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

Nomination for committee
by Ben M 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

Hi all, Just announcing my intention to run for the position of Secretary in the committee elections coming up this month. FSM is a very unique group with a great open discussion format, interesting topics and passionate members. I'm looking forward to helping support the group going forwards. Cheers, Ben.

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Nomination for committee
by Ben Sturmfels 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

Hi Folks, I'm heading off to LibrePlanet in Boston so won't be at the upcoming meeting, but I'd like to nominate for President in the elections. It's been a great last 12 months for Free Software Melbourne - very successful Software Freedom Day, lots of interesting meet-ups and dinners, some international guests, a new website, reaching out to new people through Meetup.com as well as early discussions about a "get started contributing to free software" workshop and about a LibrePlanet Sydney starting up. I'm keen for more. :) Regards, Ben

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Mozilla launches WebRTC-based video chat, Firefox Hello
by Ben Finney 07 Mar '15

07 Mar '15

Howdy all, What would be the software freedom requirements for a video chat system? Does “Firefox Hello”, included in recent versions of Mozilla Firefox <URL:https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/hello/>, satisfy the requirements? The protocol WebRTC <URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebRTC> has an open specification <URL:http://www.webrtc.org/> with free-software reference implementations. Are there patent holders who could threaten users and/or implementors? So long as the communication is using standard WebRTC, any conformant client can communicate with any other. The Mozilla Firefox and Google Chromium browsers are licensed under free-software conditions. Both are a WebRTC client by default if I understand correctly <URL:https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebRTC> <URL:http://www.webrtc.org/blog/seeyouontheweb>. What's also needed is a WebRTC server to receive client connections, and to manage sessions. The WebRTC project has a demonstration server at <URL:https://apprtc.appspot.com/>, but I think it's not meant to be a full-fledged service for public use. That also requires users to understand that there's a third party involved: the WebRTC service provider, mediating the connection between the parties who want to communicate. That's a significant learning barrier for many people. Firefox Hello appears to be a way of hiding the fact that a third-party server is involved, in order to make the user experience simpler: it has already chosen the WebRTC server and you don't need to understand that in order to use it. It's in Mozilla Firefox version 35 or later, which I don't have (I'll wait for it to enter Debian Jessie), so I haven't tested it. What software-freedom implications are there? Can the client easily choose to use any WebRTC server? Do the connections get logged by some third party? Are the Terms of Use problematic for software freedom <URL:https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox-hello/>? Does using it require the running of any non-free code (e.g. JavaScript without a free software license)? -- \ “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too | `\ much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.” | _o__) —Thomas Jefferson, 1791-12-23 | Ben Finney

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Interested in giving a talk at Linux Users Victoria?
by Andrew Pam 06 Mar '15

06 Mar '15

As current president of LUV, it occurred to me that the interests of the Melbourne Free Software Interest Group overlap with ours to some degree. Are there any members of the Free Software group that would be interested in giving a talk to LUV this year? Our meetings are at Melbourne University on the first Tuesday of every month, and we also have beginner meetings at RMIT on the third Saturday of every month. Regards, Andrew

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LUV talk of interest (schools)
by Scott Junner 25 Feb '15

25 Feb '15

I'm assuming most on this list are also on the Linux Users of Victoria mailing list. But just in case... Schools and free/open source has been a topic of interest and here is a great opportunity to get some further insight. The recent LUV announcement tells that there will be a talk about CoderDojo. As quoted from the recent LUV email... "Keiran Nolan's career has evolved over the past few years from a role as Network Administrator for primary schools (implementing open source and cloud based technologies) to a Cloud Migration Architect role with one of the leading K-12 schools in NSW and more recently to an eLearning/Cloud Migration role at one of the most pedagogically innovative schools in Melbourne." Think I'll go. Scott.

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I figured this would give some a little chuckle
by Michael Verrenkamp 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

A bit of humor on the side effects of binary blobs. http://geekz.co.uk/lovesraymond/archive/linux-doomsday

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Committee election 2015: Call for nominations
by Ben Finney 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

Howdy all, Free Software Melbourne's committee is elected by members, publicly at the regular meeting. Our next election is at the regular meeting on Thursday 2015-03-19. We need nominations for the following committee offices: * President * Vice President * Secretary * Treasurer All the sitting officers have indicated a desire for new nominations to those positions. We are definitely willing to help good candidates if they want to try a new role. So, please put yourself forward and help out Free Software Melbourne! -- \ “Odious ideas are not entitled to hide from criticism behind | `\ the human shield of their believers' feelings.” —Richard M. | _o__) Stallman | Ben Finney

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GNews notes for Thursday, 2015-02-19
by Ben Finney 20 Feb '15

20 Feb '15

Howdy all, This month's GNews was discussed from a collection of links I had in a document. Those notes are now posted online at the FSM blog <URL:http://freesoftware.org.au/blog/gnews-for-thursday-2015-02-19/>. Subscribe to the Free Software Melbourne blog with any feed reader <URL:http://freesoftware.org.au/blog/feeds/atom/>. Thanks again to everyone at the meeting, we had lots of lively discussion! -- \ “DRM doesn't inconvenience [lawbreakers] — indeed, over time it | `\ trains law-abiding users to become [lawbreakers] out of sheer | _o__) frustration.” —Charles Stross, 2010-05-09 | Ben Finney

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Re: [free-software-melb] Free-software-melb Digest, Vol 52, Issue 2
by Michael Verrenkamp 16 Feb '15

16 Feb '15

This is going to be the Apple app store all over again only now it will potentially affect so many more people. How long until we see a story about something being rejected for political reasons? -- Sent from my GNU/Linux-Libre box. Run free. http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros jabjabs(a)fastmail.com.au On Sat, Feb 14, 2015, at 04:00, free-software-melb-request(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au wrote: > Send Free-software-melb mailing list submissions to > free-software-melb(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.softwarefreedom.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/free-software-… > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > free-software-melb-request(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au > > You can reach the person managing the list at > free-software-melb-owner(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Free-software-melb digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Firefox addons (Adrian Colomitchi) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2015 12:25:48 +1100 > From: Adrian Colomitchi <acolomitchi(a)gmail.com> > To: Melbourne Free Software Interest Group > <free-software-melb(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au> > Subject: Re: [free-software-melb] Firefox addons > Message-ID: > <CAG-MQo2RgRZGrgCtcSqXBoks7aKznmXV-AS56LS2A11f4k1=Kw(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > > As it stands, Mozilla is going to hurt add-on developers > Imagine developing an add-on for in-house purposes of your org, but can't > install it without being signed by Mozilla. > > On Thu, Feb 12, 2015 at 7:30 PM, Adam Bolte <abolte(a)systemsaviour.com> > wrote: > > > On 12/02/15 13:29, Brian May wrote: > > > See > > > > > https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2015/02/10/extension-signing-safer-experien… > > > > > > The following threads on the mailing list appear to be relevant (I > > haven't > > > read them yet): > > > > > > > > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.addons.user-experience/qIgL… > > > > > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.addons.user-experience/slaK… > > > > Thanks. So Mozilla is to become a central signing authority for add-ons, > > and all add-ons must be signed before they will be installable on > > upcoming Firefox releases. Colour me impressed. > > > > I'm all for having add-ons signed. I take that pretty seriously > > actually, and I didn't try Arch for years because they didn't support > > package signing (which they have apparently since sorted). But there are > > some big differences between what Mozilla is doing, and what other free > > software projects do that distribute packages (such as Debian and > > F-Droid, for example). > > > > The main problem is that Firefox is mandating all packages be signed by > > Mozilla regardless of where and how the packages are distributed. I can > > set up my own F-Droid or Apt repository just fine (and I have actually > > done the later for apps installed and developed internally to my > > workplace) - but *I* get to sign them. I don't need to submit them to > > Debian first. > > > > As it stands, Mozilla is going to hurt add-on developers - making it > > more difficult to test releases, much harder to find beta-testers, > > introducing more manual steps, and an unnecessary delay in being able to > > release. They are going to hurt end users - they will no longer have > > access to old unmaintained add-ons unless they wish to learn how to fork > > and submit them (which is unlikely many will do). Lastly, it's going to > > hurt Mozilla, as IMO it further tarnishes their reputation (although > > they already lost most of it when they chose to support EME extensions > > IMO). > > > > There are other questions that have arisen, such as what will happen to > > add-ons that basically enable side-loading scripts such GreaseMonkey and > > dotjs, or add-ons that do things illegal in the US (eg. due to DMCA > > restrictions) but are legal outside? What about environments that do not > > allow private add-ons to be hosted on remote servers for fear of court > > orders, the NSA, or a server compromise? The responses to such questions > > have so far not been encouraging. > > > > I expect most GNU/Linux distributions which package rebadged versions of > > Firefox and popular add-ons will be disabling this functionality out of > > necessity anyway, but I still can't help but feel disappointed. > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Free-software-melb mailing list > > Free-software-melb(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au > > > > http://lists.softwarefreedom.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/free-software-… > > > > > > Free Software Melbourne home page: http://www.freesoftware.asn.au/melb/ > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > Free-software-melb mailing list > Free-software-melb(a)lists.softwarefreedom.com.au > http://lists.softwarefreedom.com.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/free-software-… > > Free Software Melbourne home page: http://www.freesoftware.asn.au/melb/ > > ------------------------------ > > End of Free-software-melb Digest, Vol 52, Issue 2 > *************************************************

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Firefox addons
by Brian May 14 Feb '15

14 Feb '15

See https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2015/02/10/extension-signing-safer-experien… The following threads on the mailing list appear to be relevant (I haven't read them yet): https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.addons.user-experience/qIgL… https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.addons.user-experience/slaK… -- Brian May <brian(a)microcomaustralia.com.au>

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