rants

On the new list discussions (where Fellows are organizing the next Fellowship Meeting with FSFE Team), Fellow Bjoern compared prices to travel from Stuttgart to the Fellowship Meeting.  It seems that taking the car can be cheapers, so he is offering some place with his car.  I think it’s a good idea and hope that other people can do the same and share car rides to reach Bolzano.  Bjoern also found cheaper hotels.  Good job.

BTW, I would appreciate a ride from Milano 🙂 

Organizing a meeting like the Fellowship Meeting is not a piece of cake.  Luckily FSFE and its Fellows can count on a  wide international network of friends.  In this case our friends in Bolzano offered to co-locate the Fellowship Meeting with the South Tyrol Software Freedom Conference. 

Thanks to the friendship with SFSCon, the Fellows not only have the facility to meet in person but also enjoy a great deal of backend support for the logistics, like dealing with registration of attendees.  SFSCon has provided also special deal packages for accommodation.  It’s good to be part of a big community 🙂

Keep an eye here (constantly updated) and on the SFSCon web site to register soon.

Yesterday has been a very exciting day for the organization of the international meeting of the Fellows. 

Yesterday the FSFE Team has confirmed that a very special announcement will be done during the meeting.  The Fellows that will be in Bolzano will know first, before anybody else something really important for the future.

So, the agenda of the meeting will look like this:

•  Special announcement by FSFE
• A report from FSFE Team about ongoing issues
• Advancing the Advocacy project: improve the material, involve more Fellows and gather ideas for local actions

There is also a new webpage for the event.  It’s a very very basic draft, more information will be added while they become available.

The agenda of the upcoming meeting of the Fellowship of FSFE is shaping slowly at the new discussion list. 

So far two proposals have been made and nobody objected on the list:

• A report from FSFE Team about the work being done at EU level with the help and support of the Fellows
• Advancing the Advocacy project: improve the material, involve more Fellows and gather ideas for local actions

We will have 4/5 hours, so there is space for another topic, at least.  And it is still possible to change them, if you hate them so much (and you are coming to Bolzano).  You should join the discussion now if you want to suggest your favorite topic or support the existing one. We should start fixing the agenda by next weekend, Sept.  9/10.

During the discussion on the new list for Fellows it came out that the main reason for the upcoming international meeting of the Fellows is the opportunity for FSFE team members to meet and thank the Fellows for their help and support.

When the Fellowship was launched a comment appeared on the blog of a patent attorney.  He noted that "FSFE was calling its arms to the battle against software patents". 

Indeed, he was totally right: the Fellows have helped fighting and winning that battle, probably without even noticing.  It was thanks to the enthusiastic contributions of the first Fellows that FSFE was able to support Ciaran economically to be a lobbyist in Bruxelles instead of a bartender, as it seemed to be his destiny at that time.  Indeed, he did a great job, but a big thank you goes to all Fellows.

Fellow Shane has opened the new discussion list (Fellows: see your mailbox)  for the upcoming First International Meeting of the Fellowship.  Shane suggests to reserve some time to discuss about the Advocacy section of this website, its use and its future.  I think it’s a great idea.  What do you think?  Join the list or comment to this post.

During a jabber session with Fellow Stephan Peijnik, awhile back he brought up the idea of a multinational Fellows conference, which we FSFEers think is a great idea. (You can read his thoughts about it on his blog).

Following Stephan’s idea, we’re announcing the first (of what we hope will be many) international get-together for Fellows.

We will have the opportunity to use as we see fit meeting space in Bolzano at the South Tyrol Free Software Conference 2006 (SFSCon) on Saturday, November 11.  There will be space for workshops, conferences and plain fun.

We are looking forward to hearing your proposals for Fellow time on the new mailing list and on the Fellowship jabber channel.

Keep in mind you are welcome to participate in the whole SFSCon2006, too (special lodging/meal packages are being arranged).