FOSDEM: Celebrating 25 years of community and Free Software
Some dates are too special to miss, like our February trip to FOSDEM, where we connect with the Free Software community. Even when things don’t go as planned, it was an energizing boost against the winter blues. Thanks to everyone who joined our DevRooms, attended our talks, including our keynote on the Apple litigation, came to our women breakfast, and stopped at the booth. Your support means a lot!
This year, we didn’t start FOSDEM with the right foot, as all our merchandising and info materials got lost. But once again, FOSDEM didn’t disappoint! It was great to see you, listen to inspiring talks, engage in discussions around our booth, and spend time together in the evenings.
For FOSDEM 2025, we had a packed agenda: beyond attending many interesting talks, we organized two DevRooms, hosted several talks and a workshop, and were present in many other DevRooms around FOSDEM. We even arranged an informal women’s breakfast. Not to mention our booth, where our staff and volunteers spent two days explaining our work and answering your questions. Unfortunately, we couldn’t show you our great merchandise in person, but you can check it out and order online!
The ¨Legal & Policy Issues DevRoom, which we’ve co-organized for the past five years, took place on Saturday, this time spanning a full day. As always, it was a popular DevRoom, and we’re happy to report that the room was packed throughout the day. Thank you for attending and showing such strong interest in these crucial topics! We look forward to seeing you and our co-organizers again next year for the 14th edition of this very important DevRoom.
If you don’t have time to watch all our DevRoom talks but are interested in the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we highly recommend watching the talk on the App Fair project’s perspective on the DMA, as well as the panel discussion that followed. This session explored the current status of the DMA implementationin Europe and featured the participation of European Commission representatives.
A session which you should not missed was done by Tobias Diekershoff, FSFE’s System Hacker and core developer of the Friendica project, alongside Michael Vogel, another core member of the Friendica development team. They provided a concise introduction to Friendica. Together they highlighted its unique features and how it differs from other systems.
After a packed first day, we kicked off Sunday "on the right bite" with our women’s breakfast. Over the past 25 years of FOSDEM, we’ve seen our community grow increasingly diverse (👏), fostering a more inclusive and welcoming space for everyone! Our breakfast offered a dedicated moment for women* to connect and network away from the bustling conference corridors. Thanks to everyone who attended, and if you’re interested, remember that you can join our FSFE Women group.
FOSDEM is also a great place to tinker and learn new skills. On Sunday morning, our former working student—now volunteer—Darragh Elliot organized the “FSFE’s Upcycling Android Workshop” with assistance from our volunteer Max Schlüter and System Hacker Tobias Diekershoff.
If you love to tinker and are between 14 and 18 years old, check out Bonnie Mehring’s talk about Youth Hacking 4 Freedom. The fourth edition of this competition is now open for registration, inviting European teenagers to showcase their creativity and programming skills. Participants will have the opportunity to bring their project ideas to life.
The past 25 editions of FOSDEM have shown us that Free Software thrives thanks to a strong community and the dedication of developers and maintainers. However, ensuring the longevity and security of FOSS projects requires sustainable funding models. That’s why the FSFE helped organize the Funding the FOSS Ecosystem devroom, a track that debuted this year on Sunday.
We closed our FOSDEM 2025 participation in style—with a packed room attending the keynote by Lucas Lasota on “How we are defending Software Freedom against Apple at the EU's highest court”. Apple is attempting to avoid obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and in this talk, we explained why this case is pivotal for Free Software in Europe and why we should all care.
As we wrap up another unforgettable FOSDEM, remember that you can watch all the talks on the FOSDEM website. From engaging discussions and interesting talks to valuable networking moments, FOSDEM 2025 was a weekend to remember and to share the strength and passion of our movement. Thank you to everyone who joined us! We can’t wait to see you again next year for another inspiring edition!