[Fsfe-portugal] [Fwd: Seeing RMS in Washington in Octotber]

[Rui Miguel Seabra]

Viva,

O RMS vai estar em Washington a 10 de Outubro... o que pode tornar
complicada a sua presenca em Portugal a 12 de Outubro.

Hugs, rms

Forwarded message: 
> Everyone planning to see Richard Stallman at the Washington Conference 
> must register at [http://www.cpi.seas.gwu.edu]. The Conference is free, 
> but space is limited and is expected to fill quickly. I will try to get 
> as many people from FreeDevelopers as possible in (so mention 
> FreeDevelopers as your affiliation), but you still need to register 
> early.
> 
> 
> 
> tony stanco wrote:
> > 
> > Here is the first public announcement of the Free Software Conference in
> > Washington next month.
> > 
> > Please make an extra effort to come, if at all possible. We need to 
> > impress
> > the Washington Establishment with the fact that Free Software is huge 
> > and
> > important to world freedom.
> > 
> > It should be great fun. Please tell your friends, too.
> > 
> > Best regards,
> > tony
> > 
> > +++++++++++++
> > 
> > RICHARD STALLMAN AND EBEN MOGLEN WILL SPEAK
> > AT GWU'S CYBERSPACE POLICY INSTITUTE'S FREE
> > SOFTWARE CONFERENCE: "FREE SOFTWARE: THE FREE
> > MARKET/FREE SPEECH SOLUTION TO THE MICROSOFT
> > ANTITRUST PROBLEM" ON OCTOBER 10, 2001
> > 
> > WASHINGTON, D.C.
> > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> > 
> > Dr. Richard Stallman, founder and President of the Free Software
> > Foundation, and Eben Moglen, Professor of Law at Columbia Law
> > School and General Counsel for the FSF, will speak at George
> > Washington University's Cyberspace Policy Institute in Washington,
> > D.C., October 10, 2001 at the CPI's Free Software Conference:
> > "Free Software: the Free Market/Free Speech Solution to the
> > Microsoft Antitrust Problem."
> > 
> > The Free Software Foundation promotes the development and use
> > of Free Software - particularly the GNU operating system and its
> > GNU/Linux variants - and Free Documentation for Free Software.
> > GNU/Linux is the integrated combination of the GNU operating
> > system with the kernel, Linux, written by Linus Torvalds in 1991.
> > The various versions of GNU/Linux have an estimated 20 million
> > users worldwide.
> > 
> > "If code is law, then the real question we must face is: who should
> > control the code?" says Dr. Stallman. "Can it be left to a few
> > companies to secretly do whatever they please with the code,
> > regardless of the interests of the public at large?
> > 
> > "Software today can control the way the world lives, communicates
> > and does business," Dr. Stallman continues. "Proprietary software
> > is typically secret - you can't change it, or even see what it really
> > does. You can't tell if it has back doors, or sends your personal
> > information to a server on the net. You cannot even prevent
> > changes that are detrimental, such as a future version unable to
> > access the files you are saving today.
> > 
> > "A choice of proprietary programs is just a choice of masters.
> > Should the code you use be under the control of Microsoft, or any
> > other private company? Or should you control the software you
> > use?
> > 
> > "Free Software provides a democratic alternative. The GNU
> > General Public License, or GPL, was specifically designed to make
> > sure the public's right to the software freedoms we feel are vital in a
> > free society are defended and upheld for everyone. I use the
> > expression 'free society' deliberately in this context, so there will be
> > no misunderstanding about the meaning of the word 'free' in 'Free
> > Software'. It refers to freedom--the freedom to use, study, copy,
> > modify, and redistribute computer programs. We are not opposed
> > to profit or to business, but business must respect the public's
> > freedom and community if it is to be legitimate."
> > 
> > Dr. Stallman will explain what Free Software means, briefly give its
> > history, explain how software freedoms are currently being
> > threatened by software patents, the DMCA, and the Hague Treaty,
> > and show how Microsoft can use such tools to create a new
> > monopoly, as well as make clear how government agencies,
> > researchers, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and all
> > users can benefit by switching from proprietary to Free Software.
> > 
> > 
> > Professor Moglen will speak about copyright and patent law and
> > how proprietary software restricts the freedoms of software
> > developers and of users, as well as speaking on the impact of the
> > Free Software Movement.
> > 
> > "Free Software is an ethical movement that establishes the
> > constructive alternative to corporate globalization," says Professor
> > Moglen. "It is a technical movement that has changed the software
> > industry and can make monopolization impossible forever. And it is
> > the centerpiece of the New Economy. Microsoft and its allies will
> > spend tens of millions of dollars this year telling lies about Free
> > Software. On October 10, you can learn the truth about Free
> > Software from the people who made it happen."
> > 
> > Eben Moglen holds a Ph.D. in history and a J.D. from Yale
> > University. Moglen is currently a professor of law and legal history
> > at Columbia University Law School and serves as general counsel
> > for the Free Software Foundation. His homepage is
> > http://moglen.law.columbia.edu/.
> > 
> > Tony Stanco, Esq., Founder of FreeDevelopers.net and Senior
> > Policy Analyst of the Cyberspace Policy Institute says, "The moral
> > question between Free and proprietary software ultimately revolves
> > around this issue: Is software more like law? (Which ought to be
> > Free and open to public inspection, so that the public can
> > participate in the formation of the social contract by which they will
> > be governed). Or is it more like literature? (Which has been
> > traditionally viewed as the creator's private property). It's
> > increasingly clear that with the Internet, software has begun to
> > supplement the traditional function of law and that digital machines
> > are fast becoming a nonhuman, cyberpolice force watching and
> > directing everything people do.
> > 
> > "The Cyberspace Policy Institute decided to sponsor this
> > conference so that policymakers in Washington, their staff, the
> > press, students, and all who are interested in how software can
> > affect them, can be introduced to Free Software and meet those
> > who began the Free Software Movement.
> > 
> > Tony Stanco will also say a few words on: Why the world's richest
> > company is attacking the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL)
> > by calling it a "cancer", a "destroyer" of innovation,
> > "anti-American"? Whether this is true, or whether Microsoft
> > dislikes the GPL because the four freedoms it establishes for
> > computer users make monopolies hard to sustain? How Free
> > Software created products, like the GNU/Linux operating system,
> > that compete with Microsoft's Windows on heavy-duty servers in
> > the back office? Why the principles of the new Intellectual Age are
> > fundamentally different from those of the previous Industrial Age.
> > Whether Software Freedom can restore innovation and creativity to
> > the software industry and provide a way to solve the Microsoft
> > antitrust question? Whether Microsoft's .Net initiative will
> > inevitably continue its monopoly? Or will Free Software's DotGNU
> > project break the Microsoft stranglehold and liberate computer
> > users to control the software they use?
> > 
> > Tony Stanco said, "We invited Microsoft to send a representative
> > to join in the conference, because it seemed unfortunate that Craig
> > Mundie, VP of Microsoft, has not yet had the opportunity to debate
> > on the subject of the GPL face to face with Dr. Stallman, the man
> > who created it. He has not accepted our invitation to date, but he is
> > still welcome. It's an open invitation."
> > 
> > The event will be held Wednesday, October 10, 2001 in the George
> > Washington University Marvin Center Ballroom (800 21st Street,
> > NW, Washington, DC 20052), beginning at 12:30 PM and ending
> > at 4:30 PM. There will be a break at midpoint, with light
> > refreshments served.
> > 
> > For more information and to register for this free event, please go to
> > the Cyberspace Policy Institute website [http://www.cpi.seas.gwu.edu/].
> > 
> > Contacts:
> > Tony Stanco, Cyberspace Policy Institute: 202-994-5513 (phone);
> >  202-994-5505(fax); address@hidden
> > 
> > Bradley Kuhn, Free Software Foundation:  617-542-5942,
> > address@hidden
> > 
> > About GNU:
> > 
> > GNU is a Free Software Unix-like operating system. Development
> > of GNU began in 1984. The site, at http://gnu.org, explains the
> > GNU project in detail.
> > 
> > GNU/Linux is the integrated combination of the GNU operating
> > system with the kernel, Linux, written by Linus Torvalds in 1991.
> > The various versions of GNU/Linux have an estimated 20 million
> > users. Some people call the GNU/Linux system "Linux", but this
> > misnomer leads to confusion (people cannot tell whether you mean
> > the whole system, or the kernel, which is one part), and spreads an
> > inaccurate picture of the system's history and origin. Making a
> > consistent distinction between GNU/Linux, the whole operating
> > system, and Linux, the kernel, is the best way to clear up the
> > confusion.
> > 
> > About the Free Software Foundation:
> > 
> > The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
> > promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
> > redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the
> > development and use of Free (as in freedom) Software - particularly
> > the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants - and Free
> > Documentation for Free Software. The FSF also helps to spread
> > awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of
> > software. Their web site, located at http://fsf.org, is an important
> > source of information about GNU/Linux. They are headquartered in
> > Boston, MA, USA.
> > 
> > About Cyberspace Policy Institute:
> > 
> > The Cyberspace Policy Institute is a center at George Washington
> > University to promote the analysis of policy problems that have a
> > significant computer systems component. Inside GW, the Institute
> > brings together researchers with interests in these areas, bridging
> > discipline barriers, much as the new information age is bridging
> > cultural and geopolitical barriers. Outside of the University, it
> > works with government and private organizations to examine
> > important issues in computer and communications systems policy.
> > The Institute carries out studies and hosts seminars and conferences
> > that move society towards rational and informed discussion of these
> > critical changes. CPI's mission is to encourage, promote, facilitate,
> > and execute interdisciplinary research in areas related to the nexus
> > of society and the Internet. The site is
> > http://www.cpi.seas.gwu.edu.
> > 
> > About DotGNU:
> > 
> > DotGNU, a joint FreeDevelopers and GNU Project, will be a
> > complete Free Software replacement for the Microsoft .NET
> > initiative. Unlike the centralization of important Internet functions
> > on Microsoft-controlled servers, DotGNU will use a decentralized
> > paradigm with personal information and
> > authorization/authentication functions on the user's own home or
> > corporate machines, or other distributed network of trusted
> > intermediaries, like existing Internet service providers or financial
> > institutions. The site is http://www.dotgnu.org.
> > 
> > 
> > About FreeDevelopers.net:
> > 
> > FreeDevelopers is an international self-regulatory organization of
> > Free Software developers for the development of Free Software.
> > The purpose of FreeDevelopers is to create a viable, for profit,
> > business model for Free Software development. The commercial
> > principles of the new Intellectual Age are substantially different
> > from those of the Industrial Age, because intellectual products are
> > most efficiently produced by an inclusionary paradigm, not the
> > exclusionary one of the previous epoch. FreeDevelopers was
> > founded by Tony Stanco, Esq., a former Senior Attorney with the
> > Securities and Exchange Commission, Internet and software group.
> > Tony Stanco has a LL.M. in securities regulation from the
> > Georgetown University Law Center. He is also a Senior Policy
> > Analyst with the Cyberspace Policy Institute at George Washington
> > University.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
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