Ciarán's free software notes

UPDATE: I've sent to FSFE's discussion@ list some very rough draft answers.

MEP Zuzana Roithova has sent out a letter asking for input for a report on "Consumer Confidence in the Digital Environment". Roithova was a strong anti-swpat MEP, and is the main drafting rapporteur, so there's reason to believe this might actually come to something.

The deadline is April 14th, and there're comments in a thread on FSFE's discussion@ list (which I'm going to re-ignite now).

The letter is available at: http://mail.fsfeurope. . . .CCDE-letter-0001.pdf

The questions in the letter are as follows:

1. What are the main problem areas, which you are confronted with generally, or in your field, regarding Consumer Confidence in the Digital Environment?
2. What are the key challenges for the IT industry and its users, which can be foreseen for the near future generally or particularly in your field of competence (especially regarding the Consumer Confidence in the Digital Environment)?
3. Could you present your opinion on legislative problems (Issues for which new legislation is needed or where, on the other hand, overregulation and some unnecessary rules should be abolished. Please address these questions concerning EU legislation or even those in which the national rules apply, and so only better coordination of the Member States can be supported)?
4. Because the Internal Market cannot be isolated from the globalized market, do you see similar or different problems and challenges at international/global level?
5. In regard to your previous answers, do you see possible legislative solutions?
6. Moreover, could you please share any other ideas which have been raised in your mind on Consumer Confidence in the Digital Environment?

I just got my flight tickets for a 10 day trip to Brazil. The 2nd international GPLv3 conference is happening in Porto Alegre in the far south of Brazil - in conjunction with the 7th International Free Software Forum (FISL), which takes place from the 19th to the 22nd of April. The GPLv3 event is in the Babbage room, on the evenings of the 21st and 22nd (see the schedule).

I'll be giving a talk as part of FISL about "Lessons learned in Europe for keeping Latin America Software Patent Free", and as part of the GPLv3 conference, I'll moderate a panel discussion on ""Free Software Development and Adoption of GPLv3 in Latin America" on the 22nd.

I committed to these activities while under the wrong impression that speakers got their flights paid for. Financially, I shouldn't be going, but it will be a valuable experience, so I got the tickets and I'll make the most of it instead of breaking my agreements.

It's amazing how much easier it is to communicate and work with someone when you've at least had some food or a pint together. The first international GPlv3 conference, last January, was very useful in this respect. FISL is one of the World's largest free software events. Last year they reported having over 4.5k attendees, and like FOSDEM, it's a real free software event, not a wishy-washy event. So I expect good things.

It will also be good to meet the people in FSF Latin America, which was formed recently.