In 2021, the Free Software Foundation Europe turns 20. This is a moment that we want to use to celebrate our community with a series of publications. In our second publication we interview Reinhard Müller who has contributed as a volunteer since 2002 in various roles from local activities to the European core team.
In a historic judgment in Italy, in a case initiated by FSFE supporter Luca Bonissi, Lenovo was ordered to pay 20,000 euros in damages for abusive behaviour in denying to refund the price of a pre-installed Windows licence. In a motivating gesture for the Free Software cause, Luca donated 15,000 euros to the FSFE.
In our February Newsletter, we interview our founding president Georg Greve as part of our publication series to celebrate 20 Years FSFE, we reflect on I love Free Software Day and our FOSDEM participation, we advertise our new job vacancy and as usual we report on our diverse community activities.
It is no secret that the FSFE's activities are only possible with the priceless help of our contributors and supporters around Europe. In return we support local engagement financially, with our expertise, information material and networks. To help formalize this process, we run our next call for FSFE community projects.
Today on the "I Love Free Software Day" we want to celebrate and share our love for Free Software. With this special day we say thank you to all the Free Software friends who supported, developed, campaigned, translated and worked for Free Software. On 14 February, let us show our love and thank all those people involved in Free Software.
For this episode of the Software Freedom Podcast we talk about the background of the "I Love Free Software Day" and how it all began 11 years ago. Discover together with Bonnie Mehring why Free Software developers, advocates, activists and contributors think this special day is so important for Free Software.
We are looking for a person with a communications background to support us in our running and upcoming projects, including our upcoming digital sustainability campaign. The person will work full-time in our Berlin office.
In 2021 the Free Software Foundation Europe turns 20. This is a moment that we want to use to celebrate our community with a series of publications, both those who have accompanied us in the past and those are still doing so. In our first publication we look back where everything got started and have conducted an interview with the FSFE's first president, Georg C. F. Greve.
As every year, the FSFE will be present at FOSDEM, the biggest annual Free Software event in Europe. In 2021, the FSFE is honored to co-organise the Legal and Policy Devroom at FOSDEM. We are excited and look forward to presenting you an interesting programme throughout the whole weekend.
People around the world work hard to maintain Free Software and we rely on Free Software to keep us connected. On this year's I Love Free Software Day let us think about the developers, contributors, designers, those who promoted the use of Free Software and many more who spend their time to share, improve and create Free Software. On 14 February we show our love and thank those who work for Free Software.
In our January Newsletter, read about our plans for 2021 including our upcoming birthday celebrations and our participation at FOSDEM. We roll out this year's "I love Free Software" campaign and, as usual, report about our various community activites.
We are looking for a person with a strong technical background to support projects with software engineering and expertise. The person will work part-time, either in our Berlin office or remotely.
In our December Newsletter, read about the German Corona Warn App being published independently to extend software freedom, learn about public code in international development cooperation, enjoy an interview with Cord-Landwehr from KDE about REUSE adoption, one about the Zurich local group receiving a DINACon award and much more.
In just three years, our REUSE initiative has successfully changed licensing practices of at least over five hundred projects. From its adoption by NGI0 projects to a Corona Warn App to KDE, 2020 marks another successful year of this campaign. We used the chance to speak with Andreas Cord-Landwehr about REUSE adoption in the KDE community.
2019 hat die Lokalgruppe Zürich der FSFE die Kampagne "Lernen wie die Profis" ins Leben gerufen. Ziel der Kampagne ist es Lösungen für den Einsatz Freier Software in der Bildung zu präsentieren. Jüngst wurde die Kampagne mit dem DINACon Award prämiert. Dazu haben wir die Koordinatoren Ralf Hersel und Gian-Maria Daffré interviewt.
Internationale Entwicklungszusammenarbeit wird zunehmend digital. Freie Software somit zu einer Grundlagentechnologie, um die UN-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung zu erreichen. Zusammen mit Experten auf dem Gebiet fasst die FSFE diese Zusammenhänge zusammen und fordert die Veröffentlichung öffentlich finanzierter Technologien als Freie Software.
Eine Handvoll Freie-Software-Entwickler hat heute geschafft, was offizielle Stellen monatelang versäumt haben: Sie haben die deutsche Corona-Warn-App zum Nachverfolgen von Covid-19-Risikokontakten in einer Version bereitgestellt, die komplett ohne Abhängigkeiten von Google auskommt und im freien App-Store F-Droid erhältlich ist.
In this Software Freedom Podcast episode Bonnie Mehring and Matthias Kirschner talk about the monetary costs of Free Software. On the example of a conversation Bonnie had with her mother, both discover ways of explaining the world of Free Software and how to answer common questions and misunderstandings about software freedom.
In our Newsletter November, we review our annual report "Software Freedom in Europe" and the new Free Software Strategy by the European Commission. We have new staffers, a new call for FSFE community projects, REUSE is taking off, the local group in Zurich received an award, and so much more has happened to discover.
It is no secret that the FSFE's activities are only possible with the priceless help of our contributors and supporters around Europe. In return we support local engagement with our expertise, information material, networks or even financially. To help formalize this process, we run our second call for FSFE community projects.
Wie kann man Menschen am besten vor Katastrophen warnen? Deutschland setzt auf proprietäre Apps, wodurch der jüngste "Warntag" zu einem offiziellen Misserfolg wurde. Wir haben die Situation analysiert und robustere Lösungen gefunden, die Nutzerrechte respektieren.
"Software Freedom in Europe" is the yearly report of the Free Software Foundation Europe e.V. (FSFE). In one document, it gives you a breakdown of important things the FSFE has done and achieved during the last 12 months.
On Wednesday the EU Commission published its new Open Source Strategy. We are pleased that the Commission recognises the benefits of Free Software and the four freedoms to use, study, share and improve, but the Commission lacks concrete targets and indicators to implement the strategy. Without these, we worry that the strategy will end up accomplishing too little!
Read in our October newsletter about FSF's thirty-fifth anniversary, our upcoming participation at SFSCon, our technical job vacancy, and our other diverse community activities.
The South Tyrol Free Software Conference, SFSCon, is one of Europe’s most established annual conferences on Free Software. In recent years we have been represented with talks, workshops and our information booth. Last year we also organised our Community Event in the context of SFSCon, so that we could meet not only our community but also many interested people and report about our work.
The FSFE's sister organisation, the FSF, celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary this week. Thirty-five years of working for software freedom and inspiring many people and organisations to take a stand for user freedoms deserve big congratulations. Watch and read the congratulatory speech by FSFE President Matthias Kirschner.
We are looking for a working student to support our work to empower people to control technology. The person will work 10 hours per week in the Berlin office (home office possible at a later stage) and will support the FSFE's technical infrastructure by working closely together with our system administrators.
For the seventh episode of our Software Freedom Podcast we talk with Vincent Lequertier about transparency, fairness, and accessibility as crucial criteria for artificial intelligence (AI) and why it is important for our society to release AI software under a Free Software license.
Read in our September newsletter about a new strong alliance formed by administrations, business and civil society organisations asking for "A place for public code". Also read about our call to apply for FSFE support for your local project, our job vacancy, and about our other diverse community activities.
Der verstärkte Einsatz von Freier Software ist ein zentraler Baustein für mehr Digitale Souveränität. Gemeinsam mit einem starken Bündnis aus Verwaltung, Politik, Wirtschaft und Zivilgesellschaft fordern wir die Schaffung eines Code Repository mit Freier Software für die öffentliche Hand.
It is no secret that the FSFE's activities are only possible with the priceless help of our contributors and supporters around Europe. In return we support local engagement with our expertise, information material, networks or even financially. To help formalize this process, we run our first call for FSFE community projects.
Wir suchen ab sofort eine Büroassistenz, die der FSFE dabei hilft, Menschen im selbstbestimmten Umgang mit Technik zu unterstützen. In dieser Position sind Sie gemeinsam mit unserem Team in Berlin verantwortlich für den reibungslosen Bürobetrieb. Die Stelle ist ausgelegt für 15-35 Stunden pro Woche.
In our August Newsletter, we are evaluating reasons why the European Commission should avoid using the term "intellectual property". We also asked the new government in Munich about their progress regarding Free Software, and we introduce our new Open Science Coordinator, Christian Busse. As usual, you can read about our diverse community activities.
In order to contribute to the European Commission public consultation regarding the update of the "Intellectual Property (IP)" regulatory system, the FSFE has published a first feedback. Based on its world-wide experience with Free Software, the FSFE calls for a more inclusive and decentralized regulatory system that allows sustainable knowledge sharing and intangible wealth.
Die neue Grün-Rote Koalition in München hat sich vor 100 Tagen dem Prinzip ‚Public Money? Public Code!‘ bei der Beschaffung von Software verschrieben. Wir werfen einen Blick auf die ersten Aktivitäten zum Einsatz von Freier Software.
Von Hackathons über Apps bis hin zu öffentlichen Verwaltungen: Lesen Sie über die jüngsten Erfolge in Europa in Bezug auf Freie Software in unserem Juli-Newsletter. Finden Sie auch Videos von mehreren Online-Veranstaltungen auf denen die FSFE vertreten war, und lesen Sie über die vielfältigen Aktivitäten aus unserer Gemeinschaft.
Die Ausbreitung von Covid-19 brachte dramatische und drastische Veränderungen für uns und unsere Gesellschaften mit sich. Und warf damit auch Licht auf den globalen Bedarf an globalen Lösungen wie Freie Software es ist. Eine kurze Zusammenfassung über die jüngsten Erfolge in Richtung Software-Freiheit in Europa, die wir gemeinsam mit Eurer Hilfe und trotz der Krise erreicht haben.
We invited Miriam Ballhausen to talk with us about copyright enforcement. She is a German lawyer who focuses on software, data protection, copyright law and specifically Free Software copyright. This is the sixth regular episode of the Software Freedom Podcast for which we invite experts from our community.
Die Stadt Bühl, in Deutschland, hat die erfolgreiche, auf Freier Software basierende Videokonferenzplattform "Palim! Palim!" gestartet. Um mehr über die Beziehungen zwischen Bühl und Freier Software zu erfahren, führten wir ein Interview mit Eduard Itrich, dem Digitalisierungsbeauftragten der Stadt Bühl.
Like many other European countries, Denmark also tries to track Sars-CoV-2 infections with a mobile phone tracing app. However, against advice by health organisations and despite positive examples by other countries, the app is proprietary, so not being released under a Free Software (also called Open Source) license.
In our June Newsletter read among other things about the FSFE's achievements regarding Router Freedom in Europe, about a new coalition agreement in Hamburg that puts a focus on Free Software and about the European Parliament demanding "Public Money? Public Code!". As always, also read about our diverse community activities.
In Hamburg haben sich SPD und Grüne in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag darauf verständigt, künftig verstärkt auf Freie Software zu setzen. Die FSFE begrüßt diesen Schritt und wird die Umsetzung kritisch begleiten.
Etalab führt zwei Listen für Freie Software. Die eine befasst sich mit der für den öffentlichen Sektor empfohlenen Freien Software (genannt SILL), während die andere auf Freie Software-Repositorys verweist, die vom öffentlichen Sektor erstellt wurden. Um mehr über die beiden Listen zu erfahren, haben wir ein Interview mit Bastien Guerry von Etalab geführt.
From 21 June a new set of rules will guide the implementation of Router Freedom in Europe. The internalisation of the rules by the 27 EU member states will face challenges with negative consequences for Router Freedom. The FSFE contributed to several improvements of the guidelines and will monitor compliance with them.
In order to contribute to the EU Commission assessment of the Market Definition Notice, the FSFE has taken part in the public consultation to call for more attention to smaller stakeholders and civil society in topics of EU competition law.
After a nudge by the FSFE, the Dutch OpenAIR initiative has provided licenses on their material to support reuse.
Read about our demand to publish the results of publicly financed hackathons as Free Software, about a new coalition-agreement in Munich that aligns with our principles of "Public Money? Public Code!" and what happened inside the FSFE and our community. You will also read about the results of our web-sprint, about our regular podcast and an extraordinary one.
Der neue Koalitionsvertrag in München bekennt sich zum Prinzip "Public Money? Public Code!". Die FSFE begrüßt diese Entscheidung der neuen Regierung und wird deren Umsetzung genau beobachten.
NGI Pointer is an initiative from the European Commission designed to provide funding and expertise to Free Software projects that can improve the internet as a platform. The FSFE has joined its Advisory Board to provide assistance to these participating projects. The first call for applications to join NGI Pointer is now open until 1 June 2020.
In an open letter to the Parliament, the Dutch minister for internal affairs Raymond Knops commits to a "Free Software by default" policy and underlines its benefits for society. Current market regulations shall be reworded to allow publishing Free Software by the government.
For our Software Freedom Podcast we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this special episode, we talk with Dr. Luis Falcón and Dr. Axel Braun about the Free health and hospital information system GNU Health.
This year's FSFE's Free Software Legal and Licensing Workshop has been cancelled. The FSFE thanks our contributors and looks ahead to organizing the event next year.
The biggest financial impact the FSFE faces in these times of physical distancing is the cancellation of Free Software conferences, including our own events. To keep the software freedom movement solid and alive, please consider to donate a part of your conference budget to Free Software organisations, including the FSFE.
For our Software Freedom Podcast we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this episode, we talk with Professor Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons, about regulation of society, offline as well as online, about the different means of regulation, and shed light on regulations through code.
Derzeit gibt es viele Hackathons, um Tools zu entwickeln, mit deren Hilfe man verschiedene Probleme rund um die Corona Krise bewältigen kann. Immer mehr Regierungen und Verwaltungen veranstalten und finanzieren solche Hackathons. Es muss sichergestellt sein, dass die Ergebnisse dieser Hackathons global genutzt und lokal angepasst werden können, dass die Software verwendet, verstanden, verbreitet und verbessert werden kann. Überall. Die FSFE fordert daher, die Ergebnisse unter einer Freien-Software-Lizenz zu veröffentlichen.
Mit der Ausbreitung von COVID-19 stehen wir einer weltweiten Pandemie gegenüber, die eine Menge an koordiniertem Einsatz und neue globale Lösungen erfordert. Unser außerplanmäßiger Newsletter konzentriert sich auf Software-Freiheit für globale Lösungen, Lösungen für Remote-Verbindungen mithilfe Freier Software und wie die FSFE mit der Gesamtsituation zurecht kommt. Wir möchten unsere Aktivitäten in der Community hervorheben und Tipps sowohl für Unterhaltung als auch für Weiterbildung in der Zeit zu Hause geben. Viel Spaß beim Lesen, bleiben Sie gesund und schützen Sie die Freiheit!
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 virus outbreak many employees - voluntarily or mandatory - are working remotely now. Many organisations who have not been used to remote work so far now face a number of difficulties adapting to the situation. To avoid potential lock-ins, some FSFE supporters collectively wrote about the good reasons to use Free Software for remote work and collected a detailed list of practical solutions in our wiki.
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) demands that the use of tracking technologies that aim at breaking the chains of disease infection may only be promoted on a voluntary basis, fundamental rights must be respected and the software must be published under a Free Software licence.
Cheering on doctors and nurses, sewing face-masks, donating gloves and disinfectant gel, building respirators, running errands for elderly neighbours. Everybody wants to contribute to alleviate the dramatic situations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among all the serious diseases and deaths it causes, the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its accompanying COVID-19 disease also keep the FSFE and the whole Free Software community in suspense. For our community and other charitable organisations we would share our experiences and lessons learnt from the Corona crisis.
Wir suchen ab sofort eine Assistenz der Geschäftsleitung, die der FSFE dabei hilft, Menschen im selbstbestimmten Umgang mit Technik zu unterstützen. In dieser Position sind Sie gemeinsam mit unserem Team in Berlin verantwortlich für den reibungslosen Bürobetrieb. Die Stelle ist ausgelegt für 25-35 Stunden pro Woche. Aufgrund der derzeitigen Situation und der Schwierigkeit eine neue Person einzuarbeiten, wurde die Bewerbungsfrist wie unten beschrieben verlängert.
Was ist Freie Software? Wie trägt sie zur digitalen Souveränität, Sicherheit und Transparenz der staatlichen digitalen Infrastruktur bei? Welche Schritte können öffentliche Verwaltungen unternehmen? Diese und weitere Fragen werden in unserer Publikation "Public Money Public Code - Modernisierung der öffentlichen Infrastruktur mit Freier Software" beantwortet. Nach der erfolgreichen Veröffentlichung der englischen Version unserer Broschüre haben wir diese in drei weitere Sprachen übersetzt: Deutsch, Tschechisch und brasilianisches Portugiesisch.
Stellen Sie sich dieses hypothetische Szenario vor: Sie sind umgezogen. Abgesehen von all dem Stress, den das Einpacken, der Transport und das Auspacken all Ihrer Sachen in Ihrem neuen Zuhause mit sich bringt, müssen Sie sich auch mit dem Anschluss der Haustechnik befassen. Der Stromanbieter erweist sich als schwierig: Dieser meint, Sie müssten Ihren Fernseher, den Toaster, den Kühlschrank und die meisten Ihrer Lampen austauschen.
The recent security scandal around WhatsApp and access to the content of private groups shows that there is an urgent need for action with regard to secure communication.
From our own pre-FOSDEM event, to the exciting FOSDEM weekend, to I love Free Software day, February was full of exciting news for the FSFE. We used these occasions to present our work, as well as to offer communities around Europe the opportunity to present their own. Read about our booths and presentations, about love and upcoming events in our February Newsletter.
Während Du dies liest, verbessert irgendwo jemand den Code einer Freien Software, die Du für dich selbst benutzt. Freie Software gehört seit langem zum täglichen Gebrauch von Milliarden von Nutzerinnen und Nutzern, dennoch bleiben die Menschen hinter den jeweiligen Projekten oft unsichtbar. Gemeinsam wollen wir das ändern. Am 14. Februar ist der "I Love Free Software"-Tag, ein Tag, an dem Du Deine Liebe zeigen und Deine favorisierte Freie Software und ihre Mitwirkenden feiern kannst. Schließe Dich uns an!
We are looking for interns and trainees experienced in legal, policy or technical fields. The persons will work 35 hours per week with our team in the FSFE's Berlin office. There will be coordination with remote staff and volunteers, and depending on the work area opportunity to participate in events and meetings throughout Europe.
Ende Dezember war die FSFE in Leipzig auf dem 36ten Chaos Communication Congress. Wie bereits die Jahre zuvor waren wir mit viel Infomaterial, Vorträgen und Workshops auf dem Congress präsent. Die FSFE war einer der Hauptorganisatoren des Clusters about:freedom, ein Zusammenschluss von 12 zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen und Gruppen. Gemeinsam mit unseren Partnern haben wir den Schwerpunkt auf digitale Rechte und netzpolitische Themen gelegt.
2020 is not just a new year, it is the dawn of a new decade. With more and more automated systems run by software, a political representation of freedom is more needed than ever. Read in our January Newsletter about why Cory Doctorow supports the FSFE financially and why you should do so too. Read about our upcoming FOSDEM activities including our pre-FOSDEM meeting and reflections on our presence at the Chaos Communication Congress. Also we have a new Software Freedom Podcast with Harald Welte and reports from our community.
In the monthly Software Freedom Podcast we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this episode, we talk with Carmen Bianca Bakker about the REUSE project. By this we are covering the very broad topic of software licensing and the problems there, which REUSE is able to solve with three simple steps.
Once a month, we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this third episode, our guest is Harald Welte, Free Software programmer and activist. Harald discusses with us his current projects regarding mobile phone communication and the general status of Free Software in this area.
We are back with the second episode of our Software Freedom Podcast! Once a month, we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this episode, we talk with Lydia Pintscher from KDE about the development of the KDE community, the different KDE projects and the issues they will be tackling over the next two years.
Wir haben einen Podcast! Beginnend mit dieser Episode werden wir, einmal im Monat mit Personen sprechen, die inspirierende Ideen zu Freier Software haben. In unserer ersten Episode des Software Freedom Podcasts adressieren wir Probleme von DRM zusammen mit Cory Doctorow, dem britisch-kanadischen Schriftsteller und politischem Aktivisten, sowie Co-Autor des Blogs boingboing.net. Außerdem ist er ein prominenter Unterstützer von Softwarefreiheit und weniger restriktiven Urheberrechtsgesetzen. Seine Bücher sind unter Creative-Commons-Lizenzen veröffentlicht.