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Join us at SFSCON 2023!

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We cannot wait to be in Bolzano for the South Tyrol Free Software Conference (SFSCON) on 10 and 11 November. This two-day conference brings together Free Software advocates, decision makers and the general public at the gateway to the Dolomites. Our team will be there with talks, side events and a booth. We are ready to talk to you, so just drop by and say hello!

Image of the entrance of the SFSCON 2022 with a SFSCON baner

SFSCON is full of insightful talks, side events such as a hackathon and the European Free Software prize and a lot of interesting people to meet. Check out what we have prepared for these two days and do not forget to check out the entire SFSCON 23 schedule to find out about the rest of the talks.😉

Ada Readings

The first day will start and close with respective readings of the book ‘Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream’. The one in the morning will be a close event in Italian for school children so we encourage you to come to the one in the evening.

CLOSING with a Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream
10 November – 18:00h
Seminar 1
Before you take some time to relax and enjoy this story, read in English by its author Matthias Kirschner, we still have a whole day ahead of us. Just remember that you can get your own copy of this book in English, German and... for the first time, in Italian! You can buy it at our stand (and it makes a great gift).

Imaging showing two pages of the book Ada & Zangemann
The book 'Ada & Zangemann' will be available to buy for the first time in Italian at SFSCON.

Our talks!

Sharing the power of appreciation: Celebrating ‘♥ I Love Free Software Day ♥’
10 November - 13:20h
Seminar 3
Like Ada, we think Free Software is great and its contributors are really cool. That is why every year we celebrate the “I Love Free Software Day”, to thank them for their daily work. Want to take part in the 2024 celebration? Bonnie Mehring will explain more about this event at her talk.


Free Software and AI in Europe
10 November - 14:00h
Seminar 4
Politics and Free Software are interconnected. If you want to get a better understanding of the current hot topics related to Free Software being discussed in the European Union. In this talk, Alexander Sander will present the latest developments in EU legislation and activities on AI and what role Free Software plays in this.


Why Do We Need A Next Generation Internet?
10 November - 14:20h
Seminar 4
The future of Internet is also a political topic. Gabriel Ku Wei Bin, FSFE Legal Project Manager, will explore why the current state of the internet should should be re-imagined , what can be done and how an EU initiative want to achieve it, creating a platform for future generations.


Interoperable Europe Act: A real game changer?
10 November - 14:40h
Seminar 4
Another of our policy experts d Lina Ceballos will take a closer look a the IEA, shedding light on why this law is important for the Free Software community.


Let’s monitor implementation of Free Software Policies!
10 November - 15:20h
Seminar 4
Also in the same seminar room and speaking of policy.... publicly funded software developed for the public sector should be made publicly available under a Free Software licence, right? And with tools like TEDective, this can be monitored. Want to know more? Johannes Näder will discuss how we as civil society can identify and deal with the lack of implementation of Free Software policies.


Windows and Office “tax” refund
10 November – 15:00h
Seminar 2
Another demand of the Free Software community, as well as other civil society members and associations, are asking about the right to install any software on any device. Listen to FSFE volunteer Luca Bonissi going through his personal experience about the refund of pre-installed software, mainly in laptops.


Can we sustain Software Freedom in the mobile world?
10 November – 15:40h
Seminar 3
But what about mobile phones? Can we achieve the same level of freedom and choice on smartphones? Nicole Faerber will discuss this topic during her session.


The ZOOOM project track

The ZOOOM Initiative is a project financed by the European Commission to raise awareness of the importance of management of rights and obligations related to Free Software, Open Data, and Open Hardware, in ecosystems of constant innovation. The ZOOOM Track at SFSCON aims to disseminate the findings of the ZOOOM project and show the intersection between legal and business aspects in IP management and value creation/capture in innovation ecosystems based on open-source software (and beyond). While on the first day the track will focus on different presentations explaining this Horizon Europe project, the second day a workshop will be held to examine the ZOOOM toolkit, which provides valuable tools and material regarding open licence innovation around the topic of Open Data, Software and Hardware.

The ZOOOM Framework: Legal aspects of FOSS and beyond
10 November - 17:00h
Seminar 2
As partner of the ZOOOM project, FSFE team members Niharika Singhal will give an overview of the Free Software licensing compliance practices, including initiatives such as REUSE for streamlining copyright and license information for software projects.


The future of Free Software in Italy
11 November - 09:20h
Seminar 4
The second day of the conference will start with a side event for the Italian community, so SFSCON participants so Free Software advocates who want to join online, where participants will discuss the future of Free Software in Italy, moderated by Marta Andreoli, FSFE Deputy Coordinator Italy. Interested? Remember to register ahead!.


Free Software and Open Science
11 November - 10:20h
Seminar 2
The Open Science movement shares Free Software values and it offers a huge opportunity for Free Software in research and academia. FSFE volunteer Christian Busse, will present an overview on how the core concepts of Free Software and the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles intersect, what this means for managing code as research output and recent initiatives on the European level that will provide support for these issues.


The Future of Connectivity, Open Internet and Human Rights
11 November - 12:20h
Seminar 2
We are becoming more and more dependent on the Internet for our work, education, communication, personal relations and entertainment. It’s time to resolve monopolies and re-establish democratic control over the technology we most depend upon. Lucas Lasota, FSFE will present the challenges end-users are facing to get more control over their devices and how Free Software is key for a consumer re-employment.

And even more!

At the end of the second day, Bonnie Mehring will present the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom competition at the hackathon closing event. This competition, which will be held for the third time in 2024, is aimed at European teenagers who love coding, whether they are beginners or advanced, and who want to develop their own project and have the chance to win cash prizes while networking with other teenagers.

Besides, during these two days you can come to our booth to get free stickers, information about our campaigns and initiatives and get some nice swag! Moreover, we will have free home made ice cream to give away to anyone who subscribes to our newsletter.

Image generated with the SFSCON sharepic with FSFS logo and the sentence 'Come to our booth,checout out our talks and say hello! Let's engage in insightful Free Software conversations
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