Ada movie premiere +++ EC consultation +++ Apple litigation
The story of Ada & Zangemann is now available as an animated movie!
We’d also like to thank everyone who contributed feedback to the EC
consultation, urging European policymakers to establish long-term
sustainable funding for Free Software Additionally, we’ve submitted our
arguments in the ongoing Apple litigation. And great news, our hoodies
are back!
Table of contents
Quote of the Month
“ I already loved the book, I loved the wonderful story and
the even more wonderful little people in the story. I was just
so inspired by it myself, not to mention my kids really, really
loved the book and and now it has become a film!"
Franziska Heine during the English world premiere of the
animated movie 'Ada & Zangemann'.
Ada & Zangemann movie: celebrating Ada Lovelace Day with our community
The FSFE celebrated Ada Lovelace Day on October 8 with a special
event for its supporters: the global English premiere of the
animated movie 'Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards,
and Raspberry Ice Cream'. Vint Cerf, often referred to as one of
the "fathers of the Internet", and Franziska Heine, Executive
Director of Wikimedia Germany, gave special speeches during the
event.
The movie is now published on the FSFE's website and
made available to the public under the Creative Commons By
Share-Alike Licence, as an Open Education Resource. During the next
months the FSFE will release other language version of the movie on
ada.fsfe.org/movie.
Share the movie and all the Ada & Zangemann resources with your community!
The FSFE demanded the EU Commission sustainable long-term Free Software funding
Recently, the European Commission announced a €27 million cut
in the funding allocated to the Next Generation Internet (NGI)
initiative, which has supported Free Software projects with funding
and technical assistance since 2018. Despite its proven success,
the European Commission decided to cut this funding in the current
draft of the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme, highlighting the
larger issue of the lack of long-term, sustainable public funding
for Free Software projects. Since July, we have been active on this
issue, we tried to get in touch with the European Commission,
reached out to our community and spread the news around
Europe.
Recently, the FSFE participated in a public consultation
organized by the European Commission to provide feedback on the
EU's Digital Europe funding programme, emphasizing that cutting
funding for Free Software risks steering Europe away from policies
that ensure people’s control over their own technology. At the same
time, we asked the community to do the same and to take part in the
consultation.
Our call was heard: the consultation received 789
responses, 70% of which came from individual citizens. Together, we
made it clear that long-term, dedicated funding for Free Software
is essential to ensuring Europe’s control over its technological
future. We thank everyone who took part in amplifying the Free
Software community’s voice. Once public, we will analyse the
results and will follow up with the Commission and other EU bodies
with those results; to make sure your voice remains heard.
This consultation was not a stand-alone event—it is a key step in our
ongoing effort to ensure that Free Software receives long-term,
sustainable funding. We remain committed to influencing policy
decisions and advocating for Free Software, and we will keep you
informed as we continue this important work. The EU’s digital
strategy can only reach its full potential if it systematically
focuses on Free Software. We will continue our efforts to make sure
software freedom is consistently supported across Europe with the
needed sustainable long-term fund.
Apple vs Commission: The FSFE submits its arguments
In August this year, the FSFE was admitted in the litigation
brought by Apple against the European Commission in relation to the
Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple is trying to avoid obligations
related to its App Store and the interoperability of its operating
system and devices.
On 12th September the FSFE submitted its arguments, arguing how
interoperability is key for our digital societies. Apple must abide
DMA obligations not only for fairer competition on digital markets
but also for open internet, software freedom and better device and
software security. More information will be publish soon on our website.
Software Freedom in Europe 2024
In September we published our annual report, Software Freedom in
Europe. This report highlights our achievements, showcasing our
success stories, milestones and activities over the past twelve
months.
Get active: European SFS Award Nomination
Nominate the Free Software Contributor of 2024! The
European SFS Award celebrates and recognises individuals who have
made outstanding contributions to the global Software Freedom
culture.
Last year, the first time this award was presented jointly by
the Linux User Group Bolzano and the Free Software Foundation
Europe, it went to the
founder of Nextcloud, Frank Karlitschek.
Get your FSFE hoddie: pre-order your hoodie and pick it up at 38C3 or FOSDEM
For years, you've been asking, and we’ve been listening. Now,
the wait is finally over: the FSFE hoodies are back! This winter
you can show your love for Free Software with our new hoodies!
These cozy, stylish hoodies have been designed with your feedback
in mind, They’re here, they’re back, and they’re better than
ever! Order yours today!
Pre order your hoodie and pick it up at your favourite
conference, 38C3 at the end of December in Hamburg or FOSDEM at
beginning of February!
Youth Hacking 4 Freedom: 2024 Award Ceremony!
The third edition of YH4F, the coding competition for teenagers
across Europe, will culminate with the Award Ceremony weekend at
the end of October, where the official winners will be revealed.
The six 2024 winners, along with their families and members of the
jury, will gather in Brussels for a celebratory weekend. The
teenagers have the chance to connect with each other, to enjoy time
together and to learn more about the winning projects.
Back to the stages!Events, talks, and more
Last September, our team and volunteers actively celebrated
Software Freedom Day across Europe and participated in various
events, from Ada & Zangemann readings to the Fediverse Day in
Berlin.
The FSFE 2024 General Assembly was held near Madrid during the last weekend of September.
If you have some spare time, we recommend you to check out Alexander Sander's
conversation with Tuta Mail about supporting Free Software
projects. Also, if you are a German speaker, listen
to this podcast episode where Alexander Sander talks
about Microsoft vendor lock-in in Germany and why it is a problem.
Remember that at events.fsfe.org you can find all the information about our events and you can follow our latests news in our social media channels!!
Contribute to our Newsletter
We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or
news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can
also support us, contribute to our work, and join our community. We would like to thank
our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make
our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it
possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.
Your editor,
Ana
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