[gull] Fwd: Better than Zoom: Try these free software tools for staying in touch
Lionel G
euchcat at gmail.com
Sat Apr 4 11:10:49 CEST 2020
Merci à toi Michaël, Superbe initiative !
Le sam. 4 avr. 2020 à 10:59, Miçhael Parchet <mparchet at sunrise.ch> a écrit :
>
>
>
> Début du message transféré :
>
> *Expéditeur:* "Greg Farough, FSF" <info at fsf.org>
> *Date:* 3 avril 2020 à 22:18:07 UTC+2
> *Destinataire:* Michael Parchet <mparchet at sunrise.ch>
> *Objet:* *Better than Zoom: Try these free software tools for staying in
> touch*
> *Répondre à:* "Greg Farough, FSF" <info at fsf.org>
>
> [image: Free Software Foundation]
>
> *Please consider adding info at fsf.org <info at fsf.org> to your address book,
> which will ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.*
>
> *Read and share online:
> https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/better-than-zoom-try-these-free-software-tools-for-staying-in-touch
> <https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/better-than-zoom-try-these-free-software-tools-for-staying-in-touch>*
>
> Dear Michael Parchet,
>
> 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
> <https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/>.
>
> After taking the LibrePlanet 2020
> <https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2020-in-person-component-canceled-but-well-see-you-online>
> 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
> <https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Remote_Communication>, in addition to
> starting a remote communication mailing list
> <https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/remotecommunication> 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 <https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/> 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 <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/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 <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Asterisk>*: 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
> <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Jami> and Linphone
> <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Linphone>.
>
> Video calls and presentations
>
> -
>
> *Jitsi <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/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
> <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/k7e599/zoom-ios-app-sends-data-to-facebook-even-if-you-dont-have-a-facebook-account>
> 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 <https://obsproject.com/>. 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
> <https://f-droid.org/en/packages/eu.siacs.conversations/> and
> encryption schema like OMEMO <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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
> <https://fsf.org/join>.
> -
>
> *IRC <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/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 <https://thelounge.chat/>, or
> desktop clients like Pidgin <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/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
> <https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/erc/index.html>.
>
> 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 <https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org> to get you up
> and running.
> -
>
> *Discourse*: Discourse <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Discourse> is
> the message board software that powers the FSF associate member forum
> <https://forum.members.fsf.org/>, 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 <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/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
> <https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki/Sites-that-run-Etherpad-Lite>
> 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
> <https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/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
> <https://github.com/Upload/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 <https://riseup.net> network's instance
> <https://share.riseup.net> 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 <https://directory.fsf.org>, 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 <https://libreplanet.org>'s entry on remote communication
> <https://libreplanet.org/wiki/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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>
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