The Free Software Foundation (FSF) operates a surprisingly complex technical infrastructure to ensure the software it uses – and advocates for – remains truly free. This commitment extends beyond simply choosing open-source licenses; it involves continuous verification, proactive license monitoring, and even collaborative development to maintain software freedom, as detailed by FSF President and Senior Systems Administrator Ian Kelling.
According to Kelling, the FSF tech team, currently comprised of just two people, manages sixty-three different services, platforms, and websites supporting the FSF staff, the GNU Project, and the wider free software community. This infrastructure is hosted on a dozen physical servers located in two Boston data centers. The team’s work is foundational, enabling core FSF functions like hosting conferences, scheduling meetings, and processing financial transactions – activities that would be impossible without a commitment to free software.
The process of identifying and vetting software isn’t straightforward. Kelling explains that the team regularly faces the challenge of determining whether a program truly qualifies as “free software.” Their initial search often begins with the package repositories of free GNU/Linux distributions, such as Trisquel, using commands like apt-cache search. This approach leverages the thorough reviews conducted by the operating system developers to ensure software freedom. They also utilize the Free Software Directory, a curated collection of verified free software.
However, simply finding software isn’t enough. The FSF actively works to avoid nonfree software, even when promising options appear. A recent example highlights this dedication: the team’s experience with BigBlueButton, a videoconferencing service.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FSF increased its reliance on web-based videoconferencing tools, including BigBlueButton. While version 2.2 of BigBlueButton used a freely licensed version of MongoDB, subsequent versions (2.3 and 2.4) unintentionally incorporated MongoDB’s 2018 nonfree license change. The FSF identified this issue in late 2020 and alerted the BigBlueButton team. Unlike some cases where free software forks emerge in response to licensing changes, no one stepped forward to maintain a fork of the earlier, free version of MongoDB.
This presented a dilemma for the FSF and other users: either continue using older, unmaintained software or switch to a different free program. Fortunately, Kelling notes, the free software ecosystem offers a wealth of alternatives. The FSF decided to proactively address the issue, aiming to ensure that MongoDB wouldn’t render BigBlueButton nonfree for other users.
The solution involved identifying a suitable MongoDB alternative. The team ultimately found FerretDB to be promising and collaborated with its developers to ensure compatibility with BigBlueButton. This collaboration led to architectural changes in BigBlueButton 3.0, released in 2025, which removed the dependency on MongoDB entirely, restoring the platform to fully free software status.
This episode underscores the importance of meticulous license review. Kelling recently re-reviewed BigBlueButton’s licensing, a process that took approximately four hours, including utilizing tools like ScanCode and npx license-checker to analyze the numerous NodeJS JavaScript dependencies. He emphasized that the FSF’s licensing team publishes evaluations of licenses, but the sheer volume of licenses necessitates careful judgment and a degree of skepticism.
Kelling cautions against blindly trusting online information about licenses, noting that companies sometimes falsely claim association with the FSF or the free software movement. He also points out the common misinterpretation of licenses that appear similar to copyleft licenses but contain nonfree restrictions, citing the Reciprocal Public License as an example. He recommends consulting the FSF’s license list (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html) and remaining skeptical of licenses claiming to be copyleft.
The FSF relies on community support to continue this vital work. As of , the organization is seeking 50 new associate members to reach a goal of 100 by January 16. Associate membership costs $12 USD per month ($6 for students) and provides access to various membership benefits. Kelling stresses that even with a small team of 11 people, every contribution makes a significant difference in advancing the free software movement globally.
The FSF’s efforts demonstrate that maintaining software freedom is an ongoing process, requiring constant vigilance, technical expertise, and community collaboration. It’s a commitment that extends far beyond simply choosing open-source software; it’s about actively ensuring that the software we use empowers users and upholds the principles of freedom.
