The Monthly GNU Column

BRAVE GNU WORLD

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This column looks into projects and current affairs in the world of free software from the perspective of the GNU Project and the FSF. In this issue, we take a look behind the drapes at the FSFE Annual General Meeting.

Welcome to a special issue of Brave GNU World focusing on the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE). The fourth Annual General Meeting of the FSFE took place in Vienna at the beginning of May 2005. This meeting was quite special in many ways. Not only was this the first full meeting of the European core team of the organization; it also marked the end of the European Executive’s term of office. The European spin-off has now been around for four years – high time to look back at the highlights, polish the crystal ball, and peer into the future. Battle against Software Patents The focus of the FSFE’s work continues to be the battle against the patentability of algorithms. There have been various activities at various levels. The patent battle also influences the case of Microsoft versus the European Commission.