From FOSDEM to "I ❤️ Free Software Day”: community, policy, and the
freedom to study code
February is a reminder of why our Free Software community matters
and why it's such a joy to be part of it. After FOSDEM, we are now
looking ahead to the celebrations of the I Love Free Software Day
across Europe. We are also catching up with our latest episodes of
the Software Freedom Podcast focused on European policy and a Legal Corner about the freedom to
study source code.

It all started in Brussels, at FOSDEM. As always, the weekend was
intense, inspiring, and full of familiar and new faces. Our booth
quickly became a place to stop, chat, and exchange ideas while getting
your hands on our newest merchandise: two new T-shirts (cool kids and
PMPC!) and a new design of our ilovefs red socks! -remember you can get all the
merchandise at our website-. Connecting with so many people in
person, hearing your stories, and feeling the shared energy around Free
Software was a real highlight for us.
FOSDEM is also an important opportunity for us to present and discuss
our work. Once again this year, the FSFE was among the organisers of the
Legal & Policy Issues Devroom. The day opened with Gabriel's talk,
"An
Introduction to Law and Free Software", which set the
stage for a series of engaging discussions. Among them, Alex, together
with Michael Schuster and Tommaso Bernabo, addressed the role of Free
Software in the Cyber Resilience Act. This was followed by a lively
Q&A with the audience. Later that day, Lucas led a panel
discussion on Interoperability
regulation in the EU, joined by representatives from the European
Commission and the Data Rights organisation.
During FOSDEM, we launched a new survey to collect input on how
voluntary security attestation programmes for Free Software could be
designed under Article 25 of the Cyber Resilience Act. The survey
contains 27 questions, but participants are not required to answer all
of them. We welcome feedback until the end of February. Take
part in the survey!
As in previous years, the Legal & Policy Devroom attracted
significant interest, with highly engaging topics and thoughtful
questions from attendees. We would like to thank our co-organisers Karen
Sandler, Tom Marble, Bradley M. Kühn, and Richard Fontana for helping
make this Devroom happen. It is truly a pleasure to organise it together
with all of you.
Besides this Devroom, and in addition to co-organising two others
(Funding the Free Software Ecosystem and Free Software Mobile), several
FSFE staffers were also busy participating in other Devrooms. Tobias was
invited to speak about Friendica in the
Social Web Devroom, while Bonnie and Sofía presented our European
coding competition for teenagers, YH4F,
which is currently in its programming period (registration
is still possible!). Besides, Bonnie together with our volunteer
Øjvind, introduced the
audience to podcasting with Free Software, as part of the Audio,
Video & Graphics Creation Devroom. They also seized the opportunity to record a
live episode at FOSDEM, which we can't wait to publish soon!
Speaking of podcasts, in the busy weeks leading up to FOSDEM we
released two episodes of the Software Freedom Podcast focused on
European policy: one offering an overview of the most
relevant current EU initiatives affecting Free Software,
and another covering the latest
news on the RED directive.
Back in Brussels, we also received exciting news about Ada &
Zangemann! Matthias and our volunteer Nico participated in the FOSDEM
main track with a talk on automating the translation of a bestseller to
spark children's interest in coding. For the first time, the Dutch
version of the book was available for purchase at our stand! Thanks to
Nico, who put in a lot of work, for making it possible! Moreover, our
volunteer Stephane produced several copies in English and German using a
homemade Braille printing device. If you know anyone who is visually
impaired, please get in touch with us!

Meanwhile, more volunteers, this time in December in Denmark, sent a
letter to a Danish parliamentary commission regarding the implementation
of the digital wallet. The FSFE local group participated in a follow-up,
which was ultimately submitted by IT-Politisk Forening, a local
association better equipped to provide input on Danish policy issues.
This prompted numerous questions to the Minister about why the upcoming
digital wallet is not fully Free Software, as such solutions must
be.
We also come with news from Spain. The newest Legal Corner article
focuses on a September 2025 ruling from the Spanish Supreme Court, that
provides a legal precedent and underlines the importance of transparency
in source code and algorithms, and support for the freedom to study!
When public authorities in Spain use algorithms, in decision-making that
affects citizens, they are obliged to allow citizens to
understand how the algorithms work.
Celebrate with us the I Love Free Software Day!
While all of this has been happening, we have also been busy
preparing for something very close to our hearts: I Love Free Software
Day, which is coming up this week. We are getting ready to
celebrate Free Software and the people behind it: developers, activists,
translators, designers, and supporters who make this movement what it
is, across Europe.
This year, we shine a spotlight on Free Software maintainers, the
dedicated individuals who ensure Free Software projects stay available,
functional, and up-to-date across systems. Their work is essential for
all of us who rely on Free Software every day. Maintaining packages is
often time- and resource-intensive, requiring powerful systems to
build, test, and troubleshoot them.
With I Love Free Software
Day 2026, we celebrate their commitment, expertise, and passion that
keep the Free Software ecosystem thriving. Let’s recognise their
efforts and say a heartfelt thank you to all maintainers!
How you can celebrate this day:
-
🇩🇪 Austria: 15
February in Villach
🇩🇪 Germany: 13
February in Nuremberg | 14
February in Berlin | 14
February in Frankfurt | 14
February in Moers |21 February in Bonn
🇳🇱 Netherlands: 12
February in Eindhoven | 13
February in Rotterdam | 14
February in Amsterdam
🇵🇱 Poland: 13
February in Warsaw | 14
February in Poznan14
February in Lodz
🇵🇱 Portugal: 14
February online
🇪🇸 Spain: 13
February in Madrid | 14
February in Barcelona
🇨🇭 Switzerland: 12
February in Zurich
🇬🇧 UK: 10
February in Potteries, Staffordshire
Check the ilovefs
website for the last updates. More to come!
- Play our new "I ❤ Free Software
Day" quiz with your friends!
- Show your gratitude: Think of
a Free Software project you appreciate and reach out to the
maintainers. Say thank you using our sharepic, stickers, balloons, artwork, or merchandise for #ilovefs.
- Spread the love on social media: Share your appreciation with #ilovefs, write
a blog post, post pictures or video
messages, or send your thanks directly to Free Software developers
and contributors.
- Take action: Talking is silver, contributing is gold! Help a Free Software
project by donating, translating, or assisting its users. You can also
support our work with a donation to the
FSFE.
Your support helps us move our work forward. Thank you!
We want to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone supporting us,
including our amazing donors! We may be behind the wheel, but you are
the ones keeping us moving forward. You can also support us, contribute to our
work, and join our
community. Are you using social media? If so, do not forget to
follow us there! You can also follow the FSFE news in your
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Your editor, Ana
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