01.22.20

^{Gemini version available ♊︎}

A Simple Plan For a Universal Free Software Community

Posted in Free/Libre Software at 12:35 am by Guest Editorial Team

Summary: “For software to be free as in freedom, we need more people to care personally about software freedom.”

This plan addresses, through a global voluntary network of “labs”, Web sites, forums or clubs, several areas in which Free software simply fails to engage most users.

It encourages the creation of Free software as well as other free works, including global collaboration on a library of free works.

It allows every user to start small, whether or not they know how to code, and gently encourages (through education and improving education) everyone to learn how to code — voluntarily, for the purpose of increasing computer literacy. It encourages working with teachers around the world and inviting them to bring their ideas to the table, even if they themselves are not comfortable with computers or coding.

“It encourages working with teachers around the world and inviting them to bring their ideas to the table, even if they themselves are not comfortable with computers or coding.”This plan for a voluntary, grassroots network of autonomous online communities and offline user groups that resists censorship, resists cancellation, discovers new threats to software freedom as well as new solutions — while allowing communities to experiment with their own rules, allowing individuals to join (and more or less do things things their own way.)

It allows everyone to collaborate voluntarily on innovating Free software, promoting Free software and free works, while growing, promoting and becoming part of the Free Software Federation beyond what has existed before.

Simply put, it has something for everyone who is remotely interested in Free software or other free works, and it promotes user rights and software freedom.

“For software to be free as in freedom, we need more people to care personally about software freedom.”The goal of free software is for all software to be free. If we are going to be serious about that goal, we need to find a way to welcome everybody to be free, while understanding and caring about freedom. Becoming part of that freedom — being invested in free licenses and becoming interested in Free software as well, is one of the ways we can get more of the world involved and supporting this cause.

For software to be free as in freedom, we need more people to care personally about software freedom. But for too many people, that is too abstract and (while you can care about and benefit from freedom even if you don’t code) too hypothetical.

You can find out more about the Free Software Federation from their websites, here.

You can join or get started today. █

Licence (image and text): Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (public domain)

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