OFE and FOSDEM 2024 Report

Last weekend, I attended two open-source focused events in Brussels: OFE (Open Forum Europe) and FOSDEM, with the goal of establishing and fostering Blender’s connection with the free and open source community. Here is a recap of the experience.

OSS awareness is growing

Attending OFE was an opportunity to witness some of the dynamics that define European regulations and policies with regard to free and open source software.

Most of the focus was on open source as a means to aid economic development and maximize the value of public investment in technology. Another widely discussed topic was the CRA (Cyber Resilience Act), and the implications on open source projects.

OFE 2024 location: the Royal Flemish Theatre.
OFE location: the Royal Flemish Theatre.

Several well-known free software organizations were present (Apache Foundation, Eclipse Foundation, Linux Foundation, NLnet Foundation, etc) next to figures from various European governance organizations, as well as and handful of free software contributors and developers.

It was useful to connect with new with people and listen to new voices. Despite the complexities that come with long-term planning and European politics, the future for open source looks bright!

FOSDEM

Every year, thousands of developers of free and open source software from all over the world gather at FOSDEM. It’s like an open source festival! Attending FOSDEM allowed reconnecting in real life with project like Godot, Matrix, Thunderbird, Kdenlive, Freecad and many more. 

The connection that Blender has with the open source community must be fostered and the Blender project should look into being more visible in this event in the coming years.

Upcoming Events

This was a great start of the year, with many events such as GDC, BCONLA and Annecy to look forward to. See you soon! 

Francesco

A waffle, or a pancake?