While New Year’s resolutions often start to fade by February, our monthly initiative to support open-source and non-profit projects has remained a constant for years.
This edition is special: for the eighth time, the projects were selected by the person without whom the #SidnetDonations campaign wouldn’t exist. This month, we are supporting causes close to the heart of Michał Wojciechowski, the founder and CEO of Sidnet and Centuran, and the originator of our charitable initiative.
curl
Gothic architecture introduced the concept of the keystone—the central stone at the top of an arch, without which soaring cathedrals would collapse into a pile of rubble. Many in the IT industry believe that the command-line tool curl serves a similar function in modern software architecture.
Together with the libcurl library, it provides a seamless way to automate network communication in scripts and applications, making it easy to test APIs using the HTTP(S) protocol. The tool is so ubiquitous that API documentation often includes ready-to-use curl commands by default. It is also a standard component in the base versions of many operating systems.
The widespread use of curl—and the fact that it often serves as the interoperable “common denominator” between different environments—makes the keystone an ideal metaphor. This was humorously captured in a curl-themed parody of the famous xkcd comic:
“curl is one of the ‘unsung heroes’ of the tech world. This open-source project, developed over several decades by a small team, has become an indispensable tool in IT. The best proof of this is that curl comes pre-installed in major Linux distributions, as well as macOS and Windows.
In our team, we use curl across many projects—whether for automation within CI/CD pipelines or for API testing—and we occasionally use the libcurl library within the code of the web applications we build,” Michał explains.
Historically, one reason for curl’s high level of security was its bug bounty program. Recently, however, curl made global headlines for a more frustrating reason: a flood of mass-generated AI reports. These reports, the vast majority of which were completely baseless, overwhelmed the team to the point where they had to suspend the bounty program. While AI tools are successfully used to find and neutralize vulnerabilities, mass, unverified submissions (fitting the definition of so-called “AI slop”) can quickly paralyze a small development team.
Przystań Ocalenie (“Haven of Rescue”) Foundation
The sanctuary in Ćwiklice, run by the Przystań Ocalenie (“Haven of Rescue”) Foundation, is a far cry from the typical image of an animal shelter. The space has been meticulously adapted to the needs of nearly 500 residents, for whom this place is a true home. Here, the animals always come first.
The Haven provides shelter to a wide variety of species—from dogs and cats to chickens, donkeys, cows, and horses. The latter are particularly noteworthy; caring for large farm animals is a significantly greater challenge than looking after the smaller pets found in most shelters. The presence of large animals means the foundation must follow many of the same legal regulations as commercial farmers, requiring the space to meet strict administrative and sanitary requirements for each species.
“The Przystań Ocalenie Foundation was the very first recipient of our support, which shows they’ve been around even longer than our donation initiative,” Michał recalls. “At the time, my father recommended the organization to me as a trustworthy cause. He had met Mr. Dominik, one of the sanctuary’s founders, and was deeply impressed by his genuine care for forgotten and mistreated animals.”
“A poem titled ‘Prayer of a Horse in Transport,’ which I read on their website back then, moved me deeply. It still stays with me whenever I think of the sanctuary,” adds Michał.
Anyone who cares about animal welfare can also support Przystań Ocalenie. The foundation gratefully accepts many forms of help—from one-time donations and specific fundraisers to volunteering and social advocacy. The organization is also currently looking for land to expand its operations.