Linqa: a Free Software bilingual collaboration platform developed with public money
Linqa is a bilingual collaboration platform whose code is Free Software
and developed using public money. It helps the daily work of the
Franco-German Forum
for the Future, a public institution that fosters collaboration among
actors in France and Germany. We dive into the roots of Linqa with the
people behind it.
To learn how Linqa started and how it works we talked with the CEO
of the organization that commissioned this platform, Lale Eckardt, the
co-founder of the company that developed it, Juergen Neumann, and Linqa
Project Lead, Robin Denz.
FSFE: First of all, can you explain what is Linqa?
Juergen Neumann (DMX co-founder*): Linqa
is a simple web-based whiteboard application with automatic translation
between two languages. Editors can create and upload bilingual content,
e.g. notes or PDFs, and arrange it within workspaces. Each workspace has
dedicated members, who can discuss and comment on these contents in
their native language in a chat panel. All content is visible in both
languages and can be re-edited to manually improve the automatic
translation.
*DMX develops dmx – the context machine, a Free Software semantic data platform. DMX developed Linqa for the Franco-German Forum for the Future.
FSFE: What brought you to develop a platform like Linqa?
Robin Denz (Linqa Project Lead): The development of Linqa was spurred by
the necessity to enhance collaboration steered by the Franco-German
Forum for the Future. With the aim of strengthening bilateral
relations and promoting sustainable transformation, we facilitate
dialogues among local initiatives, public administrators, civil society,
and academia. In co-creative processes with a wide array of experts, we
elaborate actionable policy recommendations for both governments. For
this, we needed a platform that could transcend language barriers and
streamline our complex work processes. Partnering with DMX to create
Linqa allowed us to tailor a solution that meets our specific needs.
FSFE: Compared to fully proprietary solutions, which is the main benefit of this tool?
Juergen Neumann: Linqa provides an easy-to-use solution to communicate
and collaborate across language barriers in bilingual teams. While many
other platforms are cloud-based services that tend to make money out of
the users’ data, Linqa is Free Software and can be self-hosted.
The automatic translations in Linqa are currently done using
DeepL’s EU-based translation service (which is proprietary, ndr).
FSFE: DeepL is proprietary. Do you
have any plans to change this dependency? Which option do you see to
address this?
Juergen Neumann: The fact that Linqa depends on DeepL was driven by the
client's requirements for very accurate automatic translations in
alignment with data protection requirements, as we found them in their
public tendering back in 2021. Unfortunately, by that time we did not
know of any comparable and suitable Free Software based option to
replace their service. Luckily we can find promising candidates these
days. We are in the process of evaluating LibreTranslate as an
alternative service.
FSFE: Why did you decide to develop a platform whose code is Free Software?
Juergen Neumann: Since the founders of DMX Systems
have been Free Software advocates early on, we have chosen a Free
Software license from the very beginning. When you start to develop
code, you immediately understand that writing software is all about
sharing knowledge. That’s why we think that the resulting code should
be licensed as Free Software as well. In addition to that, we think
that Free Software, Open Standards and open interfaces are the only way
to effectively avoid a vendor lock-in. They can be seen as catalysts to
encourage people to join efforts. We think this is especially relevant
for public administrations spending public money. That’s why we always
try to convince our clients to stay the course and join the Free
Software environment with their requirements and investments.
The transparency of the code and algorithms allows to investigate
how the software was made and how it works. The code is no black box:
improvements by others are not only possible, but explicitly
welcome.
FSFE: What is the main benefit of LInqa being developed as Free Software
for the Franco-German Forum for the
Future?
Robin Denz: The main benefit of developing Linqa as
Free Software lies in its potential for widespread adoption and
adaptation. The Franco-German Forum for the Future has a very specific
use of the Linqa platform, which follows from our particular
methodology and the people we work with. We get exactly what we need
with Linqa but still its potential goes beyond our specific use case.
So, I am excited and curious to see how other organisations can make
use of its different functions in other fields than the one of
Franco-German sustainable governance. For instance, in the humanitarian
sector. By making the platform Free Software, we empower other
non-profit actors and organizations to leverage its capabilities for
their specific domains and requirements. This not only enhances its
utility beyond our immediate use case but also encourages a community
of users to contribute improvements and innovations, enriching the
platform for all users.
FSFE: Which role do you think Free Software has in
developing this kind of projects, commissioned with public money?
Robin Denz: Free Software plays a crucial role in
projects like Linqa by fostering transparency, accessibility, and
community-driven innovation. Knowing that a software like Linqa can
benefit a wide array of other non-profit actors can act as a strong
legitimization for putting public money in this kind of projects. For
us, it meant to be able to customize and extend the platform according
to our evolving needs without being constrained by proprietary
limitations. Moreover, the ethos of Free Software aligns with our
mission of promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing across
borders, ensuring that our tools remain inclusive and adaptable to
diverse contexts.
FSFE: What challenges did you have to face when
developing Linqa?
Juergen Neumann: The first challenge is about
licensing: Since there are very many different software licenses, it
can be difficult to find out if you can actually publish your code -
including the external libraries – under the terms and conditions of
your desired license.
The second challenge is about money: Still too few individuals and
organizations understand the challenges of the Free Software ecosystem.
To develop and maintain good code, you need skilled people
who all need to make a living. If individuals and especially
organizations were willing to spend more money on Free Software instead
of proprietary software, it would be beneficial to all.
Also, for us as a company, finding investors often feels much
harder, because our business model does not include intellectual
property but is free and open to all.
FSFE: What would you say to other companies that are not aware of the benefits of Free Software?
Robin Denz: I would emphasize that choosing Free
Software for your project not only aligns with principles of openness
and collaboration but also offers practical advantages. It can foster
innovation through collective intelligence and enable rapid
customization to meet specific needs. Moreover, Free Software
encourages ethical considerations such as data privacy and security,
which are increasingly critical in today's digital landscape. All in
all, Free Software helps empowering organizations to build robust,
community-supported solutions that can benefit society as a whole.
FSFE: Some years ago, the FSFE launched the “Public
Money? Public Code!” initiative. With it we ask that software paid
by taxpayers’ money should be released as Free Software. What is the
role of Free Software in an organisation like the Franco-German Forum for
the Future?
Lale Eckardt (Franco-German Forum for the Future CEO): The Franco-German Forum for the
Future is rooted in the Treaty
of Aachen signed by the two governments
in 2019. We are thankful that the Federal Ministry of Education and
Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), which
finances our work on the German side, was supportive of an experimental
approach. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided against jumping to
conclusions and developing a run-of-the-mill platform just to tick off
digital engagement. Instead, we took our time trying to understand
where in our specific work and dialogue process a digital tool can
offer significant value and how. With Linqa we have a tailored tool
whose strength lies in its specificity and simplicity. And I think that
is why Linqa is gathering interest from other organisations as
well.
FSFE: How was the procurement process regarding
Linqa? Was there a public tender or direct contact with DMX? Was it
easy to procure Free Software? Do you think is there a way to make it
simpler to help the procurement of Free Software tools in public
administration?
Lale Eckardt: Of course, we put the development of
our platform out to public tender, with DMX submitting the most
competitive offer. Free Software development was not specified in the
tender but emerged as an idea through our cooperation with DMX. The
main challenge for procurement processes of this complexity is finding
a middle ground between specificity and openness. On the one hand, as
the contracting authority, we need to be as specific as possible about
our needs. This ensures fair competition and reliable offers. On the
other hand, we wanted to remain open to learning from and with the
service provider, as well as critically assessing our hypotheses
during the development process. To balance these two aspects, we aimed
to clearly define the functionalities we envisioned for the platform
without fixing too many technical details.
FSFE: What would you say to other public
administrations that want to develop software? Would you recommend them
to follow the Public Money? Public Code! principle?
Lale Eckardt: If the money spent on developing
software from within public administration or in publicly funded
project like ours can not only make public administration more
efficient but also, through its availability as Free Software,
strengthen our digital infrastructure in the public interest, than that
is good news for our democracies!
The “Public
Money? Public Code! (PMPC)” initiative aims
to establish Free Software as the standard for publicly funded
software. Promoted by the Free Software Foundation Europe, PMPC is
supported by over 200 organizations and administrations, and more than
35.000 individuals. You can also support the campaign signing the Open
Letter and with a donation to support this work.
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