tobias_platen's blog
Tobias Alexandra Platen's software freedom blog
GNU/Linux on mobile devices and single board computers
January 5th, 2014
One year ago I baught an A13-OLinuXino-WIFI. This version of the board comes with a nonfree distribution of Android, but you can also boot other operating systems, such as Debian GNU/Linux and FreeBSD. Recently I ordered a freedom respecing WIFI adapter from ThinkPenguin.com that I will use as a replacement for the Nonfree Wifi. This adapter is not supported by Android so I installed GNU/Linux on the internal NAND. I will have to install the free firmware, it is not included by default in GNU/Linux. Most mobile Android devices ship with nonfree software, for some devices it is impossible to install free software other than userland software from F-Droid.
Android is mosty non copylefted free software, a few components are copylefted (Linux and ALSA sound stack) while important drivers are nonfree in most cases. Vendors often preinstall proprietery applications such as Skype, Flash Player and the Facebook app.
Many SoC manufacturers do not allow users to install modified versions of Android such as Cyanogenmod and Replicant. Allwinner SoCs are different, as they can dual boot GNU/Linux and Android. Just insert an sdcard that contains Debian and reboot into freedom. With the new version of the bootloader it should be also possible to install GNU/Linux on the internal NAND flash.
Google and Cyanogenmod describe Android as Open Source, but Open Source misses the point of Free Software. There is no Android device that respects your freedom. The replicant project seems not to have the resources to develop its own device. There is the Vivaldi Tablet designed to run GNU/Linux. Godelico smartphones can run either Debian or Replicant.
The Fairphone is another rootable Android device, and it should be possible to run Debian and Replicant side by side on the device. Those devices can run free software, but some functionality often depends on nonfree Software. But hackers are working on free software replacements for most nonfree components.
Android is also used on many digital audio players and tablets. Unlike smartphones those devices are not tracking devices as there is no modem. Some tablets come with mobile internet, so you should not buy such a device if you don’t want to be tracked. You can use an external 3G dongle if you need mobile internet access. It seems that some Android devices do not support external 3G dongles, so the only tablet that I can recommond is the Vivaldi. If you need Android then you should buy a Vivaldi and ask for Replicant support.
Most Android devices come with nonfree firmware blobs in the kernel. Some preinstalled applications and userland libraries are also nonfree. Some versions of Cyanogenmod include their own nonfree applications. You can install F-Droid as a free replacement for Google Play. If you buy a new Android device phone you should buy one that is supported by replicant. I chose a Fairphone as a replacement for my unstable HTC Dream. I installed a SIP app as a replacement, so I can still use it as cordless phone in my home.
Android does not include GNU, it uses its own GUI and system libraries. So it is not easy to run software written for GNU/Linux, especially if X11 is used. The android kernel blocks services such as avahi, you will need an unlocked bootloader and a kernel without paranoid networking restrictions to run such programs. Even if you use a preinstalled GNU/Linux it is possible to get a precompiled kernel with Android networking restrictions. You will have to recompile the kernel from source to get a kernel without restrictions. There are some programs in F-Droid that help you to install Debian on your Android device. However, installing debian on the internal NAND flash is not possible with an App, you need to do it maually.
Many Android companies are known to violate the GPL. By contrast Allwinner complies with the GPL, both their bootloader and kernel are releases as free software. However you still need nonfree software when you first install Android into the NAND flash. Further upgrades to Replicant can be done without the use of nonfree software. Hackers are working on free software to flash those devices, but the software is currently usable.
Decentalized Social Networks and Voice Chat over XMPP
September 16th, 2013
I dont use Skype, because it requires the use of a client program that is not . Instead I use Pidgin and XMPP+Jingle. As XMPP has federation support, it can be used to talk to users that are on a differnt server. XMPP is an Open Standard, that can be implemented using free software. As a Fan of Free Culture Anime with Free Software, I do have an XMPP account at Animexx.de. By using an Open Standards Animexx contributes to distributed social networks. All Fellows can talk to all users of Animexx.de and vice versa, without needing any nonfree software.
But there are many other Open Standards such as OAuth. GNU MediaGoblin, a free software for building federated social networks, implements OAuth beginning in version 0.6. I’ve created my own instance for sharing music that is made with a free replacement for VOCALOID such as eCantorix or v.Connect-STAND. I have set up this instance of GNU MediaGoblin to avoid using centralized sites such as Youtube and Nico Nico Douga. MediaGoblin is also used by cosplayers that want to share their photos.
Eine deutsche Version des Posts findet sich auf meinem Animexx Weblog
Back from FUxCon
June 18th, 2013
As a fellow that lives inside the Rhein-Main* area I went to the first FUxCon* where I met Guido Arnold at the FSFE booth.
I don’t own an iPhone because it is Defective By Design. Instead I use a 3 years old Android phone that plays Ogg Vorbis out of the box. The device isn’t fully free but you can run many free software applications if you install F-Droid. If you buy a new smartphone than I can recommend the GTA04 or the Fairphone.
I found that the keynote by Cornelius Schumacher from KDE e.V about Open-Source-Communities [sic] was interesting. The people at KDE beginning with Matthias Ettrich do care about software freedom. Their aim is to make free software usable to the general public. I use LyX, because I think that it is easier to use than LibreOffice Writer. I don’t own a tablet computer, because most vendors ship with nonfree distributions of Android. The Flying Squirrel will run GNU/Linux, it’s WiFi chip is compatible with free software.
I also met the DARC* ham radio group. With ham radio you can fetch your email without using a commercial internet connection. People in China use this technology to break censorship. I do not use services that practice censorship such as Facebook and Google+/Youtube, instead I support PageKite and FreedomBox. With a free software defined radio such as GNU Radio it should be possible to connect freedomboxes together using a censorship ham radio channel. If you and your friends use GNUnet to encrypt your network traffic, nobody will be able to eavesdrop or censor your private communications.
People from CCC-FFM* showed me how to hack a chipcard* that is used in TAN generators. These devices might be useful for other puposes. As I prefer bitcoin over proprietery payment services, it might be possible to implement a bitcoin smartcard that people can use with such a device. The only think that you will need is an empty chipcard that you can fill with your own software. Most empty chipcards require the use of nonfree software, but there are chipcards that one can hack with the free avr-gcc compiler. You can get a the things need for smartcard hacking from here*. I try to avoid PayPal for micropayment, as they blocked wikileaks. For this reason I do not use flattr anymore.
At the end of the FUxCon there was an Audacity workshop. As I use GNU/Linux to make music, I often use Audacity. I learned how to use the labels feature of Audacity that allows one to export multiple files. The workshop was done by from AUGE e.V (Apple User Group Europe). I had to name a free programm called LMMS (Linux Multimedia Studio) when somebody recommended the nonfree software Cubase for multitrack recording. There are many other free programs that you can enjoy when you switch to GNU/Linux. Rosegarden is one of them.
Recently I started writing a free replacement for MBROLA. MBROLA is a diphone synthesizer that had been able to sing ten years before Crypton Future Media released KAITO. For diphone-segmentation I use Audacity. The first MBROLOID will be called Mikulas Lenzo. In 2010 copies of Ubuntu were be distributed at Anime Boston. This year I will distribute copies of a custom Trisquel GNU/Linux image that contains a lot of free programs that Anime fans and Cosplay Photographers will find useful, including my free SingerBot, at the CosDay convention. For most music that I listen to I know that the producers use nonfree software, so it is time to teach people who want to make music how to use a free program that does do the same thing.
* this link points to a German page, you can translate it into English using Google Translate. Apertium does not support German yet.
One month after #ilovefs day
March 14th, 2013
One month after Valentine’s Day the free software Otaku community celebrates White Day.
I take this as a chance to show my love for Free Culture made with Free Software.
When I was reading Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity I had found something about Japanese Manga and Doujinshi in the first chapter.
Here are just some ideas about how you can go public and proclaim your love to Free Culture. And remember that you must must make a
contribution to the art you copy.
Free Culture Anime made with Free Software
January 1st, 2013
Morevna is a Creative Commons licensed Anime that is made with free software only. It uses the software Synfig Studio as a repacement for Adobe Flash. Currently there is only a demo with nonfree music, but the final version will be fully free. Please read http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/morevna_project_anime_synfig_and_blender for more details.
FreedomMusicBox
December 13th, 2012
All major record labels have given up trying to enforce DRM schemes on music, but most DoujinOngakuka still do not have freedom and privacy until today:
– Miselu Neiro runs nonfree software such as VOCALOID and uses a proprietery YAMAHA DSP.
– Services like SoundCloud suggest Adobe Flash Player.
– Storing your data in centralized online services exposes you to surveillance.
– There is no portable, net-enabled social music device that Respects Your Freedom yet.
But Hackers and Makers are working on free alternatives:
– Arduino is a freedom-friendly platform that can be used to synthesize sounds.
– FreedomBox is a Debian based platform for distributed applications.
– OLinuXino is hackable hardware that runs FreedomBox.
– Fritzing and free FPGA-toolchains allow the community to build their own solutions.
Moe.FM clients for GNU/Linux and Android
November 3rd, 2012
Moe.fm is a streaming service for Japanese Indie Music (Doujin Ongaku). There are two free clients at GitHub. (https://github.com/shengxia/Moefou-FM-for-Linux.git and https://github.com/mariotaku/moe.fm) Unlike mobile Last.fm there is no DRM. (see http://www.defectivebydesign.org/screaming).
Open Source Culture and Free Cultural Works
October 5th, 2012
Works of authorship(such as music and software) should be free, and by freedom we mean:
the freedom to use the work and enjoy the benefits of using it
the freedom to study the work and to apply knowledge acquired from it
the freedom to make and redistribute copies, in whole or in part, of the information or expression
the freedom to make changes and improvements, and to distribute derivative works
Hatsune Miku is a proprietery soundfont for the proprietery VOCALOID software.
VOCALOID is a singing synthesizer based on sample concatenation.
Users of VOCALOID often share there their works with others, sometimes under Creative Commons licenses.
Because VOCALOID is so popular, Ameya/Ayame created UTAU that allows users to record their own samples.
Unlike VOCALOID, UTAU can be used with freely licenced samples and a free synthesizer backend.
But the frontend written in Microsoft Visual Basic is propriertery.
Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation believes that software should be free.
When he speaks of “free software”, he’s talking about freedom, not price.
He co-authored the GNU General Public Licenses that are intended to guarantee your freedom to share.
If one of the four freedoms is missing the program is nonfree. Copyleft guarantees that a free program remains free.
To understand how a program works you need more than just the compiled computer code; you also need access to the human-readable source code.
Some people call this “Open Source” but Open Source misses the point of Free Software.
Matt Lee, one of the authors of GNU FM, is the campaigns manager at the Free Software Foundation.
He also thinks that music should be free. The Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license is a copyleft license that can be used for music.
A recording of music made with physical instruments such as a human voice or an acoustic guitar can distributed music under a free license under a free format such as Ogg Vorbis. In this case there is no source code for the music. When using software for making music there is a source code that is part of that work. So it might be better to share your work under the GNU GPL. There should be no restrictions that prevent you from sharing soundfonts and using them with free software.
Why you should not upgrade to Mac OS X Lion
June 23rd, 2012
Recently I heard that an iTunes update breaks the Xiph QuickTime components that allow you to play Ogg Vorbis files with iTunes.
Apple decided to rewrite iTunes as a 64 bit Cocoa application that supports the full screen mode. This will break the 32 bit Vorbis plugin for iTunes.
So I wrote a python script that converts iTunes playlists to m3u playlists: http://platen-software.de/dl/plist2m3u.py
The Apple Lossless Audio Codec is now available as an open source project, but Apple does not sell any Music in this format.
Using this codec with your iPad does not give you freedom. The Free Lossless Audio Codec is free as in freedom.
Please read Richard Stallman’s article: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point
iCloud and the App Store pose the problem of Software as a Service.
Both depend on a server set up by Apple.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html
Recently I switched to Trisqel GNU/Linux which is fully free and decided to write a free replacement for Mac OS X, the GNUstep Libre system.
GNUstep Libre is based on GNUstep and GNU Linux-libre, but later versions might use the GNU HURD.
http://platen-software.de/dl/gnustep-libre.ova
Hardware freedom
May 5th, 2012
Ten companies that do support free software, in some cases the hardware is free too:
1 Lemote sells netbooks with a free BIOS
2 ThinkPenguin sells Hardware with GNU Linux-libre support
3 Via makes Mainboards compatible with coreboot
4 Qi hardware makes Copyleft hardware
5 XESS makes Hard and Software licensed under GPL and Creative Commons licenses
6 Fritzing Fab allows you to create your own hardware
7 Golden Delicious Computers is not Defective by Design
8 OLIMEX makes Arduino Clones and embedded GNU/Linux hardware
9 Make Play Live makes GNU/Linux based tablets
10 Archos sells Android and GNU/Linux tablets
No free Software (except some HID devices)
1 Apple iPad is Defective By Design
2 Nintendo DSi is Defective by DESiGN
3 Microsoft has it’s Windows 7 Sins
4 Sony PlayStation 3 is incompatible with free software and ran Open Source Linux
5 OpenPandora is incompatible with free software and runs Open Source Linux
Instead of using Open Source Software with Open Hardware, it is better to use copylefted free hard and software.