Free Software Foundation (FSF) turns forty
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) turns forty on October 4, 2025 and will end its thirties on a high note, FSF wishes it was celebrating the achievement of software freedom for all computer users, but we’re not there yet.
Until the mission becomes reality and FSF can retire, instead, it is celebrating forty years of activism, and all that FSF has achieved. Since the founding in 1985, FSF laid out many stepping stones on the road to software freedom, and is 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.
