We are fairkom
A competence network for open source based solutions
The fairkom association is a partnership network of independent IT consultants.
As a "light cooperative society" we operate in the following four fields:
1. Cloud Services
2. Software Development
3. Social Design
4. Commons
We promote activities to increase the use of online services for the fair use of common resources. The purpose is the conceptual and practical deployment of communication media, with the aim of demonstrating new uses for online media specifically using free software. Our orientation towards the common good does not reward shareholders, but people who use open source tools to create meaningful activities.
An alliance of experienced open source experts
Our history
From PUBLIC VOICE with osAlliance via ALLMENDA to fairkom
From Grätzltelephone (local telephone service) to cloud solutions
Net culture and free software since 1994
The PUBLIC VOICE laboratory was founded in 1994 and began with telephone services for local civic involvement in Vienna. With the boom of the Internet, we implemented numerous media and research projects and published books about them via the PUBLIC VOICE Telekommunikations GmbH and later in our own publishing house.
In 2003, employees and partners joined forces to form a cooperative originally founded by Freie Radios. The main aim of the "Internationale Medienverbund reg.Gen.m.b.H." was the realization of IT and communication solutions based on open source components.
In 2012, the cooperative with more than 50 members, which had been operating since September 2006 under the brand name osAlliance, was turned into Talent Dienstleistungs- und Handel e.G. and given the new ALLMENDA brand.
In 2012 we officially became Creative Commons Affiliate in Austria. It was a logical step considering our members had been taking care of CC since its introduction in Austria in 2004. The very broad range of topics (from regional currencies, crowdfunding, community garden and IT) led us to a division in summer 2015, bringing the business fields of Cloud and Computer Science back into the original PUBLIC VOICE Lab Association. In 2016 we renamed it "fairkom association".
Green & fair
Our applications run on energy-efficient and CO2-neutral servers powered by green electricity. We use surpluses to invest in our own developments or support social and sustainable projects.
Data protection
Privacy is important to us. We rely on comprehensive data security and do not sell any data to third parties. A solid team of technicians is taking care of our encryption systems. So that your data is all yours.
Open Source
We practice the open source idea offline and provide the code online for free. We have no hidden back doors. fairkom works within various networks and together with many others in the development of fair software.
Roland Alton
Communications architect
Christian König
IT Consulting
David Ayers
Sysadmin
Alexandra Klepatsch
Drupal specialist
Armin Felder
Programmer
Ralf Schlatterbeck
Open Source expert
Thomas König
Blockchain professional
Florian Koller
Communication
Christian Fischer
Screen designer
Dimitri Hofer
DevOp & Support
Andrea P
Project Management
Lisa Kostrzewa
Conceptionist
Joanna Maria Giesinger
Finance
Martin Klampfer
Programmer
Johannes Büchele
Programmer
Chris Widerström
Open Source expert
Alexander Baratsists
Legal expert
Matthias Hannich
DevOp, Programming
Try out the benefits of open source solutions today.
We make many of our applications available for free, for example as fairapps.
All of our surpluses flow unexceptionally into further development of open source projects
or into social and sustainable initiatives.
You are welcome to support our vision.
The association
fairkom has been operating with a revised strategy in four areas since 2016
Open Source Cloud Services
Open Source Software Development
Social Design
Commons
Fields 1 + 2 are organised as commercial enterprises with a focus on sustainable organisations, companies and the public sector. In field 2, members and partners who use the osAlliance brand make contributions toward brand maintenance. In field 3, we focus on design for sustainability with open source methods and in field 4 we operate RegisteredCommons and coordinate Creative Commons in Austria.
The purpose and means are defined in the status
We are promoting activities to increase the use of online services for the fair use of common resources.
The purpose is the conceptual and practical provision of communication media, with the aim of demonstrating new uses for online media specifically using free software.
We aim to achieve this through:
- Lectures, meetings, seminars, symposia, practice and training events
- Operation of communication platforms on the Internet
- Provision of a platform for the registration of openly licensed works
- Establishing contact with national and international organisations, institutions and experts
- Encouraging the interactive media behaviour of various population groups and individuals and supporting them through the provision of the association's media facilities
- Development of concepts and strategies that encourage the use of free software
- Cooperation with scientists and participation in research projects
- Representation of the association-specific interests of its members vis-à-vis authorities and institutions
Revenue and use of funds:
- Membership dues, voluntary donations, organized fund raising, donations, subsidies, grants, project fundings, legacies, sponsorships, and other contributions.
- Income from association events, income from services of the association, proceeds from information disclosure, income from the provision of the association's own facilities.
- Revenue from economic activities is used to cover expenses
- Profits are used to achieve the association's non-profit purpose.
STATUTes FAIRKOM Report 2016 Report 2017+2018 Report 2019+2020+2021
Your heart beats for free software and you would like to get involved? There are many ways to do that:
- take on an issue if you can solve technical challenges, for example in hosting
- help to improve or translate our documentation or tutorials on our websites
- recommend fairkom
- offer on-site support
- acquire customer projects and collaborate on solutions
When we have gone a distance together, you can also apply for membership. This will give you the right to vote at the General Assembly.
