FSF40/celebration/trivia-quiz

• When was the Free Software Foundation Founded?

• Answer: October 4, 1985

• Commentary: This is what we call in the biz as a "gimme".

• What does "GNU" stand for?

• Answer: GNU's Not Unix!

• Commentary: GNU is a recursive acronym for GNU's Not Unix.

• Name the four essential software freedoms.

• Answer: run, edit, copy, & share.

• Commentary:

 - freedom 0 - The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.

 - freedom 1 - The freedom to study how the program works, and change
   it so it does your computing as you wish. (Access to the source
   code is a precondition for this).

 - freedom 2 - The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others

 - freedom 3 - The freedom to distribute copies of your modified
   versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community
   a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code
   is a precondition for this.

• What type of hardware inspired Richard Stallman to start GNU?

• Answer: Printer.

• BONUS: Xerox 9700

• Commentary: This is what led to the announcement of GNU on September

 27, 1983.

• What practice, named after a cable Digital Video Recorder (DVR),

 describes the use of freely licensed software but prevents users
 from using modified versions through OEM update signatures?

• Answer: Tivoization

• BONUS: What section of the GNU GPL v3 includes the text to address

 the issue of Tivoization?

 * Section 6

• Commentary: There are lots of different ways to do this; for

 example, sometimes the hardware checksums the software that is
 installed, and shuts down if it doesn't match an expected signature.
 The manufacturers comply with GPLv2 by giving you the source code,
 but you still don't have the freedom to modify the software you're
 using.

• In the gnu.org article "The JavaScript Trap," what is the "one case

 where it is acceptable to run a nonfree JavaScript program"?

• Answer: To send a complaint to the website operators, asking them to

 either free or remove the JavaScript code

• What month/year was the GPLv3 released?

• Answer: June, 2007

• What month/year was the AGPLv3 released?

• Answer: November, 2007

• Commentary: After a robust public engagement, both the GPLv3(June) and

 AGPLv3(Nov) were released in 2007

• Of the variety of Berkeley Software Distribution(BSD) Licenses which

 one is not compatible with with the GNU General Public license
 version 2 and 3?

• The original BSD license or 4-Clause BSD license.

• BONUS: What Clause makes the original BSD license incompatible?

 advertisement clause

• Commentary: all advertising materials mentioning features or use of

 the software must display an acknowledgment. 

• Does the GPL require that source code of modified versions be posted

 to the public?

• Answer: No.

• Commentary: But if you release the modified version to the public in

 some way, the GPL requires you to make the modified source code
 available to the program's users, under the GPL.

 * https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic

• Does the GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?

• Yes!

• Commentary: What this means is that you can sell copies even if you

 didn't create the program

 - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney

• • • BREAK***

• Which GNU license requires providing source code when interacting

 with applications running on servers over a network ?

• Answer: GNU Affero General Public License Version 3

• Commentary:

 - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AGPLv3InteractingRemotely

• What is the name of the conference born out of the FSF's annual

 membership meeting?

• Answer: LibrePlanet

• BONUS: What year was the first LibrePlanet?

 * Answer: 2009

• Commentary:

• Copyleft is:

a) a requirement that all modified and extended versions of a free program to be free as well

b) a campaign to abolish copyright

c) a synonym of free software: all free software is copyleft

• Answer: a) a requirement that all modified and extended versions of

 a free program to be free as well

• What was the first major software program released under the GNU project?

• Answer: GNU Emacs

• (20) BONUS: What license was GNU Emacs originally released under? GNU

 Emacs General Public License in 1985

• Commentary: The GNU Emacs General Public License in 1985 was

 effectively a precursor which would become the GNU General Public
 license.

• What is the name of the GNU microkernel?

• Answer: GNU Hurd

• BONUS: What does Hurd stand for?

• Answer: Hird of Unix-Replacing Daemons. And "Hird" stands for Hurd of

 Interfaces Representing Depth.

• What is the name of the exception which is meant to allow people to

 distribute programs compiled with GCC under terms of their choice,
 even when parts of these libraries are included in the executable as
 part of the compilation process.

• Answer: The GCC runtime exception.

• Commentary:

 * https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gcc-exception-faq.html

• When (month/year) did the FSF first earn a four star rating from the

 Charity Navigator?

• Feb, 2021

• Commentary: Charity Navigator is the largest independent evaluator

 of US-based nonprofit charities. The FSF was also selected for
 Charity Navigator's "Top Ten List" as one of "10 Charities Worth
 Watching."

• Which title came first, the Lesser GPL or the Library GPL?

• Library GPL

• Commentary: The versions between LGPL 2.0 and LGPL 2.1 it took on

 the Lesser moniker.

• The Free Software Foundation's campaigns include:

a) Freedom Ladder, End Software Patents, Campaign for OpenDocument

b) Free JavaScript, Fight to Repair, Campaign for Hardware that Supports Free Software

c) Email Self-Defense, Defective by Design, Upgrade from Windows

• All of the above.

• As of October 2025, how many packages are indexed in the FSF free

 software directory?

• Answer: 17,115

• What is the name of the FSF's hardware freedom certification?

• Answer: Respects Your Freedom

• How to support the FSF

• become a member