FOSDEM: Celebrating 25 years of community and Free Software
Some dates are too special to miss, like our February trip to FOSDEM,
where we connect with the Free Software community. Even when things
don’t go as planned, it was an energizing boost against the winter
blues. Thanks to everyone who joined our DevRooms, attended our talks,
including our keynote on the Apple litigation, came to our women
breakfast, and stopped at the booth. Your support means a lot!
This year, we didn’t start FOSDEM with the right foot, as all our
merchandising and info materials got lost. But once again, FOSDEM didn’t
disappoint! It was great to see you, listen to inspiring talks, engage
in discussions around our booth, and spend time together in the
evenings.
For FOSDEM 2025, we had a packed agenda: beyond attending many
interesting talks, we organized two DevRooms, hosted several talks and a
workshop, and were present in many other DevRooms around FOSDEM. We even
arranged an informal women’s breakfast. Not to mention our booth, where
our staff and volunteers spent two days explaining our work and
answering your questions. Unfortunately, we couldn’t show you our great
merchandise in person, but you can check it out and order
online!
The ¨Legal &
Policy Issues DevRoom, which we’ve co-organized for
the past five years, took place on Saturday, this time spanning a full
day. As always, it was a popular DevRoom, and we’re happy to report that
the room was packed throughout the day. Thank you for attending and
showing such strong interest in these crucial topics! We look forward to
seeing you and our co-organizers again next year for the 14th edition of
this very important DevRoom.
If you don’t have time to watch all our DevRoom talks but are interested in the
Digital Markets Act (DMA), we highly recommend watching the
talk on the
App Fair project’s perspective on the DMA, as well as
the panel
discussion that followed. This session explored the current status of
the DMA implementationin Europe and featured the participation of
European Commission representatives.
A session which you should not missed was done by Tobias Diekershoff,
FSFE’s System Hacker and core developer of the Friendica project,
alongside Michael Vogel, another core member of the Friendica
development team. They provided a concise
introduction to Friendica. Together they highlighted its unique
features and how it differs from other systems.
After a packed first day, we kicked off Sunday "on the right bite"
with our women’s breakfast. Over the past 25 years of FOSDEM, we’ve seen
our community grow increasingly diverse (👏), fostering a more inclusive
and welcoming space for everyone! Our breakfast offered a dedicated
moment for women* to connect and network away from the bustling
conference corridors. Thanks to everyone who attended, and if you’re
interested, remember that you can join our FSFE Women group.
FOSDEM is also a great place to tinker and learn new skills. On
Sunday morning, our former working student—now volunteer—Darragh Elliot
organized the “FSFE’s
Upcycling Android Workshop” with assistance from our volunteer Max
Schlüter and system hacker Tobias Diekershoff.
If you love to tinker and are between 14 and 18 years old, check out Bonnie
Mehring’s talk about
Youth
Hacking 4 Freedom. The fourth edition of this competition
is now open for registration, inviting European teenagers to showcase
their creativity and programming skills. Participants will have the
opportunity to bring their project ideas to life.
The past 25 editions of FOSDEM have shown us that Free Software
thrives thanks to a strong community and the dedication of developers
and maintainers. However, ensuring the longevity and security of FOSS
projects requires sustainable funding models. That’s why the FSFE helped
organize the Funding
the FOSS Ecosystem devroom, a track that debuted
this year on Sunday.
We closed our FOSDEM 2025 participation in style—with a packed room
attending the keynote by Lucas Lasota on “How
we are defending Software Freedom against Apple at the EU's highest
court”. Apple is attempting to avoid obligations
under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and in this talk, we explained why
this case is pivotal for Free Software in Europe and why we should
all care.
As we wrap up another unforgettable FOSDEM, remember that you can
watch all the talks on the FOSDEM
website. From engaging discussions and interesting talks to valuable
networking moments, FOSDEM 2025 was
a weekend to remember and to share the strength and
passion of our movement. Thank you to everyone who joined us! We can’t
wait to see you again next year for another inspiring edition!
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