FSF France: Wecena

FSF France and Wecena have signed a collaboration agreement, the goal of which is to find companies which would be ready to benefit the association, and the scientific and educational projects it supports, through voluntary service involving the labor of its employees between contracts.

Wecena reduces the "numerical fracture of skills" which separates the nonprofit world from the business world. It allows partnerships and non-government organizations working in the educational, charity, or public health sectors to benefit from the work of computer engineers and consultants between contracts at their companies. The latter thus commit themselves to a form of pro bono work at minimal cost since the French tax system grants important tax savings to SSII (Societe de Services en Ingenierie Informatique -- information technology consulting companies) and to consulting firms that accept to offer their services to nonprofits free of charge.

FSF France houses numerous free software projects under the umbrella of GNA. GNA, like GNU Savannah, hosts many free software projects, including Xenomai, Decade, Savane, and PyVot. These programs could benefit from the support of Wecena and thereby from the skills of engineers between contracts.

The latter could also contribute to the maintenance, administration, and exploitation of GNA. For instance, an engineer specialized in development of embedded software -- like the software in wireless access points -- could contribute his/her expertise to unlock the technological bolts of the Xenomai project, or a writer could fill in the gaps for the documentation of Savane, which is essential for the emergence of new methods of collaborative work. All skills have a place in free software.

FSF France therefore encourages all companies interested in the development of their employees between contracts to contact Jean Millerat, social entrepreneur and Wecena initiator "so that this intelligence mine might be exploited to the fullest."