As the Free Software Foundation celebrates forty years, tech lead Ian Kelling steps up as president — signaling a new era rooted in hands-on advocacy and community connection.
The Free Software Foundation announced on Thursday that it has a new president, Ian Kelling. He comes to the job by way of the organization’s board, where he had the distinction of being the board’s first union member (yes, FSF has it’s own labor union, and since 2021 with a representative on the board). He was unanimously confirmed as president by the board in September, which puts another first on his plate: he’s the first staff member to become president of FSF.
“His hands-on technical experience resulting from his position as the organization’s senior systems administrator proved invaluable for his work on the board of directors,” FSF’s board said in a statement. “The board is confident Kelling is the right person to help the organization achieve its long-term goals.
“His commitment to free software comes from a life of exploring ways to exert user control,” the board continued. “He has the technical knowledge to speak with authority on most free software issues, and he has a strong connection with the community as an active speaker and blogger.”
Kelling’s Credentials and Philosophy
Kelling, who is 43, has been a board member — and a voting FSF member — since March 2021, brings plenty of cred to the table — both traditional computer tech cred and the free software kind.
For the former, he has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from San Diego State University — his hometown university. For the latter, he clearly understands the difference between free software and open source (free software people usually do; open source folks, not necessarily so much), and notes that free software has a ethical component that some open source licenses are designed to skirt.
“The open source label lacks a guiding philosophy of why free software is essential to a free society and in our lives,” he said in a January 2024 post on the FSF website.
In the same post, he dealt with some issues he finds with the Software as a Service model, which he called “SaaSS,” for “Service as a Software Substitute”:
“These are services which take away control of your computing by doing it on someone else’s computer where you don’t control the software being run. Common examples include modifying a photo or translating text into another language. The amount of SaaSS has been growing, and I think partly because proprietary software is easier to explain, SaaSS hasn’t gotten enough attention. The answer to both is running free software on a computer you control.”
Kelling will continue to fill the role of senior systems administrator for the FSF, which he has held since 2017 and where he leads the FSF’s tech team under the direction of Zoë Kooyman, FSF’s executive director. True to the FSF’s tradition, he takes on this governance role as a volunteer and will no longer hold a union position or serve as a union representative during the course of his term.
Kudos and Addressing the Issues
In taking the position, Kelling gets endorsement statements from both Richard Stallman, FSF’s founder and “Chief GNUisance (cute, eh?), and Geoff Knauth, the outgoing president.
“Ian has shown good judgment in the board, and a firm commitment to the free software movement,” Stallman said.
“Since joining the board in 2021, Ian has shown a clear understanding of the free software philosophy in today’s technology, and a strong vision,” Knauth said. “He recognizes threats in upcoming technologies, promotes transparency, has played a significant role in designing and implementing the new board recruitment processes, and has always adhered to ethical principles. He has also given me valuable advice at critical moments, for which I am very grateful.”
The announcement came on the eve of FSF’s fortieth anniversary, which will be celebrated on Saturday in a big birthday bash that’ll be taking place in Boston, and available to those who can’t be there in person as a live and online event.
There’s a good chance that this event will end up being an opportunity to learn more about what Kelling intends to spend his time holding the reins doing, since he’s scheduled to make an address at the event. According to FSF, we can also expect announcements of upcoming plans for the organization. Attending the event virtually is free, but you’ll need to register.
“With Kelling carrying responsibilities as a board member and a systems administrator for years now, we have already grown used to working together closely and efficiently in order to benefit the organization,” Kooyman said. “The FSF has undergone an introspective restructuring period over the last few years, which was necessary. I believe now, with Kelling’s active and dynamic leadership, we will be able to focus our energy on mission-focused growth through strategic projects and strong advocacy.”
Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux
I don’t follow the FSF that closely but I recall there were some controversies some years ago. Is this a change of the guard, a new direction with a relatively new person coming in? I mean, involvement since 2021 is brand new compared to May of the other FSF veterans…