Unfortunately, this has been easier said than done so far. Browsers will typically download and run JavaScript without the user's knowledge. People who want to avoid running nonfree JavaScript have had little recourse to date besides disabling JavaScript entirely—but that's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Enter JavaScript License Web Labels. This is a format that we propose webmasters use to publish license information and source code for the JavaScript they deploy on their sites. It looks simple enough to be accessible to any visitor, but provides enough detail that automated tools can confirm that all of a site's JavaScript is actually free. Such software will make it practical for people to run free JavaScript and refuse nonfree code. Tools like this are already being developed: LibreJS is a plug-in for Mozilla-based browsers that will support JavaScript License Web Labels.

Webmasters should find a lot to like in JavaScript License Web Labels, too. We believe that webmasters that correctly publish JavaScript License Web Labels will comply with conditions in the GNU GPL and AGPL to accompany object code with a copy of the license terms and a way for recipients to get source code. The format is flexible enough that any interested webmaster should be able to use it: it doesn't require them to serve the JavaScript files any specific way, or coordinate with upstream JavaScript developers.

We hope these labels will empower users to be as selective about what licenses they'll accept for JavaScript as they are for traditional desktop software. That said, this is an early effort to tackle the problem, and we're happy to consider changes that can make it more attractive to webmasters or their visitors. For details about the decision-making process behind JavaScript License Web Labels, and how you can send feedback to us, please read our accompanying rationale document. We look forward to hearing from you.

On behalf of everyone here at the FSF, I'd like to thank all of you who donated and joined, and all of you who helped promote the effort through your networks. The amount of response this year was incredibly gratifying, and makes me feel extremely optimistic about what we can get done in the year ahead.

I'd specifically like to thank Mark Holmquist, who referred 15 of those 423 new members all by himself, our intern emeritus Danny Piccirillo who went above and beyond in getting the word out, Max and the gang from reddit, and everyone who donated $500 or more to appear on our ThankGNU list.

We had a lot of fun writing the fundraiser pieces this year describing the work of the different staff members here at the FSF, and how we could get more done in each area with increased financial support. We didn't get a chance to write about everyone yet (like, ahem, me!), but we'll pick up where we left off next time. Thank you to all of you who wrote to us with encouraging comments about this series of articles — of course we always worry about annoying our supporters by being too pushy, so it was very good to hear that the articles were worthwhile reading.

Now that you've given us a vote of confidence to do more for you, it's time for us to get to it!

You can keep tabs on our work by signing up for our monthly Free Software Supporter newsletter (along with occasional interim updates), and subscribing to our blogs RSS feed.

I hope to see all of you in person at LibrePlanet this March in Boston! And for anyone who will be at FOSDEM this weekend, look me up.

The newly formed GNU Education Team is being led by Dora Scilipoti, an Italian free software activist and teacher. Under her leadership, the Team has developed a list of specific goals to guide their work:

• Present cases of educational institutions around the world who are successfully using and teaching free software.

• Show examples of how free programs are being used by educational institutions to improve the learning and teaching processes.

• Publish articles on the various aspects involved in the use of free software by educational institutions.

• Maintain a dialogue with teachers, students and administrators of educational institutions to listen to their difficulties and provide support.

• Keep in contact with other groups around the world committed to the promotion of free software in education.

GNU and its host organization, the Free Software Foundation (FSF), emphasize that free software principles are a prerequisite for any educational environment that uses computers:

Educational institutions of all levels should use and teach free software because it is the only software that allows them to accomplish their essential missions: to disseminate human knowledge and to prepare students to be good members of their community. The source code and the methods of free software are part of human knowledge. On the contrary, proprietary software is secret, restricted knowledge, which is the opposite of the mission of educational institutions. Free software supports education, proprietary software forbids education.

In an article at http://fsf.org/blogs/community/gnu-education-website-relaunch, Scilipoti adds insights about the project's organizing philosophy, current contributors, and progress so far. Of her basic motivation for being involved, she says, "As a free software advocate and a teacher, I always felt that the GNU Project needed to address the subject specifically and in depth, for it is in the education field that its ethical principles find the most fertile ground for achieving the goal of building a better society."

In her article, Scilipoti also highlights some of the free software success stories from around the world, especially Kerala, India, where the government has migrated over 2,600 of its public schools to free software.

While the Education Team has already compiled a collection of useful materials, they are also looking for more volunteer contributors. People who want to help, or who have information about instructive examples of existing use of free software in schools, should contact education@gnu.org.

"Education really is one of the most fundamental areas we need to focus on to achieve real social change," said Free Software Foundation executive director John Sullivan. "We need to be acknowledging and assisting schools that are doing the right thing, and helping those who aren't yet on board understand why those giveaway Microsoft Office, iPad, and Kindle deals aren't so great for classrooms after all. We're very thankful to all of the Team members for stepping up to meet this challenge. I hope others will be inspired by their work and join the effort."

The Education Team has also been working closely with GNU's Translation Team to make the new materials available in as many languages as possible. People interested in helping with the translation component of the project should see the information at http://www.gnu.org/server/standards/README.translations.html.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

About Free Software and Open Source

The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as "open source," which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html.

About the GNU Operating System and Linux

Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom. See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.

In 1992, the essential components of GNU were complete, except for one, the kernel. When in 1992 the kernel Linux was re-released under the GNU GPL, making it free software, the combination of GNU and Linux formed a complete free operating system, which made it possible for the first time to run a PC without non-free software. This combination is the GNU/Linux system. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.

Media Contacts

John Sullivan
Executive Director
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942
campaigns@fsf.org

###

"At last year's event, I promised we would make this conference bigger and better than ever before." said Matt Lee, FSF campaigns manager, "All signs point to us making good on that promise."

The conference is open to the public with purchase of a ticket, but associate members of the Free Software Foundation can attend as a benefit of their financial contribution. A goal of one hundred new associate members has been set in order to fund the conference, and new and existing members are encouraged to contribute online at http://www.fsf.org/associate.

More information on the conference, including a mailing list for updates and speaker announcements, is available at http://www.fsf.org/events/libreplanet-2012.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

About Free Software and Open Source

The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as "open source," which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html.

Media Contacts

Matt Lee
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942 x24
campaigns@fsf.org

The technology in question aims to protect against malware by preventing unauthorized operating systems components from booting. Stopping unauthorized tampering could be a feature, says the FSF, but only so long as it doesn't prevent users from intentionally running and modifying free software. If the boot system works in this fashion, then it deserves the name many are already calling it, "Secure Boot."

However, the FSF is concerned that Microsoft and hardware manufacturers will implement the system in a way that will prevent users from booting anything other than Windows. In this case, the FSF offers the more accurate name of Restricted Boot, explaining that such a requirement would be a severe restriction on computer users and, by giving only a remote third party control over what's authorized to run on their computers, not a security feature at all.

"We're looking at a world in which it could become impossible for the average user to install GNU/Linux on any new computer, so too much is at stake for us to wait and see if computer manufacturers will do the right thing. Secure Boot could all too easily become a euphemism for restriction and control by computer makers and Microsoft — freedom and security necessitate users being in charge of their own computers," said FSF executive director, John Sullivan.

Those signing the FSF's statement urge all computer makers implementing this system to resist any pressure to adopt Restricted Boot:

We, the undersigned, urge all computer makers implementing UEFI's so-called "Secure Boot" to do it in a way that allows free software operating systems to be installed. To respect user freedom and truly protect user security, manufacturers must either allow computer owners to disable the boot restrictions, or provide a sure-fire way for them to install and run a free software operating system of their choice.

Signers of the statement commit to "neither purchase nor recommend computers that strip users of this critical freedom," and to "actively urge people in our communities to avoid such jailed systems."

"I have been astounded by the number of people reaching out to us from all over the world, asking us to help build awareness and put pressure on computer manufacturers," said FSF campaigns manager, Joshua Gay. He added that "some of the people who contacted us expressed their nightmarish scenario of having even more hardware being tossed in landfills as a result of this," referring to the popular trend of reviving older hardware with GNU/Linux — something that would no longer be possible if more computers were locked by design into only running Windows.

A more detailed overview of the issue can be found at http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/.

Organizations interested in adding a prominent notice of their support should contact Joshua Gay at campaigns@fsf.org.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

About Free Software and Open Source

The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as "open source," which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html.

Media Contacts

Joshua Gay
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
Phone: +1 (617) 542 5942 x20
Email: campaigns@fsf.org

###

The Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software is presented annually by FSF president Richard Stallman to an individual who has made a great contribution to the progress and development of free software, through activities that accord with the spirit of free software.

Last year, Rob Savoye was recognized with the Award for the Advancement of Free Software for his contributions to compiler and testing tools, and his leadership of the GNU Gnash project, a fully-free replacement for Adobe Flash. Savoye joined a prestigious list of previous winners including John Gilmore, Wietse Venema, Harald Welte, Ted Ts'o, Andrew Tridgell, Theo de Raadt, Alan Cox, Larry Lessig, Guido van Rossum, Brian Paul, Miguel de Icaza and Larry Wall.

Award for Projects of Social Benefit

Nominations are also open for the 2011 Award for Projects of Social Benefit.

This award is presented to the project or team responsible for applying free software, or the ideas of the free software movement, in a project that intentionally and significantly benefits society in other aspects of life.

We look to recognize projects or teams that encourage collaboration to accomplish social tasks. A long-term commitment to one's project (or the potential for a long-term commitment) is crucial to this end.

This award stresses the use of free software in the service of humanity. We have deliberately chosen this broad criterion so that many different areas of activity can be considered. However, one area that is not included is that of free software itself. Projects with a primary goal of promoting or advancing free software are not eligible for this award (we honor those projects with our annual Award for the Advancement of Free Software).

We will consider any project or team that uses free software or its philosophy to address a goal important to society. To qualify, a project must use free software, produce free documentation, or use the idea of free software as defined in the Free Software Definition. Work done commercially is eligible, but we will give this award to the project or team that best utilizes resources for society's greater benefit.

Last year, The Tor Project received this award, in recognition of its work to fight against surveillance inflicted by increasingly restrictive governments and to improve the safety and wellbeing of all Internet citizens.

Previous winners have included the Internet Archive, Creative Commons, Groklaw, the Sahana project, and Wikipedia.

Eligibility

In the case of both awards, previous winners are not eligible for nomination, but renomination of other previous nominees is encouraged. Only individuals are eligible for nomination for the Advancement of Free Software Award (not projects), and only projects can be nominated for the Social Benefit Award (not individuals).

The award committee has not been finalized, but is made up of previous winners, free software activists and FSF president, Richard Stallman.

Please send your nominations to award-nominations@gnu.org, on or before Monday, November 7th, 2011. Please submit nominations in the following format:

• In the email message subject line, either put the name of the person you are nominating for the Award for Advancement of Free Software, or put the name of the project for the Award for Projects of Social Benefit.

• Please include, in the body of your message, an explanation (40 lines or less) of the work done and why you think it is especially important to the advancement of software freedom or how it benefits society, respectively.

• Please state, in the body of your message, where to find the materials (e.g., software, manuals, or writing) which your nomination is based on.

Information about the previous awards can be found at http://www.fsf.org/awards. Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the LibrePlanet conference tentatively scheduled for March 2012, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Because each entry is individually checked and tested, users know that any program they come across in the Directory will be free software with free documentation and without proprietary software requirements. Programs that run on proprietary operating systems like Mac and Windows are listed, but only if they also run fully on GNU/Linux. The new version of the Directory will continue to provide users these same assurances, but it has been rebuilt so that members of the free software community can become familiar with the criteria and then work together to curate and grow the catalog.

The new site is based on MediaWiki, free software most famously known for powering Wikipedia. It also uses a set of extensions called Semantic MediaWiki that add advanced search and presentation capabilities, structured to be useful for reading by both humans and data-mining programs.

"We're empowering contributors to improve every aspect of the site, from its look and feel to enabling more types of information and multimedia to be associated with each individual listing," states campaigns manager, Joshua Gay, who adds that "we also have plans to collaborate around sharing data with GNU/Linux distributions and other free software projects."

To most users of the Directory, the key aspect of the new software is that it will make it easier for them to find the program they need. An extensive and flexible category system, plus over 40,000 keywords and more than 40 different fields of information, enhance both simple and advanced searching.

Yaron Koren, one of the free software developers behind Semantic MediaWiki, gave support and help in the re-launch effort. "I created the Semantic Forms extension in order to allow for sites that combine the collaborative nature of a wiki with the structure and queryability of a database; so it's heartening to see Semantic MediaWiki and Semantic Forms being used for that purpose, and so comprehensively, in the Free Software Directory," he said.

To learn more about the Directory, visit http://directory.fsf.org. To find out how you can get involved in helping the Directory, or suggest improvements, visit http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/FSD:Participate or send email to bug-directory@fsf.org. Further technical behind-the-scenes details about the re-launch of the Directory can be found in a blog post by Sullivan at http://www.fsf.org/blogs/directory/behind-the-scenes.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

Media Contacts

Joshua Gay
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942 x20
campaigns@fsf.org

###

Not all of the companies that distribute Android heed these conditions. We've witnessed an uptick in GPL violation reports—some convincing, others incomplete or misinformed—against these vendors. We generally can't pursue these violations directly, because only copyright holders can enforce free software licenses in most countries, and few Android devices use FSF-copyrighted code. However, people still seek out our opinions about the relevant parts of the GPL, and that discussion has recently turned to GPLv2's termination provisions. Section 4 of the license says, “You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License.”

When we enforce the license of FSF-copyrighted software, we give violators back the rights they had after they come into compliance. In our experience, developers of Linux are happy to do the same. Unfortunately, even if we assume they all would restore these rights, it would be extremely difficult to have them all formally do so; there are simply too many copyright holders involved, some of whom haven't worked on the project in years or even decades.

When we wrote GPLv2 in 1991, we didn't imagine that a free software project might have hundreds of copyright holders, making it so difficult to get a violator's rights restored. We want it to be easy for a former violator to know that they're still allowed to change and share the software; if they stop distribution because of legal uncertainty, fewer people will have free software in the long run. Hence, we created new termination provisions for GPLv3. These terms offer violators a simple method to earn back the rights they had. Parties who violate the license have their rights restored provisionally as soon as they come back into compliance, and permanently if no copyright holders terminate those rights within sixty days of the last violation. Furthermore, first-time violators will have their rights restored permanently if they come into compliance within thirty days of receiving such notice.

GPLv3's approach has several advantages over GPLv2's. By having the license grant forgiveness by default, instead of terminating rights permanently, it better matches our community's expectations and normal compliance strategy. It will be easier for violators to get their rights restored by any copyright holders who do terminate rights, because the notice will establish a clear way for the violator to get in touch. Finally, GPLv3's termination provisions don't sacrifice anything we need: the license's conditions still do their best to protect software freedom, and copyright holders will still be able to legally enforce the license against parties that don't comply.

This is just one of many reasons why GPLv3 is better than GPLv2. This change has already given some companies the reassuring nudge they needed to start distributing GPL-covered software, and we expect to see more of that in the future. When we give distributors a chance to rejoin the free software community and fix any mistakes they might make—in stark contrast to most proprietary software licenses—we get both compliance and more allies. GPLv3 improves on earlier versions of the license by codifying that enforcement strategy. For this reason and others, we urge developers who are releasing projects under GPLv2 to upgrade to GPLv3. Companies that sell products that use Android can help out by encouraging the developers of Linux to make the switch to GPLv3.

[Note: This article was edited substantially at 18:48 on August 18, 2011 to adjust emphasis throughout the piece.]

Together, the senior systems administrators have a great deal of influence over technology decisions within the FSF.

The job must be worked on-site at the FSF's downtown Boston offices. Both a phone interview and an in-person, on-site interview will be required. Relocation expenses are negotiable.

Example systems administration tasks include:

• Be a lead voice in the Foundation's software system decision making
• Install and maintain fully free GNU/Linux systems on servers, desktops, laptops, and embedded devices
• Support GNU developers and FSF staff in their use of FSF-owned systems
• Monitor and improve system security and network infrastructure
• Spec and purchase new equipment
• Coordinate work of volunteer systems administrators
• Learn about and work with cutting-edge free technologies like Coreboot
• Blog publicly about the technologies and techniques used at the FSF

Programming is occasionally required, such as:

• Fix bugs and submit patches upstream for the software used at the FSF
• Design and write new software when existing software doesn't fit the bill
• Improve and maintain existing custom software

Useful specific experience includes:

• 5 years experience as a GNU/Linux (or other Unix-like) systems administrator
• 3+ years experience with at least two programming languages
• 2+ years experience with an apt-based GNU/Linux distribution
• 1+ years experience with SQL (preferably PostgreSQL or MySQL)
• Undergraduate college degree, or in lieu of degree, substantially more experience than that listed above
• A portfolio of contributions to free software projects

Expected technical skills are:

• Expert knowledge of systems administration for GNU/Linux with apt-based distributions
• In-depth understanding of key network protocols such as TCP/IP, BGP, DNS, SMTP, HTTP, FTP, NFS, DHCP, etc.
• In-depth understanding of key system components such as virtualization, automated systems management, software RAID, MTAs, etc.
• Familiarity with at least two of Perl, PHP, Python or Ruby. High proficiency (expert preferred) in at least one of these languages
• Thorough knowledge of network and system security, especially as related to the kernel Linux and common Internet services
• Knowledge of network routing and related services in GNU/Linux, such as iptables and stateful firewalls.
• Ability to design SQL databases
• Ability to spec, purchase, assemble, and debug components for custom-build server systems

We will prefer candidates with additional skills, such as:

• In-depth knowledge of CiviCRM, Xen, Puppet, Exim, Spamassassin, Mailman, Quagga, Apache, RT, Coreboot, Squid, Zope, Plone, Semantic Mediawiki, CAS, Django, SQL Ledger
• Knowledge of version control systems: Bazaar, Git, Subversion, CVS
• Soldering, making your own Ethernet cable, extremely high Nethack scores

We also require:

• A willingness to learn and understand how political and philosophical positions of an organization impact computing requirements
• An ability to work as part of a team and to handle and coordinate contributions from a volunteer core
• Being open-minded and tolerant of others

To apply:

The FSF is a 501(c)(3) charity that operates under a union contract which fixes the position's salary each year (currently at $57,512). We offer a supportive work environment including a 40-hour work week norm, full family health insurance, partial dental coverage, paid vacation and holidays, and flexible working hours.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to promoting a diverse workplace, and do not discriminate based on gender, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation.

To apply, e-mail your cover letter and resume in a free format to hiring@fsf.org. You must include "FT Systems Administrator" in the subject line.

The position is available immediately, and we will be accepting applications until it is filled.

All Apache projects are distributed under the terms of the Apache License. This is a non-copyleft free software license; anybody who receives the software can distribute it to others under nonfree terms. Such a licensing strategy represents a significant policy change for OpenOffice.org. Previously, the software was distributed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). The LGPL is a weak copyleft license, so programs that merely link to the software can be released under nonfree terms, but the software covered by the LGPL must always be released, along with its source code, under the LGPL's terms. Free software developers are clearly comfortable with a partial copyleft when it's appropriate; in numerous surveys of free software projects, the LGPL is commonly listed as the second-most popular license (after the GNU General Public License), or else follows close behind.

While we do recommend the Apache License in specific situations, we do not believe it is the best choice for software like OpenOffice.org. This situation calls for copyleft, because the gains free software stands to make from a non-copyleft license don't justify giving a handout to proprietary software developers.

Fortunately, there's a ready alternative for people who want to work with a productivity suite that does more to protect their freedom: LibreOffice. Anybody who's comfortable with OpenOffice.org will find a familiar interface and feature set in LibreOffice, because it was originally based on the same source code. Since September 2010, numerous contributors have been working to improve the software, and the project's legal steward, The Document Foundation, is committed to keeping it licensed under the LGPL.

LibreOffice's commitment to user freedom does not end at the license of its source code. Like OpenOffice.org, the software's built-in extension manager makes it easy to add new features, but unlike OpenOffice.org, its extension database only lists add-ons that are under a free license. OpenOffice.org points to a database that includes proprietary extensions, and doesn't always provide clear licensing information. This approach to extensions risks turning free software into a platform for the development and promotion of proprietary extras.

Anybody who plans to use or contribute to one of these productivity suites should understand how these policies affect them, and consider which better complement their own goals. While both pass the most important test of being free software, we recommend LibreOffice because its policies do significantly more to promote the cause of free software.

The new edition of Free Software, Free Society features a number of improvements: it has both new essays and updated versions of classic pieces on the GNU Project and free software. Part of the book is devoted to the issue of language framing and its significance in the survival of free software; another discusses the traps that erode computer-user freedoms, and a third urges software users to choose civic values and community over convenience. This edition also adds an index, and a new introduction by FSF licensing compliance engineer Brett Smith.

Also now in print is GNU Press's second edition of Free as in Freedom, Sam Williams's biography of Richard Stallman, revised and annotated by Stallman. Williams released the first edition of the book under the GNU Free Documentation License, thus encouraging others to modify and improve upon the work. While the second edition is actually a new joint work, it follows in this original spirit. "I have aimed," writes Stallman, "to make this edition combine the advantages of my knowledge and Williams's interviews and outside viewpoint." Stallman preserves all of Williams's relevant quotes and most of his personal impressions, and contrasts them with his own.

These books will be available electronically as PDFs but will notably not be distributed in the Amazon Kindle format or for any other proprietary ebook reading platform, because of the Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) those systems impose on users. "This malicious device," says Stallman, "is designed to attack the traditional freedoms of readers: There's the freedom to acquire a book anonymously, paying cash — impossible with the Kindle for all well-known recent books. There's the freedom to give, lend, or sell a book to anyone you wish — blocked by DRM and unjust licenses. Then there's the freedom to keep a book — denied by a back door for remote deletion of books."

Proceeds from the sale of these books will help fund the FSF's campaigns to defend and promote computer users' rights — including its work against DRM via the DefectiveByDesign.org campaign.

• Ordering: the books can be ordered online at http://shop.fsf.org, where signed copies are also available.
• Wholesalers: contact sales@fsf.org for pricing.
• Review copies: if you are a reviewer or a teacher interested in using the books in a class, please contact sales@fsf.org about obtaining review copies.
• Media contact: for book signings, public appearances, interviews, and speaking engagements, please contact rms-assist@gnu.org.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

Media Contacts

Jeanne Rasata
Program Assistant
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942 x15
rms-assist@gnu.org

The Award for the Advancement of Free Software is given annually to an individual who has made a great contribution to the progress and development of free software, through activities that accord with the spirit of free software.

This year, it was given to Rob Savoye. Savoye is a long-time free software hacker, who has worked on GNU and other free software for over 20 years. He has contributed to dozens of projects including GCC, GDB, DejaGnu, Newlib, Libgloss, Cygwin, eCos, Expect, multiple major GNU/Linux distributions, and One Laptop Per Child. Savoye has led the effort to produce a free software Flash player, Gnash. This work has enabled free software users to avoid dependency on a pervasive piece of proprietary software. Rob is also CTO and founder of Open Media Now, a nonprofit dedicated to producing a freely licensed media infrastructure.

Savoye joins a distinguished list of previous winners:

• 2009 John Gilmore
• 2008 Wietse Venema
• 2007 Harald Welte
• 2006 Ted Ts'o
• 2005 Andrew Tridgell
• 2004 Theo de Raadt
• 2003 Alan Cox
• 2002 Lawrence Lessig
• 2001 Guido van Rossum
• 2000 Brian Paul
• 1999 Miguel de Icaza
• 1998 Larry Wall

The Award for Projects of Social Benefit recognizes a project that intentionally and significantly benefits society through collaboration to accomplish an important social task.

This year, the award went to the Tor Project. Using free software, Tor has enabled roughly 36 million people around the world to experience freedom of access and expression on the Internet while keeping them in control of their privacy and anonymity. Its network has proved pivotal in dissident movements in both Iran and more recently Egypt.

Tor Project executive director Andrew Lewman was present to accept the award on the project's behalf.

Tor joins an impressive list of previous winners:

• 2009 Internet Archive
• 2008 Creative Commons
• 2007 Groklaw
• 2006 Sahana Disaster Management System
• 2005 Wikipedia

Stallman and the awards committee also gave special acknowledgment to the work of Adrian Hands, who passed away on February 3rd of this year. Adrian suffered from ALS, and was unable to use a keyboard -- but using a Morse code device and deep dedication, he spent some of the last days of his life writing code to improve the usability of GNOME for himself and others.

This year's award committee was: Suresh Ramasubramanian, Peter H. Salus, Wietse Venema, Raj Mathur, Hong Feng, Andrew Tridgell, Jonas Oberg, Vernor Vinge, Richard Stallman, Fernanda G. Weiden and Harald Welte.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

Media Contacts

John Sullivan
Executive Director
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942 x23
campaigns@fsf.org

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The appointment follows the departure of Peter T. Brown, who has been the Foundation's executive director since 2005. Brown shares his reflections on the change in a blog post at http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/peterb.

Sullivan, who has worked at the FSF since 2003 and has been the operations manager since 2007, said, "I'm looking forward to working closely with FSF president Richard Stallman and our board to advance the goals of the free software movement. I'm very thankful to Peter for his effective leadership in our advocacy campaigns and in our efforts to build resources for free software."

About the challenges and opportunities ahead, Sullivan added, "I'm especially interested in our projects to promote free software adoption in public and educational institutions, in doing what we can to make GNU and the rest of the free software movement a welcoming, positive place for everyone, and in standing up to bullying from companies who think they should be able to take freedom from individuals in order to make a buck — such as Apple and Microsoft locking free software out of their mobile application stores; Sony prosecuting people for installing free software on hardware in their own homes; and Adobe, MPEG-LA and others trying to erect toll gates at the entrance to the free Web. The FSF will continue the work it has been doing for over 25 years, to move us toward a free society with free software."

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software — particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants — and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

Media Contacts

Matt Lee
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942 x24
campaigns@fsf.org

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ACTA was largely drafted in secret between countries with the world's largest economies, with input from large copyright and trademark holders who stand to benefit from all this legislation at our expense. As more information about the terms of the agreement began to leak, we published Richard Stallman's "Firm, Simple Declaration Against ACTA" and accompanying essay. Since then, more than 4,700 of you have signed it. Thanks for your support!

Now the drafting process is finished, and the countries who negotiated it are now looking to sign it. Some of the provisions in the final text are not as bad as earlier drafts—but that doesn't mean the agreement is acceptable. We need to take this opportunity to demand the freedoms we deserve. As Stallman explained:

... where there have been previous changes for the worse, lauding the status quo tends to legitimize them. ... To confront a further assault by presenting the status quo as ideal means we stop fighting to reverse them. It means that our adversaries need only propose a further affront to our rights to gain our acceptance of their last affront.

Instead of making the status quo our ideal, we should demand positive changes to recover freedoms already lost.

The US Trade Representative is requesting comments from US citizens and organizations about signing ACTA. Now, we've added your voice to ours. The FSF has submitted a letter encouraging the US, and all countries, to reject the agreement and instead focus on repealing copyright and trademark laws that unfairly support large owners, citing the 4,700 signatures that Stallman's declaration received. You can help even more:

• If you haven't already, please sign the declaration. The USTR may check to verify the number of signatures we mentioned in our letter. It would be great if we have even more when that happens!

• Share this call to action with your friends, and on social sites. We need all the help we can get.

• If you're a US citizen, you can write to the USTR as well. Comments are due by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on February 15. Follow the USTR's instructions to submit your comments. Please send a copy of your letter to us at acta-comments@fsf.org, too, so we can keep track of the response.

  We've included a brief sample letter below to help you get started. Of course, it's best if you write your own letter: unique responses will receive more attention from the USTR. Use this sample as inspiration to help structure your own thoughts.

ACTA threatens to create major legal obstacles to free software throughout the world. Please join us by expressing your opposition!

Sample Letter

Stanford K. McCoy
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation
Office of the United States Trade Representative
600 17th St NW
Washington, DC 20006

Re: Comments on ACTA (Docket no. USTR-2010-0014)

Dear Mr. McCoy:

I am writing to urge the United States not to sign ACTA. The agreement would impose unethically strict extensions to copyright law in other countries, and increased criminal penalties for infringement here. It mandates a number of enforcement mechanisms that unjustly benefit copyright and trademark holders at the expense of individual liberties. It would also create new obstacles to repealing problematic US laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Now that computers are available to many, it's easier than ever for people to share information and cultural works with each other. Our laws should allow and encourage them to do so. We stand to benefit from less enforcement of copyright and trademark laws—not more. ACTA is a step in the wrong direction. No country should sign it.

Sincerely,

Most GNU/Linux distributions directly or virtually include proprietary software. To promote development and use of totally free distros, the FSF publishes precise criteria for GNU/Linux distributions to fully respect users' freedom.

Several distributions have stepped up to meet the criteria. These distributions, including Trisquel and gNewSense, have committed to distributing and recommending only free software, and have a policy of treating anything inconsistent with this as a critical bug.

With Squeeze, Debian has moved one key category of proprietary software which is included in most other common GNU/Linux distributions — so-called firmware "blobs" in the kernel Linux — out of its default package repository and into the nonfree section.

Debian has a policy of only distributing free software in its default repository, but has made an exception for the nonfree software distributed with its primary kernel — until now.

We cheer for the Debian activists who campaigned for this change and achieved it. We hope other distributions will follow this lead, and that they and Debian will take on the remaining challenges to become fully free system distributions.

For more information about this announcement, contact John Sullivan at campaigns@fsf.org.