Forge platforms are collaborative development platforms that today hold an essential place in the contemporary digital ecosystem. For this simple and unique reason, they represent a significant issue for free software. The creation of the interministerial working group “Forgeons !” (“Let’s Forge!”) in November 2024, reflects this reality through the diversity of its protagonists: Education, Culture, Research, Information and Environmental Sciences, Citizenship.
With Microsoft’s acquisition of Github in 2018, and more recently with the increased pressure from digital giants on the European ecosystem, the need for a free and independent development platform is even more pronounced. It thus becomes crucial to counterbalance the hegemony of the Big Tech by strengthening the role of free and alternative forges such as Gitlab and SourceHut. It is in this context that the work group pays particular attention to the Forgejo project as a fully free platform, supported by a dynamic community, and moreover, anchored in Europe.
A first workday open to all (reservation required) will be held on March 13, 2025, at the Public Transformation Place and will be an opportunity to discuss the current issues. It will notably be a question of establishing a first assessment of the great diversity of forge derivations, or “professional forges,” with two main themes: “Educational, Creative, and Social Forges” on the one hand, and “Forges and Digital Twins” on the other. Consult the 🧢 detailed program for more information (in French).
Have questions ? Please write to contact at forgeons dot org or discuss this on Codeberg.
… Let’s forge! 🔨
