Adonay Felipe Nogueira wrote:
As far as I know they do include other platforms besides GNU+Linux, but this one must be supported by the software seeking to be listed there. That is: the FSD doesn't accept Windows-only "free software" (sic).
My interest is mainly in cross-platform software. So, if it only works on Windows, I'm typically not interested in it. I do port software to various platforms. Most of the time I end up porting Linux/BSD/Unix applications to Windows. However, sometimes I'll run across an interesting program for Windows and port it to other systems like Linux.
I must say that you all have done an awesome work with Schoolforge, I've been planning to integrate Schoolforge into FSD for quite some time.
I'm sure the members of the Schoolforge project would greatly appreciate that. We're trying to find new people who might want to get involved. The mailing list has been pretty quiet lately.
Oh, be very careful with Android, I'm not a developer, but I was told by Replicant project that Android has somethings that don't come with stock Android, or that are not essential to make the operating system work in minimum level, even if you do development with Android that came from Google.
Am familiar with that. I am working strictly with Open Source libraries/compilers or standards that have Open Source options available. I tried out Android-x86 ( http://www.android-x86.org/ ) and VirtualBox for testing. The Android-x86 project seems to be doing a nice job. I just recently tested building some software with the Debian Android packages. Was reading that Debian and Ubuntu were good platforms for Android development on Linux. Was able to build Android packages and compile Java with their tools. However, was very surprised that they don't have a package for the NDK/cross-compilers needed to support porting C/C++ code to Android. (Actually, they do have one package, but it just does a wget and downloads from Google.) Recently asked about it on one of their mailing lists. Also, I've been reading that Google intends to switch from using gcc to llvm/clang. I'd personally prefer to stick with gcc, but it's being deprecated from the NDK and will be removed in future versions. I think creating a GNU gcc cross-compiler toolchain with ABI compatibility to the Google NDK should be an important step for working with Free Software on Android. So far, I haven't found anyone working on a project like that or even interested in it. I'd certainly be willing to volunteer to help out if someone did put a project like that together. There are also lots of great FLOSS programs written in C/C++. Many would port to Android with some modifications. The priority for most people seems to be to write new programs from scratch in Java or Kotlin rather than make use of what is already available. I think it's a shame there aren't more projects supporting FLOSS C/C++ development for Android.
However, I find it odd that they refused. Considering that I don't have the full context of the conversation (patch submission requests and replies), I can't agree that it was due to lack of interest on cross-platform compatibility, but I can't deny either.
I know the developers from some of the projects I contacted didn't want to support a specific platform (such as Windows), because they told me. I have it in writing from them.
I would also like to add that free/libre software proponents discuss and care for other topics and issues that most "open source" people don't care to, like:
- digital restrictions management, such as those found in most Android and Apple devices; ...
A lot of the issues the FSF tries to promote are very important. It's nice that the FSF advocates them. Many of those issues often get ignored by projects that are Open Source but not Free. I read some of the articles about Android at the GNU site and was very interested in them. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a lot of information on how to get involved further. I did check out projects like Replicant, F-Droid and some others, Haven't had any luck finding a project I could volunteer with that could use my particular talents. I'm not thrilled with closed source online app stores and the abilities of companies to limit who can put software on devices. The idea of owning a computer (even if it's a tablet) and not being able to put software I wrote on it is abhorrent. That's one reason I'm a proponent of cross-platform software. I want to avoid vendor lock-in. The FSF covers many important philosophical topics. I was, however, surprised by their stance or lack of interest in respecting patents though. I understand software patents can cripple development and it's a shame when a patent is given for something that's universal and should not be proprietary. However, if one expects the courts to uphold things like software licenses then one should respect the legality of patents in countries where they are the law. I had to check commercial sites like Red Hat to find relevant information regarding FLOSS and patents. Most of the GNU compliant Linux distributions that I looked up ignore the issue. I think Free Software is at a crucial period. More people are now using tablets/phones rather than desktop systems as their computers. With things like secure boot, operating systems making it hard to install anything that isn't from their app store of choice and other hardware and software restrictions that promote specific vendors, it's getting very difficult to get Free Software to people. I also feel like software development isn't a level playing field any more. Large companies have the resources to build complex software that might require a lot of computing power to create such as AIs, Speech to Text engines, etc. Would like to see Free Software alternatives that can compete. Otherwise, developers are left with little choice but to use proprietary solutions when customers want specific features in their software. If you know of any good mailing lists or other places to discuss topics like the NDK/gcc one I mentioned, avoiding vendor lock-in or just talking about sharing/advocating FLOSS software in general, please let me know. Thanks.