Blue Friday is Back!
Blue Friday celebrates supporting good and humane causes over the unbridled consumerism of Black Friday.
When you fund your favorite free software project, you can give what you want, and get back all you want. Your generosity also spreads to others, and helps to keep our software free for those with less means. You're not going to find a better deal.
"I don't care about Black Friday. Take me directly to the adoptions!"
Three ways you can support us:
- Make a one-time donation — use the donation box on this page and donate whatever you want. Every Euro counts and will help sustain our contributors through another year.
- Set up periodic donation — use the donation box and select "Monthly" or "Annually" to set up a recurring donation. You can also become a Supporting Member!
- Adopt an App! (See below)
Besides, Black Friday is not only bad for your wallet, but it's also terrible for the environment. Not so for Blue Friday.
Not convinced? Then you may want to check out our…
7 Reasons why you should avoid Black Friday and support Free Software projects instead
Number 5 will blow your mi-- Actually, know what? They're all pretty compelling, so here goes:
1. Many Bargains are Scams
Inflating prices just prior to Black Friday and then bringing them down again on the day; or simply using misleading labeling are just two of the ways retailers try to make you believe you are getting a deal.
2. You're Tempted to Buy Stuff You Don't Need
Retailers try to trick you into impulse purchasing, and you end up with stuff you didn't want and probably won't use once the novelty wears off.
3. Black Friday Worsens Climate Change
The transport of products from warehouses to shops or to your home generates thousands of tons of CO2 that pollutes our atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
4. Black Friday "Deals" Often Disguise Hidden Costs
What looks like a deal today might end up costing you dearly, as many products come with anti-features designed to make you pay later. A phone will require monthly payment for cloud access if you need to backup your data; a smart TV may advertise channels that, once you get home and try to watch them, you find are blocked behind a paywall; a car manufacturer will often require a subscription for creature comforts such as heated seats.
5. Black Friday Increases E-waste…
During this time of year, manufacturers and retailers encourage you to trash older devices that are still perfectly serviceable. These devices end up in landfills, polluting our waterways, oceans, and air — their components to never be recycled.
6. …And Also Regular Waste
Online shopping is particularly bad, as it generates tons of difficult-to-recycle waste in the form of plastic and styrofoam packaging.
7. If You Don't Own the Software, You Don't Own The Product
Especially insidious in devices that can go online (often hawked on Black Friday), the software can be disabled at any given moment for that cool "connected" coffee maker, fridge, eBook reader, or TV. Your device can become non-functional because the company went bust, or because they decided to stop supporting your model of the product (to force you to buy a newer model), or even because they changed the contract you didn't even read, let alone agreed to. Once the software is gone, all you're left with is a pile of junk.
Adopt an App Instead!
Adopt one of KDE's apps and we can share with the whole world how awesome you are and how much you're doing to support us. Adopting a KDE app is easy:
- Make a donation of €50 or more to our fundraiser.
- Choose an app you'd like to adopt from the list below. Each app can be adopted by up to 5 adopters. We will add more apps to the list as the adoption slots fill up.
- During the donation process, use the comment section to write which app you want to adopt and the name you'd like to be known as. This can be your name, nickname, or your social media handle*†…
- Your name will appear on the app's apps.kde.org as a Supporter from the moment of the donation until KDE Gear 25.04 is released in April of next year. We will also give you a shout-out on social media.
Adoptable Apps
| App | Adopters |
|---|---|
| Alligator | 🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜ |
| ISOImageWriter | 🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜ |
| PartitionManager | 🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ |
| SkanPage | 🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜ |
| Plasma System Monitor | 🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜ |
| Arianna | 🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ |
| AudioTube | 🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜ |
| KRuler | 🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ |
| LabPlot | 🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ |
| Kasts | 🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜ |
| Ruqola | 🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜ |
| Elisa | 🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜ |
| Konqueror | 🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜ |
| KolourPaint | 🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ |
| KRFB | 🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ |
Already Adopted Apps
| App | Adopters |
|---|---|
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 | |
| 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 |
* We reserve the right to refuse applicants with offensive names or nicknames, or whose social media accounts contain objectionable material. See KDE's Code of Conduct.
† This reward is open to individuals only. If you represent a company that would like to support us, we would be happy to welcome you as a patron.
| €30000 | €50000* |
*One more stretch goal coming soon.
Why donate
KDE is funded mainly by you: our friends, users, and supporters. Thanks to your donations, we can deliver the best free and open software that respects your privacy and gives you control over your devices and digital life. Your donations also help us keep tech corporations in check.
By getting most of our support from people like you, we can preserve our independence and focus on developing what you need. We will never be pressured by any company to include the anti-features used in proprietary software that abuse your trust to maximize owners' profits.
And that's how we like it. We really appreciate your support. Today, we want to show the world how you help keep Free Software projects alive and ethical!
