105 lines
3.9 KiB
HTML
105 lines
3.9 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
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<html>
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<head>
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<meta name="author-name-1" content="Georg C.F. Greve" />
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<meta name="author-link-1" content="/about/greve/greve.html" />
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<meta name="publication-date" content="2001-06-23" />
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<title>FSFE - Why do we exist?</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>Why do we exist?</h1>
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<p>The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) was founded in
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2001 as the sister organisation of the Free Software Foundation
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(FSF) in the USA to take care of all aspects of <a href="freesoftware.html">Free Software</a> in
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Europe.</p>
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<p>Several factors made this step necessary.</p>
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<ul>
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<li><p>First of all, Free Software has ceased being an American
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phenomenon, Europe has one of the strongest communities of Free
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Software developers and many considerable projects of the recent
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past have their roots here.</p></li>
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<li><p>Secondly, the dominating perception of software is as a
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purely economic property, which is why it is being treated
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this way by politics and press.</p>
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<p>But software already transcends daily life in an increasing
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manner and becomes a deciding factor. Just as other
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developments in the past of mankind, software develops from
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being an economic to a cultural property with increasing
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presence in everyday life.</p>
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<p>Other than developments that seem to be comparable at first
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glance like printing press, car or telephone, software is
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purely virtual. It can not only be reproduced without loss,
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this reproduction also serves its evolution.</p>
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<p>This makes software have properties that are very different
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from those of other phenomenons in history; the invention of
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software probably has the biggest similarities with the
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discovery of language, writing or science.</p>
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<p>It is essential for the future of mankind that software as a
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cultural property will remain accessible for everyone and is
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preserved in libraries like other knowledge.</p>
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<p>In order to achieve this, a new way of thinking has to be
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established with the decision-makers of the population, the
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politicians. </p>
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<p>To inspire this new way of thinking is a crucial task for the FSF
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Europe.</p>
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</li>
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<li><p>The third objective is securing Free Software.</p>
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<p>The GNU General Public License and GNU Lesser General Public
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License of the Free Software Foundation are the most-often
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licenses used for Free Software worldwide.</p>
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<p>Therefore it is incumbent on the FSF and FSFE to ensure
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the legal safety of the largest part of Free Software.</p>
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</li>
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<li><p>Fourthly the long-term success is based upon the practical realization
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of Free Software.</p>
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<p>Because of this, the FSFE and the FSF work together on
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the organisational aspects of the <a href="gnuproject.html">GNU Project</a>, assist and
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maintain the development of Free Software and support
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companies and people willing to switch to Free Software.</p>
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</li>
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<li><p>And finally software contains an immense commercial
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potential. In order to permanently build the awareness for
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Free Software, it is necessary to also involve the
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economy.</p>
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<p>This means perspectives need to be opened for companies to
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build their business on or around Free Software.</p>
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<p>Offering these perspectives and counseling in their
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application is also a task for the FSFE.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Further considerations on the topic of Free Software can be
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found at:
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<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html</a>
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</p>
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</body>
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<timestamp>$Date$ $Author$</timestamp>
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</html>
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