Free Software in 2008

Ciaran O'Riordan

IFSO & FSFE

My talk

• Why get involved?
• IFSO
• FSFE

My talk (UPDATED)

• Why get involved?
• IFSO
• FSFE
• Software Patents, GPLv3, FS in government, licences

Who am I?

• A pessimist

What's special about Free Software?

• Yes, it's fun, open, cheap, secure, stable (most of the time)
• But it's freedom that allows these
• It's controlled by the user community
• You have these freedoms, and everyone has them

Someone has to care for it

• But maintaining this is not automatic
• Free software didn't appear naturally from "the market"
• Someone decided that computer users should have rights
• ...instead of no rights, being a new thing socially
• ...and enough others agreed and did something
• People didn't only choose the technically "best" tool

Past

• In the past, GNU (FSF) was the maintainer of much
• FSF enforced fair play
• Now free software is maintained by corporations with other interests
• FSF still is working hard, but often advisory rather than executive

Sustainable

• A philosophy made free software stable...
• ...but the software is spreading faster than the philosophy
• Non-free top layer - could turn GNU/Linux into OSX

Problems

• + Software patents
• DRM
• IPRED2

IFSO's work

• Software Patents, since 2003
• OOXML
• Awareness
• Meetings - starting sundays

FSFE's general work

• Software Patents
• GPLv3
• Awareness

FSFE's specific work

• UN, WIPO, TRIPS
• Legal network & GPL enforcement
• Encouraging others and connecting people
• Fellowship - fsfe.org

Other people's work

• gnu.org/fry
• France separates the MS tax; step 2: make optional
• European Parliament should use free software: 25th!
• Wikipedia
• OpenStreetMap
• + Government should use free software, Latin America
• + FFII: new swpat campaign starting soon

Mandatory government use

• Don't put a definition into law - politicians can read funny
• Look at what shouldn't governments do
• Sovereignty, autonomy of decisions, security auditing, not backing a single vendor

About software patents

• Make software developement risky or expensive
• Specifically preventing useful software
• Let's stay specific to software
• A new petition will launch on September 24th, comments until 22nd
• (Non-free software is also threatend by software patents)

Licences and GPLv3

• FS licences are negociations with enemies, while allowing commerce
• More patent protection
• Stopping tivoisation
• DRM is thwarted without being banned
• Internationalised (but copyright is always messy)
• Use it, even alongside the MIT licence
• It's been 15 months, adoption is good, the sky hasn't falled, Zarafa went GPLv3 yesterday

Awareness

• Terminology is like bikeshed painting
• Some people get loud and sensitive about this, but it's the simplest thing you can do to spread the philosophy with the software
• One second a few dozen times a week: "free software" and "GNU/Linux"
• Ask for the GNU GPL

Community

• ILUG
• IFSO
• Ubuntu-ie
• Camara
• Many more
• European level: discussion@fsfeurope.org, fsfe.org blogs

Close

• Come to IFSO's meetings, www.ifso.ie
• Join FSFE: fsfe.org
• Join the fsfe-ie@ and discussion@ lists on fsfeurope.org
• http://ciaran.compsoc.com/
• Thanks to Camara and Ubuntu-ie for organising today!