Free, Libre, and Open Source Software, Standards Leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Dec 23, 2025

• The Power of "No"

  We live in a world that constantly pressures us to say "yes." Yes to the Terms of Service we didn't read. Yes to the app that everyone else is using. Yes to the convenient, shiny cage that proprietary software offers. We're told that compromise is a virtue. I hear arguments like, "I only use this one proprietary program for work," or "I need it to talk to my friends." It feels pragmatic.

  But in the fight for user freedom, "No" is the most powerful word in our vocabulary. Refusing to use proprietary software is not merely a personal lifestyle choice or a technical preference. It is a form of non-violent resistance. It is a direct action that strengthens the free software movement in ways that compromise never can.

• Web Browsers/Web Servers

  • v2.17.0, a new stable release

    We’re pleased to announce Ergo v2.17.0, a new stable release. For the official binary release and changelog, see our Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub: [...]

• FSF / Software Freedom

  • FSF ☛ FSF Events: Free Software Directory meeting on IRC: Friday, January 9, starting at 12:00 EST (17:00 UTC)

    Join the FSF and friends on Friday, January 9 from 12:00 to 15:00 EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC) to help improve the Free Software Directory.

  • FSF ☛ FSF Events: Free Software Directory meeting on IRC: Friday, December 26, starting at 12:00 EST (17:00 UTC)

    Join the FSF and friends on Friday, December 26 from 12:00 to 15:00 EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC) to help improve the Free Software Directory.

  • FSF ☛ FSF Blogs: Revive the winter ghost story with the tale of ShoeTool

    Take a seat and join us for a winter holiday ghost story.

• Standards/Consortia

  • Jeff Geerling ☛ NIST was 5 μs off UTC after last week's power cut

    NIST was 5 μs off UTC after last week's power cut

    If you were 5 microseconds late today, blame it on NIST.

    Their facility in Boulder Colorado just had its power cut for multiple days. After a backup generator failed, their main ensemble clock lost track of UTC, or Universal Time Coordinated.

    But even if you used the NTP timing servers they run, they were never off by more than 5 microseconds.

  • Hackaday ☛ Ask Hackaday: What Goes Into A Legible Font, And Why Does It Matter?

    There’s an interesting cultural observation to be made as a writer based in Europe, that we like our sans-serif fonts, while our American friends seem to prefer a font with a serif. It’s something that was particularly noticeable in the days of print advertising, and it becomes very obvious when looking at government documents.