The Free Software Foundation is holding an auction to celebrate its 40th anniversary. You can bid on the original sketch of the GNU head by [Etienne Suvasa] and [Richard Stallman’s] Internet Hall of Fame medal.

There are some other awards, including the FSF’s 1999 Norbert Wiener Award. There’s even a katana that symbolizes the fight for computer user freedom.

The FSF has done a lot of important work to shape the computing world as we know it. We hope this sale isn’t a sign that they are running out of money. Maybe they are just funding their birthday party in Boston.

If you use Linux (even if it is disguised as Android, a Raspberry Pi OS, or hiding on a web server you use), you can thank the FSF. While we commonly call them “Linux systems,” Linux is just the kernel. Most of the other things you use are based on either GNU-sponsored code or builds on that GNU-sponsored code. If you want to know more about the history of the organization, you can catch [ForrestKnight’s] video below.

Without the GNU tools and the Linux kernel, you have to wonder what our computers would look like. While [Richard Stallman] is a sometimes controversial figure, you can’t argue that the FSF has had a positive impact on our computers. Maybe we’d all be on BSD. It is worth noting that the FSF even certifies hardware.