The Free Software Foundation is hiring a new engineering and certification manager for leading the Respect Your Freedom “RYF” hardware certification program. The FSF RYF program is about certifying hardware that respects the user’s freedom and privacy for control over the device, such as no proprietary firmware blobs needed to be loaded at run-time, no digital rights management / digital restrictions, and complies with their other free software ideals.
The FSF RYF program has certified some useful hardware over the years such as the POWER9-powered Raptor Computing Systems Talos II but a lot of the hardware they certify isn’t too applicable to the masses… In 2024 there was an 802.11n WiFi USB adapter that besides being slow costs €50, USB to parallel printer cables still being certified in recent years, 10/100 routers, and even a basic USB microphone. The FSF RYF program has largely been about random peripherals that don’t require firmware at runtime and have existing open-source drivers, albeit mostly dated hardware being resold at a premium.
With the FSF hiring a new engineering and certification manager for the RYF program, the new hire will be leading the technical and strategic direction of it moving forward. The FSF is looking to hire the engineering manager for a fixed salary of $83,034/year.
Those interested can learn more about this open job position with the Free Software Foundation via the posting at FSF.org.
