Every year, on the third Saturday of September, comes a special occasion: the Software Freedom Day (SFD), a global celebration dedicated to free and open source software (FOSS) organized by the Digital Freedom Foundation.
Many, including myself, were not aware that this was a thing. Props to Brodie Robertson for bringing this to my attention. I was surprised when I learned that such an event existed. I used to think that such events were limited to university clubs and other reserved settings.
Let's check it out! 😃
Software Freedom Day: What Is It All About?
Established in 2004, the first SFD event happened on August 28, 2004, where over 10 teams participated. Since 2006, the event has been taking place in September and has grown considerably compared to when it started out.
One of the key goals of SFD is to educate the general population on the benefits of using FOSS in key aspects of their lives, be it education, government, business, or even their home. Of course, there are other objectives too.
This year's SFD event is set to be held on 21 September, with many organizations supporting the idea of the event. The most notable ones include names like the Free Software Foundation, Earth Cause, Nextcloud, System76, and TUXEDO Computers.
As for how these events work, anyone can register to host an SFD event; even the date can be changed to accommodate the volunteer team, any holidays, etc. The venue can be any place, like a classroom, an office, or really any place where you can gather multiple people and have a party, of sorts.
Those attending can benefit by having the opportunity to interact with like-minded folks, compete in any contests, create a project during the event, and engage in many kinds of interactive activities; the possibilities are endless.
To check whether a Software Freedom Day event is happening near you, the official events page lists a handy map that is updated with all the necessary information.
Moreover, if you are around the city of Denver in Colorado, then you can visit System76's factory, as they are hosting the event on their premises. They have mentioned that they will be starting at 11 a.m. (MDT).
There is also the Huion Graphics Challenge being introduced as part of this year's SFD event. It invites teams across the world to create original artwork using FOSS graphics tools, following a set of guidelines, and sharing their creations under one of the Creative Commons licenses.
The prizes consist of one Kamvas 12 Pro pen display for the winners, and two Inspiroy H950P drawing tablets for the runners-up.
Did I mention there are cool stickers up for grabs too? 😉
Why Free Software Matters?
In today's increasingly fragmented world, free software is one of the few things that has kept my hopes up in these uncertain times. It is something that manages to bring together people from different walks of life, irrespective of their beliefs or inclinations.
The following foundational aspects of free software are enough to make anyone understand:
- A person can redistribute copies of software to help others.
- A person has the freedom to run software for any purpose.
- A person can distribute copies of a modified version of the software.
- A person can study how the software works and change it according to their needs.
If you ask me, the cause of free and open source software isn't celebrated across the world as it should be. I was delighted to see that there is such a long-standing international movement for promoting FOSS, and that too with such unique activities.
💬 Have you attended such events in the past? Interested in starting one? Add your thoughts below!
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