DiscussionThis is material I've started preparing for distribution and guidance at FLISOL 2008. I've moved its drafting here just because it's extremely more convenient for me. It's meant to be translated and published at the FLISOL site:
http://www.installfest.info/FLISOL2008/Libre
It represents my own personal opinions and recommendations. For the sake of clarification, even though this is hosted at fsfla.org, this work was NOT done on behalf of FSFLA and, as written on every page of my blog, this does not necessarily represent FSFLA's opinion.
An apology to software users
I'm sorry that I harmed you. I didn't mean to, but now I realize that I did, so I owe you an apology.
I accepted and used non-Free Software under conditions that prohibited me from running it in some ways. I didn't see a problem with that at first, and I even recommended that software to others. But then, one day, I upgraded my computer, and I couldn't run the software any more. I had to keep the old computer around, just to be able to access the information I'd created with that software, and to keep using the software and creating more information with it. If I installed it on the new computer, I could have to pay hefty fines, and even go to jail. I shouldn't have accepted these conditions, they have harmed me. I shouldn't have recommended the software, for it harmed others, including you. I shouldn't have shared files saved in a format that only this non-Free program could open, for it encouraged others to fall in the trap. Anyone who paid for the non-Free software, or recommended others to use it, offered more victims to that who ultimately caused us this harm, rewarding the aggression and further empowering the aggressor. This harmed myself and everyone else, including you. I'm sorry that I caused you this harm.
I accepted and used non-Free Software under conditions that prohibited me from studying it and adapting it to suit my needs. I thought I didn't care how it worked, as long as it worked. But one day, I wanted to write another program that accessed the information I had saved with the non-Free program, and I realized I didn't know how it saved the information, and I couldn't find out. Another day, my needs changed and I wanted a program to do something in a slightly different way. One day, it was about computations performed by the non-Free program I used. Another day, it was about controlling peripherals of my computer in a better way. Yet another, it was about fixing an error in the non-Free program. But then, I realized I didn't have permission to modify the non-Free program. And, even if I did, I didn't have the source code, so I couldn't modify the non-Free program even if I had the skills and the permission. I couldn't even study it, to learn how it worked and then write another program that did what I needed. I realized our aggressor wanted me to remain ignorant, dependent and helpless, and I regretted my decision to accept these conditions. But at that time, I'd already recommended the non-Free program to others, and they had also become dependent and helpless, further empowering the aggressor. This harmed myself and everyone else, including you. I'm sorry that I caused you this harm.
I also accepted and used non-Free Software under conditions that prohibited me from copying it and distributing copies to others. When a friend asked me for a copy of the software, I found myself in a moral dilemma. If I helped my friend, I'd be breaking an agreement I'd entered, and also breaking the law. If I complied with the agreement, I'd disappoint my friend. I realized the prohibitions were selfish, greedy and anti-social; that the moral value of solidarity is more important than abiding by an unjust agreement, backed up by unjust laws designed to empower our aggressors: I realized I shouldn't ever accept software that I couldn't share with my friends. But by then, I'd already recommended the non-Free Software to others, and they might have accepted the conditions. If you ever asked someone for a copy of such software, and your friend disappointed you out of fear from the aggressor, my recommendation may have indirectly caused it. This harmed myself and everyone else, including you and your friends. I'm sorry that I caused you and them this harm.
Furthermore, I accepted and used non-Free Software under conditions that prohibited me from improving the software and distributing my improvements to others. Some programs, I couldn't improve because I was prohibited from modifying the program, or because I couldn't obtain the source code needed to make changes. In other cases, I actually received the source code, and I could address my own needs. However, when I found out some of my friends had the same needs, I realized our aggressor had prohibited me from helping them: our aggressor opposed solidarity and even a free market: it demanded a monopoly on providing improvements to others. But by the time I realized this, I'd already recommended the non-Free Software to others. It is possible that you and your friends, who are prohibited from helping each other, are using it as an indirect consequence of my recommendations. This harmed myself and everyone else, including you and your friends. I'm sorry that I caused you and them this harm.
I apologize for this harm, and I beg for your understanding, compassion and mercy. When I recommended these programs to others, I didn't know I was empowering our aggressor. Even after I learned it, sometimes I was fooled into buying products that would only work if I accepted these unacceptable prohibitions, and sometimes, when I realized the requirements, it was too late to return the product for a refund, to avoid empowering the aggressor. At other times, I just couldn't resist the temptation of the convenience the non-Free Software would provide me with, or I fooled myself thinking I'd somehow be able to make up for all the harm. Please understand that I'm a victim, not an aggressor. However, the aggression I endorsed, intentionally or not, harmed myself and everyone else, including you. I'm very sorry that I caused you so much harm.
Now, it would be just fair if you were to cause me just as much harm, doing to me the same things I did to you. I'm at your mercy. But please remember that the harm I caused you was unintentional, or at least under the illusion that I could make up for it. I'm guilty, but there was no bad faith. If you were to do the same things to me, just to get even, the willful intent behind your revenge would make your acts much worse than mine. Besides, your revenge would harm others, just like my acts did. They don't deserve to be harmed more just because I'm indebted to you.
Therefore, I beg you to not do to me what I did to you. Please forgive me, and avoid making the mistakes that I did. Please try to always choose Free Software, that respects your four essential software freedoms: (0) to run the program however you wish, (1) to study the source code and change it to do whatever you wish, (2) to copy the program and distribute and publish the copies when you wish, and (3) to improve the program and distribute and publish your improvements when you wish, and to not do any of these things if you don't wish to. Please try to always choose hardware that won't require or induce you or others to accept non-Free Software. Please don't empower our aggressors, and resist as much as you can the disrespect and abuse that they impose on us with non-Free Software. Please don't recommend non-Free Software to others, especially if they don't know how much harm they can cause with it, to themselves and to others, including you and me. Please forgive me, don't seek revenge.
Recommendations for FLISOL organizers
Help participants make informed decisions
If their computer won't work fully without non-Free Software, help them see the pros and cons of accepting it. If you conclude an exception is justified for a participant, teach her how to install it, but encourage her to experiment complete freedom for a bit. Also explore the possibility of installing Free Software on the pre-existing operating system.
Do NOT install non-redistributable non-Free Software
Don't ever install such a non-Free operating system, non-Free applications, etc. FLISOL does not encourage you to break the law, even when that would be the only morally correct thing to do. It's best if you don't even have them around, to avoid moral dilemmas.
AVOID installing redistributable non-Free Software
If you conclude an exception is called for, and you decide to help a participant copy non-Free drivers or firmware from another operating system, download and install it off the internet, etc, make sure the participant realizes it's non-Free Software, and understands the moral reasons why the exception is justified, such that it doesn't get generalized incorrectly.
Do NOT take the initiative of installing non-Free Software
This may confuse participants as to what is Free Software and what isn't, and trivializing the acceptance of non-Free Software plays against everyone's freedom. We have to make sure that, if participants get Free Software installed in their computers, they know it, they understand it is an exception, why the exception is justified, and why they should try to avoid the need for such exceptions in their next computer.
Examples of interactions between user and organizer
Some are in line with the philosophy and the spirit of FLISOL, some aren't. Guess which.
The conscious user
U: I want this program on my computer, can you install it for me?
O: This program is not Free Software, even though it is gratis. It doesn't belong in FLISOL. Do you understand that this would harm yourself and society?
U: Yeah, I'm going to make up to society with the work I intend to do using this program, and I don't intend to pass it on to anyone who doesn't understand these issues.
O: Ok, then I will make an exception and teach you how to install it. But please get in touch with the distributor and let them know how unhappy you are about their aggression to our community.
The conscious organizer
U: I want this program on my computer, can you install it for me?
O: This program is not Free Software, even though it is gratis. It doesn't belong in FLISOL. Do you understand that this would harm yourself and society?
U: What do you mean?
O: Please read this (or insert long conversation here) and let me know if you still think installing it is a good idea.
The confused user
U: I want this program on my computer, can you install it for me?
O: This program is not Free Software, even though it is gratis. It doesn't belong in FLISOL. Do you understand that this would harm yourself and society?
U: What do you mean?
O: Oh, nevermind, this really cool distro here will install it automatically.
Recommendations about software distributions
gNewSense
GNU/Linux general-purpose operating system based on Ubuntu, but committed to being 100% Free Software, leading the efforts of removing segments of sourceless binaries disguised as source code, and portions of non-Free Software from packages widely regarded as Free Software. Web site, translations and mailing lists in Spanish have strong participation from Latin Americans.
http://www.gnewsense.org/
UTUTO XS
Independent GNU/Linux general-purpose operating systems, the first (?) with a public commitment to distribute only Free Software, available in optimized builds for several variants of x86 and x86_64. International effort started in Latin America.
http://www.ututo.org/
Musix GNU+Linux
Independent GNU/Linux multimedia operating system, committed to being 100% Free Software. International effort started in Latin America, with participation from speakers of Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and various other languages.
http://musix.org.ar/en/index.html
BLAG Linux and GNU
GNU/Linux general-purpose operating system based on Fedora, but committed to being 100% Free Software.
http://www.blagblagblag.org/
OpenBSD
Berkeley Sofware Distribution variant that contains only Free Software. Installing and sharing it doesn't spread non-Free Software, but please recommend users to beware of the ports collection maintained by this project, because some of the packages that can be installed from it are non-Free Software, and they're not clearly marked.
Debian GNU/Linux
The first (?) GNU/Linux distribution project to build software freedom into its mission. Installing and sharing it doesn't spread non-Free Software, but please recommend users to beware of the non-free repository maintained by this project: it doesn't contain only documentation and other non-software packages that don't meet their guidelines; it also contains non-Free Software.
Gobuntu
A variant of Ubuntu maintained by the Ubuntu project itself, with a stated purpose of containing only 100% Free Software. It falls short of gNewSense in some corner cases, but installing it and sharing it doesn't spread non-Free Software per se. However, there is a risk that it ends up being confused with other Ubuntu variants that do, and that users might install non-Free Software from the shared Ubuntu repositories, without realizing it is non-Free.
Fedora
A GNU/Linux distribution maintained and promoted by a large international community, and sponsored by a company whose business is mainly selling Open Source Software-based services, some of which are derived from this distribution. Although creating a distribution containing only Free Software is a stated purpose of the Fedora community, the long-time policy of including redistributable non-Free firmware, exercised since Fedora 7, is at odds with this goal. Excluding these firmwares from the installation, and distributing custom-made spins that don't include these firmwares, doesn't spread non-Free Software, but users might install such non-Free Sofware from the original repositories, without realizing it is non-Free.
Ubuntu
Various GNU/Linux distributions maintained by a company whose business is mainly selling services on them, with endorsement and promotion by a large international community. Except for Gobuntu, all variants of this distribution include non-Free Software, most of them install it by default, and at least some of them make it difficult for some such non-Free Software to be removed without making the installation unbootable. Installing variants that don't force the installation of non-Free Software doesn't spread non-Free Software, but distributing copies of those that contain non-Free Software does.
Java Virtual Machine
Although there are various Free Software JVMs, the best to recommend at the time of this writing is IcedTea, the 100% Free development version of the upcoming JDK 1.7. JDK 1.7 will probably be released and 100% Free before April 26, 2008. Don't recommend earlier versions, because they are non-Free Software, or at least contain essential non-Free Software components.
SoftPhones
There are several SIP-compliant applications for Free and non-Free operating systems. Ekiga, KPhone, linphone, and OpenWengo are just a few examples; there are many more. Recommend users to move away from non-Free Software softphones, especially those that use proprietary protocols and that have been convicted twice for GPL infringement, such as Skype.
Video drivers
Most video controllers support the Video Electronics Standards Association specification (VESA) to the point that the X vesa driver works. Another option is to get the kernel to enter a frame buffer mode, and use the X fbdev driver. These work on most computers, even if not at the best possible resolution or the maximum speed supported by the hardware. This ought to be enough for most computing tasks these days. For those that absolutely require optimized 2D or 3D processing, several of the fastest video cards available today provide Free Software drivers and specifications for development thereof.
non-Free drivers and firmwares
When a user comes in with a piece of hardware that requires drivers or firmware that are not available for Free operating systems, but that are installed in the pre-existing non-Free operating system, copying the firmware for use in the Free operating system, or copying the driver and using ndiswrapper to run it, won't deprive the user of any freedom that hasn't already been given up, and it won't strengthen the position of the hardware vendor, unless the user then goes out and recommends the hardware to others. Therefore, this is a morally acceptable way to keep certain features of the computer functional, while enabling the user to take a big step towards freedom. But this should be done very carefully, to not give the users the impression that this is an arrangement that should be encouraged, retained for long or implemented on their next computers.
Free Software for children
The OLPC GNU/Linux distribution based on the Sugar user interface developed for the One Laptop Per Child X0 educational device for children. It includes non-Free redistributable firmware needed by some hardware components of the X0, but it is possible and easy to install it on other computers that don't require this firmware. A nice collection of software to install for those who have children in school age at home, along with GCompris, KDEEdu, etc.
Cygwin
A Free Software GNU/Linux-like environment for Microsoft Windows, containing most of the GNU operating system and many other Free Software packages commonly available on GNU/Linux distributions. A great option to install in a left-over MS-Windows partition, and also something to be considered in case of insurmountable hardware compatibility issues with a 100% Free Software installation.
QEMU
An Free Software emulator that runs on most major operating systems, Free and non-Free, that can be used to emulate and boot up another operating system on top of the one the user is used to. An option to be considered in case of insurmountable hardware compatibility issues with a 100% Free Software installation, that enables the user to start getting acquainted with a fully Free Software operating system, even if unable to escape an underlying non-Free operating system for the time being.
Wine
Wine is an execution environment for MS-Windows applications that runs on GNU/Linux and *BSD variants. For users who depend on a few specific MS-Windows applications, running them on wine while the rest of the operating system is converted to a 100% Free one is a step in the direction of freedom.
What else should be mentioned here?
If you have other suggestions of Free Software to install, or know about other software distributions that people might want to install at FLISOL, please let me know about them, ideally with as much information as you have as to non-Free components and policies regarding inclusion of non-Free Software.
Copyright 2008 Alexandre Oliva
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this entire document without royalty provided the copyright notice, the document's official URL, and this permission notice are preserved.
Permission for translation to other languages is granted, as long as the original copyright notice and permissions are retained, along with a translation of the permissions.
Last update: 2008-03-30 (Rev 3059)