LAB NOTE 005 // FOSS // FSFE // STICKERS
SEPTEMBER 2026
Sometimes the best upgrades don’t need more RAM, a faster SSD or a new CPU.
Sometimes they just arrive in an envelope.
A few days ago, I got in touch with the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE). Today, an envelope from Berlin arrived at OpenBootLab, filled with stickers, Free Software material and a few other surprises.
Naturally, it didn’t take long before some of them found their way onto a ThinkPad.
02 // WHAT IS THE FSFE?
The Free Software Foundation Europe, usually shortened to FSFE, is a charitable organisation that has been working to promote software freedom in Europe since 2001.
Their goal is to empower people to control the technology they use. When we talk about Free Software, the important part isn’t necessarily the price. It’s about freedom, having the ability to use, study, share and improve software. FSFE works on this from several directions, including public awareness, policy, legal support, education and campaigns surrounding digital freedom.
Learn more about the Free Software Foundation Europe
And that philosophy fits OpenBootLab rather nicely.
A lot of what happens here involves taking older hardware and finding new ways to use it. Linux and Free Software can often keep machines useful long after their original operating systems and manufacturers have moved on.
Sometimes a computer doesn’t need replacing. It just needs a different purpose.
03 // THE THINKPAD GETS INVOLVED
It was probably inevitable that at least a few of these stickers would end up on the ThinkPad. The machine has already become one of the regular OpenBootLab systems, and it somehow feels like the right place for a few Free Software stickers.
The first ones I picked were some of the designs that fit the spirit of the project best:
HACKING 0100 FREEDOM
THERE IS NO CLOUD, JUST OTHER PEOPLE’S COMPUTERS
REUSE SOFTWARE,
THIS COMPUTER IS NOT OLD, IT IS SUSTAINABLE
FSFE LOGO
They work surprisingly well on an old ThinkPad that is still being used for Linux, writing, testing and whatever else ends up happening on the bench. I’m not planning to cover the whole machine though. A few stickers are enough to give it some character, and the rest can wait for other hardware. There are definitely enough machines around here that they’ll eventually find a home.
And before the rest disappear onto laptops, cases and other hardware, here is the full set that arrived from FSFE together with the letter included in the package.
04 // GET IN TOUCH WITH FSFE
If you want to learn more about FSFE, their campaigns or the work they’re doing around Free Software in Europe, their website is the best place to start.
Free Software Foundation Europe
FSFE also maintains several ways for people to get involved with the community, including local groups, mailing lists and online communication channels.
For general enquiries, FSFE can also be contacted through the details provided on their official contact page.
05 // THANK YOU, FSFE
Finally, a big thank you to the FSFE team for sending all of this over.
It’s a small thing, but it’s genuinely cool seeing organisations supporting the Free Software community with material like this — and several of these stickers already look very much at home in the lab.
The ThinkPad has claimed a few.
The rest?
They’ll have to wait and see which machine comes across the bench next.
// FREE SOFTWARE // OLD HARDWARE // KEEP EXPERIMENTING
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