Free Software: Europe, FUD, and FSF
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Entitlement in Open Source
Let’s start with a few definitions of terms I’ll use in this article so we’re all on the same page:
open source project: a software project where the source code is freely released under an open source license (e.g. MIT, Apache, GPL). Often on GitHub, GitLab or a similar hosting platform.
user: someone who uses open source software but has not yet been or become a contributor or maintainer
contributor: someone who has submitted code to an open source project which was accepted and merged into this project but does not have write access to merge their own changes
maintainer: someone with write access to an open source project who is able to merge changes from contributors, other maintainers or themselves
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Germany's opencode.de goes into production use
The idea for a central repository was launched in 2020 and was worked on by Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA) together with the IT departments of local administrations. Interestingly, the stated advantages of Open Source focus on the flexibility and speed of adding new functionality. Many years ago, the focus was on cost saving, but this has changed in recent years. Also interesting is the idea of creating a community. The aim is that local administrations can see that particular pieces of software are already in use in similar administrations—a form of to peer-review or recommendation—and they also know they can turn to those colleagues if they have questions. Tasks such as licence verification and security audits can also be done just once.
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Betterbird. Simply better.
Betterbird is a fine-tuned version of Mozilla Thunderbird, Thunderbird on steroids, if you will.
Betterbird is better than Thunderbird in three ways: It contains new features exclusive to Betterbird, it contains bug fixes exclusive to Betterbird and it contains fixes that Thunderbird may ship at a later stage. Please refer to this feature table for examples. This should give you an impression of where the project is headed. More information on why we're doing the project can be found at the FAQ. Or just see our ilustrator's impression:
Betterbird 91.13.1 released on 13th September 2022
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Akka Fork FUD
Lightbend made Akka proprietary from version 2.7.x onward. This left the community wondering about the possibility of a fork, and unfortunately, I see some FUD that needs to be addressed.
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Free Software Awards: Nominate those who have charted a course to freedom by November 30
Announcement of Free Software Awards announcement. Read more about how to nominate individuals who have made an impact in free software.
The dedication and determination of its contributors has helped the free software movement chart a course to a freer digital tomorrow. Whether you realize it or not, simply using free software makes you a part of our collective journey to freedom. On the way to our destination, there are those inspiring individuals and projects who go above and beyond in their dedication to the movement and its principles. Now, it's time for us to show these community members and projects that we appreciate their vital work.