Lordy, lordy, lordy, FSF is turning 40. What we want to know is, how is that even possible?
In celebration of its 40th anniversary this year, the Free Software Foundation is going to put up many of its historic and traditional items up for auction next month.
Founded in 1985 in Boston, the FSF’s main focus is to promote users’ right to use, copy, modify, study, and redistribute computer programs. They achieve this by promoting the development and use of “free as in freedom” software, like the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants.
The auction, scheduled as a virtual silent auction starting on March 17 and running through March 21, will conclude in a virtual live auction on March 23 from 2 to 5 pm, Eastern Daylight Time.
So why the auction?
“For many years these items decorated the walls of our offices and this year is our 40th year of existence,” Zoë Kooyman, executive director at FSF, told FOSS Force. “We no longer have an office to give these items a nice space, so what better celebration event than to go through some of our memorabilia. We want the community to have them so that we know that they are taken care of and appreciated.”
Inside the FSF Auction
Some of the organization’s most iconic and famous items will be up for auction at this time, not the least of which is the original GNU head drawing by Etienne Suvasa. Not only would this be of interest to free software advocates, but also of interest to art collectors worldwide, according to the FSF.
“We went through all the items we had in the offices and discussed where each should go,” Kooyman explained. “Of course we considered archiving, and we gave some to friends of the FSF to take care of as well. We divided some important items that way, and the rest we decided to auction off. Of course, we also considered what we felt community members could be interested in, we want to make sure that it’s worth people’s while.”
Memorabilia up for auction also includes some rare and historic hardware, including a “terminus-est” microcomputer and an Amiga 3000UX utilized in the FSF’s old office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in GNU’s early days. Each of these machines were capable of running a GNU-like operating system.
One item that collectors may want to keep an eye on is the Internet Hall of Fame medal awarded to FSF founder Richard Stallman. Stallman’s induction has been described as the ultimate recognition of free software’s immense impact on the development and advancement of the internet.
In addition to this prestigious award, another award is the Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility, which was awarded to the FSF in 1999 on behalf of the free software movement “in appreciation for their deep commitment to the socially responsible use of computing technology.”
There will be bidding for more than just historic awards and original GNU artwork at the March event, however. Other items will be auctioned as well, such as the legendary katana – a lighthearted weapon in the fight for software freedom. Even fans of plush animals will get their money’s worth, thanks to a range of iconic plush animals that have been greeting visitors in the lobby of the FSF office in Boston for decades.
“One of the shop’s most popular items is a baby-gnu – a stuffed animal that has gone through several changes over the years and we had one of most of the versions ever sold at the entrance of the FSF office, together with other stuffed animals that represented free software packages or programs,” Kooyman said. “Now, we are auctioning these off as well.”
According to FSF, with all of the historical artifacts and memorabilia from the free software movement’s long history on the auction block, the auction will be a program worthy on an organization that’s on the brink of turning 40 years old.
Registration for the online auction is available at the site that FSF has set up for the auction, although bids can also be placed on the FSF’s LibrePlanet wiki.
Other FSF 40th Anniversary Events
In May, the FSF plans to invite free software supporters from all over the world to gather for local in-person community meetups to network, discuss what people can do to make the world freer, and to celebrate 40 years of commitment to software freedom.
In addition, on the actual birthday of FSF on October 4, the organization intends to gather in Boston for a celebration featuring keynotes and workshops by prominent personalities of the free software movement.
The FSF even has a logo for its 40th anniversary, which was sourced from the free software community in a logo contest. This logo features a silhouette of a flying bird set against the number 40, which according to Sourav Rudra of the It’s FOSS website, “beautifully symbolizes the FSF’s unwavering dedication to freedom and its commitment to the community over the past four decades.”
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