When the place started filling up around nine o'clock, tech talk was already going strong. The Free Software Foundation Europe and the Newthinking Network called to celebrate the Fellowship, and about eighty Free Software aficionados flocked to the Newthinking Store in Berlin-Mitte. Among them was a good number of newly initiated people who just started to get interested in the concept of Free Software.

At the center of interest was the Cryptocard Demo, set up and run by Matthias Kirschner. He showed how the card could be used to encrypt e-mail with a maximum level of security. In spite of the high tech behind it, it worked as easy as sliding the card into the reader and entering one's PIN number.

Amid the cool interior design of the Newthinking Store, some people decided to sign up for the Fellowship right there; others got interested, and still others heard about Free Software for the first time. It was an interesting night for everyone. Only the store's computers might have felt relieved as people left. On their RAMs, countless technical discussions were carried out and disputes solved – or not. It was a long night, after all.

Take a look:

More than just small talk alongside the Four Freedoms

Georg Greve on a roll

Flocking to Free Software

Fellowship going up the wall

All in a day's work for SuperMatze