= 2024 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom kicks off =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231116-01.fi.html ]
Registration is now open for the 2024 edition of Youth Hacking 4
Freedom, the coding competition for young Europeans. This competition
gives teenagers the opportunity to code their own projects – alone or in
a team –, make new friends across Europe, and win up to €4,096!
After two successful editions, Youth Hacking 4 Freedom [1], the Free
Software Foundation Europe's coding competition for young Europeans,
opens registration for the third round [2]. YH4F 2024 kicks off on 7
December with an online event to answer participants' questions before
the coding period starts in January 2024. More than €10,000, in cash,
will be awarded to the six winners of the 2024 edition. €4,096 will be
paid out for the first place, €2,048 for the second place, and €1,024
for the third place and for each of three special prizes. Besides, all
participants who submit a project will get a YH4F special participation
prize.
The aim of this competition is to bring together young people from all
over Europe who are interested in coding, regardless of their current
level of coding. For six months, participants – who must be between 14
and 18 years old at the time of registration – will have the chance to
work on their own Free Software projects, either alone or in a team.
Participants must register to enter the competition, which kicks off on
7 December with an online event explaining the competition in detail.
This kick-off event is a great opportunity for anyone who might have
doubts about taking part to get their questions answered and to
understand how this competition works and why anyone, regardless of
their coding skills, is more than welcome to take part.
Once the coding period starts on 1 January 2024, participants will have
the opportunity to work on their projects for the next six months until
30 June 2024, when they must submit their projects. Late registration is
possible, as is changing the original project idea, but the coding
period will not be extended.
During these six months, participants will also have the opportunity to
meet and make friends with other young Europeans who share their
interests and, most likely, coding challenges. And optional monthly
online meetings will be held to guide them through this coding period
and learn how to do a successful Free Software project, learn from
previous participants' experiences, and get some tips from our
experienced jury members.
In July and August 2024 an international jury of technical experts will
review the projects. The winners will be notified in September 2024 and
officially announced at the Award Ceremony weekend in Brussels in
October 2024.
=== Opening event – 7 December ===
At the online opening event on 7 December, YH4F organizers will explain
in depth what is expected from the participants as well as answer their
questions. Moreover, participants will have the chance to ask questions
to previous editions' participants, who will be explaining their
experience at this competition.
On the YH4F website [3], further information can be found about
registration, the opening event, and the competition in general. If you
should have any questions, you can always contact us at contact(a)fsfe.org
[4].
=== Sponsor 2024 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom ===
The 2023 contest was made possible thanks to generous funding by
Reinhard Wiesemann and the Linuxhotel GmbH.
If you want to sponsor the 2024 or future editions of YH4F, please reach
out to us through contact(a)fsfe.org [5].
1: https://yh4f.org
2: https://survey.fsfe.org/index.php/658534
3: https://yh4f.org
4: https://fsfe.org/mailto:contact@fsfe.org
5: https://fsfe.org/mailto:contact@fsfe.org
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= German Parliament receives Upcycling Android Open Letter =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231115-01.fi.html ]
On 14 November, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) handed over
the Open Letter “The right to install any software on any device" to
Tabea Rößner, Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee at the German
Bundestag. The letter aims to enable a more sustainable use of
electronic products and devices in the European Union.
To achieve this goal, the Open Letter [1] sets out four key demands:
1. Users have the right to freely choose operating systems and software
running on their devices
2. Users have the right to freely choose between service providers to
connect their devices with
3. Devices are interoperable and compatible with open standards
4. Source code of drivers, tools, and interfaces are published under a
free license
Signed by more than 3000 individuals and by 147 organisations, the Open
Letter to European Union legislators was presented on 14 November to the
Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee (Ausschuss für Digitales) at the
German Bundestag, by a delegation from the FSFE.
Tabea Rößner, Chair of the Digital Committee, commented when receiving
the open letter:"So many devices end up on the scrapyard after just two
or three years. But the devices are still in good condition and could be
made to last with new software. We could bring them back to life,
especially with Free Software. It would be a real sustainability effect
if we had the right to install any software on any device. That's why
this initiative is absolutely worth supporting.”
Rößner announced that she would hand over the Open Letter to Steffi
Lemke, Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature
Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
"The Open Letter is part of our Upcycling Android campaign, which we
started to raise awareness about how Free Software can help to improve
the sustainability of our digital devices. In addition to the Open
Letter, the initiative has held workshops, developed policy
recommendations, and received a lot of public attention, promoting the
right of every user to install any software on any device. Moreover,
upcycling our devices is an important step in rethinking our short-term,
linear consumption of electronic devices in favour of a circular
economy”, explains Johannes Näder, FSFE Senior Policy Project Manager.
== About Upcycling Android ==
Launched in November 2021, under the name “Upcycling Android" [2], this
FSFE initiative has also helped people to flash their phones with Free
Software operating systems. This not only promotes the right of any user
to install any software on any device, but also enables a more
sustainable use of electronic products.
Even after the project has officially ended, the Upcycling Android
material can be freely used by others who want to continue promoting the
use of Free Software while overcoming software obsolescence.
1: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/openletter.fi.html
2: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/index.fi.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered-down =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231113-01.fi.html ]
Decision makers are meeting to agree on the final text of the
Interoperable Europe Act (IEA). There is a concerning wording related to
giving priority to Free Software when implementing interoperable
solutions and confusing criteria to do so. Overall, what could have been
a very ambitious initiative turned out to be another regulation with
ambiguous and problematic wording.
The FSFE has received exclusive access to the the final agreement of the
IEA [1] which will be agreed on tonight, on 13 November. We welcome that
there is a clear definition of Free Software licenses, as well as the
intention to monitor the development of Free Software interoperable
solutions in the public sector.
There is, nonetheless, an especially concerning wording in the text when
it comes to the sharing and reusing of interoperability solutions
(Art4(5a)). The draft text suggests that public administrations should
prioritise Free Software when deciding on the implementation of
interoperability solutions. However, the way the final text looks is
problematic for two reasons:
The wording /"solutions that do not carry restrictive licensing terms,
such as open source solutions"/ implies that there are other solutions
that do not carry restrictive licensing terms apart from open source
licenses. If so, which ones would those be? This is indeed not clear in
the text and this leads to legal uncertainty.
Since this specific wording can become extremely misleading, it is
particularly important to highlight this problematic loophole. To serve
as an example, we have the well-known fact that FRAND licensing terms -
that in theory stand for "fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory"
terms - in practice are incompatible with most of Free Software [2]. In
the past, we have already criticised the stance of the Commission on
such licensing and we have also pointed out that in fact FRAND licences
cannot be considered fair, reasonable nor non-discriminatory.
Furthermore, the European Commission has watered down the already
ambiguous wording of this article by limiting the situations in which
public administrations shall prioritise Free Software interoperable
solutions by adding the following criteria: /"when equivalent in
functionalities, total cost, user-centricity, cybersecurity or other
relevant objective criteria"./
This wording undermines a regulation that aims to make the sharing and
reuse of solutions a more common practice among public administrations.
By adding this criteria to allow public administrations to actually
refuse to use Free Software solutions, the Commission is going in the
opposite direction of the "Free Software first" approach [3] that this
legislation needs.
Wording as /"other relevant objective criteria"/ brings back, once
again, the constant problematic tendency of the Commission to limit Free
Software and its adoption by adding ambiguous and unclear wording. It
also shows a lack of ambition which could have led it to become a real
game changer.
By adopting this position, the European Commission is also falling short
of its own ambitions, already defined in documents such as the Open
Source Strategy [4] and the ’Decision on the open source licensing and
reuse of Commission software’. Therefore, it is deeply concerning that
the European Commission is now pushing back by turning on the opposite
direction.
Last but not least, unfortunately, the chance for other stakeholders to
be part of the governance structure, specifically on the Board, has been
removed from the final text, being currently only up to the Chair to
decide if an expert can join the Board as an observer.
That is why the role of the Free Software community is crucial to
monitor the implementation of the IEA, while highlighting the importance
of Free Software for achieving interoperability in the European digital
public services.
1: https://download.fsfe.org/documents/version-trilogue131123-1.pdf
2: https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/standards/why-frand-is-bad-for-free-software.…
3: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230323-02.fi.html
4: https://fsfe.org/news/2020/news-20201023-01.fi.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Frank Karlitschek receives the European SFS Award at SFSCON23 =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231110-01.fi.html ]
The founder of Nextcloud received the European SFS Award at SFSCON. This
recognition which was presented for the first time jointly by the Linux
User Group Bolzano and the Free Software Foundation Europe, went to /"a
tireless advocate of digital freedom as universal right"/.
/"He is not only a talented technologist, but also a tireless advocate
of digital freedom as a universal right"/. With these words, the
European SFS Award was presented to Nextcloud founder Frank Karlitschek
today, 10 November, at SFSCON 2023. This is the first time that the
well-established SFS Award has been extended to the European level, a
joint collaboration with the initiators of this recognition, the Linux
User Group BZ (LUGBZ) and the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE).
More than two decades ago, Frank Karlitschek founded the community
website KDE-Look.org, then GNOME-look.org and finally openDesktop.org to
improve Free Software. In 2010, with the ownCloud project, the
Stuttgart-based Free Software developer laid the foundation for a
platform that allows people to store their data securely and
independently. This led to the launch of Nextcloud in 2016.
Today, Nextcloud is a Free Software collaboration tool used by millions
worldwide /"and which some of the biggest technology companies around
the world fear as a competitor"/, as Matthias Kirschner, FSFE president,
pointed out during the Award ceremony. Kirschner further noted that
/“even in situations where he could have personally or with his company
benefited financially, he decided to follow his principles and ensure
that there is a fair level playing field for others in our community as
well"/.
/He[Karlitschek] followed his ideals and his strong believe that users
should have the rights to use, understand, share, and improve their
software—and created a comprehensive, user-friendly and secure
collaboration platform/, added Rafael Barbieri, LUGBZ member.
In his thank you speech, Karlitschek said he can just accept the award
in the name for the Nextcloud community, the ones that really deserve
this recognition.
== The European SFS Award ==
The first SFS Award was presented to Hugo Leiter in 2004 at the SFSCON
South Tyrol Free Software Conference for the implementation of Libre
Office in all municipalities of South Tyrol. Twenty years later, at the
start of the SFSCON at the NOI Techpark, the award was presented for the
first time on a European level. The Free Software Foundation Europe
teamed up with the initiator of the award, LUGBZ, to jointly honour Free
Software developers who have made outstanding contributions to the
dissemination and promotion of Free Software in Europe.
== 2023 Laudatio ==
*Rafael*: It’s an honour for me (on behalf of the Board of Linux User
Group Bozen-Bolzano-Bulsan) to present the first European SFS Award,
continuing a twenty year old tradition, since the first SFS Award was
assigned in 2004 to Hugo Leiter, for introducing Libre Office in all
municipalities of South Tyrol. Traditionally the AWARD has always been
given to someone who greatly contributed to the culture of Free Software
in South Tyrol, and this tradition will continue, but as SFSCON this
year we extended the narrative to the essential European level. LUGBZ,
promoting digital sustainability in South Tyrol, joined forces with an
important European association active in the sphere of Free Software,
namely the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE). Let me introduce the
president: Matthias Kirchner.
*Matthias*: Thank you Raphael! As the FSFE we have now participated many
years at the SFSCON, and saw how the LUGBZ was awarding great Free
Software contributors from Italy – so we were happy when we have been
approached to join forces and award European Free Software contributors
together with the LUGBZ.
*Raphael*: As in previous years, we received many nominations for
potential winners. It was not easy for us to choose a winner, since many
of the suggested candidates made enormous contribution to Free Software.
*Matthias*: The deciding factor for us this year was to choose a
European who lives the values of software freedom, a person who has
dedicated decades of work to software freedom and brought it to the next
level, a true visionary and pioneer of software freedom.
*Raphael*: In 2001, over two decades ago, he started KDE-Look.org, later
GNOME-look.org, as well as openDesktop.org to improve Free Software, and
supported many initiatives in our field, including serving as Vice
President of KDE e.V.
In 2010 at Akademy he laid the foundations for a platform that enabled
millions of people to store their data securely and self-determined on
servers. He promoted Open Standards, and inspired people to join the
movement for software freedom.
With the development of a remote collaboration tool for teams, which is
developed under the freedom protecting GNU AGPL license, he followed his
ideals and his strong believe that users should have the rights to use,
understand, share, and improve their software – and created a
comprehensive, user-friendly and secure collaboration platform.
*Matthias*: His tireless commitment to software freedom has resulted in
a Free Software product which some of the biggest technology companies
around the world fear as a competitor.
Even in situations where he could have personally or with his company
benefited financially, he decided to follow his principles and ensure
that there is a fair level playing field for others in our community as
well.
*Raphael*: He is not only a gifted technologist, but also a champion of
the idea of digital freedom as a universal right. With his work he lives
the ideals of transparency, privacy, and individual control over digital
information, but he also laid the foundation for a diverse and engaged
community.
*Matthias*: His dedication, his vision, and his strong principles
enriched and inspired many in our community. We are deeply grateful for
his contributions and look forward to a future he helps shape.
For these reasons, we hereby award Frank Karlitschek, the founder of
Nextcloud, the European SFS Award 2023.
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org