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