Contents
FSFE Potteries
Information
- Coordinator
- Deputy
- Vacant position (contact Steven if you're interested)
- How to join
- Subscribe to the FSFE Potteries mailing list!
- Mailing lists
- Description
A group about Free Software in the Potteries (North Staffordshire, including Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove, and Staffordshire Moorlands).
Meetings
As we're new, our meetings are starting at just 3 times a year in February, June and October (on Tuesday's in odd weeks) at 7pm in a room provided by Internet Central in Keele).
Keep checking this page to know exactly which meetings are definitely going ahead and their exact dates, or possibly been changed or cancelled. We hope to set up some kind of iCal or RSS feed for this soon.
Notice: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be holding future meetings via Jitsi Meet. Please make sure you're on the mailing list so you get the link to that!
Planned
- Tuesday 2nd February 2021 7pm
- Tuesday 7th June 2021 7pm
- Tuesday 11th October 2021 7pm
Past
- Tuesday 6th October 2020 7pm - Meeting to discuss launching FSFE Potteries
About us
The FSFE Potteries local group began Tuesday 6th October 2020. Nothing much had particularly happened on that date other than a bunch of us getting together (via Jitsi Meet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic!) and deciding to start this FSFE local group, the general goals and ways it could work. Given we've still got a few more things to get sorted (including the mailing list), our first proper meeting will be in February 2021 and will have a proper topic (as yet to be decided) but will likely again be via Jitsi Meet (or a combination of both physical and virtual dependant on COVID-19).
Today it feels like more and more the entire point of keeping software free is being eroded. Whether that be...
- So called "open core" tactics.
- Open source software not released under a FSF approved license.
- Software that's split so it's partly free, offloading the platform/architecture/packaging specific tweaks to the community.
- Microsoft's new found "Love" of Linux (and related communities).
We aim to bring back some much needed attention to why this movement began in the first place, at a regional level. To promote software that respects a user's right to use, study, distribute and modify it, and believe technology should be accessible to everyone. Feel free to come along to any of our meetings, we're friendly and enthusiastic, like to share news and ideas and can likely help if you're just trying to find out what free software would be suitable for you.
What we do
We are an active Free Software group that advocates for Free Software at a regional level. Working as a local group of the Free Software Foundation Europe and with the general assistance of FSFE Supporter Function Office (a nearby based non-profit that assists other non-profits and charities using Free Software), we draw attention to the social and political aspects of Free Software, share news and ideas, and plan future events and campaigns.
Resources
The Four Freedoms shows the essential four freedoms that make up what is called Free Software.
Convince your friends project documenting arguments and ideas for explaining to your friends why you choose to use Free Software.
Staffordshire Linux User Group is the local LUG in the area and is a worthwhile group to keep tabs on. We're aiming to co-host any presentations which revolve around purely Free Software topics or goals in order to reach a wider audience locally.
Potteries Hackspace is the local hackspace / makerspace in the area. Their projects regularly make use of Free Software, particularly running on Raspberry Pi's and Arduino's when used to control some mechanical construction!
Function Office is a non-profit organisation (with FSFE Supporter status) that advocates for other non-profits, charities and volunteering individuals to be more self-sufficient (and to keep their overheads low) in their use of digital tools and services. A promoter of the same goals as FSFE, Function Office more directly assists these other groups by offering free IT support and hosted services.
Internet Central is a local ISP that allows Function Office the free use of a room for regular events and meetings. Function Office is, under that agreement, allowing groups like StaffsLUG and FSFE Potteries to use the room for their events.