The importance of communities around software

Communities surrounding software projects are of paramount importance, according to the author's perspective. This notion has evolved from a focus solely on software freedom and related topics, such as security, autonomy, and privacy. Over time, the author has come to believe that the ethical standards applied to the software one uses should extend beyond merely being free software.

The author's activism once centered around strong copyleft licenses, which require projects to remain free and prevent proprietary alterations. However, the author now considers community to be of paramount importance over license. While a strong copyleft license signals the project's care for software freedom, it is not a guarantee of ethical values such as inclusivity or community-driven operation.

Additionally, copyleft licenses, while using copyright against powerful entities, are not a sustainable or desirable long-term solution.

Software being free also provides no insight into the project's ethical values. Therefore, the author advocates for joining the communities of free software projects one uses and cares about, and contributing in various ways. This can include community management, documentation, artwork, triage, outreach, and more. The author emphasizes that it is the community surrounding a project that ultimately shapes its values, and thus, one should actively participate and challenge unethical practices.

Speaking up for those unable to do so is also crucial, as is collaborating in building software, whether by joining existing projects, creating new ones, or joining software cooperatives.