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SFP#45: The final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive

vendredi 30 janvier 2026 à 00:00

SFP#45: The final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive

What can be better while travelling to FOSDEM than to listen to the (hopefully) final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED)? In this 45th SFP episode Alexander Sander and Bonnie Mehring are discussing the RED with their former colleague Max Mehl.

Together, Alex, Bonnie, and Max, unfold the history of the Radio Equipment Directive and the latest developments in regard to this regulation. The FSFE's involvement started when Max, back then in 2015 a working student for the FSFE, printed all the pages of this directive on the university printer and sat down to read through them word by word. In the document he marked the Article 3(3)i as problematic as it threatens the installation of Free Software on radio devices, like routers or smart home technologies. Since then, he continued to work towards safeguarding Free Software on radio devices.

When Max took the next step in his career in 2022, Alex took over the work and continued, together with the help and insights of Max, to keep working towards software freedom and device neutrality, allowing users to install Free Software on radio devices. Now in 2025 the Radio Equipment Directive and the drafting of the delegated act for the Article 3(3)i have reached their final stage. Listen to our 45th episode to find out more!

The FSFE's policy work is an important part of our aim to safeguard Free Software. You can support our work by donating.

Show notes

We are happy to receive your feedback on the Software Freedom Podcast and especially on the transcript of the episode. Please, email us to: podcast@fsfe.org. If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.

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The FSFE at FOSDEM 2026: connect, learn, and celebrate Free Software with us in Brussels!

jeudi 22 janvier 2026 à 00:00

The FSFE at FOSDEM 2026: connect, learn, and celebrate Free Software with us in Brussels!

FOSDEM returns in 2026, once again bringing together thousands of developers, contributors, and Free Software enthusiasts from around the world. Whether this is your first FOSDEM or you are already an expert at navigating the ULB campus, we hope to see you there!

On the first weekend of February from Saturday 31 January to Sunday 1 February, the Free Software communities come together and travel from all over the world to attend one of its oldest and most well-known conferences: FOSDEM. Every year, this unique event brings together around 8,000 developers at the ULB Solbosch campus in Brussels.

The FSFE is excited to be part of FOSDEM 2026 with our booth, the Legal and Policy DevRoom which we co-organise, and several talks across different tracks. In addition, this year we are also involved in organising two more devrooms: Funding the Free Software Ecosystem, which debuted last year and Free Software Mobile.

If you are planning to attend FOSDEM, we encourage you to join our Matrix FOSDEM 2026 room to stay up to date and connect with us. In our Matrix room you will also hear all about our social gatherings, which you should not miss!

Like many of you, our team will already be in Brussels on Friday evening. If you would like to kick off your FOSDEM experience with good vibes, we would love for you to join us for our first social meeting! It is a great opportunity to relax, meet fellow community members, and reconnect before the conference begins. All the details will be shared in our Matrix room!

The FSFE at FOSDEM 2026

We know how packed these two days will be: countless talks to attend, workshops to learn and improve your skills, and even more people to meet. Still, do not forget to stop by the FSFE booth during FOSDEM! You find us in the K building level 2. Group A - 09.

We will have plenty of goodies waiting for you, including stickers, new T-shirts and socks, hoodies, and much more. You will also find Ada books available in seven different languages, including the new Dutch edition. So come say hello, grab some swag, and have a chat with us at the booth. The FSFE team will be there and happy to meet you, discuss our work, answer your questions, and share more about our activities and our vision for 2048.

Saturday, 31 January

On Saturday, we will have a full day! You will once again find us at the Legal and Policy Issues DevRoom, which we have been co-hosting since 2020. The DevRoom will start at 10:30 (Brussels time) in UB5.230 and will feature in-depth discussions on key legal and policy issues affecting Free Software. There you will meet the organizers: Matthias Kirschner (FSFE President) and Alexander Sander (FSFE Senior Policy Consultant), joined by Karen Sandler and Bradley Kuhn (Software Freedom Conservancy), Tom Marble (Informatique, Inc.), and Richard Fontana (Red Hat).

In addition, running in parallel with this DevRoom, two other tracks co-organised by the FSFE will take place. Funding the FOSS Ecosystem (UD2.218A) brings together developers, maintainers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, donors, and funders to explore sustainable funding models that support the long-term health and security of Free Software projects. The FOSS on Mobile (UB4.132) track focuses on maintaining and strengthening the Free Software mobile ecosystem through research, experimental projects, and new forms of collaboration, fostering innovation while staying true to its core values.

Later on Saturday afternoon, Tobias Diekershoff, FSFE System Hacker and core developer of the Friendica project, will give a concise introduction to the project together with Michael Vogel, a core member of the Friendica development team.

Once again, we will round off the day with our community by meeting for dinner and reflecting on the highlights of a long day at FOSDEM. Join us for a relaxed evening of good food and great conversations! Details will be shared in our Matrix room 🍽️

Our Saturday highlight’s in a glimpse:

Sunday, 1 February

On Sunday, starting at 11:40, you will have the opportunity to join Bonnie Mehring and Øjvind, the FSFE’s podcast’s host and editor respectively, to learn how to produce your first podcast using Free Software. The FSFE has been running its own podcast, the Software Freedom Podcast, since 2019.

Bonnie and Øjvind will share their experience, tools, and techniques, guiding you through the process of creating your own podcast project entirely with Free Software.

If you like the inspiring story of “Ada & Zangemann – A Tale of Software, Skateboards and Raspberry Ice Cream” – which you will find at our booth in different languages-, we recommend you to attend our talk in the main track about it. In it Nico Rikken and Matthias Kirschner will tell the story how the automation developed over time and will share inspiring stories from the community that leveraged the automation and influenced its development. Afterwards, join the book signing for the Dutch edition of Ada & Zangemann at the FSFE booth.

Our Sunday highlights at a glance:

We will also close the day with another dinner, for the ones who leave on Monday. As usual, all the details will be shared in our matrix chat!

To best navigate FOSDEM: Plan your schedule, for example with the help of the several Free Software apps that you can find in F-Droid such as Giggity, and make time to stop by at our talks and our booth.

See you at FOSDEM 2026!

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SFP#44: Policy and EU: Navigate through current relevant EU initiatives

vendredi 16 janvier 2026 à 00:00

SFP#44: Policy and EU: Navigate through current relevant EU initiatives

January is a busy month. We all come back from our relaxing (or in some cases rather stressful) holidays and what best to do with all the energy the New Year brings along? Of course, we have to advocate for Free Software! One way is advocating for the representation of Free Software in the initiatives the European Union is working.

In our first Software Freedom Podcast episode of the year, Alex and Bonnie talk about the "Digital Decade policy program", the "European Open Digital Ecosystem" and the Procurement initiative that are open for consultation and awaiting your feedback. Alex and Bonnie help you to navigate the European politics.

The FSFE's policy work is an important part of our aim to safeguard Free Software and help to further the implementation of "Public Money? Public Code!". You can support our work by donating.

Show notes

We are happy to receive your feedback on the Software Freedom Podcast and especially on the transcript of the episode. Please, send us an email to: podcast@fsfe.org. If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.

Support FSFE

A strong close to 2025 at 39C3; a promising start to 2026 thanks to your support

mercredi 14 janvier 2026 à 00:00

A strong close to 2025 at 39C3; a promising start to 2026 thanks to your support

As 2026 begins, we are excited to see the projects from the new edition of YH4F, kicking off this month, and to start preparing for FOSDEM! At the same time, we are looking back at the last month of 2025: from 39c3 in Hamburg to our two latest Software Freedom Podcast episodes, and our updates on the Cyber Resilience Act and our work in the Apple v. European Commission litigation.

Wrapping up the year at the 39C3

Like many of you, we ended 2025 at 39c3! A fantastic way to end the year with high spirits and a shared hope for the future we all aspire to see in 2048. During our days in Hamburg, we participated in the Bits&Bäume habitat with a booth, talks, and workshops, engaging in deep, inspiring discussions with the community that often stretched late into the night. We also attended outstanding talks that reinforced how, together as a community, we can actively work toward this vision. This vision includes a future where all regulatory frameworks actively support the use and development of Free Software, such as the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

“The door is open a crack, the wind is blowing, the post-American internet is upon us. It’s a new, good internet that delivers the technological self-determination of the old good internet and the easy of use of the Web 2.0 that let's our “normie” friends to use to. And I can't wait for us all to get to hang out there because it's going to be great. ”,Cory Doctorow, at 39c3, during the final moments of his talk in which he also asked people to donate to different organisations, such as the FSFE

The role of the CRA for Free Software, our intervention at the Apple case, and digital sovereignty

Before the holiday festivities, we took, once again, one in-depth look at this European law, sharing the insights and implications we gathered through our workstream within the BSI project Dialogue for Cybersecurity’: several questions remain open, especially regarding its implications for the Free Software landscape. The relationship between Free Software projects, potential stewards, and manufacturers hangs only partially defined, and official guidance will help.

In 2025 we were also busy defending another EU law, the DMA and intervening in the Apple v. European Commission (T-1080/23) hearing before the Court of Justice of the European Union. A couple of weeks ago we sent you a mailing about the status of this case with our achievements, which will have not been possible without your support and donations.

Another hot topic in Europe at the end of 2025 has been digital sovereignty and Bonnie and Alex tackle it in one of our Software Freedom podcast episodes in December. The answer is clear: digital sovereignty is only possible by empowering people and, therefore public institutions, to control their technology and own infrastructure. In this context, we also participated in a consultation on the Digital Decade Policy Programme of the European Commission. In Germany, we were invited by the Digital Ministry to participate in a workshop on the “Germany Stack”, giving us the opportunity to underline that digital sovereignty needs Free Software.

New Year, next stops: YH4F, FOSDEM, Ada translations...

Meanwhile, 2026 is already underway and with it, the programming period for the fifth edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom! Registration is still open, so if you know any European teenager eager to showcase their skills and creativity with Free Software, now it is the time to get them involved. Participants will have fun, meet like-minded peers, and even have the chance to win cash prizes! Find out all the insights in our dedicated podcast episode about it!

While YH4F kicks off, we’re also busy preparing for our participation at FOSDEM 2026,our first opportunity this year to see many of you in person! One more time we will be there co-organizing the popular Legal & Policy issues DevRoom as well as involved in the Funding the FOSS and FOSS mobile ones. Besides some other talks and workshops, we we’ve got some exciting new merchandise: fresh T-shirts, a new design for our Free Software socks, and a brand-new sticker to help spread the word about Device Neutrality and push back against the big tech companies threatening interoperability.

But that is not all: “I Love Free Software Day” is also around the corner and we cannot wait to celebrate it in different cities across Europe, as well as to get our hands on the latest published translation of Ada & Zangemann: a Dutch edition is coming! Pre-order it now and get it at FOSDEM!

Your support helps us move our work forward. Thank you!

With our winter fundraising wrapped up, we want to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone supporting us, including our amazing donors! We may be behind the wheel, but you’re the ones keeping us moving forward. You can also support us, contribute to our work, and join our community. Are you using social media? If so, do not forget to follow us there! Maybe you have already noticed we kicked off the year with a little game in Mastodon: a poll full of questions (and answers!) about Legal and Licensing topics in Free Software! You can also follow the FSFE news in your RSS Reader.

Your editor, Ana

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Ada & Zangemann available to pre-order in Dutch

jeudi 8 janvier 2026 à 00:00

Ada & Zangemann available to pre-order in Dutch

The first story tale about digital sovereignty is now also available to pre-order in Dutch. This effort involved a lot of work by our volunteer Nico Rikken and others. Be the first to get the book by buying it at the FOSDEM conference in Brussels in the weekend of 31 January or pre-order it online and help us to spread it widely. Read his story!

It was a lot of work during the last months for me as an FSFE volunteer beside my work commitments. But in the last week of my vacation I finalised it: the book "Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream" is available for pre-order in Dutch! The story for kids and adults explains in an understandable way the importance of control over technology. It has been translated and published thanks to many volunteers who joined me in this process.

Bound as a hard-cover it makes for a nice gift that will last, no matter if you gift it to children, parents, siblings, your local library or in the work context of your boss, your employees, or your business partners.)

Be the first to get the book by buying it at the FOSDEM conference in Brussels in the weekend of 31 January. If you would like one or more copies of the book, please let me know how many you intend to pick-up at FOSDEM, so I can bring enough with me.

Can't attend FOSDEM? No problem, the book is already available for pre-order in the Netherlands and Belgium through book stores. Please pre-order now, get it from 2 February onwards, and proof the publishing industry that people buy a great book even though it is available under an Open Educational Resource license.

Please contact me if you want to buy a box of books for your company to gift the book to employees or partners, or if you have ideas for promotion.

At FOSDEM the FSFE's president Matthias Kirschner and I will also have a main track talk on Sunday 1 February 14:00 about "Automating translation of a bestseller to spark children's interest in coding".

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