[gilug] Eines lliures per estar en contacte

2020-04-04 07:04:34 UTC

-------- Missatge reenviat --------
Assumpte: 	Better than Zoom: Try these free software tools for staying
in touch
Data: 	Fri, 03 Apr 2020 16:16:39 -0400
De: 	Greg Farough, FSF

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/Read and share online:
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/better-than-zoom-try-these-free-software-tools-for-staying-in-touch/

Dear *****,

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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