It will help you improve your skills and understand how to start this journey!
The ConfSL is a travelling annual conference about free software in Italy.
This year the place was Palermo who has been the opportunity to meet friends but also for the first event on earth Sicilian with our participation.
I had the Mozilla All Hands in London the week before where there were only clouds and rain, in Palermo instead I recovered both: the food (in London, I lost a pound) and excellent air.
Friday
The first day saw the presentation of two very interesting talks:
- “Freedom of information in the third millennium” by Alessandro Rubini (Vice President of FSFE) who spoke of how the media manages information, but also as like the free software failing to fight that big because don’t have the same resources.
- “I have a dream free software” by Italo Vignoli (The Document Foundation and LibreItalia) which has been a complete analysis of the free software situation, the problems present and how we should address them to quit the amateur question
These two talk place me in the right mood not to think only about the open web as a volunteer, but the problem of free software in Italy, I want to clarify that not is not the same as open source.
In the afternoon I participate in the activities of Industria Italiana del Software Libero (link in Italian) of which I am the Vice President.
The talk was most interesting about the PagoPA of which I knew nothing, that compared to SPID, is very promising at present for the availability of code in order to use and simplicity.
PS: they are tool from the Italian Government for the citizens.
I then made my talk on WordPress as a framework and we closed with Social Business World that could be a good community management tools (in short, is listed among the things I have study).
The first night we spent together at the restaurant where we could continue to talk about the Italian situation but also deepening the situation in schools and universities.
Saturday
The morning is start really so strange because it was presented LibreDifesa, which is the largest migration to LibreOffice in Europe with 150,000 computers by the Italian Ministry of Defence.
The interesting part was seeing an army general (General Sileo) talk about free software and how they have approached this work in the last year and the problems encountered.
I can imagine what effect does a soldier in camouflage uniform that explains how to use a program like Writer whereas in our case it was the representative uniform.
Another really interesting talk was that of Simone Aliprandi about open standards that must be given priority over open source.
How do you make an open source project without thinking the standards to use?
Finally an event talking about standards, which I always speak for Mozilla did not feel alone.
In the afternoon I had my moment of glory with a track about Mozilla Italy!
Apart from the talk about is Mozilla, FSA and development tools I presented extensions for Firefox and Chrome.
It must say that my session has been one of those with the highest participation oscillating between 20-25 participants but also that we have new FSAs!
There are currently 2 to 4 FSA and few guys that do not fit into the program due to age or because non-university students who want to get busy in Palermo as FSA.
That in one afternoon I was able to convince so many students means that the material (to be improved) and that our proposals work towards boys who want to learn and get involved.
Sunday
Sunday morning has ended the event with:
- Embedded Freedom by John Sullivan (Executive Director to FSF) and spoke of the Free Software certification project for devices: I looked my wallet because now I know what I should buy.
- Final Talk of Alessandro Rubini who spoke of the problems of this conference and about the plan of the next edition.
The afternoon was spent to the Botanical Garden of Palermo and get warm a little bit with the sun.
The actual conference
The organization of the conference and the lack of national advertising and other problems did not allow us to have a national resonance.
People over the region were only the speakers thing that has not allowed us to be significant but the speakers were all prominent figures of the Italian community of free software, each with a background and different activities.
That conference allowed us to talk among ourselves, of our projects and communities to join forces at the national level in activities like the next ConfSL but also for our beloved Linux Day and share our experiences and feedback.
It seems little, but at national level there is no communication between the various communities then you have to bite the live contacts to be able to work together.
For example, the general told me to improve the work because I can motivate young people in the free software.
I could talk to Luca Ferroni for a probable Mozilla Club in Fabriano.
I spoke with the other of Industria Italiana del Software Libero: Marco, Carlo, Vincenzo and Rosario of the activities and that we must become more concrete on things to do.
I talked a lot with Roberto Guido, president of Italian Linux Society, the problems of the Linux Day and Lug, how to promote certain things and more about free software.
I spoke with John Sullivan about how Mozilla and the FSF to take inspiration.
I talked to the university guys about Mozilla, the FSA and the activities that can make gripping a good relationship with them.
But we do not forget that I was even there for WordPress and then I promoted our community and I was asked to participate remotely to the local pug.
Do not forget the arancine question, granite and various ice creams that were the best interlude/post day of a conference.
All these talks have allowed me to reorganize activities to do and get in touch with people who matter in the industry to engage more of our community.
One of the things I want to do is analyze the talk by Italo order to apply the suggestions in our community and in the other that I follow because they are suggestions based on experience.
I leave to you the various tweets and shared photos of participants on social!
