Bradley M. Kühn — 🔜 FOSDEM (19)
😷🫵
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
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
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!!!
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.
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.
@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
Journalism is the 1ˢᵗ draft of history.
10 months ago, @lwn published¹ that 1ˢᵗ draft re: #OSI 2025 Board of Directors elections.
At @fosdem, @jzb'll moderate a panel writing the 2ⁿᵈ draft of history of OSI's ballot tampering & related shenanigans.
Time remains to sign the petition: Ask #OpenSource Initiative to release the real election results: https://codeberg.org/OSI-Concerns/election-results-2025
& If you're at #FOSDEM, visit UB5.230 on SAT at 17:00² for the panel!
¹ https://lwn.net/Articles/1014603/
² https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/QZN3GR-foss-election-governance-open-source-initiatives/
Foiled again by my heavy work schedule. I just saw @sjn at this #FOSDEM Fringe event thing, & he noted that I had failed to properly place my Brown Cheese order with him. My own fault for letting it fall off my @fosdem prep agenda.
Any Norwegians who haven't left for FOSDEM yet want to deliver me some Brown Cheese? I'll take as much as you can carry of G35 and Geitost. I'll pay you a 5% markup for your trouble.
Cc: @aslakr
😍
…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!
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
