Software Freedom
Testimonials from our community
The anouncement of the creation of the GNU Project was the beginning of the software freedom movement! Today it is a global and broad movement that includes small local companies, large global corporations, civil society organisations and thousands of professionals. All are working towards a world where the four freedoms are guaranteed: users are free to use software and adapt it to their needs, and are able to understand and share it. These rights support other fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and privacy.
For the 40th anniversary of this milestone, we have gather the thoughts of some members of our community
“Formulating the four freedoms, -that everyone should have the right to use software for any purpose, to be allowed to understand it, to share it with others, and to improve the software depending on your own needs–, was visionary at the time and achieving it felt almost impossible. But it inspired many people around the world from different backgrounds to join this movement, each one contributing a piece of a puzzle that in sum changed the history of computing. Today those freedoms become more and more crucial to preserve democracies by distributing power over technology.“
Matthias Kirschner, President of the Free Software Foundation Europe
“40 years ago, a group of hackers came together to do what seemed impossible -- write a fully free operating system that gave users full control over their computers. They proved that it could be done, by doing it. Everyone feeling hopelessness about the state of modern computing -- mobile surveillance devices in our pockets, black-box AI threatening the fabric of society, streaming and publishing companies trying to claim all human culture and knowledge as their own by virtue of their control over the digital distribution platforms -- should look to the example of GNU's origin to know that we *can* actually get out from under this, if we come together in support of each other and do our best to reject what's being forced on us.“
John Sullivan, Alliterative Advising LLC, former Free Software Foundation Executive Director
“We are celebrating 40 years of the GNU project, 30 years of Debian and 25 years of the Open Source Initiative! Together, those three entities have contributed to defining and defending Free and Open Source software — software that is so prevalent in the stacks that power our world’s discovery and economy. The GNU project was key to initially launching that revolution: From the Manifesto to the functional software produced, the GNU project and the freedoms it granted have traced a path for computer science to evolve at the pace of other scientific disciplines. Without GNU and its freedoms, computer science risked remaining in the hands of a privileged few. Here is to the next 40 years of freedom!”
Dr. Catharina Maracke, Chair, Open Source Initiative
“Four decades of the free software movement have put us today in the position to widely deploy software that gives people rights with respect to the critical technology they rely on. The next 40 years is critical. I'm confident the diversity of voices and organizations working together will make it possible to achieve the hard work and vision of the movement's ideals, democratizing our technology and instituting ethical software for all of our essential infrastructure.”
Karen Sandler, Executive Director of the Software Freedom Conservancy
“Free Software means much more than writing code. It's a philosophy about building inclusive communities and societies. It's about sharing and evolving through open access and open science. During these four decades, Free/Libre Software has become our best ally to achieve universal access to non-negotiable human rights such as education and healthcare. It has also been our best friend to safeguard our privacy as individuals. Now I dream about the universal adoption of Free/Libre Software in our public administrations, hospitals, research institutions and schools. It's only up to us to make this dream a reality. In the 40th anniversary of the GNU project, let's all celebrate and be proud of this movement’s achievements!"
Dr. Luis Falcón, medical doctor and computer scientist. Founder of GNU Health, a Free Software information system for the healthcare sector
"The need for free and open source software is as essential now as it was 40 years ago when the GNU project was founded. Free and open source software demonstrates that is possible to voluntarily collaborate in the creation of valuable assets, and to share the use of those assets universally. Free and opens source software bring a different approach to the power to create and control technical assets. It also brings a different perspective to social structure, with its focus on voluntary communities organized to create common good. These perspectives are desperately needed today, as new forms of software, data and technology continue to radically change our lives.”
Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman and CEO of the Mozilla Foundation and of Mozilla Corporation
”I have been programming since 1969. In a time where computing was still in its infancy I can honestly say that I would not have learned as much about computing as fast if it had not been for programmers sharing their source code for the programs they wrote so I could study that code. In today's world many developers and companies benefit from the collaboration of "Permissive Open Source", source code licensed which does not require the programmers to make their changes available to the next person in line. Without the complete source code and build steps needed to produce the binaries for the end users the situation is just as bad (or worse) than completely closed source code. The end user, the person who depends on that software working and meeting their needs, has no ability to change the code to meet their needs or even maintain the code when the original developer or company loses interest in it. Only Free Software, represented by the so-called "Restrictive Open Source" licenses such as the GPL, benefits the end user. It is THAT simple.”
Jon "maddog" Hall, Board Chair of the Linux Professional Institute & President of Linux International
”At a time where our individual autonomy and privacy are being increasingly challenged even by our own democratic representatives, the idea of software that guarantees the digital self-sovereignty of each individual is needed more than ever. Without it, we are constantly watched for profit and control even by the devices we own. The GNU Project was the torch-bearer for this idea of digital self-sovereignty, whether it is called free software, open source or software freedom, and in celebrating its 40th anniversary we are also celebrating our own liberty.”
Simon Phipps, Standards & Policy Director at Open Source Initiative