Bradley M. Kühn — 🔜 FOSDEM (19)
To old guard of #FOSS:
When you reach ages ≥ 0x32 —as I have— ∃ a saying: you're old enough to “have no 🤬s left to give”. It's liberating, but take care w/ that new feeling; it *can* turn you into a mean person.
I'm watching a talk by ███¹ who has some interesting things to say, but is flippant & rude to the audience who ask about any issue not of ███'s interest.
No matter how smart you are: as a speaker, your audience has something to teach you.
Open your mind.
#FOSDEM #FOSDEM2026 #FOSDEM26
😷🫵
Last year @ #FOSDEM, I got COVID. I ∴ missed my own keynote.
@karen & @ossguy filled in for me well, but I also *could not work on #FOSS for a WHOLE MONTH after*!!!
We all have important work after #FOSDEM2026. Why let the #FOSDEM26 flu/COVID slow down #OpenSource?
Wear a mask all day today & tomorrow unless you're on stage or asking a question.
If you need a mask or hand sanitizer, visit #SoftwareFreedom Conservancy's stand at K level 2 (group A).
https://fosdem.org/2026/stands/
Cc: @akareilly
Note that since University staff are not available during weekend, FOSDEM bathrooms are cleaned periodically by young #FOSS enthusiasts every few hours.
I have given up a lot of convenience & comfort in my life for FOSS, but I've *never* cleaned a toilet that wasn't my own toilet.
These toilet cleaning volunteers ARE THE TRUE HEROES OF FOSS & #FOSDEM!
They are literally cleaning up our FOSS 💩!
Thank them for their service!!!
😍
…It is wonderful to be loved by the Norwegian #FOSS community. Last year, @sjn brought me 500g of #Brunost at #FOSDEM. This year, a larger group — incl. @Liks0m & @Foxboron & @aslakr — conspired to bring me 3kg of Brunost & 1kg of Geitost!
They now joke (?) that it'll continue to progress: .5kg->2.5kg->12.5kg
I keep reminding them I have to prove to USA CBP it's all for personal consumption. I can totally eat 12.5kg in 1 year, but CBP might not believe me!
♥️NORGE_FOSS!
Sensitive content : ✈️ whining
As always these days, I'm the only person 😷'd on my flight.
The air is awful on this equipment: 1925 ppm of CO₂ at my seat.
Person next to me has a productive cough …😮💨… (can tell by sound), yet she isn't masked. 🙄
Welp, whatever 🦠 she's spewing on this row, I guess I'm bringing it to #FOSDEM.😔
As a reminder for those coming to @fosdem … please mask! It's not life-or-death anymore for most, but I lost a month of work (& missed my OWN keynote) last year when I got #COVID at FODSEM.
@bortzmeyer overheard at #FOSDEM
> “There is a guy who does a lot of work to help the fediverse and to push people toward it. His name is Donald Trump.”
This statement contains multitudes b/c #TruthSocial is a fork of #Mastodon. Initially, $DJT violated the #AGPLv3, but AFAIK they now comply with the license. I examined the fork & they primary code they added was an advertising platform. Obviously it doesn't have federation turned on.
Cc: @jzb
You have many choices at #FOSDEM26, but my colleagues (list below) & I bring you the 14th edition of the Legal & Policy Issues DevRoom today in UB5.230 :
https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/track/legal/
If ever you wonder: “code is amazing but code is also law (as Lessig once wrote) so how do we build better policies in the world WITH #FOSS?” — then this DevRoom is for *YOU*!!!
BTW, UA is the least “sensory overwhelming” bldg at #FOSDEM2026.
Brought to you by:
@lexelas @kirschner @karen @tmarble @richardfontana & me
Thanks @BrodieOnLinux for promoting #SFC's fundraiser yesterday:
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=WBHDB4RGqPg
We know this is a tough time to ask folks to donate, but pls help!
We hope folks can make a donation for this stretch match as we approach #FOSDEM. You can even come by our stand at FOSDEM & donate cash in EUR or USD, but if you'd like to donate by bank transfer or credit card, please visit https://sfconservancy.org/sustainer/ *NOW*.
You decide if #SoftwareFreedom Conservancy continues our work in 2026.
Why do I get so weirdly nervous that I won't have time to pack to for #FOSDEM & I'll forget something? I try to remind myself that I could literally walk out the door with just my passport, laptop, & mobile device & probably everything would be fine (although I might have to buy some overpriced Belgian fashions🤣).
Still, every year, for days before I leave, I worry.
This despite having a rather extensive travel checklist.
BTW, do see downthread where @jzb & I discuss recent news (like, today) about #OSI Elections being suspended for 2026.
While I literally had a door-to-door 24 hour travel cycle to get to #FOSDEM, I had not seen OSI's announcement when I wrote the above, but having caught up, it's all the more reason for folks to *sign the petition*. OSI is saying they want input from stakeholders about what happened & what to do next. You're the stakeholders; say so by singing:
