= Municipalities using Free Software +++ PMPC tour in Italy =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202206.fi.html ]
In this issue, read about nine administrations innovating and saving
money with Free Software, a Dutch coalition calling for fair digital
education, and how a sustainable telecom sector is attainable with Free
Software. Volunteers organise ‘Public Money? Public code!’ tour in
Italy.
== 9 administrations innovate and save money with Free Software ==
In 2020, the city of Bühl in Germany launched "Palim! Palim!" [1], a
video conferencing platform based on the Free Software "Jitsi Meet". The
city offered the platform to citizens who needed it, and the initiative
was well received. Two years later clubs, citizens, and the city itself
use "Palim! Palim!" daily.
Other municipalities have also shown interest in the solution. An
association of nine administrations that use 'Palim! Palim!' have
jointly modernised the administration, based on Free Software. Re@di –
regional.digital is an inter-communal cooperation of nine southern
German cities. Their common needs are met through synergy effects in
collaborative development. In an interview [2], Alexander Gabriel and
Eduard Itrich shared that the administrations could use their resources
cost-efficiently thanks to cooperation and sharing Free Software.
== Dutch coalition calls for fair digital education ==
Students should not have to use proprietary software to participate in
the educational process. The FSFE joins the Dutch coalition ‘Fair
Digital Education’ [3] supporting privacy-respecting solutions involving
Free Software in schools. The coalition signed a manifesto [4] calling
for more control and fairness in the digital solutions used for
education. Students should be taught skills instead of products. Free
Software increases code literacy and shows the value of cooperation [5].
== How to attain a sustainable telecom sector ==
The right to install any software on any device, Free Software
licensing, and Device neutrality serve digital sustainability as well as
consumer protection measures. When users can install any software on any
device this can make the difference in order to repair the device or
reuse it and this way prevent it from becoming e-waste. Users’ right to
install any software they want, manufacturers’ obligation to publish the
full source code, and Device Neutrality are all necessary to reclaim
devices. These principles should guide future policies on product design
in the EU. The FSFE made this point answering a public consultation [6]
about the impact of the telecommunications sector on the environment.
== Save the date! ==
- On 8 June Alexander Sander, Policy Consultant of the FSFE, will give
an online talk on AI and Free Software in the EU [7] as part of the
OW2 conference.
- On 9 June Matthias Kirschner, President of the FSFE, will give an
author reading of the children’s book Ada & Zangemann [8] (DE) in
re:publica 22.
- On 9 June Lucas Lasota, FSFE Legal Project Manager, will give a talk
on “Practicing Sovereignty. Interventions for open digital futures” at
Weizenbaum Conference in Berlin.
- On 9 June Lucas Lasota will give an online talk on Device Newtrality
[9] as part of the OW2 conference.
- On 18 June Lucas Lasota will give a talk about Device Neutrality [10]
at OSCAL 2022, in Tirana, Albania.
- On 24 June Alexander Sander will give a talk on " What role did Free
Software play during the corona crisis? [11] " at esLibre conference
in Vigo, Spain.
- On 24 June Lina Ceballos, FSFE Project Manager, will give a talk on "
REUSE [12] " at esLibre conference in Vigo, Spain.
- On 25 June, Lina Ceballos and Alexander Sander will give a ‘ Public
Money? Public Code!’ [13] ’ workshop at esLibre conference in Vigo,
Spain.
- On 30 June, Lina Ceballos will give a talk on REUSE [14] at
OpenExpoEurope2022 conference in Madrid.
== Past and ongoing activities ==
- On 3 June Florian Snow, Technical Advisor of the FSFE, gave an
Upcycling Android workshop in Cologne [15].
- On 2 June, Matthias Kirschner offered an author reading of the
children’s book Ada & Zangemann [16] in Cologne.
- On 19 May our Policy Consultant Alexander Sander discussed the
challenges of ethical AI in the KIDD-Fachkonferenz [17] panel in
Berlin.
- On 14-15 May the FSFE had a booth at make-it.saarl [18] and in
Saarbrücken, Germany, and Alexander Sander gave a talk "Innovation
needs Free Software".
- As a member of European Digital Rights (EDRi), the FSFE participated
in the General Assembly on 13-14 May to exchange ideas with other
actors. The EDRi network is a collective of 45+ NGOs’ numerous experts
working to defend digital rights. Erik Albers gave a workshop on how
to utilise the European Ecodesign to ask for the universal right to
install any software on any device.
- On 4 May, Key stakeholders debated the future of Router Freedom in
Austria in an online session organised by the FSFE and the Alliance of
Telecommunication Terminal Equipment Manufacturers (VTKE). The video
[19] (DE) is available.
== FSFE groups ==
*Aarhus* | A group relaunches after seven years. The FSFE local group
Aarhus [20] restarts with the aim to raise awareness of Free Software in
Denmark. The first meeting will take place on 9 June.
*Berlin* | The FSFE local group Berlin [21] decided to have the regular
monthly meetings in person again from now on, and also met at Linux
Works LUG. The group also had the regular online monthly meeting
dedicated to Free Software in Education.
*Greece* | The FSFE country team Greece [22] translated the FSFE’s
answer to the consultation round of the Hellenic Telecommunications and
Post Commission about the position of the Network Termination Point.
Join the Greek-speaking FSFE Matrix room [23] to discuss impossible
translations of technical terms and other software freedom topics you
like.
*Hamburg* | The FSFE local group Hamburg [24] had its monthly meeting.
*The Netherlands* | The FSFE country team the Netherlands [25] organised
an FSFE booth in the NLLGG meeting in Utrecht, and had its regular
online meeting.
*Women* | The FSFE Women group [26] met for the first time in person in
Berlin. They discussed search engines, chats, and password managers [27]
that make lives easier.
*Zurich* | The FSFE local group Zurich [28] organised a hackathon [29]
to prepare an initiative supporting federated communication for public
authorities.
== Get active in Italy! ==
Volunteers will present the ‘Public Money? Public code!’ campaign in
Italy [30]. Meet the people behind the Italian translations of the FSFE
and learn how the digitalisation of the Italian public sector can be
improved. The events are in Trento on 7 June, in Bologna on 8 June, in
Caltanissetta on 18 June.
== Contribute to our Newsletter ==
If you would like to share any thoughts, pictures, or news, please send
them to us. As always, the address is newsletter(a)fsfe.org. We're looking
forward to hearing from you! If you also want to support us and our
work, join our community and support us with a donation or a monthly
contribution [31]. Thanks to our community and 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 native
languages.
Your editor, Fani Partsafyllidou
Discuss this [32]
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1: https://konferenz.buehl.digital/
2: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220602-01.fi.html
3: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220520-01.fi.html
4: https://eerlijkdigitaalonderwijs.petities.nl/?locale=en
5: https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/education/argumentation.fi.html
6: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220510-01.fi.html
7: https://www.ow2con.org/view/2022/Abstract_Community_Day#08061155
8: https://re-publica.com/de/session/buchlesung-ada-zangemann-ein-maerchen-ueb…
9: https://www.ow2con.org/view/2022/Abstract_Community_Day#09060930
10: https://oscal.openlabs.cc/
11: https://propuestas.eslib.re/2022/charlas/free-software-during-corona
12: https://eslib.re/2022/horario/
13: https://propuestas.eslib.re/2022/talleres/public-money-public-code
14: https://openexpoeurope.com/es/oe2022/
15: https://wiki.fsfe.org/Activities/Android/UpcyclingWorkshops#A03._Juni_2022_…
16: https://fsfe.org/activities/childrensbook/index.fi.html
17: https://kidd-prozess.de/news/jetzt-anmelden-1-kidd-fachkonferenz-findet-am-…
18: https://make-it.saarland/
19: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220516-01.fi.html
20: https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/Aarhus
21: https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/Berlin
22: https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/Greece
23: https://matrix.to/#/#greece:fsfe.org
24: https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/Hamburg
25: https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/BNL
26: https://wiki.fsfe.org/Teams/Women
27: https://wiki.fsfe.org/Teams/Women/Notes
28: https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/Zurich
29: https://wiki.fsfe.org/Events/Zurich/2022-05-18
30: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220531-01.fi.html
31: https://my.fsfe.org/donate?referrer=newsletter
32: https://community.fsfe.org/t/859