La FSFE publie un guide d'expertise sur la campagne “Public Money? Public Code!"

Pourquoi les gouvernements devraient-ils développer du Logiciel Libre ? Où le Logiciel Libre procure-t-il déjà des avantages dans le secteur public ? Quels sont les modèles économiques du Logiciel Libre ? La réponse à ces questions ainsi que des conseils pratiques sont donnés dans le nouveau guide d'usage et d'expertise publié aujourd'hui par la Free Software Foundation Europe. Rédigé à l'attention des décisionnaires, ce guide sera une source d'information utile pour les candidats aux élections européennes et leurs partis. Les versions numérique et papier du document sont disponibles sous une licence Creative Commons.

Aujourd'hui la Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) publie sa brochure stratégique, "Public Money Public Code - Modernising Public Infrastructure with Free Software". Cette brochure vise à répondre aux questions des dirigeant·e·s sur les avantages à utiliser et produire du Logiciel Libre pour les administrations publiques. Pour souligner le rôle important qu'ont les marchés publics en la matière, la brochure présente un panorama de projets et de politiques européennes sur le logiciel libre, qui éclairent le contexte législatif de la passation de marchés de produits logiciels. La FSFE utilisera cette brochure lors des élections européennes à venir, pour informer les députés européens sur la manière d'accélérer la diffusion et le développement de Logiciel Libre dans les administrations publiques, en mettant en place la législation appropriée.

À propos de la brochure

La brochure évalue la modernisation des infrastructures publiques à l'aide du Logiciel Libre, du point de vue de l'éducation, de la loi, des affaires et des institutions gouvernementales. Des articles spécialisés, des rapports et des interviews aident les lecteurs à comprendre les avantages du Logiciel Libre pour les administrations publiques. Au niveau décisionnel, des conseils pratiques sont également fournis pour aider les responsables à initier la modernisation des infrastructures publiques avec les Logiciels Libres.

Le Président de la FSFE Matthias Kirschner déclare : "Les licences des Logiciels Libres ont démontré leur apport immense au secteur public. Ce n'est pas une tendance passagère, mais bien un développement de à long terme qui se base sur des expériences très positives, et des considérations stratégiques issues de situations préoccupantes résultant de cas de verrouillage/cloisonnement commercial par le passé. Dans quelques années, les licences de Logiciel Libre pourraient devenir la clause par défaut pour les projets informatiques financées par des fonds publics. La Free Software Foundation Europe observe ces développements avec beaucoup d'attention, et nous souhaitons apporter notre expertise pour soutenir le secteur public dans cette transition."

Les premiers pas pour faire des licences de Logiciel Libre le choix par défaut dans les projets informatiques sur fonds publics sont expliqués dans la brochure. Y sont également traités la concurrence et le verrouillage commercial, la sécurité, la démocratie, les "smart cities" et d'autres débats importants du moment. Le vocabulaire et les exemples utilisés ont été choisis spécifiquement pour les personnes impliquées dans la vie politique et les administrations publiques. Si vous êtes intéréssé·e ou cherchez un support papier de qualité professionnelle pour défendre vos arguments, procurez-vous un exemplaire :

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La brochure met en avant des experts à la pointe dans le domaine des TIC (Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication). Vous y trouverez, parmi d'autres, Francesca Bria - Chief of Technology and Digital Innovation Officer (CTIO) de la mairie de Barcelone City Council, le Pr. et Dr. Simon Schlauri - auteur d'une analyse légale détaillée sur les avantages du Logiciel Libre pour le canton suisse de Berne, Cedric Thomas – CEO de OW2, Matthias Stürmer – Chef du Centre de Recherche pour la Pérennité Numérique à l'Université de Berne, et Basanta Thapa – du Centre de Compétences pour l'Informatique Publique (ÖFIT) au sein de l'Institut Fraunhofer pour les Systèmes de Communication Ouverts. La brochure est diffusée sous forme numérique et imprimée, et est publiée sous une licence CC BY-SA 4.0.

À propos de la campagne

Avec la campagne 'Public Money, Public Code' (Argent public Code Public), la FSFE demande que les logiciels développés pour le secteur public avec des fonds publics soient être diffusées publiquement sous licence de Logiciel Libre et Open Source (FLOSS). La lettre ouverte de la campagne a récolté jusqu'ici plus de 19 000 signatures, ainsi que le soutien de plus de 150 organisations. Si c'est de l'argent public, alors le code devrait être public aussi !

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FSFE publishes expert brochure about “Public Money? Public Code!"

Why should governments develop Free Software? Where is Free Software already generating benefits in the public sector? What are Free Software business models? Answers to these questions and practical guidelines are given in the new expert policy brochure published today by the Free Software Foundation Europe. Produced with decision-takers in mind, the brochure will be a helpful source of information for candidates and parties running for the European Parliament election. Downloads and prints are available under a Creative Commons license.

Today the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) releases its policy brochure, "Public Money Public Code - Modernising Public Infrastructure with Free Software". This brochure aims to answer decision-takers' questions about the benefits of using and developing Free Software for public administrations. To help understand the important role that public procurement plays in this, the brochure presents an overview of EU Free Software projects and policies, uncovering legislation on software procurement. The FSFE will use this brochure in the upcoming European Parliament elections to inform MEPs how to speed up the distribution and development of Free Software in public administration and putting in place appropriate legislation.

About the brochure

The brochure evaluates the modernisation of public infrastructure with using Free Software from the perspectives of academia, law, business, and government. Expert articles, reports, and interviews help readers to understand the opportunities for Free Software in public administration. For decision-takers, practical guidance is provided to move forward and start modernising public infrastructure with Free Software.

FSFE President Matthias Kirschner states: "Free Software licences have proven to generate tremendous benefits for the public sector. This is not a trend that will pass, but rather a long-term development that is based on very positive experiences, and strategic considerations resulting from serious vendor lock-in cases in the past. In a few years, Free Software licences could become the default setting for publicly financed IT projects. The Free Software Foundation Europe watches these developments very carefully and we want to contribute our knowledge to support the public sector in this transition."

First steps for making Free Software licenses the default in publicly financed IT projects are outlined in the brochure. Other topics cover competition and potential vendor lock-in, security, democracy, "smart cities", and other important contemporary debates. The language and examples used have been specifically chosen for readers interested in politics and public administrations. If you are interested or looking for a professional print to communicate your arguments, get yourself a copy:

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The brochure stars leading experts from various ICT areas. These include, among others, Francesca Bria - Chief of Technology and Digital Innovation Officer (CTIO) for the Barcelona City Council, Prof. Dr. Simon Schlauri - author of a detailed legal analysis on the benefits of Free Software for the Swiss canton of Bern, Cedric Thomas – CEO of OW2, Matthias Stürmer – head of the Research Center for Digital Sustainability at the University of Bern, and Basanta Thapa – from the Competence Center for Public IT (ÖFIT) within the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems. The brochure is released in digital and print, and is published under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

About the campaign

With the 'Public Money, Public Code' campaign, the FSFE demands that publicly financed software developed for the public sector is made publicly available under a Free and Open Source Software licence. The campaign's open letter has, until now, gained more than 19.000 signatures, as well as support from more than 150 organisations. If it is public money, it should be public code as well!

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FSFE is hiring: Fundraising Manager

We are looking for a Fundraising Manager to support our work to empower people to control technology. The person will work 35 hours per week with our team in the Berlin office, being in charge of the FSFE's individual and corporate fundraising.

About the FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology. Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives; and it is important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.

The FSFE helps individuals and organisations to understand how Free Software contributes to freedom, transparency, and self-determination. It enhances users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourages people to use and develop Free Software, and provides resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.

We are involved in legal, economic, political, and technical projects around Free Software (see our work areas and our campaigns).

Our work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters and donors. To make this community more sustainable, we are looking for a Fundraising Manager to help us sustainably grow the FSFE's supporter base and increase our grants and donations. The Fundraising Manager will develop, adjust, and implement fundraising strategies and goals in close cooperation with our team of employees and volunteers.

Main responsibilities Constant development, adjustment, and implementation of fundraising strategies and goals, Coordination of fundraising campaigns, Independent identification of fundraising opportunities, as well as establishing and taking care of networks and contacts, Monitor grant opportunities and write applications, Content-related development, analysis, and maintenance of databases, Update and modify websites, promo material, and the FSFE's public appearance, in order to match with fundraising goals, Handle finances for EU projects and other project grants, Financial responsibilities for and controlling of fundraising related processes, Update of transparency pages and other reporting about funds. Qualifications Work experience with fundraising for non-profit charities in the field of individual and corporate donors and grant management, Knowledge and experience in understanding the financial side of the charitable non-profit sector, Basic knowledge about accounting and controlling, Very reliable and well-organised, Data analysis skills, Good communication skills, Ablility to understand legal, economic, political, and slightly technical arguments about Free Software, and then being able to lead projects which involve people from those different backgrounds, Fluency in written and spoken English; other European languages are considered an asset, Being able to work with HTML and CSS to improve website content under version control system, or learn it fast, Basic graphic design skills are a nice-to-have, Knowledge about how to use a GNU/Linux laptop is a plus, Knowledge about the Free Software field and affinity with the FSFE's values and mission. Ability to communicate the FSFE's work towards people and organisations with technical, political, legal, or economic backgrounds, and working together with volunteers. Attitude

We are looking for a reliable and well-organised team player who is passionate about helping to increase the FSFE's budget so we can make the world a better place for further generations. While patiently and discreetly making concrete mid-term improvements, you should work sustainably and keep your long-term focus on the FSFE’s mission.

How to apply

To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter including a salary proposal for a 35 hour week and a maximum two-page CV (only PDFs are accepted) by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject “Fundraising Manager”. Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application.

Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision. The closing date for applications is 3 February 2019. Interviews with selected candidates will take place in the beginning of February. The start date for the job will be March 2019. The employment will first last for 14 months.

Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Hence, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and promise to judge all applications on merit, without reference to any of the characteristics listed. To promote diversity and equality in the Free Software community, we shall give preference to applicants who identify as part of a traditionally marginalised demographic in technology for applications of equal strength.

Support FSFE, join the Fellowship
Make a one time donation

FSFE is hiring: Fundraising Manager

We are looking for a Fundraising Manager to support our work to empower people to control technology. The person will work 35 hours per week with our team in the Berlin office, being in charge of the FSFE's individual and corporate fundraising.

About the FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology. Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives; and it is important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.

The FSFE helps individuals and organisations to understand how Free Software contributes to freedom, transparency, and self-determination. It enhances users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourages people to use and develop Free Software, and provides resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.

We are involved in legal, economic, political, and technical projects around Free Software (see our work areas and our campaigns).

Our work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters and donors. To make this community more sustainable, we are looking for a Fundraising Manager to help us sustainably grow the FSFE's supporter base and increase our grants and donations. The Fundraising Manager will develop, adjust, and implement fundraising strategies and goals in close cooperation with our team of employees and volunteers.

Main responsibilities Constant development, adjustment, and implementation of fundraising strategies and goals, Coordination of fundraising campaigns, Independent identification of fundraising opportunities, as well as establishing and taking care of networks and contacts, Monitor grant opportunities and write applications, Content-related development, analysis, and maintenance of databases, Update and modify websites, promo material, and the FSFE's public appearance, in order to match with fundraising goals, Handle finances for EU projects and other project grants, Financial responsibilities for and controlling of fundraising related processes, Update of transparency pages and other reporting about funds. Qualifications Work experience with fundraising for non-profit charities in the field of individual and corporate donors and grant management, Knowledge and experience in understanding the financial side of the charitable non-profit sector, Basic knowledge about accounting and controlling, Very reliable and well-organised, Data analysis skills, Good communication skills, Ablility to understand legal, economic, political, and slightly technical arguments about Free Software, and then being able to lead projects which involve people from those different backgrounds, Fluency in written and spoken English; other European languages are considered an asset, Being able to work with HTML and CSS to improve website content under version control system, or learn it fast, Basic graphic design skills are a nice-to-have, Knowledge about how to use a GNU/Linux laptop is a plus, Knowledge about the Free Software field and affinity with the FSFE's values and mission. Ability to communicate the FSFE's work towards people and organisations with technical, political, legal, or economic backgrounds, and working together with volunteers. Attitude

We are looking for a reliable and well-organised team player who is passionate about helping to increase the FSFE's budget so we can make the world a better place for further generations. While patiently and discreetly making concrete mid-term improvements, you should work sustainably and keep your long-term focus on the FSFE’s mission.

How to apply

To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter including a salary proposal for a 35 hour week and a maximum two-page CV (only PDFs are accepted) by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject “Fundraising Manager”. Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application.

Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision. The closing date for applications is 3 February 2019. Interviews with selected candidates will take place in the beginning of February. The start date for the job will be March 2019. The employment will first last for 14 months.

Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Hence, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and promise to judge all applications on merit, without reference to any of the characteristics listed. To promote diversity and equality in the Free Software community, we shall give preference to applicants who identify as part of a traditionally marginalised demographic in technology for applications of equal strength.

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Make a one time donation

FSFE Newsletter December 2018Recent developments and their impact on the well-being of Free Software and its communities

The second half of 2018 was full of interesting developments for the Free Software community and its environment. In our December newsletter, we would like to shed light on three major developments that have the potential for long-lasting changes to the Free Software world and what these changes mean for the FSFE's work in 2019 and beyond.

One of the most controversial policy topics in the European Union 2018 was, and still is, the harmonisation of copyright with a new copyright directive. Regarding the well-being of software freedom, one of the most important debates was around Article 13 which can seriously hamper collaborative software development by imposing the use of mandatory upload filters and monitoring of their users on code-hosting platforms. As a result of this proposal, Free Software code-hosting platforms and public code repositories can be arbitrarily removed online.

After a long and intense debate that we accompanied with your help and our Save Code Share campaign, we obtained some limited exclusion for Free Software in the text of the European Parliament's directive at the beginning of September. With the adoption of amendment 143 and 150 of the current copyright reform proposal in the European Parliament, we now have at least an exclusion for “open source software developing platforms (..) within the meaning of this Directive”. However, the council proposed this exclusion to only be valid for “non-commercial open source software developing platforms”. That's why since the beginning of October, the European Parliament and the Council have been in the Trialogue to debate the final text. To keep Free Software development excluded from this harmful directive, the FSFE will closely follow the process, raising our voices for Free Software. If you like to support our role and work in this area, consider donating or join us as a supporter.

Other developments include an update to the Code of Conduct for the Linux Kernel, as well as its main developer Linus Torvalds taking a break and sending a public mail to apologize for his past behaviour. Without reading too much into it, one thing that perhaps can be taken from this is an ever growing importance for many members inside larger Free Software communities towards a proper code of conduct. At the FSFE we have our own Code of Conduct "to offer a friendly and peaceful environment for every participant at the FSFE's events, online and offline" and we clearly state on our event pages that "All FSFE's events are covered by our Code of Conduct that kindly asks all participants to be excellent to each other." Meanwhile, hundreds of Free Software communities have their own code of conduct or they have signed the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct. This is a development that we highly appreciate and we continue support the well-being of diverse Free Software communities.

Also in recent months, we have seen that some global players who have been grown by selling closed source products since the 20th century, now invest billions of dollars to acquire those global players who have been grown by selling services based on Free Software in the 21st century. For example Microsoft obtained the largest host of source code in the world by purchasing Github, and IBM procured the worlds largest Free-Software-affiliated company by acquiring Red Hat. Although we can only guess what effects these economic shifts will bring about in the long run, we see a growing economic interest in Free Software from third party players. While this is not necessarily a bad development, balance should be called for at the same time. With growing investment capital, it seems crucial to have non-profit organizations being heard as well, who have the potential to safeguard a neutral but prospering environment for Free Software - like the Free Software Foundation Europe. It is the first statement of our mission to ensure that the interests of the individual users are protected by empowering users to control technology. And by doing so, hopefully facilitating access to our road into a free society.

If you like to support our role and work in ensuring users freedom, consider donating or join us as a supporter.

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What else have we done? Inside and Outside the FSFE During the weekend of 24. and 25. of November, we hosted the first FSFE Hackathon. A handful of hackers were gathering at the Onion Space in Berlin to improve the FSFE's web presence - with one participant even coming all the way from Linz, Austria. In preparation. we used the FSFE's git-issue-tracker and created a milestone for the Hackathon 2018. Thanks to the assembled expertise brought in by the participants, we were able to achieve major improvements in the front-end and the back-end of the FSFE's web presence. The most obvious front-end changes include, but are not limited to, updating the info-frame on the right side of FSFE's front-page, a re-work of our news-page, as well as our events-page and a new backend to submit FSFE related events. Participants are eager to run another hackathon in spring 2019, so stay tuned if you would like to join. Local FSFE community meetings happened this month in Helsinki, Rhein-Main (Frankfurt), Hamburg, Kiel, Bonn, and Linz. If you would like to see your local FSFE meeting listed here, please announce it with our improved event announcement tool. On some occasions where a lot of your friends, family members or colleagues celebrate you - like weddings, birthdays or christmas -, you might prefer they donate on a good cause instead of gifting you personally. To make your own fundraising messages easier on these occasions, you can find few suggestions for inspiration in our wiki. Do not miss: upcoming events with the FSFE 35C3: As in previous years, we are hosting a FSFE assembly during the Chaos Communication Congress from December 27. to 30. in Leipzig. Our assembly is meant to be a place for and by our members, friends and supporters, and offers a common space to discuss, meet, hack and organise. We also have a bunch of speakers selected from our Call for Participation who will provide insights on burning topics regarding Free Software in various fields - from funding Free Software to rejecting surveillance to helping lifesaving and many more. You can see the full schedule, once the 35C3-Wiki is online. Pass by, talk to us and hear our talks. FOSDEM 2019: The Free and Open Source Developers European Meeting, the de facto largest Free Software developers conference in Europe, will take place on February 2nd and 3rd at Campus Solbosch of the Free University Brussels (ULB). As with every year, the FSFE will be present at our large information booth with our entire collection of information material, stickers, postcards, and the latest FSFE fashion. Also, our core FSFE team will be at the booth and we are looking forward to meeting you and discussing your plans (or our common plans) to continue spreading software freedom in Europe in 2019. Get Active

Thanks to our first FSFE hackathon (see above) and also to previous updates in recent weeks, our homepage has an ever more appealing and intuitive user experience design. That means many changes to our English web presence need to be reflected in other languages. If you would like to help spread our message in your language, please help us to update and translate the FSFE's new web pages! You can find information on how you can contribute on our translators page. Our translation team is very helpful and welcoming. Do not hesitate to ask for any help or where to start on our translators list.

Contribute to our newsletter

If you would like to share any thoughts, pictures, or news, send them to us. As always, the address is newsletter@fsfe.org. We're looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks to our community, all the volunteers, supporters and donors who make our work possible. And thanks to our translators, who enable you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.

Please be aware that there will be no newsletter in January.

Your editor, Erik Albers

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