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Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/forty-years-of-commitment-to-software-freedom
Dear Free Software Supporter,
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
[email protected] 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
[email protected].
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!
Yours in freedom,
Miriam Bastian
Program Manager
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