April 2017 - Free-software-melb - lists.softwarefreedom.com.au

Service rejected, for using a VPN
by Ben Finney 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Howdy all, The EFA, among others, have for many years exhorted Australians to use a VPN for all internet traffic. This week I have closed a support ticket with one overseas service provider, who refused to take an order from me. More precisely, their position was that their “financial partner” refused me service (validating my credit card), they could not accept an order without that, and they were not willing to argue thye case with their financial partner. The reason given (I was not told who the “financial partner” is, nor how to contact them for support) was eventually summarised with: The policy of our payment partner is like this due to fraud problem. Many fraudulent payment come from user of VPN. I am no longer interested in pursuing that particular provider. But I am interested in the implications for Australian internet users. * Credit card fraud and VPN use How much truth is there to the claim that a connection over VPN is prone to fraudulent credit card use? I can't see how that affects the ability to defraud the credit card system of an online ship. * Discrimination against VPN use How should we be responding? My support ticket appealed to the fact this effectively discriminates against those who use a VPN for their safety; that appeal did not even get a specific response, so I don't know to what extent the provider was moved by that. -- \ “To punish me for my contempt of authority, Fate has made me an | `\ authority myself.” —Albert Einstein, 1930-09-18 | _o__) | Ben Finney

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☯Fw: I’m so excited
by Free-software-melb-announce 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Yo! Look at that amazing stuff, I'm so excited! It may be really useful, check it out http://dimitry-magic.com/fill.php?0706 Good wishes, Free-software-melb-announce

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news
by Free-software-melb-announce 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

Yo! I've just read some interesting news about our friend, just look at him, he is a star! Please read here http://www.arqja.com/bright.php?2021 Thanks for your consideration, Free-software-melb-announce

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GnuBee: Personal Cloud 1 says good riddance to binary blobs
by Ben Finney 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

Howdy all, The crowd-funded GnuBee Personal Cloud 1 project is glad to announce they have dropped all binary blobs from their machine. We’re happy to confirm the GnuBee Personal Cloud 1 will ship with 100% libre software and firmware - there won’t be any binary blobs! This has real-world ramifications, the most immediate of which is it actually lowers the cost of production, which is in part why we can lower our funding goal. <URL:https://www.crowdsupply.com/gnubee/personal-cloud-1/updates/100-blob-fr…> -- \ “When I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a | `\ closet for five minutes without moving. He said it was elevator | _o__) practice.” —Steven Wright | Ben Finney

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FSM April 20th - FSM Elections, AMD Open Hardware submission and the Gnews
by Ben M 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

Hey there FLOSS fighters, It's time for our annual elections for the Free Software Melbourne Committee, so now is your chance to have your say in the running of the group. If you're interested in running then bring your enthusiasm and a short pitch about why you like Free Software and why you want to help the group. We'll also have a quick summary of the groups activities over the past year. After the election formalities Michael Verrenkamp will be sharing a draft submission he's prepared for AMD encouraging the adoption of open standards and open hardware. We'll have a read over the submission and have a discussion about other possible actions and similar initiatives we could address. We'll have a "short" pizza break and finish off with all the Gnews fit for public consumption* from the month gone by. Hope to see you there. * FSM is not responsible for Gnews induced indigestion Thursday 20th April, 6:30-8:30pm 31 Arden St, North Melbourne, Victoria, 3051 Map: http://osm.org/go/uG4HWyqEz?m=&node=2556615434 Travel tips by Electron Workshop: http://www.electronworkshop.com.au/map/ Running late or can't find us? Call 0419 390 496

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FSM Working group hacking hackathon licensing
by Ben M 03 Apr '17

03 Apr '17

Hey there Freedom Hackers Another virtual meetup on the Riot channel for the working group this month, seemed to work well last month just using text and maybe we could jump on mumble if we need to chat As it's coming up on hackathon season, this month at the Working group we're going to have a go at putting together a "hackathon licensing guidelines" page for the wiki and a kit of materials, pitches, suggestions and links I imagine the popular github licensing page would be a good start along with the FSM licensing guide, but more diversity and event specific advice could be given. Feel free to drop any suggestions in the new FSM Riot channel: # and we'll scan back over on the night We'll be hanging around the #freesoftwaremelb:matrix.zammit.org room from 6:00pm on Thursday the 6th of April and start breaking up into "license family groups" and preparing a list of resources and info Event details Thursday 6th April, 6:30-8:00pm Location: Online in Riot chatroom: #freesoftwaremelb:matrix.zammit.org Wiki: http://freesoftware.org.au/wiki/ Having trouble connecting? Call one of the Bens on 0419 390 496

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