As autumn approaches, so does the September edition of our #SidnetDonations initiative. This month, we’re proud to support two causes close to Dawid Jancen’s heart: the animal shelter in his hometown of Tczew and the continued development of the LibreOffice suite.
A Journey of Nearly a Decade
Dawid’s journey with Sidnet is a classic “from zero to hero” tale. Starting as a self-taught junior developer, he quickly rose through the ranks, earning recognition not just as a talented Web Developer with a flair for single-page applications, but also as a compassionate and helpful colleague. Since day one, Dawid has been a key player in our projects for one of our largest clients, THG, and he’s soon approaching a milestone – ten years with Sidnet!
LibreOffice – Empowering Everyday Office Work
While many businesses rely on paid office software, Dawid’s passion for open-source solutions has long made LibreOffice his top choice on both his work and personal devices. In his words, it’s an alternative that “more than meets the needs of most users in terms of functionality.” LibreOffice is available in 110 languages, and if Dawid’s endorsement isn’t enough, consider that countless public institutions worldwide rely on the suite for their daily operations.
Helping the Four-Legged Friends in Tczew
This month’s donation recipient comes as no surprise – Dawid once again chose the animal shelter in Tczew, demonstrating his deep love for animals. The shelter depends on fundraising and volunteers, yet its needs often outpace the available resources.
You too can make a difference. Support the fundraiser organized by OTOZ Animals Shelter in Tczew. Your contribution will help provide food, medicine, veterinary supplies, life-saving procedures for injured animals, and much-needed improvements to the shelter’s facilities.
Stay tuned for October, when we’ll announce the next organizations to benefit from the #SidnetDonations project!
After celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sidnet with a post summarizing our team values, we are moving from words to deeds and presenting the next edition of the #SidnetDonations initiative. This time, the funds will go to Marcin Sztrubel, a beneficiary of the Avalon Foundation struggling with muscle atrophy, and to the development of the pre-commit framework, as nominated by Wojciech Siewierski.
Eighth years with us
In times when frequent job changes have become the norm, we proudly celebrate the work anniversaries of our team members. Wojciech Siewierski, who has been with us for over seven years, embodies the dedication and expertise that are the bedrock of our company. Privately, he is a connoisseur and expert on yerba mate and the hottest extremes on the Scoville scale. Professionally, he is an experienced Senior Developer, a cybersecurity specialist, and a genuine technical wizard. His expertise has been pivotal to countless projects, both for our clients and within the company. This time, we have entrusted him with the important task of choosing the open-source and charity projects we will support.
Pre-commit – streamlining Continuous Integration
To err is human, but with frameworks like pre-commit, small developer mistakes—like missing semicolons and other minor, easily fixable defects—are caught early. Pre-commit significantly reduces the workload compared to manually writing Git hooks, especially given the myriad states a repository can be in. This framework automatically runs tests whenever changes are saved, simplifying the code review process by allowing reviewers to focus on the most critical aspects of the modifications. By ensuring that tests and linters are executed in a structured and predictable manner, pre-commit helps prevent errors from coming to light.
The Foundation supports its beneficiaries in many ways. For example, it offers much-needed material support, but also psychological and organizational assistance to make life easier for those struggling with cancer on all possible levels.
Marcin Sztrubel – rehabilitation of muscle atrophy
Fundraisers for children with disabilities naturally stir deep emotions, but their visibility often overshadows the struggles faced by adults dealing with similar challenges. This month, Wojtek has once again chosen to support Marcin Sztrubel, who has been confronting the relentless progression of muscle atrophy for several years.
Marcin does not give in to the disease and is actively involved in the Polish Neuromuscular Diseases Association. However, the escalating costs of his rehabilitation are becoming an increasing burden. We hope that the support provided through the #SidnetDonations initiative will bring him at least some relief.
You can also help Marcin by donating any amount to the Avalon Foundation, where he is a beneficiary. The necessary details can be found on the foundation’s website, and to ensure the funds go directly to Marcin, please title your transfer “Sztrubel, 406,” according to the instructions.
That was the August edition of #SidnetDonations – stay tuned for September, when we will introduce the next foundations and open-source projects to receive our financial support.
Tell me you’re part of the Sidnet team without telling me you’re part of it. Despite being spread across Poland (and beyond), with a wide range of interests (running, making music, farming, woodworking, watercolor painting… the list goes on), and—which often leads to spirited discussions—having varying preferences in code editors, the members of the Sidnet team share common traits.
To celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, we’ve taken a deeper look at the values that unite our 37‑member team.
Driven by Dev Project Challenges
We embrace all types of projects—whether they involve R&D work, long‑term commitments, or emergency takeovers from other providers. We’re eager to support clients from the concept stage, often analyzing dozens of scientific articles and creating our own machine‑learning models. We quickly adapt to the latest algorithms and technologies—AI, Big Data, Computer Vision, and Unreal Engine 5.
At the same time, we ensure our clients are never left unsupported. We step in to take over poorly managed technological projects and work to get them back on track. We’re also committed to long‑term software maintenance—a prime example being the Kujawski brand’s Blogi z pierwszego tłoczenia (“First-pressed Blogs”), which we supported for 16 years!
Programming extends beyond our professional lives—many of us develop and use technological solutions for personal projects every day.
We Prefer Remote Work
At Sidnet, we normalized remote work years before the pandemic. While we appreciate occasional in‑person gatherings, the daily commute to the Warsaw office is often inefficient and, in many cases, unfeasible. Our commitment to 100% remote work has allowed us to connect with valuable team members from diverse locations, including Rzeszów, Berlin, and even Canada.
We Embrace Development Opportunities
Learning new programming languages, taking on managerial roles in projects, and seamlessly transitioning from non-technical to technical positions—these are commonplace at Sidnet. We have numerous examples where these opportunities have led to successful and fulfilling outcomes for everyone involved.
“I joined Sidnet as a content marketer. With the support of the employer, I was able to grow in unexpected areas, acquire new skills, and find my ideal role. Over the past 6 years, I’ve had the chance to prove myself in roles such as brand communication manager, employer branding specialist, graphic designer, UX researcher, manual tester, project manager, and ultimately, product owner. The English classes sponsored by Sidnet also empowered me to manage product development while communicating effectively in English,”—says Olga Muzyczuk.
We Develop Open‑Source Solutions
We have a strong affinity for open‑source solutions. In both our internal tools and client projects, we primarily use open‑source software, adjusting it to meet our needs and frequently sharing it on GitHub for others to benefit from.
But that’s not all—each month, we donate to an open‑source project chosen by a team member. Since 2012, we’ve contributed nearly 150 financial donations to the development of projects such as Django, Next.js, Strapi, Linux, Git, and Jenkins.
We Make the World a Better Place
We know how cliché this phrase is. And yet the list of evidence keeps growing.
Alongside our monthly donation to an open‑source initiative, we also provide financial support to a non‑profit project selected by one of us. Over the past 12 years, we’ve supported associations, foundations, hospices, shelters, and individuals in need nearly 150 times.
Our latest initiative involves planting trees to commemorate client anniversaries and project milestones. We’re starting with a bang—celebrating our 20th anniversary, we donated funds to plant 200 trees. You can track our progress on the Posadzimy.pl website.
Under the Sidnet Donations initiative, our monthly financial support goes to projects and public benefit organizations that are close to our hearts. This time the choice belonged to Marcin Tabaka, who decided that we would support the Cancer Fighters Foundation and the Django REST Framework.
Happy thirteen
There are employees and there are EMPLOYEES – Marcin Tabaka recently celebrated his thirteenth anniversary of employment at Sidnet and during this time he has become known as an excellent Lead Full Stack Developer who not only contributed to many project successes in our company but also had a significant impact on its development as a whole.
Described by his colleagues as the life of the party, he spreads a positive attitude and encouragement – nothing is impossible for him. He is a real team player… until a board game appears on the table – then the competitive spirit comes out of Marcin.
Django – freedom and convenience
Every month, we support one open source project – this time we chose an add-on to the Django framework – Django REST Framework. Marcin has been working with Django technology for years and is so closely associated with it that he already chose it as a beneficiary of our donation a year ago. This time, due to the frequent use of the DRF tool to conveniently create APIs in applications, Marcin decided to narrow down the selection.
Marcin’s loved ones struggled with cancer in the past, so his choice of a public benefit organization is not surprising. The Wrocław-based Cancer Fighters Foundation supports both adults and children battling cancer. Marek Kopyść, the founder who himself won the fight against cancer, wants to remind people that cancer is not a death sentence – it is just an opponent that can be defeated!
The Foundation supports its beneficiaries in many ways. For example, it offers much-needed material support, but also psychological and organizational assistance to make life easier for those struggling with cancer on all possible levels.
Together we can do more – you can also provide support
The aid provided as part of the Sidnet Donations campaign is a drop in the ocean of the needs of charitable organizations. We encourage you to support the organization also on your own – you can do it in several ways:
Direct donation via the Foundation’s website.
Joining the volunteer team.
Transferring 1.5% of the tax to the National Court Register number 0000581036.
Participating in Cancer Fighters social media, e.g. on Instagram.
Involving your company in activities supporting the Foundation, e.g. fundraising.
Next month, we will share two more organizations that will receive #SidnetDonations from us – see you soon!
For over a decade, every month we have been supporting causes close to our hearts – this time, by Wojtek Wąsik’s decision, financial help will go to Magda Rejman, a 16-year-old suffering from type C lymphoblastic leukemia, as well as to the creators of the Linux Mint project.
At Sidnet, we strive to change the world in various ways. Our programmers are constantly creating new innovative solutions, we are driven by the desire to develop ourselves as well as the technology that drives the reality around us. However, an innovative line of code does not always have the power to change the world. That’s why we also help directly those who need support.
Like every month, we support two open source organizations, foundations or people in need, making the world a little better. We leave the decision to our colleagues.
Wojciech Wąsik is a true Sidnet veteran. He recently celebrated his seventh anniversary of working with us and during this time he has become known as a Full Stack Developer for special tasks. He is able to untangle programming Gordian knots and propose solutions that satisfy our clients and arouse admiration among other experienced developers.
Magda Rejman – a girl who got her chance
Wojtek is loyal not only to our company, but also to his loved ones, whom he supports at every possible opportunity. Once again, he selected the Przyszłość dla Dzieci foundation and their beneficiary – Magda Rejman – as the recipient of our support. The sixteen-year-old girl, daughter of Wojtek’s cousin, suffers from cancer – type C lymphoblastic leukemia.
Although her disease is currently in remission and Magda has not had to take chemotherapy since November, her immune system is still weakened and spending time outdoors is out of her reach. This does not stop Magda from dancing, playing, drawing and looking forward to the upcoming start of school – although it is still unknown whether she will go to school or learn at home.
Despite the positive prognosis, Magda’s treatment is not finished yet, so we are pleased to contribute to the expensive rehabilitation to restore her life to her dream normality.
You too can help Magda
Magda is one of 450 children under the care of the Przyszłość dla Dzieci foundation, which accepts any help – donations, collections or participation in charity events, as well as cooperation from companies and brands.
Linux Mint – a green, open and ethical operating system
Monthly support as part of the #SidnetDonations campaign also includes open-source projects that are promising or beloved by us. Wojtek pointed to the Linux Mint operating system, which has been with him since the first days of his work with our team.
Linux Mint is an open, Linux-based operating system that meets all the needs of a modern user – professional and amateur. Comfortable, easy to configure, and offers great customization possibilities.
The system is equipped with a set of useful open-source software that supports graphic work, vector drawings, and 3D modeling in Blender, GIMP, and Inkscape, and also allows for a full range of office work thanks to the pre-installed LibreOffice package. Entertainment is provided by an extensive library of over 7,800 games in the Steam library.
Sidnet primarily supports projects that follow principles similar to ours, one of the most important of which is respect for user privacy. The creators of Linux Mint assure that they do not collect user data, giving them full control over the system. It’s your computer, so your rules apply.
Centralized system updates, a convenient and intuitive interface, and a huge user community make Linux Mint one of the most popular platforms based on the Linux architecture.
See you next month, when we will tell you again about two entities that we will support as part of the #SidnetDonations campaign!
The warm month of May has finally arrived, and the warmth from the heart comes even more naturally. In the May edition of our monthly donations campaign, we are happy to support the open source project Xmonad and Fundacja Podróżnych Ugościć (the Travelers Welcome Foundation) – and these recipients were selected by our web developer Łukasz Kozłowski (whom we once again congratulate on his recent third work anniversary).
Wikimedia Polska
Xmonad is a program that manages application windows in the operating system, with a primary purpose of letting the user conveniently and efficiently manage windows using only the keyboard. Łukasz’s words leave no doubt that this goal has been achieved: The big advantage of Xmonad is its configurability, thanks to which everything works the way it is convenient for me and after years of use, everything is within the reach of pressing a few keys. This improves not only productivity, but above all the comfort and ergonomics of using the computer, which I spend a large part of the day in front of. I can’t imagine going back to managing windows with a mouse. It is therefore not surprising that this is the second time that Łukasz has decided to support this specific project.
Fundacja Podróżnych Ugościć
Łukasz lived in Warsaw until recently, and it was in the capital that he came into contact with Fundacja Podróżnych Ugościć and its activities supporting refugees. These include, among others, organizing transport for people from war-torn Ukraine and providing help to those in need on the Polish-Belarusian border. Łukasz justified his choice of the Foundation as the recipient of our financial support by saying: I believe that everyone in need deserves help, especially people who have been forced to leave their homes and are looking for safety in our country.
Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human – this is the slogan of the Wikimedia Foundation, as well as its Polish partner, the Wikimedia Polska association, which since 2005 has been working for the development of Wikipedia, free knowledge and open culture. The Veritas Foundation, in turn, is a group of people working for personal and social development through various workshops and initiatives. Apart from common ideas of spreading knowledge and supporting development, what else do these organizations have in common? The fact that this month they will both receive financial support from us as part of the monthly #SidnetDonations campaign – and Marcin Szajda, a PHP programmer from our team, made his debut as the chooser.
Wikimedia Polska
Wikimedia, or more precisely the American Wikimedia Foundation, has already been a beneficiary of our donation in 2021. This time we are donating to its Polish partner, the Wikimedia Polska association, which brings together native creators of Wikipedia and other related projects.
Marcin justified this choice with the words: Universal access to reliable and organized knowledge is a key factor in the development of human civilization. In the Internet era, access to information is universal, but ensuring its reliability may be a challenge. Wikimedia is a global movement with a goal of providing free educational content to the whole world. Their most popular project, Wikipedia, is a free encyclopedia in which people from all over the world add information and keep it up to date, all without any fees. Currently, Wikipedia content is actively developed in as many as 326 language versions.
Moreover, Marcin summed up his own experience with Wikipedia as follows: I have personally used Wikipedia many times to look for information and have never encountered incorrect data. I also had the opportunity to fill in the missing information myself several times.
Veritas Foundation
“The power of change from within ourselves” – this is how the Veritas Foundation writes about its mission. The Foundation connects people with different life experiences who want to develop and help others in their personal development, through numerous projects carried out as part of the Foundation’s programs.
Marcin has been taking part in mountain runs for 3 years, including a run organized as an initiative of the Veritas Foundation, about which he said: The Foundation raises funds by organizing various events, including »The Run of the Cave Bear« held annually in August on the Śnieżnik Massif. All proceeds from this event go to charity. Last year I had the opportunity to take part in this event and it was a great challenge. Highly recommended to all running enthusiasts!
The ideas of personal development and physical activity have always been close to our company, which is why our entire team supports Marcin’s choice and we are happy to support the Veritas Foundation.
What do Maven and Siepomaga.pl have in common? Maven automates the process of building the project code, and Siepomaga.pl automates the process of starting a fundraiser and collecting funds that save someone’s health or life. This month, we will support these organizations in our #SidnetDonations campaign, and they were chosen by Nikolas Bruski, our programmer (whom we would like to congratulate once again on his recent work anniversary).
Maven
What is Maven? It is a tool for automating software development. Initially, since its initial release in 2004, Maven was used for projects written in Java. Currently, it is used with many other programming languages, such as C#, Ruby, and Scala.
Maven helps you throughout the entire software building process, from source code compilation to testing and writing documentation. Nikolas uses it very often, justifying his choice of this project as the recipient of our donation: “I decided to support this project because I use it every day to build, test and deploy our clients’ projects.”
Siepomaga.pl
The Siepomaga Foundation was created to achieve what may often seem impossible. Thanks to fundraisers, the organization of which is one of the main goals of the Foundation, it helps those in need in their fight against diseases, in rehabilitation, and in realizing their dreams. The Foundation has been operating since 2009 and its activities cover the whole of Poland.
Choosing Siepomaga as the target of our support, Nikolas emphasizes: “In a society full of challenges and needs, Siepomaga.pl stands out as a platform connecting people around the common idea of help and support. Thanks to Siepomaga.pl, those in need have the opportunity to reach a wide group of people of good will who willingly support social initiatives. By supporting Siepomaga.pl, we participate in developing a society that joins forces for the common good.”
March is the month when many of us settle our taxes – we can decide who to donate 1.5% of the tax. If the choice is difficult, maybe it is worth supporting the Siepomaga Foundation – you can do it easily on the Foundation’s website.
Showing heart not only on holidays has become our custom. We repeat this gesture regularly, with the willing participation of our colleagues. For this edition of our company initiative, we invited Maksym, who has been working with us as a Frontend Developer for a year. Following his decision, we support the Matrix project and the Come Back Alive foundation.
Matrix
Matrix is an open communication protocol that is secure and platform-independent. Thanks to these features, it has gained popularity in the programming community. An example is our company messenger, based on Matrix, which we have been using for several years for daily communication.
Matrix has the potential to become a communication standard similar to email, allowing free exchange of information regardless of the application used. By using end-to-end data encryption, Matrix also ensures communication security, in which only the sender and recipient of a message can read it.
The Come Back Alive Foundation’s fundraiser to support the Ukrainian Army
Come Back Alive is a Ukrainian foundation that has been actively supporting the Ukrainian Army since 2014. The organization provides the military with specialized equipment and develops analytics in the security and defense sector. Since the Ukraine war outbreak, the foundation has been intensively raising funds to purchase equipment for the armed forces.
“The Foundation also supports smaller units fighting on the front, including the Marine Corps, in which my friend serves,” says our programmer.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, the organization has provided the Ukrainian Army with comprehensive equipment, including drones, night vision goggles, military vehicles, and advanced surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
Gabriel, a software tester on our team, shares our company’s desire to help. Gabriel devotes his free time to organizing RPG sessions for children at the Topory Association in his hometown of Rawa Mazowiecka. And we financially support two non-profit projects every month. In January, we joined forces with Gabriel to donate to initiatives of his choice: the Rawa for Animals Association, and Elementary OS.
Elementary OS
Elementary OS is a free and open-source operating system based on the Linux kernel. Its characteristic feature is a minimalist and aesthetic interface, making navigation and everyday work easier for new users.
Gabriel, having used this distribution for a long time, appreciated its simplicity. “This system makes it easier to switch to Linux for those who use MacOS or Windows on a daily basis. It is intuitive and does not require the use of a text-based terminal, which is a godsend for beginners.”
In addition to its accessibility, Elementary OS stands out for its well-thought-out native applications and AppCenter, from which users can easily download and update additional tools. All apps in AppCenter are reviewed for quality and security.
Rawa for Animals Association
The Rawa for Animals Association is an organization that actively helps homeless animals. It organizes numerous collections for pet food and publishes adoption advertisements, enabling the “lesser brothers” to quickly find a new home.
Gabriel, being a long-time supporter of the association, chose it as a beneficiary of our January campaign, supporting them in their difficult work. “Together with my fiancée, we try to help animals. The Association has supported us many times in various matters, even financing treatment,” emphasizes Gabriel.
