Software Freedom Conservancy
Software Freedom Conservancy is a not-for-profit charity that helps promote, improve, develop, and defend Free, Libre, and Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects. Conservancy provides a non-profit home and infrastructure for FLOSS projects. This allows FLOSS developers to focus on what they do best — writing and improving FLOSS for the general public — while Conservancy takes care of the projects' needs that do not relate directly to software development and documentation.
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Recent News
The Institute for Computing in Research Announces Portland Cohort
6 new interns set to explore computing research and software freedom in Portland
August 3, 2021
2019 Santa Fe interns with Program Manager, Rhonda Crespo
© Mark Galassi, CC BY-SA 4.0
One of Conservancy's member projects The Institute for Computing in Research is launching a new branch of their mentoring and internship program for high school students this week in Portland, Oregon. This unique paid internship introduces high school students to software freedom as part of a summer research position that focuses on introducing young scholars to computing in areas of physical science, life science, social science, arts and humanities. We're very happy to be hosting and facilitating an initiative that is lending long time experience to fostering a new generation of scientists.
Daniel Pono Takamori is Conservancy's Newest Employee
May 13, 2021
Software Freedom Conservancy is pleased to announce that Daniel Pono Takamori has joined as Community Organizer and Nonprofit Problem Solver.
Pono at Broken Top in Oregon
© Daniel Pono Takamori, CC BY-SA 4.0
Takamori brings a wealth of skills acquired in his previous positions at other prestigious FOSS organizations, including the Linux Foundation, the Apache Software Foundation and the Oregon State University Open Source Lab. Takamori has spoken on a variety of topics at FOSS events, including recently as a keynoter at SeaGL.
Conservancy Blog
“Tivoization” and Your Right to Install Under Copyleft
by on July 23, 2021
Two schools of thought about the purpose of copyleft have been at odds for some time. Simply put, the question is: are copyleft licenses designed primarily to protect the rights of large companies that produce electronics and software products, or is copyleft designed primarily to protect individual users' rights to improve, modify, repair, and reinstall their software?
This blog post fully explores that question, in the context of the right to install under GPLv2, and further discusses how it relates to GPLv3 and the “tivoization” rhetoric.
It Matters Who Owns Your Copylefted Copyrights
by on June 30, 2021
Throughout the history of FOSS, copyright assignment has simultaneously been controversial and accepted as the norm in our FOSS communities. This paradox, I believe, stems entirely from some key misunderstandings that perpetuate. This issue requires urgent discussion, as two of the most important FOSS projects in history (GCC and glibc) are right now considering substantial and swift changes to long-standing copyright policies that date back to the 1980s. This essay works through the policies nuances, and will hopefully assist FOSS contributors as they make difficult decisions about copyright ownership for their projects.
Come chat with us at general@chat.sfconservancy.org 🎉
by on June 21, 2021
Last Thursday we launched our new chat platform chat.sfconservancy.org! Conservancy's main chat room, which used to be on Freenode, is now available at the following locations:
- The primary room, on XMPP at general@chat.sfconservancy.org (also via the web)
- A bridged IRC room, at #conservancy on irc.libera.chat
- The bridged room that Matrix provides, at #xmpp_general_chat.sfconservancy.org:matrix.org
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An Overview of Conservancy… Conservancy's current member projects… Services Conservancy provides to its member projects… Conservancy's unique work defending and upholding copyleft licenses (e.g., the GPL) … Conservancy's Non-Profit Accounting Project …
