus.html">donors</a> who enable our work,<br/>
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2022-10-07 18:47:48 +00:00
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<a href="/about/people/kirschner">Matthias Kirschner </a> - <a href="/index.html">FSFE</a></p>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<p>-- <br />
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<a href="/index.html">Free Software Foundation Europe</a><br />
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<a href="/news/news.rss">FSFE News</a><br />
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<a href="/events/events.rss">Upcoming FSFE Events</a><br />
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2020-06-13 05:30:49 +00:00
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<a href="https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml">Fellowship Blog Aggregation</a><br />
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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<a href="/contact/community.html">Free Software Discussions</a> </p>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag key="newsletter"/>
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2012-10-01 07:53:37 +00:00
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</tags>
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</html>
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<!--
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Local Variables: ***
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mode: xml ***
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End: ***
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-->
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