*Please consider adding to your address book, which will ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.*
*Read and share online: *
Dear Ruben Safir,
For many centuries around the world, winter has been a time for telling cautionary tales of the world's cruelty and the consequences of bad behavior. While the existence of such dangerous figures as the [Yule Cat][1] and [wendigo][2] can be left by the fireplace, the horrors of proprietary software remain in the real world long after you and your loved ones have put out the Yule Log. In the [ShoeTool][3] story, an elf named Wendell buys a machine to help him make shoes, only to quickly discover that the machine's proprietor heavily restricts what kind of shoes Wendell can make with the machine he just bought.
The story of Wendell the Elf is the same story millions of software users worldwide experience in their daily lives. Maybe they don't want to make shoes, but they do want to buy an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch and find out that [Apple controls what apps can be installed on their device][4] or they buy an Amazon Kindle e-book reader only to find out that [Amazon makes it impossible for them to read e-books that aren't purchased through Amazon][5]. These restrictions limit real-world user freedom, creativity, and opportunity, just like Wendell the Elf experienced with his shoe-making machine.
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) believes that everyone deserves full control over their devices, and that no one should be able to tell you how to do your computing, how to play games, watch videos, listen to music, or be creative on your machines! No matter what software you're using or for what purpose, it should respect your freedom. We hope this video helps you explain the importance of free software to your friends and family this holiday season.
You can use the short URL to share the ShoeTool video on [social media][6] and combine it with the [#ShoeTool][7] hashtag and some of these **[ShoeTool images][8]**. We have subtitles of the video in Arabic, Basque, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, and Ukrainian so you can share the video with friends and family members who don't speak English as well. You can also embed the video on your website or blog with this code:
And, of course, you can adapt the video as you wish after [downloading the source files][9]. Don't forget to like the video on [Peertube's FSF channel][10].
We hope you enjoy hearing this scary winter story and share it with others! Got inspired by the video and came up with your own free software fairy tale? Email it to us at or share it on social media with the hashtag #FreeSoftwareTales.
Happy holidays from the Free Software Foundation!
Sincerely, Andrew, Craig, Dawn, Eko, Greg, Heshan, Ian, Jeanne, Krzysztof, Michael, and Zoë -- Interested in helping us expand our reach?
* Follow us on Mastodon at and PeerTube at , showing your support for federated social networks. * Get active on the LibrePlanet wiki: . * Share on your blog or [social network](https://www.fsf.org/share) that you support us, and why you do so. * Subscribe to our RSS feeds: . * Join us as an associate member: ; and display your membership button () on your website.
Read our Privacy Policy: .
Sent from the Free Software Foundation,
31 Milk Street # 960789 Boston, Massachusetts 02196 United States
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list by visiting
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/mailing/unsubscribe?reset=1&jid=170395&qid=96995536&h=0bbb061584815f34. To stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter, visit
For many centuries around the world, winter has been a time for telling cautionary tales of the world's cruelty and the consequences of bad behavior. While the existence of such dangerous figures as the Yule Cat and wendigo can be left by the fireplace, the horrors of proprietary software remain in the real world long after you and your loved ones have put out the Yule Log. In the ShoeTool story, an elf named Wendell buys a machine to help him make shoes, only to quickly discover that the machine's proprietor heavily restricts what kind of shoes Wendell can make with the machine he just bought.
The story of Wendell the Elf is the same story millions of software users worldwide experience in their daily lives. Maybe they don't want to make shoes, but they do want to buy an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch and find out that Apple controls what apps can be installed on their device or they buy an Amazon Kindle e-book reader only to find out that Amazon makes it impossible for them to read e-books that aren't purchased through Amazon. These restrictions limit real-world user freedom, creativity, and opportunity, just like Wendell the Elf experienced with his shoe-making machine.
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) believes that everyone deserves full control over their devices, and that no one should be able to tell you how to do your computing, how to play games, watch videos, listen to music, or be creative on your machines! No matter what software you're using or for what purpose, it should respect your freedom. We hope this video helps you explain the importance of free software to your friends and family this holiday season.
You can use the short URL https://u.fsf.org/shoetool to share the ShoeTool video on social media and combine it with the #ShoeTool hashtag and some of these ShoeTool images. We have subtitles of the video in Arabic, Basque, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, and Ukrainian so you can share the video with friends and family members who don't speak English as well. You can also embed the video on your website or blog with this code:
We hope you enjoy hearing this scary winter story and share it with others! Got inspired by the video and came up with your own free software fairy tale? Email it to us at campaigns@fsf.org or share it on social media with the hashtag #FreeSoftwareTales.
*Please consider adding to your address book, which will ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.*
*Read and share online: *
Dear Ruben Safir,
For many centuries around the world, winter has been a time for telling cautionary tales of the world's cruelty and the consequences of bad behavior. While the existence of such dangerous figures as the [Yule Cat][1] and [wendigo][2] can be left by the fireplace, the horrors of proprietary software remain in the real world long after you and your loved ones have put out the Yule Log. In the [ShoeTool][3] story, an elf named Wendell buys a machine to help him make shoes, only to quickly discover that the machine's proprietor heavily restricts what kind of shoes Wendell can make with the machine he just bought.
The story of Wendell the Elf is the same story millions of software users worldwide experience in their daily lives. Maybe they don't want to make shoes, but they do want to buy an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch and find out that [Apple controls what apps can be installed on their device][4] or they buy an Amazon Kindle e-book reader only to find out that [Amazon makes it impossible for them to read e-books that aren't purchased through Amazon][5]. These restrictions limit real-world user freedom, creativity, and opportunity, just like Wendell the Elf experienced with his shoe-making machine.
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) believes that everyone deserves full control over their devices, and that no one should be able to tell you how to do your computing, how to play games, watch videos, listen to music, or be creative on your machines! No matter what software you're using or for what purpose, it should respect your freedom. We hope this video helps you explain the importance of free software to your friends and family this holiday season.
You can use the short URL to share the ShoeTool video on [social media][6] and combine it with the [#ShoeTool][7] hashtag and some of these **[ShoeTool images][8]**. We have subtitles of the video in Arabic, Basque, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, and Ukrainian so you can share the video with friends and family members who don't speak English as well. You can also embed the video on your website or blog with this code:
And, of course, you can adapt the video as you wish after [downloading the source files][9]. Don't forget to like the video on [Peertube's FSF channel][10].
We hope you enjoy hearing this scary winter story and share it with others! Got inspired by the video and came up with your own free software fairy tale? Email it to us at or share it on social media with the hashtag #FreeSoftwareTales.
Happy holidays from the Free Software Foundation!
Sincerely, Andrew, Craig, Dawn, Eko, Greg, Heshan, Ian, Jeanne, Krzysztof, Michael, and Zoë -- Interested in helping us expand our reach?
* Follow us on Mastodon at and PeerTube at , showing your support for federated social networks. * Get active on the LibrePlanet wiki: . * Share on your blog or [social network](https://www.fsf.org/share) that you support us, and why you do so. * Subscribe to our RSS feeds: . * Join us as an associate member: ; and display your membership button () on your website.
Read our Privacy Policy: .
Sent from the Free Software Foundation,
31 Milk Street # 960789 Boston, Massachusetts 02196 United States
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list by visiting
https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/mailing/unsubscribe?reset=1&jid=170395&qid=96995536&h=0bbb061584815f34. To stop all email from the Free Software Foundation, including Defective by Design, and the Free Software Supporter newsletter, visit
For many centuries around the world, winter has been a time for telling cautionary tales of the world's cruelty and the consequences of bad behavior. While the existence of such dangerous figures as the Yule Cat and wendigo can be left by the fireplace, the horrors of proprietary software remain in the real world long after you and your loved ones have put out the Yule Log. In the ShoeTool story, an elf named Wendell buys a machine to help him make shoes, only to quickly discover that the machine's proprietor heavily restricts what kind of shoes Wendell can make with the machine he just bought.
The story of Wendell the Elf is the same story millions of software users worldwide experience in their daily lives. Maybe they don't want to make shoes, but they do want to buy an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch and find out that Apple controls what apps can be installed on their device or they buy an Amazon Kindle e-book reader only to find out that Amazon makes it impossible for them to read e-books that aren't purchased through Amazon. These restrictions limit real-world user freedom, creativity, and opportunity, just like Wendell the Elf experienced with his shoe-making machine.
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) believes that everyone deserves full control over their devices, and that no one should be able to tell you how to do your computing, how to play games, watch videos, listen to music, or be creative on your machines! No matter what software you're using or for what purpose, it should respect your freedom. We hope this video helps you explain the importance of free software to your friends and family this holiday season.
You can use the short URL https://u.fsf.org/shoetool to share the ShoeTool video on social media and combine it with the #ShoeTool hashtag and some of these ShoeTool images. We have subtitles of the video in Arabic, Basque, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, and Ukrainian so you can share the video with friends and family members who don't speak English as well. You can also embed the video on your website or blog with this code:
We hope you enjoy hearing this scary winter story and share it with others! Got inspired by the video and came up with your own free software fairy tale? Email it to us at campaigns@fsf.org or share it on social media with the hashtag #FreeSoftwareTales.
