The FSFE at 38c3
The Free Software Foundation
Europe, along with over sixteen thousand attendees, took part in the
38th Chaos Communication Congress with a booth, several talks and a lot
of stickers. It was a great pleasure to join, once again, the Chaos
family for another impressive four-day congress. Thank you all for
coming!
From 27 to 30 December the Congress Center in Hamburg turns into an
alternative universe full of unicorns, rockets, colourful lights, lots
of technology, and mate! It is the time of the Chaos Communication
Congress. This iconic annual gathering remains one of the most
significant technology conferences globally, attracting developers,
activists, artists, and thinkers from all over the world. The Congress
serves as a vibrant space for exchanging ideas and discoveries, and
exploring innovative approaches to technology and society. Did you
manage to make it to 38c3?
As in previous years, the FSFE was part of the Bits
& Bäume habitat, where our staffers and volunteers spread the
word about Free Software, our work, and our activities. At our booth, we
were surrounded by our
new hoodies, Ada & Zangemann
books, t-shirts, socks, magnets, and stickers. Countless individuals
from diverse backgrounds stopped by to learn more about Free Software,
get some of our merchandising, and share their own experiences and thoughts with
us. Many attendees from across the globe stopped by to expand their
sticker collections, ask questions about our current activities, support
us, and help spread our message of software freedom.
But there was more: our activities were shown in a short video on the
main 38c3 screens; as part of the Bits & Bäume habitat, we took part
in a 2024 timeline, and we also challenged some participants to make a
"There is no
Cloud" blinking
badge. It was a great pleasure to guide participants through the
process of soldering and assembling the badges. There was great
enthusiasm for the project, and we and the participants acquired new
skills along the way.
The FSFE hosted several activities, including a
FSFE Women meetup, a
screening of the Ada & Zangemann movie, a talk at
the Community Stage, two
lightning talks, a reading of the Ada
& Zangemann book, and a
Fediverse fishbowl discussion.
-
The Bits & Bäume Workshop Area was opened by a meetup of the FSFE Women group organised
by its coordinator and volunteer, Liv Dywan. The workshop area was
filled up by members of the group and curious passers-by. After a short
introduction, the group shared and discussed topics related to diversity
and education.
-
The screening of the "Ada &
Zangemann – A Tale of Software,
Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream"was full of children and parents excited to watch
the recently premiered movie. The audience was fully engaged, enjoying
the characters' journey and their connection to the Free Software
movement. It was a perfect opportunity to inspire the next generation
about the power of technology and the importance of software freedom. Of
course, the children left the venue with a lot of Ada stickers!
Moreover, the day after the screening of the Ada & Zangemann movie,
we had a reading of the book at the Bits & Bäume
Wohnzimmer lounge.
-
Our talk "Let’s Spark
Children’s Interest in Coding" (EN) on the Community Stage was well
received with almost a full house. Attendees were very interested in and
gave positive feedback on our initiatives for the younger generations,
such as Ada & Zangemann and Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, and provided
positive feedback. Attendees also asked insightful questions about Youth
Hacking 4 Freedom, which were answered by one of the winners of the last
edition.
-
On Day 3, we took the stage for two lightning
talks. At the "From Apple
litigation to Legal Education: how the FSFE can help you" (EN),
we made a summary of the FSFE legal work while Sofía Aritz, one of
the 2023 YH4F winners, explained how to participate in this programming
competition in her talk "Youth
Hacking 4 Freedom" (EN). Both talks gathered a lot of attention and
some of the attendees visited our booth afterwards to learn a bit more
about those two topics and our activities in general.
-
Finally, Tobias Diekershoff, our System hacker and Fediverse expert with
Leena Simon hosted a fishbowl discussion about fediverse
governance. This idea was sparked by a talk presented by Leena in 2023.
Several attendees discussed how to moderate the fediverse and identified
some problems with existing structures and technologies.
Overall, the event was really successful, bringing together a diverse
audience eager to learn and share. From engaging talks and workshops to
the movie screening, participants left inspired and motivated to
contribute to the Free Software movement.
Thank to everyone who stopped at our booth and thanks to Bits
& Bäume for a great habitat! We look forward to seeing you
at the next Chaos events! In the meantime, stay tuned by subscribing to our
newsletter and following us on PeerTube.
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