Manifesto for FLOSS Competence Centers

Free / Libre / Open Source Software (FLOSS) has proven itself to be a highly advantageous model for software research, development, and commercialization, providing benefits in terms of cost, reliability, security, agility, interoperability, and vendor independence. In addition, unrestricted availability of source code makes knowledge readily available to all of society.

To further promote worldwide adoption and involvement with FLOSS, a group of Competence Centers shall be established and nurtured. Each Competence Center acts locally in its geographical region, working as a meeting point and knowledge repository in its area. Competence Centers also collaborate in a worldwide community exchanging experiences, methods, and solutions to expand and spread knowledge on FLOSS. These Centers work as catalysts, fostering trust and reliability of FLOSS, not only in the software industry but also in society as a whole.

Competence Centers should:

• be a meeting point for FLOSS users, developers, students, educators, researchers, and other enthusiasts both at the individual and institutional levels;
• stay up-to-date with FLOSS technology, market, and trends;
• provide and extend trust in FLOSS methods, tools, and solutions;
• act as a neutral player within FLOSS matters, trends, and studies;
• develop, maintain, and publish their work under a free/open license; and
• explore new innovation and collaboration opportunities by using FLOSS

In summary, by sharing a common ethics and culture of collaboration, Competence Centers promote synergies among educational institutions, industry, government, and communities. They help the dissemination and application of knowledge on open standards and technologies, and promote the development of Information Technology in a way that benefits the entire human society. Furthermore, Competence Centers aim to remain aware of important trends in FLOSS technologies and encourage their use in industry, government, research, and the general population.

Founding signatories:

New signatories:

Download the Manifesto in PDF format.