Environmental and social justice groups unite in support of free software
International coalition of environmental and social justice groups condemns Microsoft
Vista and calls for the adoption of free software
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Wednesday, August 29, 2007 -- Today, environmental
and social justice groups united to call for the rejection of Microsoft Windows
Vista and for society's adoption of free software, highlighting environmental concerns
and technology restrictions associated with proprietary software.
The Green Party, New Internationalist, Friends of the Earth International, People
and Planet, and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) have signed a statement at http://freesoftwarefreesociety.org
calling on social activists and progressive organizations to join with them in rejecting
Microsoft's Vista operating system, and to encourage instead the adoption and use
of free software.
Free software operating systems are now widely available in a form called GNU/Linux.
Free software is about freedom, not price. It is software whose authors intentionally
extend users the freedoms to study, copy, modify and share their work. While proprietary
software functions by dividing people and using technical restrictions to block
communication between them, free software was created with individual freedom and
social solidarity in mind.
Derek Wall, Green Party principal speaker said, "Free software offers social activists
an alternative to what Vista represents. Using free software we can further social
and environmental justice without supporting growth based on waste, control and
short-term profit." He continued, "I would urge social movements to develop a migration
strategy, including a commitment not to move to Vista."
The statement highlights the disposable-computer mentality embodied in the excessive
hardware requirements of Microsoft Windows Vista. Often new hardware is necessary
to support new software features, but the coalition says in this case, Vista's requirements
are to enable the operating system to more effectively restrict the user at the
request of media companies seeking to prevent copying of music and video files.
These restrictions create a problem not only for the environment but also for social
activists, who according to the statement become "dependent upon software owned
and exclusively controlled by entities that design their software in ways directly
opposed to grassroots social change."
Peter Brown, FSF's executive director, said, "Free software is an issue of free
speech when we depend upon our computers for social activism and political campaigning.
Freedoms that we have been defending so vigorously for so long are being handed
away through the adoption of software that restricts user freedom."
Groups and individuals who support the statement are being asked to add their own
signatures at http://freesoftwarefreesociety.org. The statement will be used to
encourage non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop policies in support of
free software, and, through the collection of free software adoption success stories,
encourage the development of organizational migration plans to free software.
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. Its Web site, located at www.fsf.org,
is 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.
Media Contacts
John Sullivan
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942×23
johns@fsf.org
Joshua Gay
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942×19
jgay@fsf.org