** Please note, the previous version of this press release had a mistake in the date. **
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Friday, January 22nd, 2010 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today announced that its campaign for computer user freedom, Windows 7 Sins, has launched internationally with translations and press releases being made available in over eight languages, with several more on the way. The Windows 7 Sins campaign outlines seven major areas where proprietary software in general and Microsoft Windows in particular hurt all computer users: invading privacy, poisoning education, locking users in, abusing standards, leveraging monopolistic behavior, enforcing Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), and threatening user security. These points are outlined in the text of a letter the campaign previously mailed to the leaders of the Fortune 500 companies and leading NGOs in the United States. The letter warns "Windows 7 decision makers" about the "lack of privacy, freedom, and security" they will suffer should they adopt Windows 7, and makes the case that they should instead adopt free software such as the GNU/Linux operating system and the office productivity suite OpenOffice.org. The FSF is asking concerned citizens to help get this message out by nominating other organizational leaders who are also "Windows 7 decision makers" to receive a version of the letter. FSF executive director Peter Brown explained, "Many people are frustrated by the organizations they interact with and their support for a software industry that works against the freedom of citizens. Our national and local governments, NGOs, and our universities and schools that use proprietary software are undertaking bad public policy, often through ignorance or misplaced values. We hope to alert these decision makers to the positive contribution they can make to society by switching their organizations to free software." "By translating Windows 7 Sins into as many languages as possible, we are making this an international campaign for computer user freedom," said Matt Lee, campaigns manager at the FSF. In addition to the Web site translations, the FSF is also distributing this press release in the same languages, with local representatives in each area of the world. The translation effort, coordinated by FSF campaigns staff working with volunteer translators, has been done over the last few months, using free software tools and collaborating via the GNU Mailman software. The first translation to go live was French, translated by members of the French free software activist organizations, April and Framasoft. Interested parties can join the translation effort by visiting <http://meta.windows7sins.org/> -- the site has already been translated from English into Arabic, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish and German. "Translations allow non-English speaking readers to understand the stakes of the FSF's campaign. April and Framasoft call on their members and the French-speaking free software communities to take advantage of the release of Microsoft Windows 7 to inform their friends, family, colleagues about the dangers of proprietary software, Microsoft's unfair practices, and the existence of free software," said Frédéric Couchet, executive director of April. Volunteers willing to translate Windows 7 Sins and other FSF materials into their local language should write to [email protected]. ### 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, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at <http://donate.fsf.org>. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA. ### About Free Software and Open Source The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as "open source," which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see <http://gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html>. ### Media Contacts Matt Lee Campaigns Manager Free Software Foundation +1 (617) 542 5942 x24 [email protected] _______________________________________________ FSF And GNU Press mailing list <[email protected]> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-press
