A new community space for discussing free software

The purpose of this website is to enrich the free software community by making it easier to participate and understand the principles and practices underlying the free software movement. We provide in-depth and accessible information regarding these topics to introduce new members to our movement, explaining what free software is and how free software works in accessible terms. This content has done a great job at on-boarding people into free software and even in helping existing members of the community find a deeper understanding of the movement.

However, free software is participatory. We cannot promote its interests with a static presentation of text or a one-way dialogue from us to you. We want “we” to include you. To this end, we’ve set up a forum for the purpose of discussing free software at discourse.writefreesoftware.org, where all people, regardless of background, are welcomed and encouraged to be a part of a supportive, inclusive community of peers.

If you read the main articles on free software here and came away with questions or feedback, the Discourse is the right place to go (check the Site Feedback section). But, moreover, if you read these articles and came away wanting a deeper connection to a community, this is the place for you. Questions about how licenses work and which one is right for your project, discussions about the tools we use to build free software, information about funding opportunities for your project and help writing your grant applications – it’s all here, and more importantly it’s a social place where we can build solidarity and friendships, which are the bedrock of a strong political movement.

Please sign up to join us, introduce yourself, and find a few discussions to participate in. The success of this community will depend on its early members taking an active role in building it – so don’t be shy! We’re depending on you.

Finally, a note on community safety. This is a moderated community and is an inclusive, safe space for all people regardless of background, race, sex or sexual identity, gender or gender expression, visible or invisible disability, nationality, level of experience, and so on. We have established a code of conduct and we expect people to participate compassionately and respectfully.

We are aware that the free software community as a whole is no exception to problems of representation and empowerment. Part of the purpose of our community is to establish powerful spaces where these problems are not present, and through this build strength and solidarity as the foundation of a stronger political movement for free software. To this end we are taking pains to establish a diverse and intersectional, but also compassionate and patient, team of moderators to oversee our community, with a political awareness that extends further than a simple understanding of free software liberation and includes solidarity against all struggles for liberation, particularly those which our movement has often left behind.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!