Free Software World Conference

I'm just back from the Free Software World Conference (Badajoz, Spain). This time I regretted only taking 4 years of Spanish while in high school (all sessions were in Spanish, except some side workshops). Attendance was impressive, with an estimated 500-600 attendants to the opening session.

IDABC hosted a workshop on OSOR (the Open Source Observatory and Repository), a recently incepted project of the European Commission, DIGIT. The workshop was chaired by Francisco Garcia Moran, Director General of DIGIT. The OSOR project will implement: a pan-European information platform on OSS: continuing and improving the work of the IDABC Open Source Observatory OSO in providing news, guidance, links, contacts; a platform for uploading and downloading software produced by and for public administrations: providing registry and repository for software; a platform/forge for cross-border collaboration: providing technical, organisational, and legal support. I sitted in a panel discussion - which was for me the opportunity to convey two messages: first, bureaucracy-packed projects from the EC such as OSOR must keep in mind where OSS hail from, and make sure people scattered around the world, far from Brussels, and with limited resources (that of an individual often times) can be involved too; second, that communication is pivotal in the success of an open source project, to grow the community, reach critical mass and make it sustainable.

Workshop organizers arranged an evening chill-out event in a club right in the old town. The club was reportdely sued for not paying any royalties on the music they play. They won the case though, as they argued they only play Creative Commons music. During the party, the beamers would proect huge "Creative Commons" clips on the wall, which I originally thought were especially chosen for the occasion and the crowd (free software people). But according to my (insider) sources, it goes like this all year around. As Alexis Monville put it: "they are gonna change the world!"