Free Software Supporter — Issue 218, June 2026
This Free Software Supporter was updated on June 4, 2026 to remove an item. We intended to highlight the old GNU program versions, but instead, the article put undue emphasis on proprietary software. We decided it was not appropriate for this publication.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Forty-six free software meetups on six continents
- Time travel without borders
- DMA: The FSFE intervenes against Apple before European Court of Justice for the second time
- Comprehensive response to Bambu’s AGPLv3 violations
- California moves to exempt GNU/Linux from its upcoming age-verification law after backlash
- Yearslong fight over users’ right to tweak smart TV software heads to trial
- May GNU Emacs news
- Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
- LibrePlanet featured resource: LibrePlanet wiki pages that need work
- May GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali featuring eleven new GNU releases: GnuPG, G-Golf, and more!
- FSF and other free software events
- Thank GNUs!
- GNU copyright contributions
- Translations of the Free Software Supporter
- Take action with the FSF!
View this issue online here: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2026/june.
Encourage your friends to subscribe and help us build an audience by adding our subscriber widget to your website.
- Subscribe: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/subscribe
- Widget: https://www.fsf.org/associate/widget
Miss an issue? You can catch up on back issues at https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter.
Want to read this newsletter translated into another language? Scroll to the end to read the Supporter in French, Portuguese, or Spanish.
Forty-six free software meetups on six continents
From May 22
The FSF invited free software supporters to organize in-person community meetups in their area during May 2026, or LibreLocal month, to bring people together to swap ideas, learn from each other, and celebrate free software. People were encouraged to organize events grounded in freedom to help spread the free software philosophy. Forty-six free software meetups have been organized on six continents and more continue to be scheduled past May. If you enjoyed attending a LibreLocal meetup, or missed the opportunity to attend one, you don’t have to wait for LibreLocal 2027: organize a meetup today!
Time travel without borders
From May 12 Ludovic Courtès
GNU Guix, a package manager for GNU/Linux systems, is designed to give users more control over their computing environments, including in matters of security. While much progress has been made in support of rapid deployment, the security implications of quick deployments, especially when running other people’s code, are often overlooked. In this post, GNU Guix takes a look at a new feature of guix time-machine and guix pull in support of one-line deployment commands: the ability to download channel files without compromising security. Check out the new guix time-machine feature for yourself!
- https://guix.gnu.org/en/blog/2026/time-travel-without-borders/
- https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/fsf-announces-support-for-gnu-guix
DMA: The FSFE intervenes against Apple before European Court of Justice for the second time
From May 19 by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
The FSFE has been granted permission to intervene at the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Apple against the European Commission case, with the FSFE’s goal being to defend interoperability and software freedom in Europe. In this case, Apple is challenging the European Commission’s decision that sets requirements on how the company provides software and hardware interoperability for its mobile devices. The Commission’s original decision includes obligations for Apple to provide increased transparency and access for developers seeking interoperability with Apple’s operating system features, access to technical information and communication channels, and clearer procedures for interoperability requests. The outcome of this case is expected to impact both the supply of free software and greater interoperability with Apple’s operating systems. Apple will never care about your freedom, and you can read more about how it seeks to take your rights away below.
Comprehensive response to Bambu’s AGPLv3 violations
From May 18 by Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC)
After recent news of violations of the Affero General Public License, version 3 (« AGPLv3 »), SFC staff began a comprehensive AGPLv3 compliance investigation of both the userspace software and firmware on Bambu’s devices. While the investigation is ongoing, two specific AGPLv3 violations have been confirmed. You can read more about the AGPLv3 violations, as well as recent aggressive actions taken by Bambu Lab.
- https://sfconservancy.org/news/2026/may/18/bambu-studio-3d-printer-agpl-violation-response/
- https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2026/may/17/incomplete-corresponding-source-code-copyleft-agpl/
California moves to exempt GNU/Linux from its upcoming age-verification law after backlash
From May 25 by Etiido Uko
Pushback against the draconian Assembly Bill 1043, or Digital Age Assurance Act (DAAA), a law passed in late 2025 that requires every OS provider in California to collect age information from users at account setup, may be resulting in some positive movement. Assembly Bill 1856, should it pass successfully through the California legislature, would amend the DAAA by excluding software distributed under licenses that allow users to « copy, redistribute, and modify the software. » AB 1856 narrows the definition of who qualifies as an « operating system provider » under the law, but does not guarantee continued freedom for users. As laws like these pop up worldwide, it is vital that you be vocal about how dangerous any restrictions against software use are, as it will be just a matter of time before legislators write laws that attempt to control you, too.
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/california-moves-to-exempt-linux-from-its-upcoming-age-verification-law-after-backlash-over-forcing-operating-systems-to-collect-users-ages-amendment-proposed-by-the-same-lawmaker-who-wrote-the-original-law
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1856
Yearslong fight over users’ right to tweak smart TV software heads to trial
From May 20 by Scharon Harding
For years, owners of Vizio smart TVs have had little control over the software running on their sets — software that can track viewing habits, push ads, and generally shape the experience of using the device. After multiple years of back and forth with Vizio, SFC knew the only way Vizio would comply with the license and give SFC the CCS was to sue Vizio. So, in October 2021 SFC sued Vizio in California state court. Now, in August they will finally be able to appear before a Californian jury and make their case. The FSF will be there to support and is set to be a witness. You can read more about this case in the articles below.
- https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/inside-the-fight-to-force-vizio-to-share-linux-based-source-code-for-its-tvs-os/
- https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/vizio.html
- https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-to-be-deposed-in-sfc-v-vizio-updates-relevant-faq-entry
May GNU Emacs news
From May 31 by Sacha Chua
In these issues: must-have Emacs packages, help wanted for a demo site, and more!
Join the FSF and friends in updating the Free Software Directory
Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions to version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing. The Free Software Directory has been a great resource to software users over the past decade, but it needs your help staying up-to-date with new and exciting free software projects.
To help, join our weekly IRC meetings on Fridays. Meetings take place in the #fsf channel on Libera.Chat and usually include a handful of regulars as well as newcomers. Libera.Chat is accessible from any IRC client — everyone’s welcome!
The next meeting is next Friday, June 5 from 12:00 to 15:00 ESD (16:00 to 19:00 UTC). Details here: https://www.fsf.org/events/fsd-2026-06-05-irc
LibrePlanet featured resource: LibrePlanet wiki pages that need work
Every month on the LibrePlanet wiki, we highlight one resource that is interesting and useful — often one that could use your help. For this month, we are highlighting LibrePlanet wiki pages that need work. These are pages that we know need work: feel free to add to them or work on them. You are invited to help update, adopt, spread, and improve this important resource.
Do you have a suggestion for next month’s featured resource? Let us know at campaigns@fsf.org.
May GNU Spotlight with Amin Bandali featuring eleven new GNU releases: GnuPG, G-Golf, and more!
Eleven new GNU releases in the last month (as of May 31, 2026):
- anastasis-0.7.0
- g-golf-0.8.7
- gdb-17.2
- gnupg-2.5.20
- gsasl-2.2.3
- less-702
- libextractor-1.14
- octave-11.2.0
- parallel-20260522
- which-2.25
- xorriso-1.5.8.pl02
For a full list with descriptions, please see: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/2026-may-gnu-spotlight
For announcements of most new GNU releases, subscribe to the info-gnu mailing list: https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu.
To download: nearly all GNU software is available most reliably from https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/. Optionally, you may find faster download speeds at a mirror located geographically closer to you by choosing from the list of mirrors published at https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html, or you may use https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/ to be automatically redirected to a (hopefully) nearby and up-to-date mirror.
A number of GNU packages, as well as the GNU operating system as a whole, are looking for maintainers and other assistance. Please see https://www.gnu.org/server/takeaction.html#unmaint if you’d like to help. The general page on how to help GNU is at https://www.gnu.org/help/help.html.
If you have a working or partly working program that you’d like to offer to the GNU project as a GNU package, see https://www.gnu.org/help/evaluation.html.
As always, please feel free to write to me, bandali@gnu.org, with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.
FSF and other free software events
- June 7, 2026, Kyiv, Ukraine LibreLocal meetup
- June 14-16, 2026, Prague, Czech Republic, Flock to Fedora
- July 16-18, 2026, Porto, Portugal, SECRYPT
- August 14-16, 2026, Manhattan, New York, United States, HOPE
Thank GNUs!
We appreciate everyone who donates to the Free Software Foundation, and we’d like to give special recognition to the folks who have donated $500 or more in the last month.
This month, a big Thank GNU to:
- Arthur Gleckler
- David Klann
- Howard Pan
- Reynaldo Cordero
- Ron Hume
You can add your name to this list by donating at https://donate.fsf.org/.
GNU copyright contributions
Assigning your copyright to the FSF helps us defend the GNU GPL and keep software free. The following individuals have assigned their copyright to the FSF (and allowed public appreciation) in the past month:
- Andrea Alberti (GNU Emacs)
- Hanwen Guo (GNU Emacs)
Want to see your name on this list? Contribute to GNU and assign your copyright to the FSF.
Translations of the Free Software Supporter
El Free Software Supporter está disponible en español. Para ver la versión en español haz click aquí: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2026/junio
Para cambiar las preferencias de usuario y recibir los próximos números del Supporter en español, haz click aquí: https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id={contact.contact_id}&{contact.checksum}
Le Free Software Supporter est disponible en français. Pour voir la version française cliquez ici: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2026/juin
Pour modifier vos préférences et recevoir les prochaines publications du Supporter en français, cliquez ici: https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id={contact.contact_id}&{contact.checksum}
O Free Software Supporter está disponível em português. Para ver a versão em português, clique aqui: https://www.fsf.org/free-software-supporter/2026/junho
Para alterar as preferências do usuário e receber as próximas edições do Supporter em português, clique aqui: https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?reset=1&gid=34&id={contact.contact_id}&{contact.checksum}
If you no longer wish to receive the Free Software Supporter in English (but still receive other communications in English), you can opt out here.
Take action with the FSF!
Contributions from thousands of individual associate members enable the FSF’s work. You can contribute by joining at https://my.fsf.org/join. If you’re already an associate member, you can help refer new members by adding a line with your associate member number to your email signature like:
I’m an FSF associate member — Help us support software freedom! https://my.fsf.org/join
The FSF is always looking for volunteers. From rabble-rousing to hacking, from issue coordination to envelope stuffing — there’s something here for everybody to do. Also, head over to our campaigns section and take action on software patents, Digital Restrictions Management, free software adoption, OpenDocument, and more.
Do you read and write Portuguese and English? The FSF is looking for translators for the Free Software Supporter. Please send an email to campaigns@fsf.org with your interest and a list of your experience and qualifications.
Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
