From the Classroom to FOSDEM: A Firsthand Open Source Experience

FOSDEM has always been a special event, but attending this year felt different. I wasn’t just here for myself—I was here as a teacher, accompanying two ITS classes, one of which I’ve been preparing for their LPIC-1 certification. Their task? To immerse themselves in the event, explore what interested them, and write a report on their experiences. My task? To guide them while rediscovering, through their eyes, what makes FOSDEM so unique.

An Overwhelming (and Freezing) First Day

Brussels in February is cold. Really cold. And after the pre-event meetups the night before, I was already running on fumes before the conference even started. But as soon as we arrived at Université libre de Bruxelles, the atmosphere was electric. Thousands of people, from first-timers to seasoned contributors, moving between developer rooms, talks, and exhibition areas—FOSDEM is the kind of place where you can bump into an old friend, meet a project maintainer you’ve only ever known online, or get lost in a sea of technical discussions happening in every corner of the campus.

For my students, it was a trial by fire. With 1,193 speakers, 1,104 events, and 79 tracks spread across multiple buildings, just figuring out where to go was a challenge. The moment you stopped to look at the schedule, you realized there were five different things you wanted to see happening at the same time.

Talks, Stands, and Unexpected Encounters

The keynotes, main track sessions, and lightning talks covered everything from privacy-focused Android alternatives to open hardware. Some highlights included:

• Linux on Mobile: A hands-on look at PostmarketOS running on a Fairphone, showcasing the power of truly open mobile operating systems.
• Open-Source Smartwatches: Discovering Linux-based smartwatches based on libhybris, bridging the gap between proprietary hardware and open software.
• Document Liberation: A behind-the-scenes look at how open source projects reverse-engineer closed file formats to keep data accessible.
• Systemd at 14: Love it or hate it, Lennart Poettering’s talk on Systemd’s evolution was standing-room only.

And that’s just scratching the surface. The exhibitor stands were just as exciting—meeting the developers behind LibreOffice, chatting with the folks at Joplin, and even getting my hands on some exclusive, hard-to-find VLC hats.

FOSDEM isn’t just about attending talks—it’s about conversations. One of the best parts of the experience was meeting people I’ve only ever spoken to online, including Lorenzo Faletra (Palinuro), the creator of Parrot OS, whom I had previously interviewed for my podcast, “Community Voice.”

The Energy of the Open-Source Community

FOSDEM is a conference, but it’s also a festival of open source. Between the sessions, you’d find:

• Unofficial hackathons happening in real-time. Developers sitting together, laptops open, fixing bugs or writing new features for projects they love.
• Spontaneous Q&A sessions between project maintainers and users, solving issues on the spot.
• Side events that are just as important as the talks. From the Italian Linux Society’s axe-throwing meetup to the LibreOffice and Free Software Foundation Europe social dinners, these gatherings were where the more high-impact connections happened.
• It’s in these moments that you see what makes FOSS more than just technology—it’s a mindset, a way of collaborating, and a shared belief that software should be open, transparent, and for everyone.

SC24: The Takeaways

FOSDEM reinforced several key lessons:

• Open source is more than just code or licenses. It’s about community, collaboration, and shared values.
• Real-world exposure fuels motivation. Seeing technology in action, meeting its creators, and understanding its impact is more powerful than any textbook.
• The future is being built here. Whether it’s Linux-powered smartphones or privacy-first operating systems, the innovations at FOSDEM shape what’s next.

But the most important takeaway? FOSDEM is a pilgrimage for those who believe in open source. For a few days, thousands of developers, students, professionals, and enthusiasts come together—not just to talk about technology, but to connect, exchange ideas, and push the movement forward.

For my students, this was their first real step into the open-source world. Some will go on to contribute to projects, others might specialize in Linux, and all of them now have a deeper understanding of what FOSS truly means.

As for me? I’ll be back next year, hopefully with even more students. Because there’s no better way to teach open source than to experience it firsthand.