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FSF Opens Nominations For Free Software Awards 2012

Posted by samzenpus on from the vote-now-vote-often dept.

jrepin writes "The Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the GNU Project today announced the opening of nominations for the 15th annual Free Software Awards. The Free Software Awards include the Award for the Advancement of Free Software and the Award for Projects of Social Benefit. The Award for the Advancement of Free Software is presented 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. The Award for Projects of Social Benefit 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."

56 comments

  1. I nominate windows 8! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I got a FREE copy from TPB. (And if that doesn't drive people to Linux, I don't know what will!)

    1. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      I got a FREE copy from TPB. (And if that doesn't drive people to Linux, I don't know what will!)

      Windows without piracy is like a disgustingly obese haggard looking woman without a half-black small child. Nobody wants to talk about the connection but everybody knows they go together.

    2. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure if trolling or just Eric Raymond

    3. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Smartcowboy · · Score: 1

      A pre-release version of Windows 8 can be legally downloaded on microsoft.com. Then if you don't want to change your configuration, you can install it inside Virtual Box. You may want to exorcise your computer after that.

    4. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Not sure if trolling or just Eric Raymond

      No its just that Darkies will fuck ANYTHING with a pulse.

      Im talkin flip thru the rolls of fat until ya find one that smells like SHIT then go back one. That is how you fuck a disgusting lardass if you forgot to bring a bag of flour. You know how they say black men have big penis? They need it. If they got a 11 inch cock maybe 3 inches will get inside her vagina since all them rolls of lard get in the way.

      And morbidly obese smelly women seem incredibly fertile if black sperm is involved. And soon after you will see big fat Momma and half-black Baby but no Daddy. Once ya go black ur a single mom!

      Oooh but your not supposed to notice that. Might offend somebody. Single mothers: your tax dollars at work! But don't complain because that is not pc.

    5. Re:I nominate windows 8! by bmo · · Score: 0

      So the truth comes out about your previous comment about the GPL being bad and anglocentric and the FSF treating non-english speakers as "second class humans"

      You are a Microsoft shill.

      Disgusting.

      --
      BMO

    6. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Smartcowboy · · Score: 1

      That comment was supposed to be informative/funny. I don't care about Microsoft products and in fact don't use them. BTW you are easily disgusted.

    7. Re:I nominate windows 8! by wdef · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Actually, the statistical fact is that POVERTY varies roughly inversely as fertility. Once the standard of living rises in a given community, birthrates drop. Obesity also increases with poverty. If we want birthrates to fall in those communities, then raise the standard of living. It's guaranteed that birthrates will fall.

    8. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the statistical fact is that POVERTY varies roughly inversely as fertility. Once the standard of living rises in a given community, birthrates drop. Obesity also increases with poverty. If we want birthrates to fall in those communities, then raise the standard of living. It's guaranteed that birthrates will fall.

      cant we just spray some aerosolized one-dose birth control over the area? you see a great way to be in poverty is to have children your not prepared to raise. directly drop the birthrates and you break the cycle of stupidity. most teen moms were daughters of teen moms and so on because some ppl don't fucking learn.

    9. Re:I nominate windows 8! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Michael Brutsch, is that you?

    10. Re:I nominate windows 8! by N0Man74 · · Score: 1

      I do believe that obesity, poverty, and birthrates are all linked, at least in the U.S. Is their a correlation between obesity and poverty anywhere other than the U.S.?

      I read an article about 10 years ago regarding birthrate statistics, and I remember two things specifically.

      1) The age that a mother has her first child is the #1 factor in birthrate of a population (which intuitively makes sense).
      2) The more educational opportunities available to girls and women, the older the average was when they have their first child.

      The article made a very compelling argument that the best way to slow population was to educate girls and women.

  2. 1 hour later, only 2 comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Apparently, nobody gives a shit.

    1. Re:1 hour later, only 2 comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      3 now (4 including mine). We have had twice the number of comments in a few minutes, I guess. And atleast half are referring to lack of comments, and are completely off topic. I guess there really is no interest.

    2. Re:1 hour later, only 2 comments by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      There wasn't event a First Post!

    3. Re:1 hour later, only 2 comments by Pav · · Score: 1

      The number of comments on Slashdot have died off pretty drastically on most stories. This one doesn't even get the shills interested.

    4. Re:1 hour later, only 2 comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I give a shit asshole. There aren't that many people on at this hour.

    5. Re:1 hour later, only 2 comments by Penurious+Penguin · · Score: 2
      I guess not all subjects inspire comments. It is still a worthy bit of news though, and I'm sure it's being read. Have an adage or two if it helps:

      "The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear..."

      - Backtrack Linux

      If an article breaches the firehose and nobody leaves a comment, does it make a thought?

      - Penurious Tzu

      --
      Forward! -- Emperor Norton, 2012
    6. Re:1 hour later, only 2 comments by humanrev · · Score: 0

      Nobody gives a shit because the FSF aren't seen as particularly revelant anymore. The young and upcoming geeks of the world are more interested in iOS rather than Linux because it's cooler despite being far more closed, and what few geeks who are genuinely interested in Linux are getting tired with the FSF and their advocacy appropaches, which are often themselves full of FUD and can be debunked quite easily (I'm reminded of the failed Windows7sins campaign that did absolutely nothing of value and was full of blatant lies). Not to mention Richard Stallman, who even with some good ideas (a lot of good ideas), is more interested in telling people about what they should not being doing, rather than giving them realistic alternatives (oh, you shouldn't be using that propritary piece of software - but I need it for work! So what, quit your job then).

      No-one sane cares much about the FSF. Unless they realize that they've lost relevance and their image is rubbish then they won't be able to restore some sense of respect with the greater community.

      --
      Most people on Slashdot are fucking idiots.
  3. Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by chebucto · · Score: 1

    SPI (Software in the Pubic Interest) being the umbrella group that funds Debian development. His wiki page is admirable, and Debian is strongly dedicated to Free Software principals.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bdale_Garbee

    --
    The English word fart is one of the oldest words in the English vocabulary.
    1. Re:Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Ah, Bdale Garbee. I would have beat the shit out of that asshole in grade school just because he had the stupid name that he does. And knowing his eventual career path, it's likely that he would have just cried at the sight of my first while shedding his shoes and lunch money before running home and sucking his thumb in the fetal position while kneading his dick to a picture of his mother held in his free hand.

      Hell, Trayvon Martin only had a stupid first name and look what happened to him.

    2. Re:Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Hell, Trayvon Martin only had a stupid first name and look what happened to him.

      Yeah for some reason black single mothers have overwhelming urges to pick the most stupid names they can imagine for their children.

      It is like they do not think you can look at the kid and see he is black. They need a name that Just Fucking Screams "HEY I AM BLACK LOOK AT ME YEAH WE IS FROM AFRICA YO!" Right around 1980 this started. Before then it did not really happen.

      Many employers reject apps from ppl with names like Shaniqua. Bein a dark skin isnt the problem. In fact it looks very good when HR or the equal opportunity people come a'callin. No that part is fine. Bein ghetto as hell, having no class, having no command of english, and everybody wonderin if you are gonna mug them, and your customers wondering if they will go back to their car to find it on blocks is teh problem.

      What is with blacks? They work so hard to say HEY LOOK AT ME I AM DIFFERENT! Then they get so mad when you see them as different. Make up your god damn minds.

    3. Re:Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must have posted the genius troll at the head of the discussion, about single mothers.

      Well done, nigga.

      -- Ethanol-fueled

    4. Re:Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      You must have posted the genius troll at the head of the discussion, about single mothers.

      Well done, nigga.

      -- Ethanol-fueled

      Yes you sir are a connisseur. Maybe the only guy that knows what is going on and dat be GANGSTA. Peepz dat dont be readin at -1 and all dem junks gots no ideas whas goin on, yo.

      Word up, G

    5. Re:Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      I used to volunteer at clinic for poor people. Volunteer isn't really the right word since the alternative was spending a month in jail... but I digress. Anyhow, you really wouldn't believe some of those black baby names. I don't mean shit like Trayvon or Jamal or Jerome. Or even stripper names like Destiny. I mean shit like Vagina or Chlamydia or Orangina.

      I wish I was joking but those were real names.

      I asked one if she knew what it meant. Her response? I ain't know what it mean but it sound good.

    6. Re:Bdale Garbee, head of SPI by BlackCreek · · Score: 1

      ... baby names. I don't mean shit like Trayvon or Jamal or Jerome. Or even stripper names like Destiny. I mean shit like Vagina or Chlamydia or Orangina.

      In Brazil people were free to give any name they wanted to their child. AFAIK After one particularly bad case (i.e. a boy called "Um Dois Tres de Oliveria Quatro", which reads as Portuguese for "1 2 3 de Oliveira 4"), a law was placed that the public official making the child's registry may refuse a name if it believes it will expose the child to embarrassment or ridicule later. (I honestly do not know if the story associating this law with this one name is correct, but this name is real and so is the law restricting embarrassing names).

      Sounds to me like a very good compromise between naming freedom and keeping crazy people from causing damage to their children. Much better than official lists of acceptable names that many European countries still have.

  4. There's been lot of open source action in Big Data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Somehow, I have trouble associating that with the betterment of mankind. Maybe LHC is using it but for the most part, it seems to be providing ways for Big Web to keep increasingly creepy tabs on their customers and visitors.

  5. Award for Projects of Social Benefit by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

    Well, I like graphics, so what about all the work that went into MESA3 OpenGL drivers? Most people I ask "So, what's keeping you from using Linux 100% full time?" Their answer is crappy graphics drivers and no games. In my spare time I'm working to help fix the latter part, so are many other game devs, and a working OpenGL stack is essential.... Think about it, everyone knows Linux is really strong in the server market, so it's these desktop (read: Graphics) users where there's room to grow in a "socially benefiting" way. Now, if only ATI & NV would catch up with Intel on the Linux support front...

  6. TOR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    As always, TOR would be up there for me, as would the Byzantium Mesh Network and Freedombox Projects.
    People often talk about privacy technology, and fantasise about file sharing and mesh applications, Those few who
    bite the bullet and actually develop and push these technologies into the hands of those who most need them are to
    be commended.

  7. Not very free by viperidaenz · · Score: -1, Troll

    You can only win if the project is free software. That's not a lot of freedom there. Apparently GPL software is "free" but I'm not free to do with it as I please.

    1. Re:Not very free by andrew3 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Not sure if it's worth replying, because I doubt I'll convince you. But I shall try.

      The GPL gives you Freedom 0, to run the software as you wish. In fact, the GPL states in section 9:

      You are not required to accept this License in order to receive or run a copy of the Program. [...]

      Freedom 1: freedom to read understand the source code. Again, there are no restrictions on this, AFAIK.

      Freedom 2: freedom to modify the software. No restrictions on this, AFAIK (as long as you don't distribute).

      Freedom 3: freedom to distribute and create derivative works. There are some restrictions on how you do this. For example, you must clearly state the license and derivative works must be licensed under the GPL.

      If you like permissive licensing, I won't blame you. There are a lot of free software licenses that are free software licenses as well. But a lot of them have restrictions as well, e.g. acknowledgement in sources. Only software in the public domain has no restrictions, and provides "true" freedom according to your definition.

      Going back to the subject, you might be interested to know that NetBSD cofounder and OpenBSD project leader Theo de Raadt was awarded the Advancement For Free Software in 2004. The advancement of free software has nothing to do with the GPL.

    2. Re:Not very free by Smartcowboy · · Score: -1

      Many softwares released under the FSF umbrella are great achievements with marvelous documentations. However it seems to me that using the GPL for the freedom of the peoples are shortsighted at best. Most Slashdot readers probably don't mind the english-only nature of the GPL but what good is a license for someone who can't understand it? There is 7 000 000 000 peoples on earth and 1 800 000 000(~26%) who understand english somewhat (only 380 000 000 (~0.05%) are native speakers). Yes, there is "unofficial" translation. But this clearly don't cut it. Would you redistribute software binding you to a license you don't understand or barely understand in it's official legal version? In fact, the FSF treat non-english speaker as second-class human, deprieving them of their right to be tied to a contract they understand merely for it's own convenience. I approve of free software and I like the copyleft ideals but I, for one, would be reluctant to redistribute GPL-ed software because of this reason. The GPL isn't freedom at all for most of humanity and the FSF don't give a shit.

      There is at least one copyleft license that attempts to adress that shortcoming: the EUPL. This license is translated in 22 languages. It's a far cry from the thousands of languages of humanity but it's clearly a step in the right direction and it's far better than the anglocentrism of the GPL and the FSF. I would really like to see this license used more frequently.

    3. Re:Not very free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Great it's Euro centric instead of anglo-centric.

    4. Re:Not very free by byornski · · Score: 2

      Ridiculous rubbish........ 7,000m/380m = 5%, not 0.05%. Please try to be sensible with your numbers. That is one in twenty people is a native English speaker.

    5. Re:Not very free by bmo · · Score: 3, Informative

      > However it seems to me that using the GPL for the freedom of the peoples are shortsighted at best.

      Say what?

      >rant on english only
      >eupl

      Is written with European Union Law in mind.

      To turn your argument around and do some substitution, the Eurocentrism of the EUPL is a bad thing, especially since it doesn't apply to Brazil, Philippines or China. How come the EUPL isn't translated into Brazilian Portuguese, Tagalog, or Cantonese? The European Commission certainly has more resources than the FSF, so why don't they do it?

      Your argument is specious and hypocritical.

      > In fact, the FSF treat non-english speaker as second-class human,
      > Anglocentrism link

      The reasons given in the FSF link you gave do not match up with the definition of Anglocentrism. Indeed, the first sentence in the FSF link you gave indicates that in a perfect world translations would be desirable, but due to the properties of legal language being much like a programming language and laws in different countries being, you know, different, it is not always feasible or reasonable to do so. Indeed, to make another real-world comparison, the Treaty of Tripoli is written in Arabic. An English translation presented to the US Congress was not the official one - it was there for explanation. The official ratified treaty is the Arabic version and the US is bound to it. There are other translations, like the Italian version, but that's not binding either.

      But not only that, to get back to the original article and to get really on topic, the requirements for winning are not that you must be a GPL supporter. Indeed, Theo de Raadt is the most angry and vociferous troll against the GPL, yet he's won. Other winners don't necessarily have English as a first or third language. Miguel's native language is Spanish. So there goes your other claim of Anglocentrism.

      You are just a troll here to bash the GPL and push Eurocentrism. Not only Eurocentrism, but European Union Centrism.

      --
      BMO

    6. Re:Not very free by Smartcowboy · · Score: 0

      My arguments still stand. You only proved your are better at math than me. Bravo!

    7. Re:Not very free by Smartcowboy · · Score: -1

      To turn your argument around and do some substitution, the Eurocentrism of the EUPL is a bad thing, especially since it doesn't apply to Brazil, Philippines or China. How come the EUPL isn't translated into Brazilian Portuguese, Tagalog, or Cantonese? The European Commission certainly has more resources than the FSF, so why don't they do it?

      The fact is that the EUPL supports 21 more languages than the GPL. And yes, the EUPL is eurocentrist. It still is better than the GPL.

      The reasons given in the FSF link you gave do not match up with the definition of Anglocentrism.

      Yes it does. The FSF don't provide translation because they think the right of the non-english peoples is less important than their legal risks.

      Indeed, to make another real-world comparison, the Treaty of Tripoli is written in Arabic. An English translation presented to the US Congress was not the official one - it was there for explanation. The official ratified treaty is the Arabic version and the US is bound to it.

      Your ~200 years old treaty is between two parties of different languages. In these case it is sometime necessary to choose. Moreover, the US gov certainly had arabic speakers on its side. In the GPL case, you can have a situation where both implicated parties may be non-english speakers but still be tied to an english license because of residual rights from a previous distributor.

      the requirements for winning are not that you must be a GPL supporter.

      The FSF can't be only bad. I honestly think that they mostly act in good faith. They may be blinded by their cultural bias but that don't make them necessarily evil.

      Indeed, Theo de Raadt is the most angry and vociferous troll against the GPL, yet he's won.

      So Someone who don't agree with you or the FSF and dare to speak about it is a troll? You probably don't have many friends in life. Theo de Raadt's life is about free software. He's an ally to your cause. Can't you see it?

      You are just a troll here to bash the GPL and push Eurocentrism. Not only Eurocentrism, but European Union Centrism.

      Your inflamatory message prove that I may not be the real troll here. Take a breath or two, please.

    8. Re:Not very free by bmo · · Score: 2

      >It still is better than the GPL

      Circular argument is circular. I think we're done here. I think you should re-read your message and smell the reeking hypocrisy.

      >my inflammatory language

      Like you didn't say that non-english speakers are treated like second class humans. That's not only inflammatory, it's a lie.

      This makes you an asshole of the first order.

      Meet your new status.

      --
      BMO

    9. Re:Not very free by Smartcowboy · · Score: 0

      Circular argument is circular.

      You definition of a circular argument is strange and different.

      This makes you an asshole of the first order.

      Using insults as an argument is very mature indeed.

      You made this thread useless and boring. Thanks.

    10. Re:Not very free by pieterh · · Score: 1

      Sigh. I'm not sure whether you're misguided or a troll. Let's assume you're sincere. Who wrote the EUPL and with what motives? It's a rhetorical question, don't answer. Just understand that the biggest long term threat to any free software community is regulatory capture. Now compare the EU against the FSF and ask, which is more resistant to capture over the next decades? That by itself should be a clear reason to not use the EUPL or any other license produced by bodies that aren't extraordinarily independent and proven to be so.

      Second, you're probably going to explain how Europe is the center of the world, etc. It's not. It's not even a continent.

      Third, the GPL is a standard. That means lawyers around the world know it, and it interoperates. It's not about a better or worse license but about standards. All the EUPL can do is fragment the community (which starts to answer my first question, who wrote it and why. You are really too trusting.)

      Forth, translations? http://www.gnu.org/licenses/translations.html lists Armenian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, Galician, German, Italian, Serbian, Slovak. I'm sure it will grow to much much more than 22. And note "Chinese". This actually covers 20% of the world's population, if that is the criteria you want to argue with.

      Lastly, and really, do I have to say this, your "anglocentrism" criticism is terrible, trollish, pointless. Are you just looking to annoy people? Or are you just entirely ignorant? I was president of the FFII at the time we contributed parts of the GPLv3 patent policy, and I can tell you formally, the GPLv3 was a global project, with input from hundreds of people around the world.

      Whether you "approve" or not is irrelevant. But please, get your facts right before you act offended when people insult you.

      --
      My blog
    11. Re:Not very free by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Wow... Look at what I started...

    12. Re:Not very free by Smartcowboy · · Score: 0

      "Second, you're probably going to explain how Europe is the center of the world, etc. It's not. It's not even a continent."

      I'm not interrested in dick-measuring contest anymore than you.

      "All the EUPL can do is fragment the community"

      As the EUPL allows one to re-license existing software under the GPL, this point is probably moot.

      "Forth, translations? http://www.gnu.org/licenses/translations.html [gnu.org] lists Armenian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, Galician, German, Italian, Serbian, Slovak. I'm sure it will grow to much much more than 22. And note "Chinese". This actually covers 20% of the world's population, if that is the criteria you want to argue with."

      My point was that none of these translations are official and thus can be misleading to a potential reader. The FAQ on gnu.org itself point to that fact and urge to refer to the english version for business use, hence my accusation of it being anglocentrist. I agree the EUPL care only about european languages and I agree too that's not an ideal situation. However, the merit of the EUPL is to put many languages on a equality basis. If someone's only care is free software, then there is nothing wrong with the GPL but if you take a broader look at the situation, you'll see that freedom is more than being able to hack software. It's also having access to localized software, something that many FOSS already get mostly right and also being able to use one's native language for legal matters and that's definitively something the GPL needs addressing in the future.

      "GPLv3 was a global project, with input from hundreds of people around the world."
      I fear it's becoming increasingly harder to resist to the globish sirens. Can you honestly tell me that nobody raised the same questionning I have right now?

      Finally, thank you for bringing a bit of sanity in this discussion.

    13. Re:Not very free by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Not sure if it's worth replying, because I doubt I'll convince you. But I shall try.

      The GPL gives you Freedom 0, to run the software as you wish. In fact, the GPL states in section 9:

      You are not required to accept this License in order to receive or run a copy of the Program. [...]

      Freedom 1: freedom to read understand the source code. Again, there are no restrictions on this, AFAIK.

      Freedom 2: freedom to modify the software. No restrictions on this, AFAIK (as long as you don't distribute).

      Freedom 3: freedom to distribute and create derivative works. There are some restrictions on how you do this. For example, you must clearly state the license and derivative works must be licensed under the GPL.

      If you like permissive licensing, I won't blame you. There are a lot of free software licenses that are free software licenses as well. But a lot of them have restrictions as well, e.g. acknowledgement in sources. Only software in the public domain has no restrictions, and provides "true" freedom according to your definition.

      Wrong. This is what the 4 freedoms are - starting w/ '0' - available right on the home page of gnu.org:

      1. The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
      2. The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
      3. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
      4. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

      It's not about permissive licensing. Freedom 2 is the biggest roadblock to making a living selling software. The above manifesto would have been fine had it simply required that whenever software changes hands, the source code accompanies it. That's at least reasonable in helping w/ a part of Freedom 3. But forcibly preventing people from restricting re-distribution only ensures that customers will become competitors, and as a result, those who use GPL either have to have regular jobs from elsewhere, or they have to do all sorts of legal acrobatics to get around it.

      Freedom 2 (and a part of freedom 3) is what gives the FSF/GNU movements the perceptions of being Communist.

    14. Re:Not very free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are a lot of free software licenses that are free software licenses as well.

      Some would say all of them.

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  9. Rubén Rodríguez @ Trisquel (dev true fre by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Rubén Rodríguez is the lead developer of the Trisquel distribution. One of the most popular free distributions out there. It is not just mostly free either or "free until there is an issue with some driver" free like most other distributions. There is no Adobe Reader or Flash nor binary blobs for firmware. Despite this it is actually one of the better distributions and best supported. It is based off Ubuntu minus the non-free bits. ThinkPenguin also has taken significant time to work with the developers and make sure there is good support for it from a hardware stand point. This despite being one of the smaller distributions. There is also support from the Free Software Foundation and a small although significant and growing user base.

  10. I nominate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Pirate Bay, they gotts all kindz of free softwarez that you can hazz

  11. Just Voted... by firewrought · · Score: 2
    ...not in the FSF thing, but by donating cash to several open source projects I use daily.

    Not large amounts, mind you, just $5 or $10 to some small projects and $20 each to a few large projects. I'm not a very generous person and this is something I should have been doing years ago, but I would like to get in the habit of routinely kicking back a few bucks each month to the various projects and organizations that enrich my life.

    --
    -1, Too Many Layers Of Abstraction
    1. Re:Just Voted... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it would be cool to see which projects you supported :)

  12. I don't suppose it's too late by Hordeking · · Score: 0

    to nominate Microsoft Windows for this award?

    --
    Disclaimer: The opinions and actions of the US Gov't are in no way representative of those held by this author or its ci
  13. Is there a Razzies Award ... by wdef · · Score: 1

    .. for Gnome3

  14. Want Stallman get a heart attack? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nominate iTunes. Hey, it's free!

  15. What keeps you from using Linux? by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1

    Most people I ask say "What is Linux?"

    --
    Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
  16. jQuery by maestroX · · Score: 2

    Excellent library, used everywhere.

  17. Re:EUPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The EUPL license (or licence in UK-English) has indeed a working value in 22 EU languages (and not in Brasilian) because it is mainly written for encouraging public sector in all EU Member States to distribute their own software. For example, an adminstration located in Spain has normally a preference (sometimes it is an obligation) to use a license with a working value in Spanish. The above distribution process is just starting, you know (very long way to go...)
    IMO, the many FSF followers should stop considering the EUPL as a sacrilege against their own "sacred cows" (the GPLs) and to consider all others as oponents or trolls. The EUPL is compatible with the GPLs (V2 explicitely and - as soon a new version will be published, V3 and AGPLv3)
    The EUPL is not "Better" but is simply much shorter (objective fact) and easier to understand (subjective opinion).
    Finally, it may be that the EUPL could provide some good ideas for a simpler and less controversial GPLv4...
     

  18. Re:EUPL by bmo · · Score: 1

    My issue with him was not the EUPL in itself. My issue was his trolling and misstating facts about the FSF and GPL.

    The FSF states that they do not have the ability to translate to other languages because they do not have the resources. You need lawyers fluent in translation *and* the laws of the target nation in order to make a faithful translation of the GPL.

    He construes this as Anglocentrism, which is a word defined as "believing in english as superior" - a kind of bigotry- which the FSF's position clearly is not. It's a lie on his part.

    The EUPL is also not a pan-european license. It is an EU license, taking into account *only* EU laws. Thus it is not translated into Norwegian, for example. Norwegian is not a valid language for the EUPL not because the people who wrote the EUPL are bigots, but Norwegian law is slightly different than EU law.

    QED. He is trolling.

    Language is irrelevant in determining if a license is valid or not.

    The only reason these licenses are valid outside of their host regions is because of the Berne Convention. The Berne Convention was not done to make all copyright laws the same, but to get all signatories to recognize the rights of each other. A license written in Australian English is just as valid as a license written in Danish, because both countries are signatories. This removes the need to publish a license in every language on the planet.

    Finally:

    >IMO, the many FSF followers should stop considering the EUPL as a sacrilege

    Really? The only place I've heard this is here, in your message. I have not heard it anywhere else.

    --
    BMO

  19. Re:There's been lot of open source action in Big D by PuZZleDucK · · Score: 1

    Which as I understand it was the purpose of GPL3... If everyone had switched then we may at least have access to the creepy algorithms, Giving us the opportunity to at least understand/reverse the system.

    --
    Can a person program a new solution to a problem? Why should anyone be able to stop such a thing? -Richard Stallman