Source files of fsfe.org, pdfreaders.org, freeyourandroid.org, ilovefs.org, drm.info, and test.fsfe.org. Contribute: https://fsfe.org/contribute/web/
https://fsfe.org
You can not select more than 25 topics
Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.
191 lines
8.3 KiB
191 lines
8.3 KiB
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
|
|
|
|
<html>
|
|
<version>1</version>
|
|
|
|
<head>
|
|
<title>Contribute! - Free Your Android!</title>
|
|
<meta content="Encourage android freedom and Free Software app development: contribute to free as in freedom." name="description" />
|
|
<meta content="android smart phone operating system drivers apps Replicant OS LineageOS F-Droid FoeBuD e.V. fsf ansol free software phone mobile phone open source GTA04 Maemo/MeeGo Mer Tizen Carrier IQ spying spy analytics" />
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
|
|
<p id="category"><a href="/activities/android/android.html">Free Your Android</a></p>
|
|
|
|
<h1>Contribute and Help Others!</h1>
|
|
|
|
<div id="introduction">
|
|
<div class="image" id="hello-free-droid">
|
|
<img src="/activities/android/robot.png" alt="Liberated Android Robot" />
|
|
</div>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Help us to encourage people to liberate their devices and convince app
|
|
developers to release their app as Free Software.
|
|
The various Free Software initiatives also need help
|
|
and we need to ensure that they stay free as in freedom.
|
|
If you just want to spread the word about this campaign,
|
|
there is <a href="/activities/android/artwork.html">promotion material</a>
|
|
available for download, translation and ordering.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</div>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<h2 id="OS">Operating Systems</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The Replicant initiative is in urgent need of help.
|
|
It lists <a href="http://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/Tasks">many ways to help out</a> on its homepage.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Even though other versions of Android are all based on Free Software,
|
|
sometimes non-free applications are added to these ROMs.
|
|
If you know about non-free software added to LineageOS or other versions of Android,
|
|
please <a href="mailto:android@lists.fsfe.org">let us know</a> about it!
|
|
We collect <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Android#Non-Free_Parts">current information</a> in the wiki.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h2 id="Apps">Apps and F-Droid</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The F-Droid initiative <a href="http://f-droid.org/contribute/">lists many ways to contribute</a>.
|
|
Have a look!
|
|
Maybe there is something that you can do easily.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Adding Apps Yourself</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You are encouraged to add applications to F-Droid yourself.
|
|
A <a href="http://f-droid.org/docs/">manual is provided</a> to help you.
|
|
There is a long queue
|
|
of <a
|
|
href="https://gitlab.com/fdroid/rfp/issues">applications
|
|
that wait to be added</a>.
|
|
Adding them works by filling a simple recipe file which controls how a package
|
|
is built from source. If you like to add apps yourself, you should read
|
|
about <a
|
|
href="https://f-droid.org/docs/Submitting_to_F-Droid_Quick_Start_Guide/">how F-Droid
|
|
works with git</a> and <a
|
|
href="https://f-droid.org/docs/Build_Metadata_Reference/">how
|
|
to create these so called metadata files</a>.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3 id="FreeingApps">Freeing Non-Free Apps</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Unfortunately, there are still some applications that do not have a free
|
|
alternative. To use the proprietary app is a bad idea; it takes away
|
|
your freedom. Even if you don't
|
|
know how to program, you can <a
|
|
href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Advocacy/ConvinceYourFriends">contact</a> the authors
|
|
of crucial apps and ask
|
|
them politely for their reasons for not publishing their app as Free
|
|
Software. Many apps are available without payments, so money is not
|
|
always the dominating reason. Sometimes one email can make a difference
|
|
and there have already been successful attempts: The Chess
|
|
Walk app for example is now <a
|
|
href="https://f-droid.org/packages/cz.hejl.chesswalk/">liberated</a>.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Apps That Still Need To Be Liberated</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We collect apps that have no free counterpart, but are important to have
|
|
on a free system <a
|
|
href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Activities/Android#Apps_That_Still_Need_To_Be_Liberated">in
|
|
our wiki</a>. Please add other essential apps there. People can <a
|
|
href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Advocacy/ConvinceYourFriends">contact the authors</a>
|
|
of those apps and ask them why they are not Free Software.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h4>Responses to Objections We've Heard from App Developers</h4>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Only when we understand the motivation of programmers who keep their
|
|
apps proprietary, we know what needs to be changed in order to change
|
|
their minds and to convince them of liberating their own app. Please <a
|
|
href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Activities/Android#Responses_to_Objections_We.27ve_Heard_from_App_Developers">contribute
|
|
your experiences</a> with developers of non-free apps here and share
|
|
useful responses to their objections.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Objection:</strong> If I publish my app as Free Software, I
|
|
will not be able to make money with it.
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> You can still offer your app in other markets and ask for money
|
|
there. </li>
|
|
<li> Offer options for people to donate. Free markets
|
|
like F-Droid can include them and their users like to reward.
|
|
Depending on your case, you might make more money with donations
|
|
than from sales. </li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Objection:</strong> But when my app is Free Software other
|
|
people can distribute it without me getting profit.
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> That is true, but keep in mind that people who don't want to
|
|
pay you will always find ways to do so. </li>
|
|
<li> If you ask people
|
|
in a friendly non-obtrusive way and give them good reasons, they
|
|
will give you money. </li>
|
|
<li> If you publish your app under a copyleft license like the
|
|
<a href="https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU GPL</a>,
|
|
then you are guaranteed that other people cannot distribute it without
|
|
distributing the source code as well. Otherwise it is copyright
|
|
infringement and you can contact the app store operator to take it
|
|
down. </li>
|
|
<li> You could tell people that in order to recognize and support your work,
|
|
they should buy your application and not the other copies
|
|
that might be distributed by other people. </li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Objection:</strong> I'm embarrassed by my bad code and don't
|
|
want anybody to see it.
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> Your code is very useful to many people, and it works. Of course
|
|
good code would be better, but code quality is secondary to freedom.
|
|
</li>
|
|
<li> Everybody has written bad code at some point. Sharing it will
|
|
enable others to help you improving it. </li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2 id="Contact">Contact</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you want to stay informed or like to work with others on a free
|
|
Android system, you can <strong><a
|
|
href="https://lists.fsfe.org/mailman/listinfo/android">subscribe to the
|
|
mailing list</a></strong>. You can also ask questions or give input by
|
|
writing to <a
|
|
href="mailto:android@lists.fsfe.org">android@lists.fsfe.org</a>.
|
|
For technical questions about apps, the <a
|
|
href="irc://irc.freenode.net/fdroid">F-Droid IRC channel</a> is a good
|
|
place to ask. For exchange about the lower layers of Android, the
|
|
<a href="irc://irc.freenode.net/replicant">Replicant</a> (<a href="https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=replicant">Webchat</a>) and <a
|
|
href="irc://irc.freenode.net/lineageos">LineageOS IRC channel</a> (<a href="https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=lineageos">Webchat</a>) is
|
|
more suitable. Everybody in this community is very friendly and loves
|
|
others to help, so don't be shy and get involved!
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
</body>
|
|
<legal type="cc-license">
|
|
<license>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/</license>
|
|
<notice>Portions of this page are
|
|
modifications based on work created and shared by Google and
|
|
used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0
|
|
Attribution License. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.</notice>
|
|
</legal>
|
|
</html>
|
|
<!--
|
|
Local Variables: ***
|
|
mode: xml ***
|
|
End: ***
|
|
-->
|