I'd go on a date with that robot.
Would you?

Valentine's day is this Sunday. You may be looking forward to it or you may be dreading it; most of us have been through both. But there's something important that you can do regardless of your relationship status:

Ask someone you like -- romantically or otherwise -- to be your cryptovalentine. If they say yes (yikes, nervous!) use the free program GnuPG to set up private and encrypted communication with them.

If one or both of you is new to GnuPG, we recommend our beginner-friendly Email Self-Defense guide. Setting up encrypted communication is a quick activity you can do together whether you are across the room or across the world. And what better way to show love than by helping someone defend their security, privacy, and freedom? This year, we have a new section with tips for teaching Email Self-Defense, which you may find useful when proposing an encryption date.

Once you're done setting up secure communication, share your love with the world by posting about it, or microblogging with the hashtag #ilovefs. Just make sure not to use proprietary software to post.

This is a fun activity, but it can also make a difference. The right to encrypt is endangered around the world, with governments threatening our security and freedom by demanding legal or technological crippling of encryption. Resist with the power of love -- encrypt with your valentine, and tell the world!

And as we've discussed at length, free software is necessary for privacy online. Because nonfree software's code can't be audited publicly, we can never trust it to be free of back doors inserted by accident or by design. We're thankful to all the hardworking free software developers who give us a fighting chance at digital privacy. It goes without saying, but we do love FS.

For more free software Valentine's day fun, like postcards and an #ilovefs photo gallery, visit the Free Software Foundation Europe Web site.

<3

Richard Stallman has published a a new guide on gnu.org titled License compatibility and relicensing. Gnu.org is home to a whole host of resources on free software licensing, including frequently asked questions about GNU licenses and our list of free software licenses. Our license list contains information on which licenses are compatible with the GNU General Public License as well as a brief description of what it means to be compatible. This latest article by Stallman provides a more in–depth explanation of what compatibility means and the different ways in which it is achieved.

As Stallman states, "In general we say that several licenses are compatible if there is a way to merge code under those various licenses while complying with all of them." Even where two licenses are crafted in a such a way that they cannot naturally be combined, however, explicit relicensing provisions can enable code combinations that otherwise wouldn't be permitted. The guide covers all of this and more in depth and clarity.

Resources like this guide are made possible by donations from our community and help from our volunteers. Here is what you can do to help make sure everyone has quality tools for understanding and using free licenses:

• Volunteer on the licensing team or as a GNU Webmaster. There are many other ways to volunteer as well.
• Help fund our work by making donation to the FSF or join as an FSF member.

Join the FSF and friends Friday, February 5th, from 12pm to 3pm EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC) to help improve the Free Software Directory.

Participate in supporting the Free Software Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on freenode.

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 providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the Free Software Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world over the past decade, it has the potential of being a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly FSD Meetings pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.

This post was written by FSF board member and co-founder of CivicActions Henry Poole.

But, as we imagine into the future, it is clear that operating systems are becoming embedded in everything. Our homes, our automobiles, and even our bodies. While a stand for free software was impersonal thirty years ago, in another thirty years it will be very personal. Operating systems will likely be embedded in our bodies, and the rights to use, study, modify, and share that software to stay alive and connect with others should be a fundamental human right. The last thirty years wasn't easy -- maintaining a state of integrity is often difficult and lonely. The next thirty years are likely to be just as difficult (or more).

Don't retire so young -- make a personal commitment today to become a lifetime FSF supporter. Stand with us for another thirty years. In the years ahead, people around the world will celebrate that stand.

And if you are fortunate enough to have a job at a company that uses free software, ask your company to increase patronage of free software by supporting the FSF. The FSF has a patron program for businesses that support and use free software. Of the 18,000 new US businesses that start every day, it would be great to see a new patron each day support the FSF.