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Forty years of commitment to software freedom

by Miriam Bastian Contributions Published on Nov 05, 2024 02:48 PM
We're planning a jam-packed anniversary year and we hope you'll join us for the festivities!
Forty years of commitment to software freedom

Image depicts an older computer with a birthday cake on it.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) turns forty on October 4, 2025 and we will end our thirties on a high note! We wish we were celebrating the achievement of software freedom for all computer users, but we're not there yet. Until our mission becomes reality and we can retire, instead, we are celebrating forty years of activism, and all that we have achieved. Since our founding in 1985, we laid out many stepping stones on the road to software freedom, and we're eager to continue building the road ahead.

We will celebrate our fortieth in the spirit of bringing the international free software community together, discussing what we can do next to make the world freer, and celebrating how far we've come. We're aiming for a libre planet! Sounds familiar? Instead of hosting one LibrePlanet conference in 2025, we're planning a jam-packed anniversary year, filled with several new and exciting activities!

We'll begin the anniversary year with an unprecedented memorabilia auction, starting as a silent auction on March 17, and culminating in a virtual live auction on March 23. By moving out of the FSF office, we got to sort through all the fun and historically important memorabilia and selected the best ones. This is your chance to get your very own personal souvenir of the FSF, from original GNU art to a famous katana and the very same VT220 that was standing on the FSF's front desk, and which people used to display ASCII art or to play free software games.

Let's claim the month of May as libre planet (or libre local) month! We're inviting free software supporters like you anywhere in the world, to organize an in-person community meetup in your area to bring people together. We're setting up a small fund for these local gatherings, can send stickers, flyers, ideas and tips, and you can invite an FSF staff member to give a talk or workshop during your event and of course, we'll help promote it. Need help picking a date? Consider the first weekend of the month, when LibrePlanet 2024: Cultivating Community was held.

Then, on the actual birthday of the FSF on October 4, 2025, there will be a big celebration in Boston, MA, and the entire free software community is invited. We're also planning on having the associate member meeting then. These are just some of the big ticket items we have worked out, but there is more! Keep an eye out on the FSF's pages, we'll be posting exact information on everything upcoming.

In the meantime, naturally, there are a few ways you can get involved in the spirit of LibrePlanet and join us in celebrating forty years of advocating for software freedom.

Organize a community meetup in your area

Are you up for organizing a get-together in your area in May? Maybe together with someone else? Create an opportunity to share your favorite moments in the free software movement with each other, plan a protest, your very own freedom walk, debate the biggest challenges to software freedom and how to cope with them, or discuss how can we best promote free software at universities, colleges, in government institutions, or among our friends. These are just some ideas. In the end, the agenda is entirely up to you. The only requirement is that all meetups stick to the Safe Space Policy. Send us a message to campaigns@fsf.org and we'll help you set up and promote your meetup!

Volunteer

All events will also, as always, rely on the help of volunteers, online or in person, so if you're interested in helping out with any of our activities this year, join in! And send an email to resources@fsf.org.

Submit your artwork to the FSF Anniversary Logo Contest

The FSF is a community-supported organization, and we want to pay tribute to this fact by holding a design contest. We would like to source the fortieth anniversary logo design directly from a free software supporter. Everyone is welcome to submit a design (or even multiple designs) no matter your previous experience in design.

The winning design will be chosen by the community and ultimately immortalized in the history of the FSF. It will be displayed on the FSF homepage, printed on all of the celebration printed materials, and possibly even stamped on some merchandise.

To enter a design(s) into the contest, please review the deadlines, requirements, and suggestions.

If you haven't done so yet sign up for the Free Software Supporter and follow us on Mastodon to stay tuned on all updates about the anniversary.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

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