It was fun to attend FOSDEM for the first time. The event is of immense magnitude, as multiple talks are occurring simultaneously, and approximately 8000 individuals from all over the globe attended the event. It’s a chance to meet new people, learn about new technology, get stickers (I’m trying to find more space on my laptop to put more stickers) and help out at the event. My first FOSDEM and my first time volunteering to heralding the lightning talks, what a great way to get immersed in the event!
Some highlights
I took the opportunity to visit the stands of technologies I like or contribute to, like the Fedora Project. I saw friendly and happy people at every stand. We talked about free software, free culture, and cool things.
Fedora Project
The Fedora community is wonderful, it’s both the operating system I use and the project I contribute to. It was nice to get some new stickers and say hello to people in the community.
PostgreSQL
They had great swags, like this blue elephant (I got one for myself my daughter). Buying swags is a win-win situation, it’s a way to support the projects you use, and you can also keep some memories of the event.
GNOME
I also purchased a t-shirt from the GNOME Project, which is my favourite desktop environment.
Mastodon
Fediverse is amazing, Mastodon is a great project, and I bought a cool t-shirt.
Volunteering
I volunteered to facilitate the lightening talks, it’s always a pleasure to contribute to a huge event like FOSDEM. I definitely learned a lot and met interesting people. Furthermore, I’m certain I’ll be back next year to contribute.
Beers
Belgium is known for its great beers, which together with free software are a great combination. It’s amazing to catch up with friends, drink great beers, and chat about cool stuff. In a large event like FOSDEM, the social moment is also one of the best things you can do.
See you at the next FOSDEM
Looking forward to meeting new people, learning new topics, and doing more volunteer work in 2025, I will definitely come back again. The only thing that needs improvement is the food trucks. There aren’t many vegan options, but I don’t blame the event as they aren’t responsible for the food trucks. I hope next time there will be more vegan options. Until the next FOSDEM!