It’s time to show your love for free software again

This Friday 14th will be – as it is every year – St Valentine’s Day and the whiff of romance is in the air as restaurants, the greetings cards business and florists gird their loins and reinforce their tills for increased turnover.

On 14th February, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is asking all free software users to think about the dedicated hard-working people in the free software community and to show them their appreciation like last year.

“Every day, we use free software and often take it for granted. We write bug reports, tell others how they should improve their software, or ask them for new features. Often we are not shy about criticising. So, to let the people in free software receive positive feedback once a year, there is the ‘I love Free Software day’.” says the FSFE’s vice president Matthias Kirschner, who initiated the #ilovefs campaign in 2010.

The FSFE has several suggestions for how to show your love creatively to the people behind free software on “I love Free Software Day”, including:

• Writing an e-mail or letter to contributors expressing how much you like what they are doing.
• Sharing your feelings about free software on social networks and microblogs using the hashtag #ilovefs. Or you can write a blog post about your favourite piece of free software.
• Buying your favourite contributor a drink. Or buy someone else a drink and while enjoying it, tell her/him about your favourite free software program.
• Giving a contributor a hug (ask for permission first). You might be amazed how many free software developers live in your area!
• Helping the FSFE collecting quotes for its testimonials of people who love free software. Ask developers, artists, politicians, or other users to send their quotes to FSFE.
• Taking a picture of yourself showing your feelings for free software and posting it online.
• Donating to free software initiatives or the FSFE to express your gratitude. They depend on your contribution to continue their work.
• Finally you can help spread the love by sharing the campaign banners by e-mail, (micro)blog or by social media (please use the hashtag #ilovefs for this).

“Free Software gains its strengths by the community and the ability to work together and join forces,” says Matthias Kirschner. “We should not underestimate the power of a simple “thank you” for people who are easing our everyday work. So say thank you on 14th February!”