Techlore Talks Matthias Kirschner on FSFE's Open Source Journey
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Nov 19, 2023 
Matthias Kirschner, President of the Free Software Foundation Europe, discusses the crucial role of free software in empowering democracy and transparency. He contrasts positive campaigning in Europe with negative messaging elsewhere, highlighting the importance of education for decision-makers. Matthias advocates for the 'Public Money, Public Code' campaign, urging that publicly funded software should be free. He also emphasizes practical contributions beyond coding, such as documentation and outreach, to broaden participation in the free software movement.
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Positive Campaigning Worked In Europe
- FSFE used positive messaging in Europe, focusing on showcasing good examples rather than negative slogans.
- Campaigns like Document Freedom Day highlighted real organizations adopting open formats.
Publish Publicly Funded Code
- Promote 'Public Money, Public Code' so taxpayer-funded software is released as free software.
- Share resources, translations, and brochures to help decision makers adopt this policy.
Policy Adoption Doesn’t Guarantee Implementation
- Several European administrations and parties adopted reuse-first procurement and free-software policies.
- Implementation varies and loopholes still allow avoidance of intended outcomes.
