From today, users will be able to download and install free software to play and encode the new WebM format. WebM is based on the Matroska container format -- replacing Ogg -- and the VP8 video codec which replaces Theora. Crucially, the Vorbis audio codec is part of the new WebM specification.
Read more »Beware of Proprietary Drift
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced yesterday a campaign to collect a clear list of OpenOffice.Org extensions that are FaiF, to convince the OO.o Community Council to list only FaiF extensions, and to find those extensions that are proprietary software, so that OO.o extension developers can focus of their efforts on writing replacements under a software-freedom-respecting license.
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Chris Hofstader appointed as GNU access technology director
Free Software Foundation announced the appointment of Chris Hofstader as director of access technology software for its GNU Project, and the publication of the GNU Accessibility Statement.
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OpenOffice.org's Community Council responds to the FSF
"OpenOffice.org is one of the most popular products of the FOSS (Free/Open Source) community, and for many millions of people it is their first experience of FOSS. Key to OpenOffice.org's success has been its ability to compete openly and freely with competitors on any platform, and demonstrate that FOSS is a better choice..."
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GNU C Library 2.12 released
The GNU C Library, commonly known as glibc, is the C standard library released by the GNU Project. Originally written by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU operating system, the library's development has been overseen by a committee since 2001, with Ulrich Drepper from Red Hat as the lead contributor and maintainer.
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The MMORPG Ryzom goes Free Software
Breakthrough for free software gaming -- Ryzom announces full release of source code and artwork, and a partnership with the Free Software Foundation to host a repository of the game's artistic assets.
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Digital Restriction Management = bye bye Pippi Longstocking
Today we celebrate the day against Digital Restriction Management (DRM). It is organised by FSFE's sister organisation, the Free Software Foundation. One of the suggestions from it's colleagues there was to share your worst experience with DRM.
Read more »FSFE founder Georg Greve awarded German Cross of Merit
Berlin 28. April 2010. Georg Greve, founding president of the Free Software Foundation Europe, has received the Cross of Merit on ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstkreuz am Bande). Georg received this high award from the German President for his work on Free Software and Open Standards.
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Free/Open Source Software Global Maturity Matrix (FOSS GloMM)
I have stated a few times that the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and its advocates don’t have a vision of the future that I find viable. Twenty years from now, across the globe, every individual, business, organization, and government entity will have FOSS suitable for all their needs.
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“Patent Absurdity” Looks for Translations Amid Lobbying from Florian Müller and Microsoft
The short movie “Patent Absurdity” (as can be viewed above) is looking to expand its reach
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Darkness Visible: Making Patent Absurdity Patent
Software patent law is not for the faint hearted. Now the FSF has funded a new video where top hackers and legal experts explain where the idea came from and just why it is so bad for free software. With increasing evidence that patents harm, rather then help, innovation, is the tide beginning to turn against software patents?
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GNU Generation 2.0
After many successful months of GNU Generation, GNU Generation 2.0 was officially announced at LibrePlanet 2010. This builds upon the original GNU Generation by lowering the entry barrier to free software contribution, and making the program more extensible. So what is new? Let's see...
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Bradley Kuhn joins the FSF board
When Bradley started working at the Free Software Foundation in September 2001, it was to join a team that then-executive director was putting together. It was a period of transition for the FSF. When he left the FSF in 2005 much of that agenda had been achieved, and he joined FSF legal counsel Eben Moglen and Dan Ravicher to set up the Software Freedom Law Center.
Read more »Software Patents Complication Shows Why Linux Needs the FSF
Contrary to common misconceptions, the FSF's philosophy and work actually defend Linux from the patent attacks it currently faces from Apple, Microsoft, and possibly their henchmen at Intellectual Ventures
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FSF Opposes More Copyright Enforcement in Joint Strategic Plan
The United States' newly-created "Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator" asked for public comments on a Joint Strategic Plan to make copyright enforcement more effective. The FSF submitted an argument that the government should adopt free software and encourage its use elsewhere to provide more freedom to computer users and reduce the need for such enforcement.
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