Free Software Linux

– ## In this issue * It's not the Gates, it's the bars * Act on ACTA! * Fight the Canadian DMCA! * Rhapsody and Naxos go DRM free * Refusing Digital Monitoring Policies * 5 reasons to avoid iPhone 3G * autonomo.us activist group to focus on freedom in network services * identi.ca is autonomo.us * GNU spotlight with Karl Berry * Richard Stallman's speaking schedule * Take action! AdvertisementYour ad here!

"...The current generation of network services or Software as a Service can provide advantages over traditional, locally installed software in ease of deployment, collaboration, and data aggregation. Many users have begun to rely on such services in preference to software provisioned by themselves or their organizations. read more

"BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA—Monday, July 14, 2008— A new activist group called autonomo.us has launched an online presence to focus on issues of software freedom in network services..."

Many folks have been looking for an “Open Source Twitter” for about as long as Twitter itself has been popular. Here’s a shortlist of those projects I’m aware of - please do let me know in the comments if there are others I’ve missed.

"A company called Control Yourself, led by Evan Prodromou (who serves with me and many others on the FSF-endorsed Freedom for Network Services Committee) yesterday launched a site called identi.ca. It's a microblogging service similar to Twitter, but it is designed to respect the rights and freedoms of its users..." -- http://identi.ca/doc/source

«Clipperz and Richard Stallman recently launched a joint call for action to bring freedom and privacy to web applications. [...] Clipperz and RMS urge web developers to adopt the new AGPL license and build their applications using a 'zero-knowledge architecture,' a framework for web services that has been derived from Clipperz online password manager. read more

After 18 months of widespread consultation with community and corporate interests, the third versions of the GNU General Public License (GPL) and GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) were released one year ago on 29 June 2007. In November, they were joined by the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL). read more

– ## In this issue * New FSF store * Farewell Justin, Hello Danny * DRM elimination crew at the Apple Store launch * Savannah adds Subversion, Mercurial * Freedom and privacy in the cloud: a call for action * Boycott Windows Media Center! * GNU Spotlight with Karl Berry * Richard Stallman's speaking schedule and other FSF speeches * Take Action with the FSF

"This is a post about freedom. The freedom to keep your data for yourself and the freedom to run free software. You should be able to reclaim and enjoy these freedoms also when using web applications. [...] Let me be clear: web apps are great and I’m in love with them. But I think it’s time to ask for more freedom and more privacy. Here is a three step plan to achieve both these results..."

"Preserving software freedom in the era of Web applications -- You’ve read the GPL’s preamble, you can name the Four Freedoms, and you do your best to keep proprietary bits off our computers. But what’s the future of free software in the era of Flickr, Google Apps, and Facebook? ..."

Google should adopt AGPL and embrace Freedom for Network Services...

Software as a service (SaaS) entered the IT landscape in 2000 and has revolutionized the deployment models of many software companies and even entire industries, such as Internet search. It has also becoming an increasingly popular form of consuming applications within enterprises of all shapes, sizes and geographies.

"The GNU Affero General Public License or GNU AGPL is a free software license published by the Free Software Foundation. The GNU AGPL is similar to the GNU General Public License, except that it has an additional section to cover use over a computer network. It closes what is commonly known as the Application service provider loophole of the GNU General Public License. read more

I had the joy of attending Linuxfest Northwest on April 26 in Bellingham, WA. The weather was great (just like last year), and the atmosphere relaxed and fun. Linuxfest is a 2-day community event, run by volunteers and free to the public. It is such a cozy atmosphere, and it is easy to interact with the speakers and the exhibitors. read more

The controversial Affero general public license could get an unexpected boost from Ubuntu developer Canonical. Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical's chief executive, has said AGPL is "a strong candidate" for the eventual open source release of Launchpad, Canonical's developer collaboration tool.