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Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/free-software-is-powerful-because-of-you
Dear Free Software Supporter,
This year-end, we want you to take a moment to consider all the
different ways in which free software can help us get to a freer, more
just digital society. Our fundraising goal is $400,000, and we
are just over 25% away from reaching it! The deadline is just a day away.
We need your support, and any contribution is valuable. This is a
great reason to speak to your neighbors and loved ones about free
software. We need to secure the funds to defend the four freedoms
and educate others about them.
By donating to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) today, you help secure a free future, one in
which everyone will be able to learn in freedom and will know their
rights as a user. You can also advocate for user freedom by convincing
just one person to join the FSF. Any
contribution made before December 31 will count towards achieving our
year-end goal. Below is a message from our president, Geoffrey Knauth,
reflecting on the FSF's mission to protect software users everywhere.
Public discourse in 2024 included such themes as: Will democracies
survive? Is the 21st century becoming one of dictators and oligarchs?
Does might make right? Do people care about human rights? What are
humans doing to the Earth? And each other? Are we good stewards of
all that has been given to us?
Many of us bury our heads in the sand. But it reminds
me of something I learned more than forty years ago, when I was young
and in college. At first I despaired, because I was paying too much
attention to the people who drew away the light from others, the
wealthy, the powerful, the self-obsessed, the people who wanted to be
seen. It got me down. Then halfway through, I realized that the great
majority of people around me were very nice people, individuals from
all backgrounds, quietly working hard and doing great things. I
finished college much happier than when I started.
The world of free software is decentralized by design. It is not about
egos, domination, market capture, or subtraction and division. It is
addition and multiplication, paying it forward and doing the right
thing again and again for people so that they are empowered forever to
have computing freedom, to learn from the good and the best, and to
share creations for the benefit of others. That is what makes free
software powerful. It is you. You are powerful. You have these
rights. At the Free Software Foundation (FSF), the reason we exist is
to protect those rights and freedoms for you against any forces in
this world that would whittle them away slowly or just take them from
you outright.
We are grateful for the steady support of associate members and
contributions of donors who allow our staff to work hard so that your
computing will enjoy expanding freedom for the benefit of all future
generations, not just our own. Freedom is not a value measured on a
quarterly spreadsheet: it has an advancing time scale measured in
centuries of solid gains or losses. A membership doesn't cost that
much financially, but it helps immensely to keep freedom moving
forward!
There is a lot of work currently being done at the FSF to evaluate
current trends in machine learning, always with an eye to make sure
that your individual rights are protected and you remain in control.
Much computing is done around you that could determine how much power
you have in your own life. You, the individual, must remain in charge
of how new technologies are used. You must remain in charge of
determining whether computing that is done using details about you and
your work is permissible, advantageous or harmful. FSF partners with
sister organizations that are just as concerned about preserving your
rights as we are.
There is increased legal work being done because of all the new
developments that could become threats to your freedom. FSF works to
identify these threats to your rights and to protect your freedoms. I thank
those who have assigned free software copyright to the FSF and for
trusting us to keep the software you create free.
In 2024, we have made good progress. We have added three new board members this year, and are reviewing
existing board members, with the goal being good and responsible
governance of the FSF that safeguards its values. Soon, we'll be publishing an article on anchoring our values that will elaborate further on this.
The staff has done a lot of work on the free software directory. We
have more than 17,000 packages, and with more volunteers and
submissions we hope to index all free software.
This year will be the fortieth anniversary of the FSF. Be on the lookout
for an auction coming up, a global member meetup in May, and an
in-person celebration in October.
The bulk of my praise is for you, the people who create free
software or documentation, or who promote and support free
software in ways big and small. Most of you are unsung heroes,
but without you we would be nothing. We are here together because
of you and the vastness of your collective contributions. Thank
you!
I also want to thank the FSF staff for their tireless work, and
thank the board for its time commitment to worthwhile discussions
of the issues that shape our present and our future.
How do we deal with the world around us? Be of good cheer. "Don't let
the turkeys get you down," as they say. Remember who you are. Do you
remember The Wizard of Oz? "Pay no attention to that man behind the
curtain!" said Oz as he tried to distract Dorothy, who had figured out
what was really going on. In a similar vein, I hope in the new year,
instead of being absorbed into anyone's attempt to rewrite your daily
life, you can cheerfully stand where you want to be, write your own
script, look around you, and draw strength from the people around you
who share your values and will help you stay free and freethinking.
Be well and be free,
Geoff Knauth
President
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