I wrote this for the FSF's annual membership drive where
it was originally
published. I am reposting it here.
At its core, I think of free software as about the ability of computer
users to take control of their technology. Insofar as our software
defines our experience of the world and each other, software freedom is
an important part of what allows us to determine the way we live, work,
and communicate.
Free software is not really about software in this
fundamental sense; it's about bringing freedom to users
through
software.
In free software's incredible success over the last two decades, many
people have lost sight of this simple fact. We have created an
incredible array of applications, libraries, and tools. We have created
vibrant development and support communities. We have created new
development methodologies, powerful copyleft licenses, and massive
collaborative projects. But these are all
how we give users freedom.
They are not freedom itself. They are not what we were trying to
achieve. They are our instruments, not our goal.
This distinction becomes central in a world where technology is in flux.
Indeed, we live in such a world. We can see signs of this in how, as
most users' primary computers become mobile phones and new types of
network services make up most of many users' interactions with computers,
the free software movement's old applications, communities, development
methodologies, and licenses can become ill-suited to, or ineffective at,
protecting user freedoms.
And indeed, in the next few years, bringing freedom to computer users
will need to involve new software and new forms of advocacy. It will
need to involve new licenses and new techniques for their enforcement.
It will need to involve new forms of collaboration and organization. If
the free software movement is to succeed, it must stay focused on
computer users' freedom -- on the question of
why we do what we do -- and then work creatively on
how to best respect and protect the
freedom we are working toward. If we are overly focused on how we've
done things in the past, we may lose sight of the most fundamental goal of
supporting users' control over their technology in general.
There are many organizations that support the
how of today's free
software in various ways -- they are law firms and companies and
nonprofit organizations supporting various free software projects.
The Free Software Foundation is, by far, the most important organization
focused on
why --- on the underlying principle of software freedom. As
such, it plays an essential role in keeping our broader community
focused on the key issues, threats, and challenges that will affect the
success of every free software project, and every computer user, in the
present and in the future. In this period of rapid change
in computer technology, its role is more vital than ever. The
consequence of any failure is more dire.
Here are some of the ways that I will be encouraging the FSF to serve
the free software movement in the coming year:
Mobile Phones
In a
short essay I wrote earlier this year, I pointed out that there
are now
billions of mobile phones and that, although these phones
are increasingly powerful computers, they represent one of the most
locked-down, proprietary, and unfree technologies in wide use. The
implications of this fact for users' control over their technology are
dire. Although some widely used phones make extensive use of free
software, most free phones are locked down and Tivoized and their
users remain fettered, divided, and helpless.
We must raise awareness of free software issues among users of phones, communicate to users that phones are powerful general purpose
computers, and explain that control over these devices has critical
implications for individual autonomy in the future. Toward this end,
the FSF staff will launch an advocacy campaign around mobile phones
and software freedom in the coming year.
Network Services
As network services -- like those built by Facebook, Google, and
others -- have continued to grow both in scope and penetration over
the last year, the importance of a meaningful free software responses
grows as well. The launch of products like Google's network-centric
ChromeOS offers one glimpse of what a future computing platform
may look like. The implications for user freedom, and for the
effectiveness of traditional free software approaches, are
frightening. The fact that many network services are built using free
software does not make the effect of these services on users'
autonomy and freedom any less catastrophic.
In the next year, the FSF is planning to release the first of what I
hope will be several statements on software freedom and network
services. Building off the work of the FSF-supported group
Autonomous,
the Foundation will help provide guidelines for those implementing
network services, for users deciding whether to use services, and for
developers trying to build services that go further to respect their
users' freedom.
Reaching beyond our traditional communities
Successfully fighting for user freedom is going to mean successfully
reaching out to users outside the FSF's historical base . The FSF
continues to do so with its
Defective By Design anti-DRM campaign and
its
End Software Patents work. In the last year, the FSF has also
reached out to younger users through its "
GNU Generation" campaign run
by and for high school students. Additionally, the FSF convened a
summit this year on
women in free software. The FSF plans to build on
these successes in the coming year and to expand similar outreach
projects.
Of course, fighting for and promoting software freedom is more work than
today's FSF has the resources to accomplish. Each of my three points
above represents an ambitious undertaking, and yet just a portion of the
items on the plate of the FSF's small but dedicated staff. Even just
continuing its existing projects will require that the FSF adds hundreds
of new members by the end of this period. Your membership and donations
help make goals like this possible.
A strong free software movement focused on the principled issues of
software freedom -- and a strong FSF in particular -- will determine
what freedoms the next generation of computer users will enjoy. At stake
is no less than that next generation's autonomy.
I know that this is not the first fundraising appeal you've read this
season and I know that the weakened economy makes giving difficult for
many. I understand that the cost of a membership or donation may be
less easy to afford this year. But we also cannot afford a weakened FSF
at this important point of technological transition.
If you are not an
FSF associate member, now is the time to become one.
If you've read my appeal the last two years and decided to wait, now is
the time to take the plunge. Membership is $120 per year ($60 for students) and payable monthly. If you are already a member, please join
me in giving generously through a tax-deductible
donation, or encourage a friend to sign up. The FSF is a
small, humble organization of passionate individuals working tirelessly
for our software freedom. I've seen firsthand that even small gifts
make a difference.
Following 
The 
My 
I know this is quite premature as we're just about to release 3.3, however
development on 3.4 has already started in SVN and we've already implemented
more than 20 requests from our 
This was born from a need to see how big a ZIP file I could send my
accountant in Australia, and scratching the itch to write some code.
The fact that most SMTP servers talk Extended SMTP makes this relatively
easy, and Python has some great modules for DNS and SMTP.
One gripe I do have is how long it takes the Python modules to mature. It's
taken until Python 2.6 for 
The open source database survey talk from 
Next up, the worst inventions ever.. catch it live if you can!
Now that this works, we ll try and add some Java code (maybe reusing Mylyn client libs) to 
Dear lazyweb, I bought a Dell Mini 10 and am curious on how and if you use it for some sort of Debian development.