Dear friends,

It is a huge joy for me to announce that the “Saker app” is now available in the Google store for download.  Click on this link to download it for free:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=is.thesaker.reader

This application for Android smartphones (no iOS version planned, sorry) was designed by a volunteer friend and Saker community member who not only made it available for free (as in no costs, gratis), but who also licensed it under the GPL3 free software license, meaning that you can use it in any way you wish, you can study and even modify the source code, you can legally copy it for your friends and neighbors as much as you want and you can even legally distribute modified copies.  In plain English this means total transparency (no possibility to place backdoors or other hidden code), it means that you are in full and total control of this application, and it means that you really own it after download (as proprietary and non-free software, including freeware are really only “rented” to you and the programmer keeps control of it).  I want to explain this for two reasons:

  1. That the Saker app is 100% compatible with the values of the Free Software Foundation (of which I have been member for many years)
  2. To *beg* you to *please* use the in-app option (no obligation!) to donate a little something to the developer

Here I have to explain something counter-intuitive (at least in English): the word “free” can mean “no costs” (as in “free beer”) and the word “free” can also refer to the values of freedom (as in liberty).  The Saker app is free both as in “free beer” and as in “liberty”.  Freeware, applications and software which you can legally download and use at no cost, are free only as in “free beer”, but they are NOT “free as in liberty”: you have no control or even knowledge of what the software really does, no option to modify it, and often no way to even study the code.  However, it is perfectly logical and proper to sell free software when “free” means “free as in freedom/liberty”.  The developer – Zapek – put A LOT of work into this and I think (honestly!) that this is a great product.  I have been using the test versions for a month or so now, and I love it.  Not only that, but this is just a first release, Zapek will maintain and develop it.  So, friends, PLEASE, send him a “thank you” note in the form of a (rather modest) donation suggested in the application ($2, $5, $10).

Finally, this free app is also in full conformity with my personal philosophy that the Truth should be passed on and spread for free, that the poor and the rich ought to have exactly the same access to the Truth.

[Full disclosure: Zapek wanted to do it all for free.  I was the one who insisted that a donation button be included]

Guys, there are really pennies for what you get! So please donate.  And if you want to further support Zapek or donate more, you can always use: dg-paypal@zapek.com

So, what do you get with that app?

The app is straightforward: it automatically (and manually, if you want) downloads the 100, 50, 25 or 10 latest articles posted on the blog.  The option to chose who many is very important for those who have a slow or poor Internet connection.  You also get to chose if you want to download images, videos and embedded contents (again, crucial for those who slow or bad connections).  Then, the Saker app stores them locally for you to read whenever you want without having to find a hotspot or use your dataplan.  You can also chose which articles you want to see (all, recent, starred).  There is a basic search function built in which searches the article titles.  The app does not, however, show any comments or, even less so, allow you to post comments as this would require a totally different and much more complex app.

So, please download the app, play around with in, DONATE TO ZAPEK, and enjoy it.  If you find any bugs, or have suggestions, you can email the developer at android@zapek.com.  And please let us know in the comments below what you think.

Hugs and cheers,

The Saker

PS: I am placing this in the mos visible “analyses” section since this clearly gets many more views than something down at the bottom of the page in the “community announcement”.  I promise not to do that too often, but when it is important, I will do that from time to time.