According to abbreviationfinder, FSF stands for Free Software Foundation. (In Spanish Foundation for Free Software). It is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and defending the use and development of free software and documentation – particularly the GNU operating system. It emerged as part of the free software movement. It frequently runs large promotional campaigns against proprietary software applications such as Microsoft (Windows) and Apple (iPhone, iTunes, OS X) products and others.
Name
The English term ‘free’ has caused confusion due to its ambiguity (it can mean the same ‘free’ as’ free ‘), which is why it is sometimes alternatively called the Libre Software Foundation, thus clarifying its name with the Spanish term ‘ free ‘.
Features
Among the main activities carried out by the FSF are:
-promote the distribution of GNU / Linux
-maintain the development of the GNU operating system
-promote the replacement / substitution of proprietary applications (softwares) for those that are not
proprietary -provide licenses for free software developers
Bells
He has developed different activism campaigns against the development of proprietary software and in favor of free software, placing his sights above all on the work developed by Microsoft and its various versions of Windows. These campaigns are:
-Windows 7 Sins (pun meaning “(7) sins of Windows 7 “)
-Defective by Design (Flawed by Design)
-End Software Patents (Get over Software Patents)
-PlayOgg- –free media formats (PlayOgg — free media formats)
-BadVista (pun that means “MalaVista”, alluding to Windows Vista)
-GNU Operating System
-Connect with free software users
As a result of these campaigns, the FSF has been embroiled in various legal disputes with other companies such as IBM, Cisco and Microsoftitself.
Personal
Richard Stallman has served as president since its inception. The FSF has nurtured its “ranks” with graduates and professionals from leading universities, such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. John Sullivan currently serves as CEO, and Ward Vandewege as CTO.
Members
With sister organizations in Latin America, Europe, France and India, it has more than 3,000 active members in 48 countries, representing a diverse membership, ranging from software engineers to artists, hackers, students, among others.
Licensing
Among the licenses it has developed to advance free software are:
– General Public License (GNU GPL)
– Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL)
– Lesser General Public License (GNU LGPL)
– Free Document License (GNU FDL)
These licenses have been well received by dissimilar users.
Support and sponsorship
The FSF has the support and financial sponsorship of large companies in the field of information and communication technologies such as Google, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard, Mozilla, Intel, Oracle, and Reddit, among many others.
Associated with the FSF are also other centers, such as the Software Freedom Law Center, the consulting corporation CivicActions and the Software Freedom Conservancy.
Awards
In 2005 the FSF received the Prix Ars Electronica-award of distinction in the category of “Digital Communities”.
FSF itself awards two awards annually, the “Award for the Advancement of Free Software” and the “Free Software Award for Projects of Social Benefit”..
