• bison-3.0.5
• dfarc-3.14
• dr-geo-18.06
• emacs-26.1
• foliot-0.9.8
• freedink-3.14
• gdbm-1.15
• gnuastro-0.6
• gnuhealth-3.2.10
• gnupg-2.2.8
• gnu-pw-mgr-2.3.1
• gsl-2.5
• libgcrypt-1.8.3
• linux-libre-4.17.2-gnu
• nano-2.9.8
• parallel-20180622
• unifont-11.0.01
• units-2.17

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 from https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/, or preferably one of its mirrors from https://www.gnu.org/prep/ftp.html. You can use the url 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 us at maintainers@gnu.org with any GNUish questions or suggestions for future installments.

We recently updated our list of free GNU/Linux distributions to add a "Historical" section. BLAG Linux and GNU, based on Fedora, joined the list many years ago. But the maintainers no longer believe they can keep things running at this time. As such, they requested that they be removed from our list. The list helps users to find operating systems that come with only free software and documentation, and that do not promote any nonfree software. Being added to the list means that a distribution has gone through a rigorous screening process, and is dedicated to diligently fixing any freedom issues that may arise.

Maintaining a distribution isn't an easy task, and making sure that no nonfree software makes its way onto the operating system takes real effort. The maintainers of these distributions take on a difficult but important task of creating and maintaining a system that users can trust. For many, that effort is taken on as a volunteer, and one for which we should all be grateful.

While it is always sad to see a free distribution close up shop, we can all still be thankful for the maintainers' work over the years, and that there are still many free distributions available. Users of BLAG should consider switching to another distro on our list to ensure that the security of their system is up to date.

Help improve the Free Software Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

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.

When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.

While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.

A few weeks back we launched a new Project Team to create a logo that packages can use to show off that they are included in the Directory. But at this time, we still haven't found a team captain for the project. This project could really help promote the Directory, as well as helping packages to demonstrate that they care about software freedom. This week, we'll be working to recruit a team captain, as well as trying to get the project off the ground.

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 Directory Meeting pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting. To see the meeting start time in your time zone, run this in GNU bash: date --date='TZ="America/New_York" 12:00 this Fri'

Members of the European Parliament want to turn upload platforms like GitLab into "censorship machines" that require user-uploaded materials to be monitored and automatically filtered, a process which would prevent modified and reused code from being uploaded. This provision is covered under Article 13 of the Copyright Directive.

If Article 13, embedded within the proposal, becomes official policy, it will be impossible for developers to build off of one another's code -- which is not only a blow to the collaborative development of free software, but a push against the basic freedoms of free software. Software isn't free unless it can be modified and shared. Article 13 will affect all users of free software -- as development of free software suffers, the quality and availability of updates, new features, and new programs will also suffer.

What you can do

You can help turn the tide against Article 13. Contact your member of European Parliament (MEP) before June 20th.

Not sure what to say? You can try this sample email.

Dear MEP,

I am an EU citizen and I oppose Article 13 of the proposed Copyright Directive. Article 13 is harmful to the free, global development of software, including that which provides necessary infrastructure on an international scale. Please vote against the Copyright Directive.

Sincerely,
NAME

Need help finding your MEPs?

A complete list of MEPs is available online.

What to do next

After you contact your MEP, there is still more to do!

To learn more, you can check out the links below:

• Various articles by April concerning the development and actions you can take.
• A detailed analysis (with flow charts!) from Communia.
• Writing by Julia Reda, MEP from Germany.

You can also support the work of the Free Software Foundation by become an Associate Member or making a donation today.

The biannual Free Software Foundation (FSF) Bulletin is now available online. We hope you find it enlightening and entertaining!

Your activism drives the free software movement. Together, we have been proactively building a future where computer users are in control, while also reacting to immediate threats to our digital freedoms. Our associate membership program provides crucial, ongoing support that ensures the FSF's financial stability, making our work possible. Will you take the next step and join us as an associate member or make a one-time donation today?

Free software activists count on the FSF to play a role no other organization can: we refuse to compromise our values, we directly support free software development via the GNU Project, and we defend copyleft in the form of the GNU General Public License (GPL). We, in turn, count on you to provide the energy and resources that drive us.

So far this year, your financial support:

• amplified the voice of free software in public conversations about net neutrality, Facebook privacy abuses, and high profile security compromises;

• fought Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) by storming the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act exemptions process to not only support every exemption but be the sole organization arguing for abolition of the whole charade;

• made major improvements to the infrastructure powering hundreds of GNU and other free software projects;

• funded important technical work to help free JavaScript on the Web;

• enabled certification of two more products according to the standards of our Respects Your Freedom program, put dozens more in the pipeline, and advanced a plan to scale the program to its full potential; and

• helped policymakers and companies embrace the GPL -- the state of California and the US Department of Defense have both made strong moves in this area, and we expect more to follow suit.

Our Associate Member program launched in 2002, as a way to provide long-term stability for the FSF's work, and to recognize and thank those who choose to give consistently. Today there are over 4600 Associate Members residing in 82 countries, with dues comprising nearly half of the FSF's funding. This funding allows us to stay independent, serving the free software community, not corporations or governments. Thank you for your continued support.