You searched for charter - Software Heritage https://www.softwareheritage.org/?lang=es Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:01:33 +0000 es hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.softwareheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/cropped-swh-logo-32x32.png You searched for charter - Software Heritage https://www.softwareheritage.org/?lang=es 32 32 Spotlight on Software Heritage Ambassadors https://www.softwareheritage.org/2025/02/06/software-heritage-ambassadors_2024_recap/ Thu, 06 Feb 2025 08:05:00 +0000 https://www.softwareheritage.org/?p=44170 A look at what our amazing Ambassadors did in 2024 - and how you can get involved.

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]]> This blog post highlights the outstanding contributions of Software Heritage Ambassadors in 2024, serving as a source of inspiration for everyone who values the importance of preserving our digital heritage. Our Ambassadors are passionate individuals who volunteer their time to promote software preservation in many communities.

And if you’d like to book one for advice or become one, please do. Ambassadors come from various backgrounds, including academia, industry, culture, and public administration.
Here’s a look at some of the key activities our ambassadors did on behalf of Software Heritage in 2024:

Ambassadors left to right: Maxence Azzouz-Thuderoz, Camille Françoise, Agustin Benito-Bethencourt, Océane Valencia, Joenio Marques Da Costa, Jaime Arias, Pierre Poulain at the Software Heritage, Symposium 2024.

  • Content Creation:
    • Baptiste Mélès, with Cécile Arènes and Océane Valencia: Started translating the FAQ so that French speakers may read in their preferred language. Software Heritage will continue its efforts in multilingualism with the help of its vivid community. Stay tuned. 
    • Baptiste Mélès: created a Wikipedia page in Italian on Software Heritage. 
    • Camille Françoise: To foster a broader understanding of software preservation’s critical role in safeguarding our digital cultural heritage, she launched the «Towards Preserving Digital Culture» interview series, published in Medium. In this series, you’ll come across other Software Heritage friends such as our ambassador Wendy Hagenmaier and Kenneth Seals-Nutt, co-founder of Science Stories.  
    • Joenio Marques da Costa: Wrote a short introduction to Software Heritage in Portuguese.
    • Mohammad Akhlaghi: Helps other researchers integrating Software Heritage in their daily publication workflow. See this article written by his PhD student Sepideh Eskandarlou: “This research note is created from the Git commit f1d6633, hosted on Codeberg 3 which is archived on Software Heritage 4 for longevity.” Other examples are available: «Gnuastro: Simulating the Exposure Map of a Pointing Pattern«; «Gnuastro: Estimating the Zero-point Magnitude in Astronomical Imaging«; «Gnuastro: Visualizing the Full Dynamic Range in Color Images«.
  • Prioritizing software archiving in policy agendas, representing Software Heritage: 
    • Agustín Benito Bethencourt: Participated in an invitation-only session with representatives from open source/open data foundations and non-profits to define the role of these entities in collaborating with Spanish public administrations on behalf of Software Heritage.
    • Bertrand Néron: Nurtures his collaboration with the librarians from the CERIS to help researchers from the Institut Pasteur to use the software deposit feature in French national open archive HAL.
    • Bruno Khelifi: Worked on recommendations for the National Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (IN2P3/CNRS) direction within the «Données Ouvertes Pour les 2 Infinis» (DOP2I) working group. Khelifi also joined the Research Data Alliance.
    • Frédéric Santos, Giacomo Lorenzetti, Joenio Marques da Costa and Maxence Azzouz-Thuderoz: Participated in the RSECon24, a key event for research software engineers. They shared their key takeaways with their fellow ambassadors. 
    • Jaime Arias: Supported decision-makers from this institution, Sorbonne Paris North University. As noted by his colleague Karim Boualem, “[Arias] played a central role by introducing Software Heritage into [the] new version of the Open Science Charter.” Arias also joined the “Software and Source Codes” College of the French Committee for Open Science.
    • Maxence Azzouz-Thuderoz, with Morane Gruenpeter: Presented the ongoing work on FAIRCORE4EOSC at the Research Data Alliance Plenary. They explained how swMATH uses the SWHID to reference software.
    • Pierre Poulain, with Stefano Zacchiroli: Attended the CZI Open Science meeting in Boston.
    • Simon Phipps: Represents Software Heritage at the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group. Among many other goals, Phipps seeks to integrate SWHID into significant capabilities used by the open source community.
    • Violaine Louvet: Bears the primary responsibility for implementing the French National Catalogue for Research Software, which is part of the “Software and Source Codes” College of the French Committee for Open Science roadmap. The catalog will be based upon three pillars: Software Heritage, the French national open archive HAL, and the catalog’s interface developed by the French interministerial digital direction.  

  • Training:
    • Alexis Lebis: Delivered doctoral trainings for MADIS (Mathematics and digital sciences) doctoral school in collaboration with the colleagues at LILLIAD. And at a more general level, Lebis adopted the motto “As open as possible, as closed as necessary” for the works of his PhD students. It raises thorniest legal questions, but Lebis is determined to walk the talk, by guiding in this maze new generations of researchers.
    • Cécile Arènes with Océane Valencia: Delivered a training session during the «Data Spring». Learning material is here. They identified the need to deliver guidance regarding Software Management Plans.
    • Frédéric Santos with Baptiste Mélès and Sabrina Granger: Co-authored a lesson on software archiving for the French edition of Programming Historian. All contributed lessons in The Programming Historian strive to utilize open-source programming languages and software whenever possible. The Programming Historian has won multiple awards that recognize and celebrate achievements in open-access publishing and digital scholarship.
    • Frédéric Santos: Wrote the software preservation and archiving entry in the learning resource linked to the national training on R packages development organized by the French National Center for Scientific Research. 
    • Sandrine Layrisse: Delivered a training action on “Migration of applications to cloud technologies” that included the code archiving workflow with Software Heritage. The training targeted French IT staff at the national level.

These are just a few examples of the outstanding work our ambassadors accomplished last year.
Their dedication significantly raised awareness of Software Heritage and its mission.

Want to take your projects to the next level? Book an ambassador today. Or, perhaps you’d like to contribute to the growth of the Software Heritage community? Learn how to become an Ambassador. 

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]]> Ambassador’s charter https://www.softwareheritage.org/ambassadors-charter/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:32:34 +0000 https://www.softwareheritage.org/?page_id=43156 Why become a champion for Software Heritage? Software Heritage Ambassadors are passionate advocates who bridge the gap between our organization and diverse communities. They perform “cultural brokerage,” as defined by...

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]]> Why become a champion for Software Heritage?

Software Heritage Ambassadors are passionate advocates who bridge the gap between our organization and diverse communities. They perform “cultural brokerage,” as defined by Jang: “[…] the act of facilitating interactions between actors across cultural boundaries” (Jang, 2017).

  • You’re already committed to a community (e.g., a research unit, a community of practice, a team/a department, a group of customers, etc.) by sharing best practices in a formal setting (e.g., training sessions, learning materials, working groups, etc.) as well as informally (e.g., the coffee-machine helpdesk): make your engagement visible.

  • You’re passionate about connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and thriving in international communities.

  • You enjoy learning from others and using those insights to improve products and workflows. Join us in building solutions for your community, powered by Software Heritage.

How can you benefit from becoming an Ambassador?

  • Deepen your knowledge of Software Heritage (market and products, strategic roadmap)

  • Advance your professional career

  • Grow your network

  • Gain access to resources: leverage resources to support your project and initiatives.

  • Connect with a supportive community: Ask questions, share ideas, and collaborate with others.

Expected skills

Ambassadors direct their attention towards others: by different means, they create bridges with a community.

Ambassadors come from all career stages, from early-career researchers to seasoned professionals, including PhD students, open-source community leaders, etc.). Ambassadors are encouraged to expand the diversity of languages used to promote Software Heritage, and English is the language used by the community as it is international.

While programming skills aren’t strictly required, the ability to execute concrete plans and foster collaboration are essential qualities for a Software Heritage Ambassador.

A knowledge of software engineering main concepts (e.g.: CVS, forge, development history, etc.) and a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities in digital information sharing will be beneficial for potential ambassadors.

How to apply? Process and tips

  1. Choose your area of expertise: academia, culture, industry, or public administration.

  2. Tell us more about you with the online form https://www.softwareheritage.org/ambassadors/#becoming-an-ambassador
    or email ambassadorprogram@softwareheritage.org

Applicants are encouraged to showcase experiences or potential plans related to the following skills:

  • Disseminate knowledge and resources

  • Connect with communities and stakeholders: identify use cases, understand strategic stakes, listen to usually untold stories, etc.

  • Amplify the reach of Software Heritage activities: being an official ambassador may give you a Software Heritage mandate to collaborate with different organizations and institutions.

A detailed plan outlining your goals, target audience, and specific actions will strengthen your application. Please share more about your community, your proposed next steps, and any challenges or opportunities you foresee. We’re eager to learn about your strategy.

What does a Software Heritage ambassador do?

A Software Heritage Ambassador can contribute in many ways. Whether you prefer public speaking, writing, technical implementation, or training, there’s a role for you. Your passion for software preservation and open science is what matters most.

Supporting our external communication on social media is appreciated, but being an ambassador goes beyond that. Here are some ways you can support Software Heritage:

  • Promote and attend Software Heritage events

  • Create tools and documentation to enhance Software Heritage end-users experience

  • Share information with relevant mailing lists, venues, and contacts

  • Train end-users and trainers in your community, recruiting new ambassadors

  • Identify and collaborate with new communities in your area, by attending working groups, advisory boards, steering committees, etc.

  • Post Software Heritage news on blogs and social media

  • Help us identify forges to be archived

  • Feedback loop: Share insights from your community with the Software Heritage team 

What Software Heritage provides

Software Heritage supports ambassadors by:

  • Sharing selected relevant material

  • Providing training opportunities

  • Giving opportunities to showcase your skills

  • Providing access to the Software Heritage team and experts

  • Acknowledging the ambassador’s name and affiliated organization

Materials for ambassadors are available in this repository: https://gitlab.softwareheritage.org/outreach/ambassadors/program

Ambassador responsibilities

  • Attend at least one event per year: e.g. plenary session, community workshop, internal training, etc.:

    • There are two online yearly meetings for the full ambassadors’ network, a summer and a winter plenary. The standard plenary is a two-hour online meeting to exchange information about Software Heritage and the activities done by ambassadors. The plenary sessions are key moments for the ambassadors’ community. Other meetings can be scheduled to prepare additional events.

  • Provide asynchronous feedback on your recent activities towards your community.

  • Stay up to date via the Software Heritage channels

The program is also designed to support the ambassadors who need to adapt their action plans during their fellowship.

As with any other community member, ambassadors are expected to respect our Code of Conduct: https://wiki.softwareheritage.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct

If you encounter issues while interacting with our development community, contact us: conduct@softwareheritage.org

Sources

Jang, S. (2017). Cultural Brokerage and Creative Performance in Multicultural Teams. Organization Science, 28(6), 993–1009. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1162

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]]> Deposit Partners Workshop 2024: Key takeaways https://www.softwareheritage.org/2024/12/12/software-heritage-deposit-partners-workshop-2024/ Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:23:00 +0000 https://www.softwareheritage.org/?p=43622 The Software Heritage Deposit Partners Workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in the academic landscape.

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]]> The Software Heritage Deposit Partners Workshop, held on November 26, 2024, brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in the academic landscape to demonstrate the integration implemented between scholarly infrastructures and the universal source code archive, Software Heritage. This year’s workshop was launched with Jean-François Abramatic’s welcome address, who shared the original vision of Scholarly Infrastructure for Research Software (SIRS) report in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) landscape.

Abramatic has played a crucial role in EOSC, as part of the Executive Board and as the architecture working group chair. At the end of 2020, the Executive Board produced a set of recommendations for the implementation of the Horizon Europe program. FAIRCORE4EOSC is one of the awarded EU projects throught the Horizon Europe program.

The RSAC (Research Software APIs and Connectors) components developed through the FARCORE4EOSC project intended to improve interoperability between various infrastructures catering to research software. This component has a significant impact on the four pillars of the SIRS report, namely Archive, Reference, Describe, and Cite. The goals are listed below:

Archive: Creating interoperability between the infrastructures to preserve research software artifacts and their metadata in the universal source code archive, Software Heritage.

Reference: Adoption of the SWHID (Software Heritage Identifier) to identify software artifacts accurately and reference specific versions of the software. 

Describe: Exchange metadata about research software using the CodeMeta vocabulary, thereby enabling an interoperable ecosystem.

Cite: Align the citation export formats for research software following the biblatex-software specialised entry types for software 

We have traveled a thoughtful and progressive journey together from the initial SIRS discussions to the practical implementations showcased in the workshop through FAIRCORE4EOSC. This journey reflects our ongoing commitment to improve scholarly infrastructures for research software.

Looking back to our 2023 deposit sprint onsite at the Inria Research center:

Demo-mania: showcasing results from the FAIRCORE4EOSC EU project

The workshop was structured around a series of «Demo-mania» sessions, moderated by Morane Gruenpeter, where service managers demonstrated their integrations and discussed the challenges and opportunities for Research Software preservation.

The workshop was structured into three segments by infrastructure type:

  • Scholarly repositories showcased how they facilitate access to and citation of archived software, emphasizing the importance of these resources in academic research.
    • Zenodo, presented by Manuel Alejandro de Oliveira da Costa (CERN)
    • HAL, presented by Yannick Barborini (CCSD)
    • DANS Dataverse instance, presented by Wilko Steinhoff (DANS)
  • Aggregators highlighted their role in connecting software artifacts with scholarly literature, enhancing metadata, and improving visibility
    • SwMath, presented by Maxence Azzouz-Thuderoz (FIZ)
    • OpenAire, presented by Serafeim Chatzopoulos (Athena)
  • Publishers shared their strategies for embedding Software Heritage archives directly into their publication workflows, underscoring the critical role publishers play in supporting software preservation

Source code is fragile; it can disappear. It’s important to note that software source code plays an essential role in research and should be archived properly, alongside data and publications. The generic workflow below shows how software built for research as part of the open science ecosystem should be archived, referenced, described, and cited.

Live feedback and collaborative dialogue

Each demonstration was followed by a feedback session, where participants discussed potential improvements and strategic approaches to overcoming existing challenges.

Participants were asked «Which colleague in/outside my institution would I like to show this demo with? Why this person, what are my expectations regarding this person?»

  • Researchers and librarians who could focus on software deposit and improving metadata quality, respectively.
  • IT developers who could enhance the integration between publications and software, leveraging Zenodo’s capabilities to link DOIs and SWHIDs.
  • Various stakeholders, including the SciCodes consortium, CRIS developers, and InvenioRDM managers, are appropriate colleagues who could explore existing workflows and develop further integrations.

These stakeholders could help push for a culture change within their organizations, suggesting roles such as training coordinators or open science charter updates to embed software archiving practices further.

Reflecting on the SIRS Report

We concluded the workshop with an activity to reflect on the progress made since the publication of the SIRS report. Participants used a metaphorical «mood boat» to describe their journey through the recommendations and visions outlined in the report. This session provided a poignant illustration of the community’s journey, highlighting both achievements and areas where more concerted efforts are needed.

This boat represents our journey through the SIRS recommendations/vision. Using the different situations  Inspired by the scenarios illustrated by Mathilde Riou and Vincent Chaillou, participants discussed their experiences and future plans.

The workshop concluded with a consensus on the need for continued collaboration and advocacy to promote the recognition of software as a critical research output. While adoption is still a challenge, the participants committed to taking specific steps toward engagement:

  • Assisting researchers in depositing their software, enhancing the connection between publications and software.
  • Providing guidelines, documentation, and training for publishing and archiving software.
  • Enhancing the visibility and usability of SWHIDs.
  • Sharing workflows for other infrastructures to join the deposit partners community.
  • Organizing more events like this to help bring stakeholders together.

Looking ahead

As we build on the momentum from this workshop, we invite all stakeholders in the research and software communities to join us in advancing these critical infrastructures. By working together, we can ensure that software, a cornerstone of modern research, is preserved and accessible for future generations.

Acknowledgments

A big thanks to all the presenters, participants, and the organizing team, whose dedication and enthusiasm made this workshop successful.

Special thanks to Jean-François Abramatic for his introduction and to all our partners who continue to support and advance the mission of Software Heritage.

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]]> Sorbonne Paris North: Archiving code, advancing Open Science https://www.softwareheritage.org/2024/12/05/sorbonne-paris-north-adopts-software-heritage/?lang=es Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:36:46 +0000 https://www.softwareheritage.org/2024/12/05/sorbonne-paris-north-adopts-software-heritage/ Karim Boualem, head of research support, highlights key initiatives aimed at empowering researchers with Software Heritage.

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]]> Libraries advance teaching, research, and learning by providing resources, enabling discovery, and offering expert guidance. As software source code becomes increasingly central to contemporary scholarship, libraries must support researchers who work with it. In this series of interviews, professionals share their approach to research software. 

Sorbonne Paris North University is committed to promoting Open Science in its research departments. To achieve this goal, the university relies on the expertise of its Service Commun de la Documentation (SCD). Karim Boualem, head of research support, explains the actions taken to support researchers in this evolution. The institutional charter on Open Science includes a commitment to Software Heritage.

Université Sorbonne Paris Nord is a multidisciplinary university (humanities and social sciences, engineering school, law faculty, medical faculty, etc.) with 1,200 research teachers, 550 doctoral students, and 29 research departments (Inserm, CNRS). The university is also a member of the Condorcet campus, which brings together several institutions.

Inside the roadmap

To what extent were the decision-makers aware of software archiving?

The decision-making bodies (“Research” vice-chair and “Research” committee) were already aware of its importance thanks to the presence of an important laboratory, the Paris Nord Computer Science Laboratory (LIPN) in our university. Jaime Arias (LIPN member and Software Heritage ambassador) played a central role by introducing Software Heritage into our new version of the Open Science Charter.

What was the role of the library in the charter constitution?

The library has a leading role in Open Science and scientific publishing issues. The university library’s strategic focus on Open Science was confirmed by the adoption of the Open Science Charter by its governing bodies. Software Heritage is perfectly integrated into this ecosystem, as exemplified by the interoperability between HAL and Software Heritage. It was natural that the library should play an important role in promoting Software Heritage.

Library projects around the software

What services would you like to offer your patrons?

Training, awareness raising, toolkits, developing the network of ambassadors, etc.

Regarding software, what are the top priorities for patrons?

Outside our computer science laboratory, the FAIR principles in the field of software are not yet fully understood by our scientific community.

What are the needs that you consider as priorities for library staff who will/are involved in implementing these services for the software?

There’s a need for training and, above all, collaboration with the scientific community. The link between the university library and our computer lab is essential and needs to be developed further.

Libraries can be key players 

What are the strengths of libraries in addressing emerging areas like software preservation?

Libraries have gained legitimacy in structuring the institutions’  Open Science policies. The unique experience of the academic libraries in indexing is a major asset.

If you were to speak with another library manager, how would you describe the contribution of Software Heritage to their service?

  • Complements and extends existing open science services, such as HAL and ORCID.
  • Meets the requirements of the French national roadmap for source and software codes (Open Science Plan).

Join the next “Open Science Talks” webinar December 12, 2024

The Centre for Direct Scientific Communication (CCSD) will host a webinar in French on December 12 dedicated to including software in institutional open science policies. The event will focus on three key areas:

  • The national policy and initiatives from the “Source Codes and Software College” from the French Committee for Open Science
  • The local political dimension with the intervention of an institution that has already included the software in its roadmap (Sorbonne University Paris Nord)
  • The operational dimension with feedback from a team that will present which type  of support actions have been implemented to favor the adoption of
    Register with this link.

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]]> Libraries: Anchoring the future of software preservation https://www.softwareheritage.org/2024/11/20/libraries-anchor-future-software-preservation-liber/ Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:51:00 +0000 https://www.softwareheritage.org/?p=43293 Code and software are collections that need long-term preservation, access, and sharing, just like any other. A true librarian's task, says Liber's Julien Roche.

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]]> Libraries advance teaching, research, and learning by providing resources, enabling discovery, and offering expert guidance. As software source code becomes increasingly central to contemporary scholarship, libraries must support researchers who work with it. In this series of interviews, professionals share their approach to research software.

Imagine the Tower of Babel, but instead of chaos and confusion, it stands as a symbol of collaboration and understanding. This seemingly paradoxical image perfectly encapsulates the mission of the Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche (Liber).

The association brings together over 400 national, specialized, and university libraries from 40 countries. In July 2022, Julien Roche became president of Liber, after four years as vice-president. A library curator, Roche is the first French professional to hold this position. He serves as Director of the University Libraries and Learning Center, and Administrator of Research Data, Algorithms, and Codes (ADAC) at the University of Lille. Roche provides insights into Liber’s key initiatives and the evolutions that librarians are experiencing today.

Julien Roche

Key takeaways:

“Source code and software are collections like any other, which need to be preserved, made accessible, and shared over the long term with ‘readers’ the world over. A real librarian’s job!”

“If new and emerging initiatives need singular skills and motivated pioneers, libraries inscribe their action on another, more perennial time scale, thus going beyond the question of individuals to anchor practice in an institutional operation.

“Librarians are the professionals best placed to take up the subject of codes and software from the angle of reporting, dissemination, preservation and curation.”


What are the priorities of your mandate at Liber?

First, Liber’s scope of action isn’t limited to research libraries: it extends to public libraries with a research dimension, and national libraries. Liber members come from the countries of the Council of Europe. France and Germany provide the largest contingents of members.

A particular challenge of my term of office is to consider the plurality of countries represented within Liber, and hence their diversity: not all countries benefit from the same resources, nor are they at the same stage of progress in terms of libraries, documentation or open science. My role is to ensure that all members can find their place in a European approach that is, if not integrated, at least articulated. This is reflected in the composition of Liber’s Board of Directors, which brings together large and small institutions. One of the challenges of this term of office is also to “digest” our 2023-2027 strategy, which is based on three main pillars: engaged and trusted hubs, state-of-the-art services, and advancing open science. Beyond this strategy, Liber has greatly expanded its portfolio of activities in recent years, notably through the programming of events: some fifteen years ago, the annual congress brought together around 200 people. Today, this figure has more than doubled. Liber also offers master classes, a mid-year event (winter event), two-year seminars for managers aspiring to become library directors, “days” for directors, and webinars in collaboration with various players such as LA Referencia and UNESCO.

Finally, Liber’s reputation is strong and leads us to regularly work with other players in Europe, for example through devices such as the EOSC (European Open Science Cloud) or the ORE (Open Research Europe) platform, and beyond.

What are the strengths of libraries in advancing the role of software in the academic ecosystem ?

In France, it’s undoubtedly open science, and in particular the second National Plan for Open Science (PNSO2), which brought software into the mainstream, expanding its reach beyond the traditional communities of computer scientists and other technical disciplines…This is how the subject was spotted by the libraries, which are still relatively unaware of it, unlike research data, which is currently the focus of much of our attention.

The advantages of libraries are the same as for other emerging topics in research support and open science. First and foremost, libraries take a long-term view of open science issues, “institutionalizing” them. While new and emerging initiatives often rely on singular skills and motivated pioneers, libraries operate on a more enduring timescale. They anchor practices within institutional operations, transcending individual efforts. And this is what codes and software need today: after a mainly militant phase, expansion and sustainability require the sustained mobilization of key players in open science, including libraries.

What’s more, software and data have a certain kinship. Indeed, software has long been mistakenly confused by non-specialists with data. And yet, libraries are positioned as key data support services. Information professionals are involved at many levels: some are administrators of data, algorithms and codes, others coordinate data workshops, but all higher education and research documentation structures host research support services. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, librarians have a strong culture in the creation and curation of metadata and identifiers. And these are precisely the issues currently being addressed in the field of codes and software. Librarians are the professionals best placed to tackle the subject of codes and software from the angle of reporting, dissemination, preservation and curation. It’s from this angle that we can now interest the entire library community in code. In this respect, Software Heritage’s work with the CCSD and HAL is very welcome, as it’s the librarians who are the driving force behind HAL today.

Given their traditional role, librarians often face questions about their relevance in the context of software services for researchers. How can they effectively position themselves in this field?

Legitimacy is an afterthought; it cannot be decreed. You have to demonstrate your usefulness. In the early days of open access, libraries were not seen as pivotal services, whereas today they are. This legitimacy is currently being built up in the field of data. For example, the “Ateliers de la donnée” integrates or relies heavily on documentary services. Librarians are also in a good position to support the appropriation by researchers at the multidisciplinary data warehouse Recherche Data Gouv.

Software and code are more recent concerns for research decision-makers. In France, we had to wait for PNSO 2, and the subject remains largely unexplored. Software is not yet fully taken on board at the institutional level. In Lille, the digital master plan and the work on identifiers are currently being written. Work has also been carried out to establish the principles of governance for data, algorithms and research codes, which are currently being validated. In addition to my investment as ADAC in steering this work, libraries are very much involved in the actions undertaken. One of the axes of the plan is dedicated to source codes and software. The subject is therefore tending to be institutionally identified, and the players involved are starting to take it on board.

In the software sector, libraries are not necessarily destined to systematically become the departments responsible for these issues, but even in this configuration, they have a major role to play given their ability to institutionalize the subjects they take up. At the University of Lille, for example, an ADAC operational unit has been set up, drawing heavily on the skills of the libraries and our LORD Data Workshop. The Lille scheme is certainly not universal, but it’s virtuous and relevant in the sense that it brings together all the players, here around the libraries, who are now seizing the subject, as was the case for data a few years ago.

Raising awareness of software calls for a different approach to that adopted for data, insofar as while virtually everyone involved in research is aware of producing data, the same cannot be said of software. At present, specialists such as computer scientists are the most mobilized, but awareness is low if we move away from the most informed circles. Software is still too much assimilated to a disciplinary issue, a subject limited to IT researchers. Software forges are little known to non-developers, and software engineering tools are not well identified. And yet, one of the strengths of librarians is their ability to understand, and help others to understand, the issues surrounding code and the role of associated tools in other disciplines, that use code without knowing it. This is undoubtedly another reason to mobilize libraries on this subject.

How can we change the perceptions of the different actors with whom academic libraries need to work when it comes to software?

It’s up to each university and each autonomous national research organization to determine the optimal organization for its needs. Within universities, there are certainly virgin territories for libraries to occupy. By “virgin,” I mean not taken care of in a reasoned way at the institutional level. This is the case, I think, when it comes to algorithms, codes, and software. We need to be proactive in raising awareness among decision-makers. It’s a question of identifying unmet needs and demonstrating how the library if it decides to take them on, can contribute to meeting them.

Library services benefit from substantial budgetary and human resources, enabling them to develop their service offering in line with staff movements, funding opportunities, and changes in the training offered to professionals. In the fast-changing world of higher education and research, the challenge is to continually reorganize library missions, and therefore librarians’ profiles, to enable us to evolve our activity towards other sectors. In recent years, Europe’s major research libraries have repositioned their resources to focus on data. This work lies ahead for the software, for those libraries willing to take it on. This prioritization of activities is essential if we’re going to develop services sustainably, in a world where the evolution of library missions is inescapable.

Libraries face complex challenges in areas like research reproducibility and AI. How can they maintain clear and effective service offerings given the diversity of technical options?

In just a few decades, libraries have gone from offering services limited to physical collections and spaces to offering services covering a wide range of sectors. Today, the range of services on offer is broad, covering both physical and digital spaces. This is the challenge we face in university libraries: even after the COVID crisis, attendance statistics for university libraries rival those of major cultural institutions, but online services are also increasingly popular, and are absorbing a huge amount of resources: libraries must therefore continue their efforts in terms of both physical and digital services.

When a department’s spectrum of activities is extended, the question of its legitimacy in its new field of intervention always comes up for discussion at some point, and that’s a good thing. Ten years ago, libraries weren’t seen as legitimate when it comes to data or education. Today, the question arises about codes and software, or even research management support. For example, librarians are well placed to contribute to and use decision-support tools, given their expertise in data standardization, metadata, and identifier management. But decision-makers need databases that are regularly updated, clean, documented, searchable and interoperable. Presenting bibliometrics from this angle helps to make the librarian’s contribution understandable outside his or her professional circle, and thus to legitimize the role of libraries in this new field of expertise. I’m sure the same will be true of codes and software, for libraries that want to take advantage of them.

Last but not least: Librarians train and self-train extensively and regularly. In a fast-changing professional environment, this is an undeniable asset, which feeds into the regular updating of the service offering, accompanying and sometimes even anticipating the needs of the scientific community, in a relevant, forward-looking approach.

How would you explain the value of Software Heritage to other library managers?

I’d like to link this to a subject at the heart of our identity as librarians: collections. What is a documentary collection? It’s an organized body of content, built up in a reasoned, long-term manner, rooted in heritage, supported by usage, and part of a forward-looking dynamic. Software Heritage is no different with its universal software library. Source codes and software are certainly collections like any others, to be preserved, made accessible, and shared over the long term with “readers” the world over. A real librarian’s job!

Software Heritage, a dedicated software infrastructure

Similar to traditional publications, software is a critical research output. Ensuring its preservation and proper citation is essential, aligning with the core mission of research libraries and archives.

• By drawing on the range of services developed by Software Heritage, you can provide your academic community with services designed specifically for software. Preserving and referencing software source codes, which are executable knowledge, is a complex task. Software Heritage is an infrastructure managed by specialists.

• You can also support Software Heritage financially and thus contribute to the development of a unique infrastructure specifically designed for this mission. Software Heritage is fully integrated into the European open science ecosystem. By joining the Archives & Libraries Interest Group (ALIG), you can benefit from support in extending your library’s field of action.

Up next

Stay tuned for more in our series of interviews with librarians.

• Understand the role of libraries in building the software pillar of the Open Science institutional charter at Sorbonne Paris Nord University.

• Discover how librarians from Grenoble Alpes University collaborate with research software engineers and researchers, around software preservation.

• Learn how and why libraries should support open science infrastructures, with Cécile Swiatek Cassafieres from the University of Paris Nanterre.


The post Libraries: Anchoring the future of software preservation appeared first on Software Heritage.

]]> Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for using the archive data https://www.softwareheritage.org/legal/software-heritage-ethical-charter-for-using-the-archive-data/?lang=es Mon, 09 Sep 2024 08:34:16 +0000 https://www-dev.softwareheritage.org/legal/users-ethical-charter/ The post Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for using the archive data appeared first on Software Heritage.

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Preamble

Software is at the heart of our digital society and embodies a growing part of our scientific, technical and organizational knowledge. As a consequence, software source code is now a growing part of our cultural heritage and a valuable asset for education, research, and industry.

The core mission of Software Heritage is to ensure that this precious body of knowledge will be preserved over time and made available to all, by collecting, preserving, and sharing all available software in source code form. Together with its complete development history. Forever.

We do this for multiple reasons. To preserve the scientific and technological knowledge embedded in software source code, that is a significant part of our heritage. To allow better software development and reuse for society and industry, by building the largest and open software knowledge database, enabling the development of a broad range of value-added applications. To foster better science, by assembling the largest curated archive for software research, and building the infrastructure for preserving and sharing research software.

We do this now, because we are at a turning point: on one side, many of the persons that created the computer technology we rely upon today are still around, and willing to help by making available the source code of their contributions, but we have only a limited time to collect their legacy. On the other, we seem to be at increasing risk of massive loss of source code developed collaboratively, because of hosting sites that shut down when their popularity decreases, and the lack of a structured effort to archive software artefacts.

You have been provided access to the full contents of the Software Heritage archive, that is the result of a significant collection, preprocessing and preservation effort undertaken by Software Heritage and the Software Heritage mirror network.

This offers you unprecedented opportunities to study and analyze the largest collection of source code ever assembled.

We hope that this access to the Archive will foster research projects that will produce positive results, like enhancing our understanding of software as a noble artefact of human ingenuity, improving its quality, studying its history, and many other ones we do not even foresee.

But with power comes responsibility, and this Ethical Charter highlights the principles that all persons and organizations accessing the Archive commit to respect.

Avoid harm

The source code collected in the Software Heritage archive enables a broad range of analysis and applications, in many areas of research. Unfortunately, even well-intended actions, including those that are accomplished for purely research purpose, may lead to harm.

You are expected to consider all potential ethical issues arising from your use of the data, and refrain from performing analysis or processing that may result in harm.

Protect Personal Data

The Software Heritage archive collects publicly available source code, and its development history, from a variety of public sources. Any personal information that may be contained in the source code or in the development history will hence be collected in the archive, and you get access to it.

Even where the local legislation does not make it mandatory, you will strive to adopt processes and policies that protect personal data in general, and in particular to safeguard from abusive behavior the people that through their work and dedication created the very software commons we are preserving. Mass mailing software developers is a well-known example of misuse that is clearly unacceptable, but there may be many other ones.

Avoid useless copies

You are also asked to refrain from redistributing the full content of the Archive, or significant portions of it: it is both unnecessary and dangerous. If you need to make (portion of) the data available, for example for reproducibility studies, do not copy the data, use persistent identifiers that reference the data into Software Heritage itself instead. Software Heritage is a long term archive, so the references will be stable over time, unlike bulk copies that may rot over time.

Keeping copies of the Archive inside the Software Heritage Mirror network also ensures that all persons getting access to the data are bound by the same obligations as you are.

Care about derived data

You are expected to carefully think about the derived data you make available to third parties, as a result of your processing and analysis. As an example, even if you do not engage directly into mass mailing software developers, publishing a complete database of all developer’s email addresses as a result of one of your studies does enable third parties to mass mail them, hence you must refrain from publishing it.

The post Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for using the archive data appeared first on Software Heritage.

]]> Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for Mirrors https://www.softwareheritage.org/legal/software-heritage-ethical-charter-for-mirrors/?lang=es Mon, 09 Sep 2024 08:26:00 +0000 https://www-dev.softwareheritage.org/legal/mirrors-ethical-charter/ The post Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for Mirrors appeared first on Software Heritage.

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Preamble

Software is at the heart of our digital society and embodies a growing part of our scientific, technical and organizational knowledge. As a consequence, software source code is now a growing part of our cultural heritage and a valuable asset for education, research, and industry.

The core mission of Software Heritage is to ensure that this precious body of knowledge will be preserved over time and made available to all, by collecting, preserving, and sharing all available software in source code form. Together with its complete development history. Forever.

We do this for multiple reasons. To preserve the scientific and technological knowledge embedded in software source code, that is a significant part of our heritage. To allow better software development and reuse for society and industry, by building the largest and open software knowledge database, enabling the development of a broad range of value-added applications. To foster better science, by assembling the largest curated archive for software research, and building the infrastructure for preserving and sharing research software.

We do this now, because we are at a turning point: on one side, the founding fathers of computer technology are still around, and willing to contribute their knowledge, but only for a limited time. On the other, we seem to be at increasing risk of massive loss of source code developed collaboratively, because of hosting sites that shut down when their popularity decreases, and the lack of a structured effort to archive software artefacts.

We recognize that building a long-term common infrastructure is a challenging undertaking.

To maximize the chances of success in the long term.

  • we have established Software Heritage as a non-profit, multi-stakeholder initiative open to a variety of partners from civil society, academia, industry, and governments;

  • we will develop and release all the software components needed to operate its services under a Free and Open Source Software license, welcoming contributions to it;

  • we will build replication and diversification in the system at all levels, fostering the emergence of a geographically distributed network of mirrors, that may be implemented using a variety of storage technologies, in various administrative domains, controlled by different institutions, and located in different jurisdictions.

Mirrors play an important role and are entrusted with significant power: they receive a full copy of the contents of the Software Heritage archive, they work closely with Software Heritage to create and maintain their mirror, they have the possibility of developing and experimenting technologies alternative to those made available by Software Heritage, and their voice may be heard in the Software Heritage governance.

But with power comes responsibility, and this Ethical Charter highlights the principles that Mirrors commit to respect. This Ethical Charter may evolve over time, and changes will be announced on the Software Heritage website.

Avoid harm

The source code collected in the Software Heritage archive enables a broad range of analysis and applications, in many areas of research. Well-intended actions, including those that are accomplished for purely research purpose, may lead to harm. When researchers request access to the full dataset, Mirrors will ask them to refrain from redistributing the dataset, and to declare any potential ethical issue arising from their use of the data. Mirrors will also ask researchers to commit to the Code of Conduct made available by Software Heritage before accessing significant parts of the archive.

Protect Personal Data

The Software Heritage archive collects publicly available source code, and its development history, from a variety of public sources. Any personal information that may be contained in the source code or in the development history will hence be collected in the archive, of which Mirrors obtain a full copy as part of their mission. Even where the local legislation does not make it mandatory, Mirrors will strive to adopt processes, policies and terms of use that protect personal data in general, and in particular to safeguard from abusive behavior the people that through their work and dedication created the very software commons we are preserving. Mass mailing software developers is a well-known example of misuse that is clearly unacceptable, but there may be many other ones.

Maintain coherent terms of use

Mirrors will adopt as much as possible terms of use that follow the spirit of the terms of use designed and adopted by Software Heritage. Restrictions in the terms of use that are introduced to reduce harm and protect personal data should not be removed, event if the local legislation does not impose them. If additional restrictions are imposed by the local legislation, they should be incorporated only to the extent needed to comply with the legislation.

Ensure fair and non discriminatory access

Mirrors will implement terms of use for accessing the archive contents, be it through a public API or user-facing applications that are sufficiently permissive to comply with the approach and sense of this mission. In particular, access to the Mirror should be fair and non-discriminatory. Usage restrictions should be limited to those necessary to ensure proper operation of the Mirror’s infrastructure, and protection from abusive behavior.

Foster Collaboration

The long-term success of Software Heritage depends on creating a community that shares the project mission and contributes to it. Particularly welcome contributions include the development of policies, technologies, and infrastructure needed to maintain and expand both the archive and the Mirror network. Mirrors will maintain a fluid communication with Software Heritage and the Mirror network, sharing all propositions, issues and concerns with the community, striving to find solutions collaboratively. Mirrors will contribute back to Software Heritage all improvements to its software and encourage collaboration. Mirrors are free to develop and experiment technologies alternative to those made available by Software Heritage, provided they maintain full compatibility with Software Heritage; they are encouraged to share their findings with the community.

The post Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for Mirrors appeared first on Software Heritage.

]]> Legal https://www.softwareheritage.org/legal/?lang=es Wed, 04 Sep 2024 07:34:11 +0000 https://www-dev.softwareheritage.org/?page_id=40330 The post Legal appeared first on Software Heritage.

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Términos de uso
Cartas éticas
Política de contenido y privacidad

Nuestra política de contenido y privacidad se indica en sutotalidad en una página destinada para ese fin.

Diseño gráfico

Sandra Chamaret / Grand ensemble

Crédito de la fotografía
Marca registrada

“SOFTWARE HERITAGE” es una marca registrada de Inria.

The post Legal appeared first on Software Heritage.

]]> Replicas https://www.softwareheritage.org/espejos/?lang=es Fri, 30 Aug 2024 08:13:20 +0000 https://www-dev.softwareheritage.org/mirrors-new/ The post Replicas appeared first on Software Heritage.

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Hacia una infraestructura distribuida y de múltiples partes interesadas

“Salvemos lo que queda: no con bóvedas y cerrojos que los escondan a la vista y el uso públicos, sino por medio de tal multiplicación de copias que los coloque más allá del alcance de qualquier accidente”. 

— Thomas Jefferson

Las instituciones y empresas de todo el mundo pueden unirse a nuestro programa espejo.

Esto es esencial para evitar la pérdida de información y simplificará enormemente el acceso al patrimonio de software de la humanidad.

Our mirror partners

ENEA

Faithful to its mission of public service, ENEA is proud to establish in its Bologna Center the first italian mirror of Software Heritage, contributing to preserve humankind’s source code, and…

noviembre 12, 2019
Read More

Requisitos

Para establecer una réplica de Software Heritage, es necesario reunir dos tipos de requisitos: por un lado, la disponibilidad de los conocimientos técnicos y los recursos necesarios para desplegar la infraestructura necesaria; por otro lado, la capacidad de satisfacer los requisitos legales necesarios para firmar un acuerdo de mirroring.

Requisitos técnicos

Una réplica contiene una copia completa del archivo, lo que implica el aprovisionamiento de la infraestructura para alojar un gran stock de objetos y un grafo muy grande. En nuestra documentación, que se actualiza periódicamente y que incluye la arquitectura de referencia de una réplica y varias guías prácticas, se puede encontrar una visión general de lo que implica el funcionamiento de una réplica.

Hay muchas opciones diferentes para desplegar una réplica, pero hay requisitos generales comunes que se presentan en una página dedicada en nuestra documentación.

Más información
Requisitos jurídicos

Una organización interesada en albergar una réplica tendrá que firmar un acuerdo legal en el que se detallan los distintos derechos y obligaciones, así como la interacción con la organización de Software Heritage. En particular, esto incluye el compromiso de

1. respetar la carta ética de las réplicas, y establecer una carta ética alineada con la de Software Heritage

2. establecer términos de uso alineados con los de Software Heritage, tanto para el acceso a la API como para el acceso masivo a los datos

3. tratar los contenidos de los archivos, y especialmente los datos personales, de forma alineada con la política de contenidos de Software Heritage

4. Garantizar el correcto funcionamiento de la réplica durante un mínimo de tres años.

Using a mirror

A mirror is a read-only copy of the main Software Heritage archive. As such, it must give access to the content of the archive, but it may not provide all the features the Software Heritage offers.

Provided features

Each mirror will:

  • be mostly up to date with the main archive, there can be some lag, but it should be minimal, usually less than a few hours (not guaranteed),
  • give public access to the web UI allowing to browse the archive,
  • allow to search by origin URL,
  • give public access to (most) the public API (rate limited),

Differences

A mirror will behave differently from the Software Heritage archive:

  • Save Code Now will redirect to the main Software Heritage,
  • Add Forge Now will redirect to the main Software Heritage,
  • there is no Deposit service,
  • statistics and counters are not displayed on the main page,
  • the replication being asynchronous, a mirror is only eventually consistent. An object might temporarily missing from the mirror resulting in a 404 error message when browsing the mirror.

Optional Features

A mirror may optionally provide some of the features of the Software Heritage archive:

  • advanced search engine,
  • extended metadata,
  • advanced graph query API (REST and GRPC),
  • authentication for increased rate limiting API access.

¿Preparado para acoger una réplica? ¡Háganoslo saber!

¿Ha leído los requisitos técnicos y legales, y su institución tiene la capacidad y el interés de convertirse en un espejo? Por favor, díganos más rellenando el formulario que figura más abajo. Si el formulario no funciona correctamente, también puede enviar la misma información a mirror-inquiries@softwareheritage.org

The post Replicas appeared first on Software Heritage.

]]> Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for using the archive data https://www.softwareheritage.org/software-heritage-ethical-charter-for-using-the-archive-data/?lang=es Fri, 18 Nov 2022 10:25:49 +0000 https://www.softwareheritage.org/?page_id=33486 Preamble Software is at the heart of our digital society and embodies a growing part of our scientific, technical and organizational knowledge. As a consequence, software source code is now...

The post Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for using the archive data appeared first on Software Heritage.

]]> Preamble

Software is at the heart of our digital society and embodies a growing part of our scientific, technical and organizational knowledge. As a consequence, software source code is now a growing part of our cultural heritage and a valuable asset for education, research, and industry.

The core mission of Software Heritage is to ensure that this precious body of knowledge will be preserved over time and made available to all, by collecting, preserving, and sharing all available software in source code form. Together with its complete development history. Forever.

We do this for multiple reasons. To preserve the scientific and technological knowledge embedded in software source code, that is a significant part of our heritage. To allow better software development and reuse for society and industry, by building the largest and open software knowledge database, enabling the development of a broad range of value-added applications. To foster better science, by assembling the largest curated archive for software research, and building the infrastructure for preserving and sharing research software.

We do this now, because we are at a turning point: on one side, many of the persons that created the computer technology we rely upon today are still around, and willing to help by making available the source code of their contributions, but we have only a limited time to collect their legacy. On the other, we seem to be at increasing risk of massive loss of source code developed collaboratively, because of hosting sites that shut down when their popularity decreases, and the lack of a structured effort to archive software artefacts.

You have been provided access to the full contents of the Software Heritage archive, that is the result of a significant collection, preprocessing and preservation effort undertaken by Software Heritage and the Software Heritage mirror network.

This offers you unprecedented opportunities to study and analyze the largest collection of source code ever assembled.

We hope that this access to the Archive will foster research projects that will produce positive results, like enhancing our understanding of software as a noble artefact of human ingenuity, improving its quality, studying its history, and many other ones we do not even foresee.

But with power comes responsibility, and this Ethical Charter highlights the principles that all persons and organizations accessing the Archive commit to respect.

Avoid harm

The source code collected in the Software Heritage archive enables a broad range of analysis and applications, in many areas of research. Unfortunately, even well-intended actions, including those that are accomplished for purely research purpose, may lead to harm.

You are expected to consider all potential ethical issues arising from your use of the data, and refrain from performing analysis or processing that may result in harm.

Protect Personal Data

The Software Heritage archive collects publicly available source code, and its development history, from a variety of public sources. Any personal information that may be contained in the source code or in the development history will hence be collected in the archive, and you get access to it.

Even where the local legislation does not make it mandatory, you will strive to adopt processes and policies that protect personal data in general, and in particular to safeguard from abusive behavior the people that through their work and dedication created the very software commons we are preserving. Mass mailing software developers is a well-known example of misuse that is clearly unacceptable, but there may be many other ones.

Avoid useless copies

You are also asked to refrain from redistributing the full content of the Archive, or significant portions of it: it is both unnecessary and dangerous. If you need to make (portion of) the data available, for example for reproducibility studies, do not copy the data, use persistent identifiers that reference the data into Software Heritage itself instead. Software Heritage is a long term archive, so the references will be stable over time, unlike bulk copies that may rot over time.

Keeping copies of the Archive inside the Software Heritage Mirror network also ensures that all persons getting access to the data are bound by the same obligations as you are.

Care about derived data

You are expected to carefully think about the derived data you make available to third parties, as a result of your processing and analysis. As an example, even if you do not engage directly into mass mailing software developers, publishing a complete database of all developer’s email addresses as a result of one of your studies does enable third parties to mass mail them, hence you must refrain from publishing it.

The post Software Heritage: Ethical Charter for using the archive data appeared first on Software Heritage.

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