FOSSism

The FSF wants to have its own hardware certificate. In opposite to the certificates by Apple and MS, it’s not about whether a specific hardware is compatible with Linux, it’s about whether the hardware is “free enough”.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced today that it has published an initial set of criteria for endorsing computers and other devices. The FSF seeks both to obtain feedback on the criteria, and raise interest in the program among hardware manufacturers. Ultimately, the FSF plans to promote an endorsement mark to be carried on products that meet the criteria: respects your freedom.
http://www.fsf.org/news/endorsement-criteria

Well, nothing bad here. The problem, as often, lies in the details:

http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Hardware/Endorsement_criteria

Incompatible endorsements

Any product-related materials that mention the FSF endorsement must not also carry endorsements or badges related to proprietary software, such as “Works with Windows” or “Made for Mac” badges, because these would give an appearance of legitimacy to those products, and may make users think the product requires them. However, we don’t object to clear factual statements informing the user that the product also works with specific proprietary operating systems.

Who made the FSF king? These products are of course legal.
Stallman has already indirectly compared proprietary programmers to murderers:

I grew up in a community whose other members sometimes committed crimes as serious as murder … Despite these prevalent evils, never in my life have I seen anyone try to condemn all New Yorkers on the basis of the wrongs that only some have committed. I have not seen anyone assume that all the citizens of New York are guilty of murder, violence, robbery, perjury, or writing proprietary software

The FSF still can’t get over the fact that proprietary software is legal. Well, after more than 25 years it’s time to accept it! That they still try to insert the notion that non-FOSS software is somehow unjustified, shows, that the FSF is mostly still living in its own world.

Dear FSF cronies, it’s time to stop the brainwashing of innocent interns and hardware vendors.

Cooperation with FSF and GNU public relations

The seller must use FSF approved terminology for the FSF’s activities and work, in all statements and publications relating to the product. This includes product packaging, and manuals, web pages, marketing materials, and interviews about the product. Specifically, the seller must use the term “GNU/Linux” for any reference to an entire operating system which includes GNU and Linux, and not mislead with “Linux” or “Linux-based system” or “a system with the Linux kernel.” And the seller must talk about “free software” more prominently than “open source.”

Freetard – nothing describes the FSF more aptly than this word.
The above requirements are more strict than the rules for embedded journalists!

Essentially, the FSF expects that hardware makers will distribute FSF propaganda.

The seller must use FSF approved terminology
Have fun! FSF terminology is the newspeak of the computer age:

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

The page is titled “words to avoid”, but they want to redefine long existing and accepted terms, so that they will be more compatible with their ideology.

Examples:

“Creator”

The term “creator” as applied to authors implicitly compares them to a deity (“the creator”). The term is used by publishers to elevate authors’ moral standing above that of ordinary people in order to justify giving them increased copyright power, which the publishers can then exercise in their name. We recommend saying “author” instead. However, in many cases “copyright holder” is what you really mean.

Ridiculous. The term “creator” was used long before computers were invented for “creators” of things. Just type “the creator of” into a search engine, you will see it applies to everything – from creators of comic books to creators of specific cars.

“Photoshop”

Please avoid using the term “photoshop” as a verb, meaning any kind of photo manipulation or image editing in general. Photoshop is just the name of one particular image editing program, which should be avoided since it is proprietary. There are plenty of free alternatives, such as GIMP.

Yes, while we’re at it, avoid the verbs “to xerox” and “to hoover”, too. Why stop at software?

The “words to avoid” page lists many words that entered “naturally” into the vocabulary of computer users, and they should be “avoided” just because they don’t fit into the desired FSF world view.

So, have fun with using “FSF terminology”.  You should bookmark Stallman’s page though, it’s only a matter of time before he will add more words “to avoid” (when will the page “words to use” show up?)

Let’s proceed with the requirements for the hardware endorsement:

Specifically, the seller must use the term “GNU/Linux” for any reference to an entire operating system which includes GNU and Linux

And what has this to do with “freedom”?

And the seller must talk about “free software” more prominently than “open source

And again, what the heck has this to do with freedom? Nothing. As it stands now, the endorsement seal is not about “freedom”, but about the FSF. If you carry that seal, then you’re an official FSF mouthpiece, congratulations!