Zoom is a proprietary Teleconfrencing Software package that has grown
in popularity over the past month. I had not heard of it until
recently. Many schools that are still open have made it a
requirement, from High School to College Level. It is a proprietary
piece of technology that need not be used, especially when
alternatives exist.
Previously, I shared a video from Luke Smith, an internet personality,
on Zoom. Now, the FSF has made a statement, as seen below.
----- Forwarded message from "Greg Farough, FSF" -----
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 2020 18:05:32 -0400
From: "Greg Farough, FSF"
To: se7en@cock.email
Subject: Better than Zoom: Try these free software tools for staying in touch
Reply-To: "Greg Farough, FSF"
Free Software Foundation
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Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/
better-than-zoom-try-these-free-software-tools-for-staying-in-touch
Dear Free Software Supporter,
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an enormous amount of changes in how people
work, play, and communicate. By now, many of us have settled into the routine
of using remote communication or videoconferencing tools to keep in touch with
our friends and family. In the last few weeks we've also seen a number of lists
and guides aiming to get people set up with the "right" tools for communicating
in hard times, but in almost every case, these articles recommend that people
make a difficult compromise: trading their freedom in order to communicate with
the people they care about and work with.
In times like these it becomes all the more important to remember that tools
like Zoom, Slack, and Facebook Messenger are not benign public services, and
while the sentiment they've expressed to the global community in responding to
the crisis may be sincere, it hasn't addressed the fundamental ethical issues
with any piece of proprietary software.
After taking the LibrePlanet 2020 conference online, we received a number of
requests asking us to document our streaming setup. As the pandemic grew worse,
this gave way to more curiosity about how the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
uses free tools and free communication platforms to conduct our everyday
business. And while the stereotype of hackers hunched over a white on black
terminal session applies to us in some ways, many of the tools we use are
available in any environment, even for people who do not have a lot of
technical experience. We've started documenting ethical solutions on the
LibrePlanet wiki, in addition to starting a remote communication mailing list
to help each other advocate for their use.
In the suggestions that follow, a few of the tools we will recommend depend
upon some "self-reliance," that is, steering clear of proprietary network
services by hosting free software solutions yourself, or asking a technical
friend to do it for you. It's a difficult step, and the benefits may not be
immediately obvious, but it's a key part of preserving your autonomy in an age
of ubiquitous digital control.
To those who have the technical expertise and available infrastructure, we urge
you to consider hosting instances of free communication platforms for your
friends, family, and your community at large. For example, with a modest server
and some GNU/Linux knowledge, you could help local students learn in freedom by
volunteering to administer an instance of one of the programs we'll be
recommending below.
The need to self-host can be an uncomfortable reminder of our dependence on the
"cloud" -- the network of someone else's computers -- but acknowledging our
current reliance on these providers is the first step in making new, dependable
systems for ourselves. During dangerous and stressful times, it's tempting to
sideline our ethical commitments for easier or more convenient ways to get
things done, and software freedom is no exception. We hope these suggestions
will inspire you to inform others about the importance of their freedom,
privacy, and security.
Chat
When we can no longer communicate face-to-face, tools for voice and video
calling often come to mind as the next best thing. But as evidenced by the size
and success of the proprietary software companies that sponsor these tools,
their development isn't easy. Promoting real-time voice and video chat clients
remains a High Priority Project of ours. Though we may still be waiting for a
truly perfect solution, there are some projects that are far enough along in
their development that we can recommend them to others.
Audio calls
• Mumble: Mumble is a real-time, low latency program for hosting and joining
audio conversations. Clients are available for every major operating
system, and even large rooms tend not to put too much stress on the
network. When it was time for us to go fully remote, the FSF staff turned
to Mumble as a way to have that "in-office" feel, staying in touch in rooms
dedicated to each of our teams and a general purpose "water cooler" room.
• Asterisk/SIP: When we give tours of the FSF office, people often think
we're joking when we mention that even the FSF's conference phones run free
software. But through Asterisk and our use of the SIP protocol, it's
entirely true. Although it can be difficult to set up, it's worth
mentioning that free software can manage your traditional phone lines, and
even transfer calls seamlessly to digital extensions or SIP clients like
Jami and Linphone.
Video calls and presentations
• Jitsi: Jitsi was a key part of LibrePlanet 2020's success. Providing video
and voice calls through the browser via WebRTC, it also allows for
presenters to share their screen in a similar way to Zoom. And unlike Zoom,
it doesn't come with serious privacy violations or threats to user freedom.
The connection between callers is direct and intuitive, but a central
server is still required to coordinate callers and rooms. Some of these,
like the Jitsi project's own "Jitsi Meet" server, recommend proprietary
browser extensions and document sharing tools. If you're able, hosting your
own instance is the most free and reliable method.
• OBS: Another much-used software program this LibrePlanet was OBS Studio.
Illness, different timezones, or unforeseen travel were no match for the
solutions that OBS Studio offered. It's a flexible tool for streaming video
from multiple inputs to a Web source, whether that's combining your webcam
with conference slides, or even your favorite free software game. At
LibrePlanet, OBS allowed our remote speakers to record their presentations
while speaking in one screen, and sharing audiovisual materials in a second
window.
Text chat
• XMPP: If you've ever used "Jabber," older iterations of Google Talk or
Facebook Messenger, then you've used XMPP. XMPP is a flexible and
extensible instant messaging protocol that's lately seen a resurgence from
clients like Conversations.im and encryption schema like OMEMO. XMPP is the
instant messaging method we prefer at the FSF when we need to discuss
something privately, or in a secure group chat, as everything is sent
through servers we control and encrypted against individual staff members'
private key. Also, access to the FSF XMPP server is one of the many
benefits of our associate membership program.
• IRC: Messaging services have become all the rage in office atmospheres, but
nothing about Messenger or Slack is new. In fact, Slack (and its
counterpart for video games, Discord) takes more than a few cues from the
venerable Internet Relay Chat (IRC). IRC remains an enduring way to have a
text-based chat in real-time, and as evidenced by Web clients like The
Lounge, or desktop clients like Pidgin, it can be as stripped down or
feature-rich as you like. For a true hacker experience, you can also log
into IRC using Emacs.
Long-form discussion
• Encrypted email: While it's asynchronous and maybe the most "old school"
item on our list, GPG-encrypted email is a core part of the FSF workflow,
and helps guard against prying eyes, whether they're one room over or in an
NSA compound across the country. The initial setup can sometimes be a
challenge, which is why we provide the Email Self-Defense Guide to get you
up and running.
• Discourse: Discourse is the message board software that powers the FSF
associate member forum, and we couldn't be happier to recommend it. While
the concept may seem a little antiquated, message boards remain a good way
to coordinate discussions on a particular topic. Discourse's moderation
tools are intuitive and easy to use, and it even includes achievements for
users to earn!
Document Sharing
If you're unused to working remotely, finding ways to collaborate with others
on a document or presentation can be a challenge. At the FSF, Etherpad is the
main tool that we use to keep live meeting notes and work together on other
documents. It provides all the features you need for quick collaboration,
including comments, revision tracking, and exports to a variety of formats. You
can host your own instance, or you can select an instance made available by
others and start sharing.
File Sharing
At the FSF office, we have a common server to store our files. Not everyone has
the luxury of a setup like that, and especially not due to the fast changeover
from office to home. To avoid using proprietary "solutions" and disservices
like Dropbox, you can turn to the widely popular Nextcloud to synchronize your
text and email messages, share calendars with coworkers, and exchange files
privately with your friends.
If you need something temporary, there's always Up1. Up1 is a temporary,
encrypted text and image sharing program you can host locally, making sure
those files you need to exchange are only there for just as long as it takes
for your friend to download them. And while we don't use it ourselves, we've
heard good things about the Riseup network's instance of Up1, and will
occasionally suggest it to those wanting a quick and easy way to share files
while retaining their freedom.
Conclusion
This is just a small selection of the huge amount of free software out there,
all ready to be used, shared, and improved by the community. For more
suggestions on both local and Web-based programs, visit the FSF's Free Software
Directory, our volunteer-run wiki which aims to be a comprehensive list of the
thousands of free programs available for everyday use.
As always, free software is a moving target. We reap as much as the community
puts into it, and as more and more attention shifts to the crisis caused by the
novel coronavirus, the tools themselves are likely to see an increased amount
of development. Please collaborate with us on the LibrePlanet wiki's entry on
remote communication to help people find ways of communicating that put user
freedom as a priority.
In solidarity,
Greg Farough
Campaigns Manager
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----- End forwarded message -----
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