Preserving the History of Open-Source and Free Software with FOSSDA
Open-source and free software have significantly shaped the world of computing. By creating operational systems, applications and tools that are freely accessible, developers have enabled buisnesses and individuals to create things that would otherwise be too expensive to access. To keep this history alive, FOSSDA has been founded to preserve the stories of open-source and free software projects.
What is FOSSDA?
FOSSDA stands for Federation of Open Source Software Developers Associations. It was founded in 2019 in response to a need for a platform that catalogues stories of the impact of FOSS projects on the world.
What are Their Goals?
FOSSDA has three main goals:
- To collect stories of the impact of FOSS projects – this includes gathering stories from FOSS developers, users and contributors who want to highlight the effects of FOSS on the world.
- To promote the use of FOSS – by better understanding why FOSS is important and how it has changed the world, FOSSDA helps to spread the word of its potential.
- To provide support for FOSS developers – FOSSDA provides resources to FOSS developers, to help them build their projects and tutorials and promote their work.
How Can You Help?
FOSSDA is actively seeking contributors and contributors, who can help them to record and preserve the history of FOSS projects. They are looking for stories, interviews, photographs and videos. If you have an interesting story, or know someone who does, consider submitting it to FOSSDA. They are also looking for people to translate stories into different languages and help to build a diverse and representative collection of voices.
Conclusion
Open-source and free software have opened up a world of possibilities and by preserving their history we can keep the stories of their impact alive. FOSSDA is working to ensure that the stories of these projects are told and shared, to provide insight into the world of FOSS, and to support developers by providing resources and promotion. If you want to help, consider contributing a story or becoming a translator.