Re: [libreplanet-discuss] RiseUp needs our help...

[IngeGNUe]

On 09/06/2016 01:57 PM, fauno wrote:
> Serge Hooge <cuznez@gmail.com> writes:
> 
>>> Their help website is CC-NC-SA, which is non-free in terms of free
>>> culture.
>> But GNU.org and FSF.org use CC-ND, which is also non-free in terms of
>> "free culture", so I am not sure that's a great argument.
>>
>> Source code, however, I am not sure about indeed.
>> This[1] is all I managed to find.
>>
>> Perhaps a message to the admins would be in order?
>>
>> [1] http://riseuplabs.org/
> 
> AFAIK the user panel at https://user.riseup.net isn't free software yet
> because it needs a security revision ;) ;)
> 
> other services are free software based:
> 
> * pad.riseup.net => etherpad-lite
> * lists.riseup.net => sympa
> * we.riseup.net => crabgrass
> * vpn => bitmask
> 
> etc
> 

I assumed they would not need an introduction. Who doesn't know RiseUp?!
RiseUp is a nonprofit tech collective that helps activists, including
Free Software activists, by providing some pretty standard services.
Instead of activists having self-host the software, RiseUp.net does this
for them. They also publish documentation on their website how to use
security software, all of which is, incidentally, Free software: Tails,
Tor, GPG, XMPP+OTR, LUKS, GNU/Linux in general, etc.

While it is true that they develop some software through RiseUp Labs, I
think it is important to note that what is at stake is their ability to
keep their servers running. They use Free Software in their
infrastructure such as email and other services. For example, OpenVPN
(their legacy VPN) is not something they developed, it is something they
use to provide a service. The same goes for SquirrelMail for webmail,
and I don't know what the other webmail is, but they also encourage
people to use a mail client instead (Thunderbird on most distros,
IceDove on Free Software distros).

This would only matter who recognize who they are, what they do, and
*are grateful for the service they provide*.

It is my perception that they offer infrastructure that runs largely on
free software and they are philosophically supportive of Free software,
but don't take it from me:

"Our laboratory, Riseup Labs, actively contributes to the Free Software
movement, Free Software (or Software Libre) is part of a digital commons
for all to use."
https://riseup.net/en/about-us/projects

They wouldn't have licenses for anything they did not write. But what I
observe is that they are significant influence for introducing people to
Free software.