Every week free software activists from around the world come together in #fsf on irc.freenode.org to help improve the Free Software Directory. This recaps the work we accomplished at the Friday, February 17th, 2017 meeting.

We focused this past week on clearing the stack. The Directory continues to expand. This has led to a backlog of entries awaiting approval. Drilling through this backlog has been a reoccurring task for the Directory. Between us and progress were some seriously dense programs, in terms of their source code, which we powered through during the meeting. This cleared the way for simpler approvals in the future. A conversation came up regarding the user access controls for the Directory, and we also discussed the history of the formatting of licensing files.

If you would like to help update the directory, meet with us every Friday in #fsf on irc.freenode.org from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC).

Participate in supporting the FSD by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the FSD contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the FSD has been and continues to be a great resource to the world over the past decade, it has the potential of being a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

This week we will continue to hammer away at new entries to the FSD. Over the past 6 months we've done a terrific job of updating entries, with thousands of pages receiving some sort of update. That work must continue as well, but we want to make sure the FSD grows while it is improving.

If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the FSD today! There are also weekly FSD Meetings pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.

Don't delay: Register today to ensure that you will attend LibrePlanet 2017: The Roots of Freedom. Remember, FSF members and students attend gratis.

Hundreds of people from across the planet will gather at LibrePlanet 2017: The Roots of Freedom at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This year's conference speakers will examine the foundations of software freedom and the ideas and projects they inspired.

Four keynote speakers will anchor the event. Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty program of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, will kick things off on Saturday morning by sharing how technologists can enlist in the growing fight for civil liberties. On Saturday night, Free Software Foundation president Richard Stallman will present the Free Software Awards and discuss pressing threats and important opportunities for software freedom.

Day two will begin with Cory Doctorow, science fiction author and special consultant to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, revealing how to eradicate all Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) in a decade. The conference will draw to a close with Sumana Harihareswara, leader, speaker, and advocate for free software and communities, giving a talk entitled "Lessons, Myths, and Lenses: What I Wish I'd Known in 1998."

That's not all. We'll hear about the GNU philosophy from Marianne Corvellec of the French free software organization April, Joey Hess will touch on encryption with a talk about backing up your GPG keys, and Denver Gingerich will update us on a crucial free software need: the mobile phone.

Others will look at ways to grow the free software movement: through cross-pollination with other activist movements, removal of barriers to free software use and contribution, and new ideas for free software as paid work. Speakers will include Software Freedom Conservancy's director of strategic initiatives Brett Smith, blind free software activist Chris Hofstader, and Micky Metts of the Cambridge, Massachusetts Web development collective Agaric. The full program will be published soon. In the meantime, you can see the list of confirmed speakers.

Each year at LibrePlanet, we gather software developers, activists, policy experts, and computer users to share accomplishments, learn skills, and address challenges to software freedom. Newcomers are always welcome, and LibrePlanet 2017 will feature programming for a broad range of experience levels, including students.

When planning your travel, keep in mind that while the conference proper will be Saturday and Sunday, there will be social events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening.

LibrePlanet 2017 is produced in partnership by the Free Software Foundation with the Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) at MIT.

Pre-order a LibrePlanet 2017 t-shirt by March 6th

You can also pre-order a LibrePlanet 2017 commemorative t-shirt in the GNU Press shop. Order your shirt by March 6th, 7am EST/13:00 UTC to guarantee availability in your size. If you will be picking up the shirt at the conference, use the code LP17 to waive shipping costs. If you want it shipped to you, don't use that code, and expect it to arrive after the conference.

Volunteers make LibrePlanet awesome

LibrePlanet has grown in scope and attendance over the years—it started out as a Free Software Foundation membership meeting. This conference would never have become the highly-anticipated event it is today without the help of dozens of volunteers who make things happen, before and during the conference—and it's a great way to meet fellow community members. There are even ways to help if you can't attend in person! If you are interested in helping out with LibrePlanet 2017, email resources@fsf.org. We show our appreciation for our volunteers by offering gratis conference admission and a LibrePlanet t-shirt.

Don't miss out on your chance to explore the roots of freedom. Register for LibrePlanet 2017 today!

Participate in supporting the FSD by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the FSD contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the FSD has been and continues to be a great resource to the world over the past decade, it has the potential of being a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

This week we will continue to hammer away at new entries awaiting approval. We've returned to this theme because one week was not enough to verify all of the new packages that are awaiting approval. Working on these entries helps ensure that the FSD keeps pace with the ever expanding world of free software and remains a valuable tool for free software users and developers.

If you are eager to help and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the FSD today! There are also weekly FSD Meetings pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.