213 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
213 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
% New Hampshire once again on the cusp of enshrining Software Freedom into law. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED.
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% Leah Rowe
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% 12 February 2023
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Introduction
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============
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This article makes use of the term *libre software*, which has the same meaning
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as more popular terms such as *open source software* or *free software*
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or *free and open source software*. More information can be found about
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it [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source) - to the Libreboot
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project, this is important because it talks about your *freedom* to study,
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adapt, share and re-use software as you see fit, alongside the rest of
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humanity in a collective development effort, as opposed to the alternative
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where we would be restricted by companies like Microsoft or Apple, who only
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care about *controlling us* to make money.
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You may recall last year's article: [New Hampshire (USA) may soon enshrine
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Software Freedom into law](usa-libre.md) - a proposed bill, if it passed,
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would have provided official legal protections in favour of libre software in
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the state of New Hampshire, in the United States. The bill didn't pass, largely
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because of a complaint that the bill was too all-encompassing, and so the idea
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then was that the bill should be split into a series of smaller bills that, in
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combination, achieve the same goals.
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Since then, Eric Gallager (the representative behind the original bill) in
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New Hampshire has done exactly that, and a new hearing takes place very soon,
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on the *16th of February, 2023, at 1PM*.
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I once again call to action, any person that lives in New Hampshire or the
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surrounding states in the USA. Your participation could help secure the rights
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of all libre software users and developers, well into the future. I myself do
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not live in the US, so I'm hoping that my American readers will listen well to
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what I have to say.
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With your help, libre software could suddenly find itself in a much stronger
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position, with more users and more developers, encouraged by such positive
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changes.
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When, who, what and where?
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------------------
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Eric Gallager, the representative behind the previous bill, has continued his
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efforts and now has a new hearing for the following bill very soon:
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* **16 February 2023, 1PM**: prohibiting, with limited exceptions, state
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agencies from requiring use of proprietary software in interactions with the
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public (house bill: HB 617-FN)
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The text of the proposed bill can be read here: \
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<https://gencourt.state.nh.us/lsr_search/billText.aspx?id=188&type=4>
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It is critical that as many people show up as possible, to express support for
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the bill, and to defend it against any opposition.
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**Location of hearing: Legislative Office Building in Concord, New Hampshire:\
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_Legislative_Office_Building>**
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The bill's hearing shall take place in room 306-308.
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Who to contact
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--------------
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Eric Gallager is the representative in charge of the proposed bill, and you can
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contact him in the following ways:
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Email address: \
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[Eric.Gallager@leg.state.nh.us](mailto:Eric.Gallager@leg.state.nh.us)
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Mastodon page: \
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<https://social.treehouse.systems/@egallager>
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Twitter page (use of Twitter is ill advised, due
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to its proprietary nature - use Mastodon or email if you can): \
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<https://twitter.com/cooljeanius>
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Why should you support this bill?
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=================================
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If this newly proposed bill is passed, it will provide the libre software
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movement a *foot in the door*, that could lead to greater reform at a later
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date, and strengthen the entire movement. This is because of the knock-on
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effect it would have: as more people benefit from it, more states (in the US)
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and countries outside of the US may follow, implementing similar laws.
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Laws are often made that reduce our freedoms. If any law should be passed, it
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should be a law that strengthens or otherwise reaffirms civil liberties, which
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is what the proposed bill aims to do.
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Libre software is about civil liberties, as it pertains to computer science,
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because of the *right to learn* and the *right to read*. Just as mathematics
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or physics should be free for anyone to study and make use of, so too should
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that be the case for computer science.
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Any civil liberties that we have today are the result of *laws* that protect
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them, because the purpose of law is to provide punishment for violation; if
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no law exists, for or against something, then no punishment can take place.
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For example, most countries have a law that says you should not be robbed; if
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someone then robs you, then they get punished with jail time. The right to
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private property is an important right.
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If no laws exist that protect libre software projects, then they are
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vulnerable.
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Just as you should have the right to property, you must also have the right to
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pursue a happy, productive life - the right, in practise, to work on libre
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software should be part of that, if computer science is something you're
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interested in.
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This right *also pertains to property*, specifically the property that is your
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computational devices; tablets, PCs (desktops, laptops), whatever you use.
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Libre software lets you truly *own* your computer, because it doesn't leave
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you beholden to a *licensor*. You have the right to study, adapt, share and
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re-use the software infinitely, and other people also have this right. With
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libre software, your computer is no longer a *product* for a specific purpose
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per se, but rather, a general purpose machine that can be reprogrammed
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for *any purpose as you see fit*. This is similar to your right to have your
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car modified, or repaired by anyone, including you, or perhaps your right to
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reorganise (even completely re-build) your house.
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The proposed bill's hearing, on the 16th, regards the usage of proprietary
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software by state agencies. *State agencies* could include schools run by the
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state, but it could also include things like your local tax office. When you
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file taxes, it is often the case that it cannot be done without running some
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proprietary software, and many schools will insist that their students use
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Windows (or other proprietary OS) rather than, say, Linux or BSD. By mandating
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in law that people should be able to use *libre* software, it will create a
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level playing field, because the state would *have to* make accomodation for
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libre software; while initially a burden (time and money spent), it would be
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a huge social boon later on, because if states stop relying on proprietary
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software licenses, the money they currently spend on that can instead be spent
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elsewhere, or on paying programmers, providing *better software* to the public;
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the actual overall cost may be exactly the same as today, but with more
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benefits for everyone, not to mention greater freedoms for computer users.
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To put it simply: the right to your (computational) property would be enhanced
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by this bill's passage, by forcing the state to support libre software, against
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the whims of proprietary software vendors. This, like anything that strengthens
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the libre software movement, would increase the likelihood that you can actually
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use libre software, on computers that you buy in the future, which means that
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your *right to your own property* is enhanced, because at the end of the day,
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that's exactly what *software freedom* is all about.
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We can all agree about education. The idea that people should be able to learn
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and grow as people is natural, and we all want to better ourselves. Libre
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software is an important part of that, in the field of computer science.
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We can also agree about private property.
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What about money? Is this not an important part too? Is it not true that, with
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private property, you can also have *private enterprise*?
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Libre software is very *profitable*, to a far greater extent than proprietary
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software. When the free exchange of ideas and knowledge is permitted to flow,
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innovation is much more likely. We can talk all day about the right to education
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but money matters too. Many software developers *learn* on libre software,
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because that is the only way to get really good with computers. You can't become
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a competent programmer by using Windows or MacOS. Linux or BSD are your only
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real choice, because that's where all the interesting development happens.
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Today's most profitable industries are powered by libre software; without
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it, we would be living in a very different world today, locked down by the
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likes of Microsoft or Apple who see software as a *product*, a *means to an
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end*, rather than the end in itself, that end being knowledge and
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self-empowerment. Technology has given us many freedoms today, thanks to the
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tireless efforts of libre software developers everywhere.
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For example: nearly every website you visit runs on some Linux or BSD system,
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probably running the Apache web server, or (much more common nowadays) nginx.
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Windows just doesn't scale as a *server* OS, it is completely inflexible, but
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linux and bsd systems can be tweaked to do whatever you want.
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When I say *libre software is profitable*, I'm not referring to Microsoft
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or Apple's profits. No, I'm referring to *yours*. With libre software, *you*
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have the freedom to make real money; I'm just one of many examples of people
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who do just that. With *software freedom*, you can take existing technology
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and build something completely new that becomes the Next Best Thing; everyone
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else has this freedom aswell, and people share knowledge freely because of the
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culture that type of world inspires. It's the world we live in, now.
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The people of New Hampshire will benefit greatly, if such freedoms are
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enshrined in law. It will be a huge success, and it will lead to more
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jurisdictions (both within and outside the US) to follow suit. It will lead to
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the *end* of monopoly powers like Microsoft or Apple, completely opening up
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the entire body of knowledge to everyone, because that will become the norm;
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hoarding knowledge will become *unprofitable*, because the new culture would
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simply not allow it, so companies like Microsoft and Apple, if they want to
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remain relevant, would have to start releasing more source code themselves,
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rather than keeping everything proprietary. The people of the world will stop
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seeing them as a gold standard; they are not, and have never been. Libre
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software has always been superior, in every way, to proprietary software,
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because it allows you to actually *own* the computer you bought, in practise
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and in spirit.
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Proprietary software is like renting a house; you have a license to use it,
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but you don't have the freedom to really change anything, and the licensor
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(equivalent to a landlord) can pull the plug at any time. Libre software, on
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the other hand, is equivalent to owning a house. When you run all libre software
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on your computer, *you* control that computer. You can modify whatever you want,
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or pay whoever you want to do that for you, to maintain everything for you,
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and you can share your work with others, something which other people already
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do; it's the reason libre software is so successful, precisely that people
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share their knowledge.
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The state is an important part of our lives, no matter which country or
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jurisdiction we live in. We interact with it constantly, for services that we
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all rely on, so it is important that we should be *able to* with the software
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of our choice. This is why it's so important that the state, in any
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jurisdiction, take steps to ensure that libre software users don't get left
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behind. If passed, this will will strongly reinforce the *right* of computer
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users everywhere, to their own computational property.
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Please, please please if you can take time out of your day, then please show
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up to to defend this bill and make sure that it gets passed!
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