I'd like you to meet @rik, another of our committed term software freedom advocates in Aotearoa, who is dipping his toes in the verse.
Rik, these are all fine folks and good first follows. The first three are fellow GNU/Linux enthusiasts who I've interacted with here since the GNU social early days. @jxself I met through the community on the Trisquel forums, and @screwtape I met more recently.
@strypey@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself@screwtape
Hi guys, great to meet you & thanks for the intro Strypey - we've known each other for a couple of decades now through Free computing / community advocacy. Of all the directions anyone could go on any particular day, where to next? ... Software Freedom Day stands out as a moment in time, with a heyday once, when global (*nix) community gets genuine & dynamic expression. If we've all been involved in SFD we could usefully review: 2024 looking good?
@strypey
Honestly the only name I loosely recognised at the Digital Freedom Foundation was mako.cc and I was barely aware of them. I hope I am quite choosy about what exactly I actively support, so I might not support something simply because of the word freedom or a GPL license if I feel I differ in attitude.
@screwtape
if you're referring to Benjamin Mako Hill with mako.cc, I have a lot of time for him and his work. Not sure of the DFF - I've lost confidence in the EFF (I used to support them, but no longer do). Not sure what you mean by SFD (Software Freedom Day?)... @strypey@jeremy_list@rik@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
@lightweight
yeah I'm trying to work my head around software freedom day, of which @strypey@rik
are enthusiastic, but I internally had an I'm-not-totally-sure-I'm-on-board.
@screwtape@lightweight@strypey@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself There was major personnel change for DFF in 2023 with Software Freedom Day getting new email list infrastructure etc that I can provide info on to those interested. I wasn't active for SFD 2023, which was a first since it founded in 2004, but this year would like to help run a local event again. SFD had a real heyday ten or more years ago - when free live CD distros were attractive. So much has changed since: ppl too busy?
@rik
> SFD had a real heyday ten or more years ago - when free live CD distros were attractive. So much has changed since: ppl too busy?
I suspect people have become less inclined to meet strangers in person, due to far too much doomscrolling giving them the impression that strangers are scary.
@screwtape
> Could someone try and ask Frederic Muller of SFD Phnom Penh for a pamphlet in Khmer language
Have you could tried asking in English? For better or for worse, English is the trade language of tech, and everyone I came across in Asia who was involved in it spoke English as well as I do.
@strypey
obviously I spoke to them in English, but my sense is that I come across as a bit of a lone street preacher since what I'm saying is directly opposed to the Free Year Micro$oft 365 taught here, for example. So I think a software freedom day visible from both (or all) one's languages would go a million miles for many people here who would often not feel invited to tech conversations. @rik@lightweight@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
@screwtape
> a software freedom day visible from both (or all) one's languages would go a million miles for many people here who would often not feel invited to tech conversations
100%. What I mean is you don't need to speak other languages to get resources in those languages from SFD organisers in other countries.
@clacke
> I think the request was to find a pamphlet written in Khmer, not to ask for it in Khmer
Oh, right. Maybe. In which case what confused me was the asking if someone else can ask him, rather than finding his contact info on the SFD website to ask him directly.
If the site is as well organised as you'd hope after 20 years and a renovation, the pamphlets in each language would be right there to download.
@strypey
cc @dff@lmemsm@bgardner same question as ^ (sorry for ATs)
Honestly I was getting a cup of coffee in a compostable coffee cup from someone who was trying to tell me that Facebook was a bad company, but my Khmer language bottoms out basically immediately so I think it would be nice to have some pamphlets from the Phnom Penh one and I feel like someone here might be in the know. @rik@lightweight@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
@strypey@dff@lightweight
> For video conferencing purposes?
Yes. From South Library Chch #SFD 2022 we were looking at virtual connection anywhere, due to pandemic. Fred carried the idea forward and some effort was made in 2023, but our team was in recess & I haven't caught up with how it went yet.
But a global rolling conference of FOSS presentations, projected large with sound, would be of real interest to a room of attendees & put little load on a server. 1 login forthe group wouldbe enough
> a global rolling conference of FOSS presentations, projected large with sound, would be of real interest to a room of attendees & put little load on a server
The ActivityPub Conference in 2020 took a similar approach. The conference talks were recorded and uploaded to a PeerTube server in advance:
"For Peertube, ANSOL (Portuguese free software association) got their own instance (no account creation allowed), same as FSFE did. FSF is on Framatube, which does not create new accounts for anyone. Is there a good (open) instance for Free Software dedicated communities & content? Something like fosstodon for peertube? Good question! Maybe one that can be done to a wider audience, on Mastodon?"2/2 @lightweight @screwtape@strypey@dff@lmemsm@bgardner@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
@rik
> Is there a good (open) instance for Free Software dedicated communities & content? Something like fosstodon for peertube?
If this is for SFD specifically, it could be cool to have an instance like video.softwarefreedomday.org. A more general software freedom themed instance would be cool, and thanks to the joys of federation, it could easily syndicate videos from a SFD instance.
I think if would be nicer if there was a fosstodon-style peertube instance, where you could find "all things related to free software" instead of just SFD-centric.
@marado
> I think if would be nicer if there was a fosstodon-style peertube instance, where you could find "all things related to free software" instead of just SFD-centric.
This points to the need for a protocol-level way of grouping themed videos across the fediverse, regardless of which server they're on, or which software it's running. I feel a Fediverse Ideas issue coming on...
Side note, my vision is to focus on #emacs useage for documents (2html, 2pdf, graphs, LaTeX..) especially in light of rms' original article on the elisp emacs implementation as being for people who are given it for document processing, and it being an avenue into personal technological growth aside from whatever they're meant to do. I'd like @beagleking to ask cultural clubs members for (new) involvement @strypey@dff@lmemsm@bgardner@rik@lightweight@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
Ideas and commentary for my talk or Software Freedom Day in Hamilton welcome.
I'm partially trying to circumnavigate arguments that software engineering students are paying to learn proprietary IDEs (ersatz emacses) by instead taking a holistic and welcoming view of emacs for writing, presentation and art supported by eg. all the Chinese emacs presence.
@strypey@rik@screwtape@lightweight@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
A lot of the #SFD events are run by local clubs or groups so they already know each other. Some of us are also working to add a virtual presence for the events, so people who don't have an event in their area or who aren't comfortable meeting in person (especially with viruses still going around) have another option. #DocumentFreedomDay in March is our next #DFF project.
@dff
Since we haven't run it as a group / before please forgive us for moving a little glacially! I guess I should also find out what document freedom is (does agplv3+ really apply to the documents and audio I say it does) @strypey@rik@lightweight@jeremy_list@clacke@bobjonkman@jxself
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