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Bartek Tkacz has been successfully ensuring the quality of the solutions we create for over a year—initially, he performed manual tests and currently, he also includes automated tests using the Postman and Cypress platform. Being enthusiastic about his work he shows interest in new and more effective testing methods.

Knowing Bartek’s approach to learning, the choice of projects we support this month seems natural. Both February donations share a common thought: comprehensive support in learning and personal development.

freeCodeCamp

An open-source interactive online learning platform powered by an engaged community from over 160 countries. The organization behind the platform offers free, practical, and theoretical courses, primarily to junior programmers. This form of learning, based on real projects, allows one to expand their portfolio and after passing tests also obtain appropriate certificates.

“This platform has contributed to my start in the IT industry and I know that some of my colleagues also use it. The courses are of high quality, completely free, and make it easy for people from all over the world to start their adventure in the IT world,” Bartek says.

The Pociecha Foundation

A non-profit foundation focusing its activities around community centers that provide children from poor and educationally inefficient families with professional care.

The community centers supported by the foundation are located in the children’s neighborhood. There, they can eat a hot meal after school, and receive learning support as well as space and tools to develop their passions. The institution also organizes summer and winter trips for children and provides school supplies and Christmas gifts.

“The activities of the foundation aim to counteract social pathologies by giving children a sense of security and a chance for better development. Every child deserves it!” emphasizes Bartek.

Opposites attract in January, which marks both the saddest and one of the merriest days of the year. Blue Monday is considered the most dismal day out of 365. However, that gloomy mood fades away as the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity enters the stage with its joyful Grand Finale. It is a national charity event, and with our developer Damian Bełza we have decided to support it as a part of #SidnetDonations. The second beneficiary, by Damain’s choice, is the open-source project Manjaro Linux.

Manjaro Linux

Manjaro is an alternative operating system based on Linux. The users value it for prioritizing privacy issues, no licensing fees, and no hidden ads.
The compatibility is also a great asset of Manjaro. It performs well in professional and home environments and on each device regardless the age – desktop computer, laptop, tablet, and smartphone.

Damian, who specializes in PHP, Perl, and JavaScript, appreciates Manjaro for the same reasons. “The system is based on the Arch distribution and uses the Pacman package manager that ensures basic compatibility. The unofficial Arch User Repository (AUR) is also accessible, which expands the availability of the software.”

Manjaro receives bonus points from Damian for its stability, speed, and reliability, thanks to which day-to-day work with the system is a breeze.

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation plays the loudest on one day in January. But in reality, it performs all year round, collecting funds to purchase modern equipment for Polish hospitals and medical facilities.

Besides its regular scope of operation, the Foundation provides support during emergencies, too. “We could count on it during the covid pandemic. Also, Ukraine received massive help during the unnecessary, bloody war”, sums up Damian. 

The Foundation operates effectively, and for this reason, the Poles subside it generously. “In 2020, the estimation was that one in every five pieces of medical equipment found in Polish hospitals was delivered by the Orchestra. Such equipment even saved the life of my family member”, says our developer

With Damian, we join the Orchestra’s 31st Grand Finale. For details on how to support the fundraiser, please visit https://en.wosp.org.pl/final/31-final-wosp.

Christmas time makes us more compassionate and willing to share and care for others. In Sidnet, we grew this custom of regularly helping people in need and supporting open-source projects. We are happy to see our workmates being part of this unique tradition every month. December is no exception here, and together with Jakub Wysocki, our Full-Stack Developer, we will contribute to the ESLint project and a fundraiser for Ukraine.

ESLint

ESLint is a static code analysis tool that fixes various programming or syntax errors in JavaScript and JSX code in the early stage of development work. However, its usability goes beyond the standard features of similar software. Hence, this handy plugin quickly became a toolbox staple of our Full-Stack Developer.

“The rules in ESLint are easy to configure, and custom ones can be defined and loaded from external sources. ESLint supports current ECMAScript standards and experimental syntax for future releases,” says Jakub.

ESLint is an open-source project. The maintenance and development of the tool depend mainly on the community and contributors. Along with Jakub, we join the crowd to support ESLint in the December issue of the #SidnetDonations initiative.

Fundraiser for Ukraine via Polish Center for National Aid

For the seventh time this year, we donate to a humanitarian organization that helps Ukrainians suffering from the war. It is the Polish Center for National Aid and its fundraiser for Ukraine, which we are joining in December.

“Winter is a challenging season. For that reason, the Ukrainian troops and citizens will need consistent support during that time. Also, having Ukrainian workmates on the team makes our engagement personal and natural,” Jakub explains his choice.

The funds raised by the organization will be spent on medical equipment and supplies for Ukrainian hospitals, humanitarian aid in the warzone, and education and support for children who took refuge in Poland from the war.

The common theme of our monthly charity action is animals – cats, dogs, and … Thunderbird. While dogs and cats accompany us in real life, Thunderbird is a legendary bird from American folklore that has become the logo of a popular mail client. The initiatives we will be happy to support this month were chosen by Patryk Urbański, a React Frontend Developer in our team.

Thunderbird

Presumably, there is no single person in the IT world, who hasn’t heard of Thunderbird. It is a popular, free email and calendaring client known for its performance and high customizability for every work style and manner.  Thunderbird prioritizes users’ security, hence the number of built-in features, such as support for the ‘Do Not Track’ header, spam and remote content blocking, and phishing protection. 

Our developers, including Patryk, value this email client. “I use Thunderbird every day, and I appreciate how it boosts my work. That is why I would like to support it to keep it free and available to everyone”.

Like many other open-source projects, Thunderbirds remains independent and grows thanks to its users, who support it with know-how and donations.  

Rasowy Kundel Foundation fundraiser for the National Fund for the Homelessness Prevention of Cats and Dogs

Homelessness among dogs and cats is a huge problem caused mainly by pet owners’ irresponsibility and lack of knowledge. Rasowy Kundel Foundation, which can be translated as Pedigree Mutt Foundation, aims to prevent pet homelessness by raising funds for the second time on behalf ofthe National Fund for the Homelessness Prevention of Cats and Dogs. 

“This fundraiser helps prevent the suffering and misery of polish stray cats and dogs. Each day brings new fundraisers for all the abandoned and hurt animals.  The Fund aims to avert pet homelessness, including education, instead of just fixing the damage.” sums up Patryk.

The goal of the fundraiser is to collect one million zlotys. It will cover the costs of neutering and microchip implants for 2500 pets. The collected money will also support an educational program on pet homelessness, its causes, and prevention.

When life gets hectic, one can miss that it has already been halfway through the month. Some mundane tasks got checked off the to-do list, and more are queueing to settle. But for us, mid-month is a particular time as it marks another edition of our charity support initiative. In October, we are making a double donation with the help of our IT Project Manager, Bartłomiej Kłak.

Fundraising for Ukraine, via Vita History Foundation

Since the chances for the war in Ukraine to end are slim, further ongoing help is indispensable. Many foundations continually support the Ukrainian refugees in Poland and those who have not left the country despite the war. “Many Ukrainian citizens chose to stay home, and due to the incoming winter, any help is necessary. Vita History Foundation distributes food and other goods to people staying in the war-inflicted country. Easy access to food is something we take for granted, but in war zones, it is increasingly difficult to get,” Bartek explains.

The Vita History Foundation has halted its usual operations to join many other foundations supporting Ukraine in this humanitarian effort. Since February 24th, rather than planning cultural events, the charity has used its logistic resources to reach out with assistance to those in need in the war-torn country. Everyone can also participate by donating money or the essentials listed on the Foundation’s website.