FOSDEM (Free and Open Source Software Developers' European Meeting) is a non-commercial, volunteer-organized European event centered on free and open-source software development. It is aimed at developers and anyone interested in the free and open-source software movement. It aims to enable developers to meet and to promote the awareness and use of free and open-source software.
FOSDEM is held annually, usually during the first weekend of February, at the Université Libre de Bruxelles Solbosch campus in the southeast of Brussels, Belgium.
FOSDEM was started in 2001 under the name OSDEM (Open Source Developers of Europe Meeting) by Raphael Bauduin. Bauduin has said that since he felt he lacked the brains to properly contribute to the open-source community, he wanted to contribute by launching a European event in Brussels. Bauduin teamed up with Damien Sandras. It was an immediate success, with speakers from all over the world.
This encouraged the team to repeat the event. The F (of FOSDEM) was added at the request of Richard Stallman.
The event has been annually in February since then, with growing numbers of visitors, talks and tracks. It is now organized thanks to the help of many volunteers.
At present, the meeting hosts about 4,000 visitors every year.
2001 - Event named OSDEM, started by a team of five people. Organized in two months.
2002 - Event renamed to FOSDEM, at the request of Richard Stallman. Attendance grew to a few thousand.
2003
Keynotes: The History of Free Software (Jon 'Maddog' Hall), FSF (Richard Stallman)
Tracks: databases, desktop, education, multimedia, security, toolkit, tutorials
Developer rooms: embedded software, gnome developers, GNUstep, KDE, Mozilla, PostgreSQL
2004
Keynotes: The open source paradigm shift (Tim O'Reilly), FSF (Richard Stallman)
Tracks: accessibility, Java, Linux kernel, Scripting languages, security, X&Co
Developer rooms: Debian, Java, OpenMosix, MySQL, Embedded software, KDE, Mozilla, Tcl
Tutorials, unofficial talks served as a platform for ad hoc talks.
2005
Keynotes: Wikipedia (Jimmy Wales), FSF (Richard Stallman)
Tracks: Desktop, Development tools, GRID/Clusters, Linux kernel, Packaging tools, security
Developer rooms: Calibre, Clustering, Dokeos, Embedded software, Gnome, GNU Hurd, KDE, Opengroupware, PHP/Pear, GNU Classpath, Debian, Drupal, Gentoo, GNUstep, Jabber, Mozilla, Perl, Tcl
Unofficial talks were again present.
2006
Keynotes: Richard Stallman, GPLv3 discussion
Tracks: Desktop, Development, Security, Systems, Voice over IP, Web 2.0
Developer rooms: Ada, GNU Classpath, Embedded software, Gnome, Jabber, Linux on Laptops, Opengroupware, Tcl/Tk, Calibre, Debian, Gentoo, GNUstep, KDE, Mozilla, openSUSE, X.org
2007
Keynotes: OLPC (Jim Gettys), Liberating Java (Simon Phipps)
Tracks:*
main tracks: Opening/closing talks, Security, Desktop applications, Development and languages, Kernel, Web, Internet Services
side tracks: Lightning Talks, Key Signing
Developer rooms: CrossDesktop, KDE, Gnome, openSUSE, Mozilla, GNU Classpath+OpenJDK DevJam, CentOS+Fedora, Jabber, OpenGroupware+GNUstep, Python, Research Room, X.org, Gentoo, Debian, Embedded
2008
Keynotes: "Tux with Shades, Linux in Hollywood" (Robin Rowe), How a large scale opensource project works (Robert Watson), Status update of Software Patents (Pieter Hintjens)
Tracks: Opening/Closing talks, Languages, Build Systems, Games, Packaging, Virtualization, Web
Developer rooms: BSD+PostgreSQL, CentOS+Fedora, CrossDesktop, Debian, Drupal, Embedded, Free Java, GNOME, JBoss, Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, openSUSE, Research Room, Ruby on Rails, X.org
There were lightning talks about miscellaneous subjects.
2009
Keynotes: "Free. Open. Future?" (Mark Surman), Debian (Bdale Garbee), Google Summer of Code: A behind the scenes look at a large scale community (Leslie Hawthorn)
Tracks: Distributions, Languages, Security, Systems, Collaboration, Kernel
Developer rooms: Ada, BSD+PostgreSQL, CentOS+Fedora, CrossDesktop, Debian, Drupal, Embedded, Free Java, GNOME, GNUStep+Groupware, Jabber+XMPP, KDE, Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, openSUSE, Ruby on Rails, X.org
There were lightning talks about miscellaneous subjects.
Various activities: Key Signing Party, Open Source Initiative special session, etc.
2011
Keynotes: "Why Political Liberty Depends on Software Freedom More Than Ever" (Eben Moglen), "LLVM and Clang" (Chris Lattner), "How kernel development goes wrong and why you should be a part of it anyway" (Jonathan Corbet)
Tracks: Systems, Web browsing, Cloud, Languages, Office, Web frameworks
Developer rooms: Crossdesktop, Data analytics, Cross distro, Embedded, Free Java, GNU, Jabber & XMPP, Mono, Mozilla, MySQL & friends, Security & hardware crypto, World of GNUstep, Accessibility, Configuration & Systems management, LibreOffice, New challenges in virtualization, Open source telephony, Perl, PostgreSQL
There were lightning talks about miscellaneous subjects.
Various activities: PGP key signing, certifications, beer drinking, etc.
2012
Keynotes: "Free Software: A viable model for Commercial Success" (Robert Dewar), "A new OSI for a new decade" (Simon Phipps), "Re-thinking system and distro development" (Lars Wirzenius), "Freedom, out of the box!" (Bdale Garbee)
Tracks: Future of UI, Hypervisors, Network and IO, System, Community, Development
Developer rooms: Ada, CrossDesktop, CrossDistribution, Embedded, Free Java, GNUstep, Hardware Cryptography, JBoss.org, Jabber and XMPP, Legal Issues, LibreOffice, Mono, Mozilla, Open Mobile Linux, PostgreSQL, Virtualization and Cloud, X.Org+OpenICC, Configuration and Systems Management, Graph Processing, Microkernel OS, MySQL and friends, Open Source Game Development, Perl, Security, Smalltalk, Telephony and Communications,
There were lightning talks about miscellaneous subjects.
2013
Keynotes: "How we made the Jenkins community" (Kohsuke Kawaguchi), "The Devil is in the Details" (Amelia Andersdotter), "The Keeper of Secrets" (Leslie Hawthorn)
Tracks: Graphics hardware and FOSS
2014Developer rooms: Ada, Automotive development, BSD, Configuration management, Desktops, Distributions, Embedded, Energy-efficient computing, Game development, Go, Graph processing, Graphics, High-performance computing and computational science, Internet of things, Java, JavaScript, Legal issues, LLVM, Microkernel and component-based operating systems, Mozilla, MySQL, NoSQL, Open document editors, Perl, PostgreSQL, Python, Smalltalk, Software-defined radio, Testing and automation, Valgrind, Virtualisation, Wikis, Wine.
2015Keynotes: "Identity Crisis: Are we who we say we are? (Karen Sandler), "What is wrong with Operating Systems" (Antti Kantee), "Living on Mars: A Beginner's Guide" (Ryan MacDonald).
2016Keynotes: "systemd and Where We Want to Take the Basic Linux Userspace in 2016" (Lennart Poettering), "Ian Murdock - In Memoriam" (Martin Michlmayr), and "Putting 8 Million People on the Map - Revolutionizing crisis response through open mapping tools" (Blake Girardot).
DevRooms: Ada; BSD; Coding for Language Communities; Configuration Management; Containers and Process Isolation; Desktops; Distributions; EDA; Embedded, Mobile and Automotive; Free Java; GNU Guile; Geospatial; Go; Graph Processing; Graphics; HPC, Big Data and Data Science; IoT; LLVM Toolchain; Legal and Policy Issues; Lua; Microkernels; Mozilla; MySQL and Friends; Open Document Editors; Open Game Development; Open Media; Open Source Design; PHP and Friends; Perl; PostgreSQL; Python; Real Time; Ruby; SDN and NFV; Security; Software Defined Radio; Testing and Automation; Virtualisation and IaaS.
2017Keynotes: "Kubernetes on the road to GIFEE" (Brandon Philips), "Software Heritage“ (Stefano Zacchiroli, Roberto Di Cosmo), "Understanding The Complexity of Copyleft Defense“ (Bradley M. Kuhn), "Using Linux in Air Traffic Control“ (Gerolf Ziegenhain)
DevRooms: BSD; Backup and Disaster Recovery; Community; Config management; Decentralised Internet; Desktops; Distributions; Electronic Design Automation (EDA); Embedded, mobile and automotive; Free Java; GNU Guile; Geospatial; Go; Graph; HPC, Big Data and Data Science; IoT; LLVM Toolchain; Legal and Policy Issues; Linux Containers and Microservices; Lua; Microkernels and Component-based OS, Monitoring and Cloud; Mozilla; MySQL and Friends; Open Document Editors; Open Game Development; Open Media; Open Source Design; PHP and Friends; Perl; PostgreSQL; Python; Real Time Communications; Ruby; SDN and NFV; Security; Software Defined Radio; Software Defined Storage; Testing and Automation; Valgrind; Virtualisation and IaaS.
Entrance and participation in the event is entirely free. It is financed by sponsors who accept the non-commercial nature of the event, and by donors amongst the visitors. Donors receive an incentive in form of a token present. Everything is organized and set up by volunteers.
The Free Software Foundation's ceremony for the Award for the Advancement of Free Software was held at FOSDEM from 2002 to 2006 (for the awards for 2001 to 2005).
