Closing the circle

Its been already ten years since I first had my first experience with Free Software groups and organisations. Enthousiasm was to be found everywhere in these groups and most of us we were good friends. We didn’t care so much about being strict on policies, bureaucracy, terms of use, disclaimers etc.

Then we had this feeling that being just a hubbub of people going to nowhere had no meaning, so we did get into molds. Organisations, summits, camps, teams. All of this is history. Finally we got to be into key positions and give directions and make things happen.

When somebody has plenty of time and good money support these kind of hobbies are enjoyable. But when it comes to hits below the waist from people somebody considered friends yesterday evening, when drinking beers, then is no fun at all. When political ideology is the motivation behind various actions in such movements then somebody feels there is no hope. Either for Free Software promotion or Technology.

I’m not sad though, I had ten good years in Free Software groups. I think is enough.

From all people I would like to thank, I think only one deserves the best.

Thank you E.

Getting to know the Albanian Free Software Community | Our trip to openLabs and 1st Open Source Conference Albania (OSCAL)

July 20th 2013

During the  openSUSE Conference 2014, we were organising the LPI Exam Lab given that GREEKLUG is the LPI Master Affiliate in Greece. There we came in contact with a great and very interesting guy who is a founding member and leader of the Tirana Free Software Group, “OpenLabs“, Redon Skikuli.

We started to speak with him in English. At some point, he suddenly interrupted the discussion, saying in perfect Greek:

we can speak in Greek if you want

Redon, an Albanian, was raised in Greece, but he is now back to his country, Albania, where he pioneers the development of Free Software structures. He kindly asked us how OpenLabs could become an LPI Affiliate and how we could cultivate a mutual cooperation between GreekLUG and OpenLabs.

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