Software Freedom Day in Switzerland? Call for action!

I hope all Swiss fellows read this message: I would like to make September 16th a very special day. Since there are quite many of us it should be possible to organise a great event. I already made a wiki entry in the SFD wiki and as some of you know we have a mailing-list for the Swiss Team. Mail me if you want to be added to the mailinglist and dont hesitate to post ideas and suggestions for the SFD.
There are less than 6 months to go, so join the team and lets make September 16th a great Software Freedom Day in Switzerland !

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Fête du Libre – Geneva

Sitting in an internet café in Geneva where the GULL – Groupe Utilisateurs Linux Léman – organises the Freedom Day: la Fête du Libre!
I’m going to speak about the FSFE, the Fellowship programm and how to help and support our work. Nice happening, althought weather is beautiful outside, but lets hope I can attract the attention despite the weather 🙂

Update: nice public! Some of them are seniors who attend the Internet Café for courses and they all had interesting questions and remarks, like: “How come a pharmacist is so passionate about Free Software?” and “Great to see that we also have young people who are interested in social issues”. I like the later, as I’m used to face people who usually are surprised that “people of my age” are still interested in “young” issues!

I clearly fill the gap 🙂

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FOSDEM 2006 – first day

FOSDEM’s first day is slowly ending and here is a first attempt of a report. Let’s hope my wifi-connection stands to the end.

The booth is very large this year, we sell T-shirts on both sides and installed the info booth in the middle. As usual, web connection is very unpredictable, but luckily this morning we were able to access and read our mail during more than an hour. I try to sell on the "women"’s side, e.g. T-shirts in female sizes and often explain the Fellowship of FSFE. As usual at FOSDEM, I’m speeking mostly french, but alread came accross people from Italy, Spain and also Switzerland. Dutch would be very usefull but unfortuantely I dont speak it (yet). There are the usual runs at the booth showing the end of tracks, where our selling and explainig capacities are well used.

Today I gave an interview to a belgian TV team: they promised to get in touch before the broadcast. So get your satelite dishes ready, I’ll post the date here.
 

 

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Wilhelm Tux in Karlsruhe

As in previous years I joined the FSF Europe fellows and volunteers in Karlsruhe, this time in company of Florian and Didier from Linuxbourg and Mario from Wilhelm Tux/Edux.

A carload of geeks, loads of chocolate and, as a special feature this year, a Raclette cheese and its tools.

We arrived Wednesday afternoon and immediately found the Community booth of the FSFE in the Stadthalle where fellows from the newly founded FSF Latin America already hacked their keyboards. It was great to meet Fernanda and Beatriz whom I only knew from their mails and of course a big pleasure to see Federico again. Niibe and his friends from Japan were there too and gave us a warm welcome.

As expected, we had a lot of people asking questions about software patents issues, I don’t know how many times I answered the same questions again and again… but it was a really great job, especially with friends doing the same during this four days (and beyond).

As usual in Karlsruhe, afterwork was great fun:

The first evening we shared some Italian food where Matze, like all of us, expressed his joy to see us all together again.

On Thursday we organised the Raclette at our booth in the exposition area where also other booths held afterwork parties. Mario was very impressive as chef and made people really happy with his skills. More and more people were attracted (maybe by the smell…) and we soon run out of pickles, potatoes and white wine, but a raclette is good on its own! This was a tremendous beginning of the evening and Georg was obviously very happy,

We then moved over to the KALUG party where we shared some drinks and of course ended up singing 🙂

The great evening was of course the social event on Friday which this year was hosted at the Nancyhall restaurant. There was plenty of food (there was not really enough last year), plenty to drink (much better than last year!) but also plenty of people with not enough chairs, unless one went out to the Festplatz.,, where the FSFE band gathered together and had a really great evening.

(photos provided by Mario)

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Freedom Party in Berne

Last Saturday we had the first Freedom Party in Switzerland.

An average 25 people attended the event, some of them coming from as far as Winterthur or Lausanne. Alex Schroeder and I had short speeches. Unfortunately my cardreader (SCR335, yes I know…) crashed down after 5 minutes and I had to give theoretical explanations without practical demonstration. But we showed the FSFE website, explained the use of the CMS and of course had a good time.

See the photos shot by Didier at FSFE-Freedom-Party-Berne

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Another week of difficulties

I’m still struggling with my medical condition: almost every appointment I had this week had to be postponed because of it. Luckily I managed to arrange my office around my bed and have the phone in reach. The seed for a Freedom Party in Switzerland is laid and went out to the mailing lists. What is important now is to find the following: location: for ca. 100 people, internet access, wheelchair access, for free or at least cheap catering (drinks and snacks) music (already contacted DJ Submerge, waiting for his answer) sponsoring for location, music, advertising (printing) and catering (Alex already has an idea about it, to be followed) someone to demonstrate the crypto-card hardware: I’ll bring my laptop, crypto-card and card reader. Have to check if I’ll manage to use the card with the 2.6. kernel, else have to check with Werner. Advertising: adapt the existing flyer, distribute it Invite the various Swiss LUG’s personally.

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Desastrous week

For once I tried to get some more sleep than the usual 3-4 hours after Linuxbourg meetings , the result was near disaster: I fell down the stairs while leaving the building last Wednesday and ended up in hospital. Thanks to Didier who took care of me and drove me to emergency at 22:00 My right arm had to be repaired by osteosynthesis and bone transplant. Besides that, some bruises which will leave some more scars, but I’m alive. Home since Monday, I had to go through more than 1600 mails: one third of it filtred out by good old Spamassasin which really is a friend 🙂 I face the next 6 weeks one-handed, so don’t expect fast mails. Unfortunately I am not allowed to drive neither, so my lovely countryside will be some sort of a prison for the next weeks.

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Wilhelm Tux in February

The last weeks were terrific: 18.-19.2. Wilhelm Tux @ LOTS! in Berne (CH) 20.-22.2. with comunica-ch at WSIS PrepCom2 in Geneva (CH) 25.-28.2. Wilhelm Tux travelled by car to attend FOSDEM in Brussels (B) these were heavy weeks besides my work I do for living, but a lot of fun.

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