“`html
Global Free Software Community Celebrates LibreLocal Month
Table of Contents
By Ada Lovelace | CAMBRIDGE, MA – 2025/06/20 14:36:59
The international free software community recently came together to celebrate the Free Software Foundation’s (FSF) fortieth anniversary with a series of LibreLocal meetups held throughout May. These events fostered connections among free software enthusiasts both locally adn globally.
In May, nearly thirty LibreLocal meetups took place across the globe, with even more planned for the future. The month-long celebration highlighted the vibrancy of the international free software movement and facilitated connections among individuals on both local and global scales.
Following an initial report on several community gatherings, this article will recap LibreLocal meetups held in ATHENS, CHENNAI, LVIV, SHIRAZ, THESSALONIKI, ZURICH, and WARSAW.
The success of LibreLocal month underscored the strength and activity of the global free software community,serving as a reminder of what can be achieved through collaboration.
LibreLocal Meetups Around the World
CHENNAI, India
FOSS United CHENNAI hosted a LibreLocal meetup on May 24 to commemorate the FSF’s fortieth anniversary. The event drew over fifty participants and featured interactive workshops on self-hosting, tracking, and mapping surveillance using OpenStreetMaps. FSF licensing manager KRZYSZTOF SIEWICZ also gave a presentation.
“Together we can achieve so much!”
LVIV, Ukraine
On May 18, AOPRobotics, in collaboration with the FSF, organized the first Free Software Conference in UKRAINE. Tech professionals from various fields gathered both in person and online to exchange ideas and experiences related to free software.According to organizer KIRILL SORUDEYKIN, the event was founded on the principle that free software unites people across borders and brings them together around “deep and profound values of human freedom, high expertise, and masterpiece; values that are very crucial for UKRAINE.”
SHIRAZ,Iran
From May 8 to 9, the Iran Free Software Activists organized a two-day conference in SHIRAZ, IRAN, bringing together free software advocates, developers, and activists. Discussions centered on the history of the FSF and LibrePlanet, the significance of software freedom, and strategies for promoting the movement within their communities. The conference included a LAN party, a hackathon, and a presentation by FSF campaigns manager GREG FAROUGH, available for viewing on the Pear tube channel. Additional talks and workshops covered topics such as decentralized tech for healthcare,(Neo)vim,and large language models. DELTA SHAHINPOOR, one of the organizers, expressed her joy in helping organize the meetup and uniting individuals passionate about free software and decentralized technologies.
THESSALONIKI and ATHENS, Greece
Two meetups were organized to celebrate forty years of commitment to software freedom: one in ATHENS on May 17 and the other in THESSALONIKI on May 23.These were collaborations between multiple groups. Both meetups featured a presentation by FSF program manager MIRIAM BASTIAN, who outlined the FSF’s history and emphasized the importance of software freedom. the talk can be viewed on the Pear tube channel. Following the introductory talk, members of the Greek GNU/Linux user group presented their efforts to promote GNU/Linux and free software in GREECE.
Frequently Asked questions
- What is free software?
- Free software is software that gives users the freedom to run, study, distribute, and modify it.
- Why is software freedom important?
- Software freedom is important because it gives users control over their technology and promotes collaboration and innovation.
- What is the Free Software Foundation (FSF)?
- The FSF is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting free software and the rights of computer users.
