Oui, tres bon!
As it should have been.

Seems like the good solution, no objections… a big thanks for your effort. SUperbe!

A very elegant approach. Good job! Providing options where they should be is rarely a bad idea, while programming an application or anywhere else. Hats off to the team.

[...] here: SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking Tags: across-as-smart, certain-countries, coverage, dadt, fox, latest, made-explaining, [...]

[...] SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking Share and [...]

So it’s mean that non-US resident will have to know Us laws. What will be the responsabilities of non-US resident in case they don’t set correctly their project ?

So a normal project admin must have the knowledge about export compliance? Is this the way to shift responsibility and risk from SF to the OSS developers?

A first step in the right direction …
The final one has to be SourceForge’s movement outside the USA!!
There can’t be an OPEN-Source-Software plattform which is not open …

[...] maggiormente esaustive sono contenute nella pagina dedicata alla suddetta [...]

[...] SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

[...] just a few weeks, SourceForge has backed off its policy of imposing a blanket ban on all users trying to access the site from countries on the [...]

[...] Read the original here: SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

Glückwunsch, prima Sache! Thank you so much for listening to the community’s voice. The projects I have been on all had a very low ratio of US-based contributors and also did not contain any code that would be subject to US export restrictions. So I’m totally fine with letting those eeeeeevil Cubans enjoy the software

What remains to be cleared up is in which case the export restrictions would apply for projects that use export-restricted algorithms.

a) Always, since the hosting datacenters are located in the US.

or

b) Only if the project’s primary maintainer is a US citizen, making the project a “ware” exported by a US citizen.

or

c) Only if the code in question has been written by a US citizen.

[...] SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

Thanks SourceForge
good job

[...] countries from accessing the site’s vast assortment of open-source software projects. In a blog post yesterday, SourceForge announced that it would discontinue its blanket ban of users, which was done [...]

I am not an U.S. citizen, so I give a fuck on U.S. laws. We Germans are allowed to export anything to anywhere. Also our encryption mechanisms. So it’s all right for me.

I’m very happy to hear this. SF.net has done the right thing now. Thank you SF

[...] countries from accessing the site’s vast assortment of open-source software projects. In a blog post yesterday, SourceForge announced that it would discontinue its blanket ban of users, which was done [...]

[...] lässt, ob sie Benutzer aus “Schurkenstaaten” blocken wollen, oder nicht. Somit kann jedes Projekt für sich entscheiden, ob es gegen die US-Exportbeschränkungen verstößt und ob es somit den Zugang [...]

This is an acceptable solution for this problem. However, it doesn’t solve the greater problem of being forced to go against your ideals by your government.

Periodically, every company that can move should re-evaluate if it should remain where it is or move its resources and corporate identity to another country. Sourceforge is no exception. Consider relocating.

A very simple and elegant solution to the issue. I applaud those responsible for implementing it.

In response to tuxman66, while you are technically correct, German export laws are actually pretty lax but the authorization regime is actually pretty tight.

See the German example

That means US government will now sue opensource project admins if we click the wrong “Export Controls” option? US open source hosting is too dangerous, sorry. We stick to BerliOS.

[...] countries from accessing the site’s vast assortment of open-source software projects. In a blog post yesterday, SourceForge announced that it would discontinue its blanket ban of users, which was done [...]

As an American, I’m disgusted and outraged at the whole situation. I thought we as a country had left this particular brand of idiocy behind us years ago.

I’m also rather annoyed that, as a developer and project administrator on SourceForge, I was not notified that there was going to be any change in policy, I was not notified that the change had taken place, and I would still be unaware of the situation if I hadn’t seen today’s Slashdot article. There was nothing about this in last Wednesday’s newsletter - surely this would have been worth mentioning?

I hope that I’m just being overly impatient here, and SF will shortly be sending out a bulletin to all project administrators, to let them know about the changes that have been made, why they have been made, and what our options are as developers.

I’ve been a SF user for years, I greatly appreciate the service you’ve provided, and I do sympathize with the nasty situation you’re in. Nevertheless, I expect this means I will need to look elsewhere for project hosting in the future.

hemos: I’ll still “export” (does exporting bytes count anyway?) to North Korea.

Are there any good and truely free alternatives to SourceForge?
Obviously, moving out of the “Land of the free” is necessary to ensure true freedom.

[...] greater autonomy for projects hosted on the site. On their official blog, SourceForge directors explained: Our action provoked a strong, angry reaction from those it affected and from the community at [...]

Thanks!

[...] In response to a passionate response from their user community, SourceForge has decided to change their export policy to allow project leaders to set access controls on a project-by-project basis.   In reading the [...]

[...] just a few weeks, SourceForge has backed off its policy of imposing a blanket ban on all users trying to access the site from countries on the [...]

[...] Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

I’m very surprised that a lot of people swallow such crap :
It’s not a solution, it’s just a “walk around”.
The violation of open source community right is still committed, even it’s partially.

The fact that Sourceforge hosts the projects from worldwide, they should be considered as an international unit but not just an US company.
Therefore a real (and radical) solution is to relocate.
An more expensive solution, surely. At least it’s not ironic for both Sourceforge and hosted projects

I sincerely hope SF will consider the relocating solution. SourceForge for me is rather a symbol of Open Source Community than just an American company.

Don

[...] [...]

[...] just a few weeks, SourceForge has backed off its policy of imposing a blanket ban on all users trying to access the site from countries on the [...]

This doesn’t cut it, sorry. I’m not even gonna say “nice try”.

Can I have an option in my project that prevents US military personal from accessing it?

[...] المتحدة الأمريكية و ليس بمقدوره عمل شيء, و لكن اليوم جاءت الأخبارة السارة أخيراً بأن هذا الحظر تمت إزالته, و لكن جزئياً [...]

Cool.

[...] ایرانی ها سرویس نمی دهد. اما هفتم فوریه ۲۰۱۰، سورس فورج در مطلبی راه حلی برای تحریمی ها ارایه کرد تا آنها هم بتوانند از [...]

[...] SourceForge hat auf auf die Kritik reagiert. Zukünftig liegt es in der Hand der Projekte, ihren Code auch Nutzern aus den boykottierten [...]

[...] SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

What a spineless bunch of bureaucrats you are! It is shameful to have you identify yourselves with the open source community, and I have nothing but contempt for you and your site.

I also agree that this is not a real solution… but it’s good to hear that you thought about it.

Thanks for sharing the wonderful article.

Thanks

[...] here for more [...]

I’m the project admin of the 17th most active project on SF. We’ve been here for many years, but are now leaving. Our application uses a PHP library function, md5(), to encrypt user passwords. We have users in Cuba, Syria and Iran.

Very sad, but if you don’t stand up for free speech, don’t expect anyone to stand up for you.

Can anyone recommend a F/OSS hosting provider outside the US?

@fisharebest http://tuxfamily.org

Otherwise, this is a good move.

“Users residing in countries on the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control sanction list, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, may not post Content to, or access Content available through, SourceForge.net. ”

http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/sitelegal/wiki/Terms_of_Use

The terms of use still forbid users from these countries from using SourceForge:

“Users residing in countries on the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control sanction list, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, may not post Content to, or access Content available through, SourceForge.net. ”

https://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/sitelegal/wiki/Terms_of_Use

How the heck should I guarantee that none of the underlying software needed for my project isn’t using encryption? Everything is based on PHP, something based on MySQL (which *is* using encryption), works with apache (which can do SSL) etc. Honestly - I don’t want to sign such a thing!

@fisharebest: I brought up that topic at symlink.ch and got pointed to http://www.origo.ethz.ch/ which is in Switzerland. Didn’t check the exact details yet but I guess I will go there (since I am Swiss anyway). But personally I don’t think there is something like a “free country” anyway - it’s probably the best to mirror projects in differend countries (and different websites/organisations).

I’m leaving SF, not sure where to go for now, but i recommend that everyone goes out SF if they do not plan to move the main server to another country.

Well since you don’t like these laws and don’t want to implement them then why not move your servers outside US, simple !

As long as US continues with these stupid laws they will lose money and business (and make US economy even weaker )

So take your business elsewhere !
Many have done this due to stupid US laws.

I would recommend Sweden, US can’t touch you there no matter how much they try.

[...] Two weeks later, SourceForge posted another entry on their blog, announcing a change in their decisi… Now, they have removed the block and added a feature that allows project owners to ban access to the sanctioned countries: Beginning now, every project admin can click on Develop -> Project Admin -> Project Settings to find a new section called Export Control. By default, we’ve ticked the more restrictive setting. If you conclude that your project is *not* subject to export regulations, or any other related prohibitions, you may now tick the other check mark and click Update. After that, all users will be able to download your project files as they did before last month’s change. [...]

I just don’t like this thing here “By default, we’ve ticked the more restrictive setting” it’s as “The accused guilty until proven innocent” and the other thing sf.net should have sent this info to all developers to allow or disallow these restrictions.

elsharif, we had to adopt the more restrictive setting for legal reasons, and we did send this info to all the site users in our last monthly mailing.

[...] A few weeks after its initial announcement, Sourceforge lifted the blanket ban on users in embargoed countries. It has now delegated responsibility for deciding if a project [...]

[...] : چند هفته پس از اعلام اولیه آن، Sourceforge ممنوعیت گذاشته‌شده بر کاربران کشورهای تحریم‌شده را برداشت. اکنون مسئولیت [...]

[...] SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

And what should I do if my project DOES use open-source encryption code and I want my users in, say, Iran, will be able to download latest versions? Change the hosting?

[...] countries from accessing the site’s vast assortment of open-source software projects. In a blog post yesterday, SourceForge announced that it would discontinue its blanket ban of users, which was done [...]

[...] SourceForge.net: Some good news: SourceForge removes blanket blocking [...]

[...] Korea and Syria, much to the dismay of open-source enthusiasts. Though in the end, SourceForge removed the blanket block – placing responsibility on project managers to choose their level of restriction – the fact [...]

[...] Korea and Syria, much to the dismay of open-source enthusiasts. Though in the end, SourceForge removed the blanket block – placing responsibility on project managers to choose their level of restriction – the fact [...]

[...] Korea and Syria, much to the dismay of open-source enthusiasts. Though in the end, SourceForge removed the blanket block – placing responsibility on project managers to choose their level of restriction – the fact [...]

[...] Korea and Syria, much to the dismay of open-source enthusiasts. Though in the end, SourceForge removed the blanket block – placing responsibility on project managers to choose their level of restriction – the fact [...]

[...] Korea and Syria, much to the dismay of open-source enthusiasts. Though in the end, SourceForge removed the blanket block – placing responsibility on project managers to choose their level of restriction – the fact [...]

Hey sourceforge! You definitely need a third-party hosting server in the old Europe: it looks like most of free/open source developers here don’t give a damn of your stupid nazi U.S. export laws. Your action is clearly violating the freedom ‘0′ in GPL licenses for non-US software. Please change this attitude or we will be starting a campaign to migrate our software elsewhere soon.

How the heck should I guarantee that none of the underlying software needed for my project isn’t using encryption?

[...] wurden laut dem offiziellen Sourceforge Blog Änderungen durchgeführt, die es den Administratoren der jeweiligen Projekte auf Projektbasis [...]