Abstract

There are quite a few events on Free+Open Source Software in Europe by now. So many in fact, that you have to make a decision on which to attend.

But what can you expect of those events? How many people will attend? What exactly happens on those events? What is the main focus there? And how does the place look like anyway?

I will give some example of Germany and Austria, and a few of BeNeLux and France.

I would like to encourage you to take a look at those events and participate - as an organizer, lecturer, helper at a booth - or simply as an auditor.

Please come and exchange your ideas with the maintainers of the projects! Maybe some of the projects will find a translator for the documentation or a contact person in another country.

Optional info: hacker spacers, campaigns+groups, and some tips for your own event.

Bio

Sven Guckes: maths&cs, freelancer, lives in Berlin.

Sven is an advocate of Free Software who has given several talks in AT,DE (BE+NL, too). specializes in texttools and text interfaces.

Timing

usually, i like to give a talk at the start of an event, so that it is simply "done" and i can enjoy the event, talking to people.

however, this talk might be best just before the closing talk as it is a hint for everyone about other events to visit.

Tack! :)
Feedback welcome!  -> luxembourg2008@guckes.net

talk? Invitation!

Upcoming events:
Feb 19+20   LinuxDays   LX Luxembourg                   2007 programme (you are here! :-)
Feb 24+25   FOSDEM      BE Brussels                     Tracks DevRooms schedule
Mar 01+02   CLT         DE Chemnitz                     postcard! planLinuxBus.de)
Mar-May     LinuxWeeks  AT Eisenstadt, Graz, Innsbruck, Krems, Salzburg, St.Poelten, Vienna, Graz, Eisenstadt..
Apr    19   LinuxTage   AT Graz                         
May 28-31   Linuxtag    DE Berlin                       "where .com meets .org" tracks
Jul 01-05   RMLL        FR Mont de Marsan               announce
Aug 23+24   FrOSCon     DE Bonn                         wiki
Oct?        T-DOSE      NL Eindhoven                    schedule
Nov?        LIT         DE Dresden                      OrgaTeam Helfer

Resources:
Calendar:   www.guckes.net/cal/
Calendar:   www.guckes.net/cal/2008.txt
Calendar:   www.guckes.net/cal/2008/
Google Map: $SYNDICATION - help needed!

more Calendars: Free Calendar 2008

Flyer Handout..
more: Key Signing, CACert, Xing..
thanks again!  hope to see you at the other events soon! :)

Contents

From here it all becomes a TODO list.. for all the events to describe in more detail.

AT: Dornbirn    - LinuxDay.at
    LinuxWochen: Eisenstadt Graz Linz Wien (Innsbruck Kapfenberg Krems Pettenbach Salzburg)

BE: FOSDEM

CH/DE: LUG Camp  (as soon as AT jumps in this goes as a "DACH" event ;)

DE: Augsburg    - Linux-Infotag
    Berlin      - 24C3
    Berlin      - CCCamp (every four years - 1999 2003 2007 2011?)
    Berlin      - LinuxTag
    Berlin      - Wizard of OS
    Bonn        - FrOSCon
    Braunschweig- ... (dead)
    Brandenburg - Brandenburger Linux-Infotag (BLIT)
    Chemnitz    - Chemnitzer Linux-Tage (CLT)
    Darmstadt   - metarheinmainchaosdays
    Dresden     - Datenspuren
    Dresden     - Linux-Info-Tag
    Essen       - come2linux
    Giessen     - Practical Linux
    Hamburg     - EasterHegg 2009
    Karlsruhe   - Gulasch Programmier Nacht (GPN)
    Koeln       - EasterHegg 2008
    Krefeld     - Ubunto Conference (UbuCon)
    Magdeburg   - LinuxTag (dead)
    Pforzheim   - LinuxTag Pforzheim
    .. Linux Konferenz GUUG Fruehjahresfachgespraeche

FR: RMLL2007 (Amiens) / RMLL2008 (Mont de Marsan? Pau?)

LU: LinuxDays

NL: T-DOSE  (you are here! :)
    www.OpenCommunityCamp.org Oestgeest 2008-08-10-17
    What The Hack (2009 - every four years)

UK: UKUUG -> LinuxConf
    Swansea (2005) 
    PyCon UK (http://www.pyconuk.org/)

--- on the list, too:
CH: CoSin       - Chaos Singularity  http://cosin.chaostreff.ch/ 
    OpenExpo    . ...

ES: Madrid      - Simo http://www.simo.ifema.es/ Nov06-11 2007
    Feria Internacional de Informatica, Multimedia y Comunicaciones
    (http://wh2001.sindominio.net/ )
FR: Solutions Linux - beginning of february

SE: FSCON http://www.fscons.org/

SI: Ljubljana, Slovenia.  Cyberpipe (Kiberpipa) /www.kiberpipa.org/

24C3

Specialized Events:
Guadec      GNOME Users' And Developers' European Conference
KDEAcad     KDE Academy                 http://akademy2008.kde.org/
LAC         Linux Audio Conference      http://www.kgw.tu-berlin.de/~lac2007/program.shtml
UBUCON      Ubuntu Conference           http://www.ubucon.de
YAPC        Yet Another Perl Conference http://www.yapc.org/



Global Fun Events on Special Days:
    Mar 22 2008 - Shutdown Day - www.shutdownday.org
    May 25 2008 - Towel Day - www.towelday.org
    Sep 15 2007 - Software Freedome Day - www.softwarefreedomday.org
    Jul 25 2008 - System Administrator Appreciation Day  - www.sysadminday.com (last friday in july)

Events

AT: Eisenstadt Graz Wien
BE: FOSDEM
DE: CCCamp FrOSCon come2linux Dresden 24C3 |
       CLT (Augsburg?) LinuxTag
FR: RMLL20707 (Amiens, Mont de Marsan)
LU: LinuxDays (you are here! :)
NL: T-DOSE  
UK: Swansea (2005) (Cambridge)
BE: FOSDEM

FrOSCon:

LinuxTag:
Kaiserslautern -> Stuttgart -> Karlsruhe -> Wiesbaden -> Berlin!

Linux*Tage* Chemnitz:
aktive planning

*LinuxWochen* Oesterreich:
idea: one event per provincial capital
Eisenstadt:
Graz: grml!
Wien: longest event. no more MQ, but Urania.

Events - Features

Time:
• Days - first and last
• Opening times

Place:
• Location - Country, Town, Address
• Location - Site, Buildings, Rooms
• Pictures of building and rooms
• Maps - Abstract

Audience:
• Size: #Visitors
• Target group: Business and7or Community
• Activities: Development or Info only

Communication:
• Blog
• IRC
• Maillist
• News
• RSS
• Wiki

Congress Management:
• Content Management System (CMS)
• Conference System

Meetings:
• BOFs
• Booths
• Talks
• Workshops
• KeySigningParty
• Social Event
• CACert

Webpages:
• Call for Papers
• Call for Help
• Deadline
• Schedule
• People
• Talks / Workshops
• Events (Social Event, Key Signing)
• Accomodation
• Travel

Website:
• frontpage: Time+Location, CfP+Deadlines, Street Address
• Latest News
• Index to all pages
• Search Feature
• Flash?
• Frames?
• JavaScript?

Misc:
• Accomodation - gym or hotel?
• Internet - cable or wifi?
• Reimbursement - any? now or later?
• Service+Support
• Travel - Group or Personal?

Add-Ons:
• Catering
• Hotline
• Local Phone System (eventphone.de)
• Merchandizing

Hacker Spaces (optional)

DE:
Berlin:     bootlab c-base ccc belug in-berlin
Bonn:       netzladen
Essen:      Unperfekthaus
Hamburg:    Eidelstaedtisches Buergerhaus

AT:
Dornbirn:   net culture labs  http://lab.netculture.at/dornbirn/
Vienna:     Metalab Netbase   http://www.metalab.at/

Campaigns+Groups: (optional)

FFII
FoeBud
PiratenPartei

Organizing Events

• Chemnitzer Linux-Tage
• come2linux
• FrOSCon
• GUUG-Frühjahrsfachgespräch
• LinuxTag
• Open Source Summer
• OpenSolaris Developers Conference
• Perspektive Open Source
• Pforzheimer Linux Infotag

Tips for your own Event

first: visit other events + take notes.

Content: focus! what kind of event is it? do not try to copy other events! do not try to offer everything!

What is most important for your event?: - booths+BOFs? - development+hacking? - talks+workshops?

get a domain! be independent! short URLs! http://domain/topic/ (CMS URLs are usually cumbersome - too long)

no flash, no frames. header+content+footer

language: add some english, too. ask for help in translation. invite people from bordering countries.

participation: communities + companies. sponsoring can pay for some paid tasks.

people: who_is_who? who to contact for about what? (name, pictures, tasks, contacts.)

lists: announce (moderated), orga (internal), everyone wiki: allow *anyone* to help/participate

TEACH your crew and helpers to communicate through blogs, chat, groups, lists, and wikis.

timeline: deadlines! drop tasks without manpower!

ask for help openly on the website - do not hide such information!

open planning: show the current state

get ready for the community: wiki page for accomodation, for travel groups and lifts

documentation:

docs' contents: add links to audio+video, texts (blog) get a copy for yourself (just in case) prepare for documentation: blog planets, flickr tags

take notes. share notes. and visit other events.

Conclusion

• There are already quite a few events out there. Choose!
• take a heart, cross a border, be there, participate!

The Last Page

of course this is far from being a complete overview to free software events in europe.

but i do hope that you will visit the other events and contribute with your ideas, projects, talks, and workshops.

Please send me feedback! what's good? what's bad? what's missing? what's wrong?

please send me an email at:

To: Sven Guckes <freesoftwareevents(at)guckes(dot)net >

Please take a few minutes to fill out the evaluation forms! There will also be the possibility for CACert + PGP Key Signing right after this talk.

Questions?

Thank you for listening! Hope to see you at this event next time - or at an event elsewhere soon!

Links

"Free Software Events in Europe" (this page)

http://www.guckes.net/talks/talk.free_software_events_in_europe.html

Free Software Events Calendar

http://www.guckes.net/cal/