Jason Self @jxself@social.bobcall.me

The second installment of the "A Freedo Halloween" series is out, with Freedo in a costume as Freedy. Not at all to be confused with the character Freddy: https://jxself.org/git/?p=freedo.git;a=blob;f=A+Freedo+Halloween+-+2022/Freedy.svg;h=2a0f45f3a82b53a5a8b4e67c042a2b3e4f8f93a1;hb=HEAD

Halloween is coming and I had a thought to do a series of Halloween-inspired Freedo pictures. I plan to call the series A Freedo Halloween. This is the first: Freedo in a gnu costume. I think it's cute: https://jxself.org/git/?p=freedo.git;a=blob;f=A+Freedo+Halloween+-+2022/Freedo+in+a+gnu+costume.svg;h=f0012302a5baa32dddc36a7a8e10fcff96eba69a;hb=HEAD

Thank you to everyone that participated in this year's Software Freedom Festival, a worldwide event to celebrate software freedom that begins on Software Freedom Day, continues through the GNU Project's anniversary on September 27, and culminates in the anniversary of the FSF's founding on October 4. Please join with me for next year's Festival, starting September 16 2023.

On this day 37 years ago Richard Stallman incorporated the Free Software Foundation with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition to acting as fiscal sponsor for the GNU Project, a lot of the FSF's work has been to educate people about their rights. The FSF is an organization with a strong history of achievement, and I'm proud of what they've accomplished during these last 37 years. Happy Birthday, @fsf

Software freedom is, in my view, the only way to have a free society. It's a global issue, and the fight for it must be fought everywhere. Will you help? https://www.gnu.org/help/help.en.html

I'm happy to unveil a new picture of Freedo singing about the release of GNU Linux-libre 6, complete with lyrics, called I'm Too Sixy: - https://jxself.org/git/?p=freedo.git;a=tree
Thanks to @lxo for helping with the lyrics.
"I'm a kernel, that's reached version six..."
The lyrics and picture are free; see the README file at the top level for details.

Software freedom is important to me. I think it should be just as important to everyone else in computing. If the software you're using doesn't respect your freedoms, then it isn't really yours.

How I Learned About Free Software
https://jxself.org/how-i-learned.shtml

Software freedom is a right that we should all have. If you can't run programs for any purpose that you want, if you can't study and modify them that they do (or don't do) whatever you want, then who is your computer really taking its orders from? Certainly not you. At that point it begins acting as the agent for someone else, enforcing their rules, policies, and agendas - not yours. Unless you control the technology the technology will in the end control you.

Here's a thought for the day: You can't actually use proprietary software. You can only be used by it.

The cat woke me up in the last few hours of sleeping, wanting attention. OK fine - I'll pet you for a bit. Now back to sleep. I think he gets the point that I'm trying to sleep but curls up but directly in my face so it's completely covered in fur, and begins to purr. I turn over to face the other side and he crawls over me to the other side and does it again. Sigh.

The LibrePlanet 2023 call for sessions is open! If you have an idea for a talk please submit it: https://my.fsf.org/node/55

"Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedooooom" is the sound of the gnu as it roams the savannah.

Software freedom is a social, ethical and political issue, not an engineering one. A lot of the FSF's work has been to educate people about their rights. Please support them: https://my.fsf.org/join

@simsa04 Wow. There's a lot in what you said that would require a lot of writing just to begin unpacking it.

It may be helpful to point to this:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/programs-must-not-limit-freedom-to-run.en.html

Yes, things like surveillance aren't helpful but that should not be part of the software license for all of the same reasons mentioned in there.

It's not clear to me that free software should be placed as the cause of things like surveillance. Countries will find ways to accomplish their desired goals regardless of license.