FOSDEM 2017

FOSDEM is an annual event for open source software developers, held in Brussels on the first weekend of February.

This year’s event was the 5th FOSDEM I have attended since 2010. Over that time I have watched it evolve: the talks followed the industry’s shifting focus, and some topics disappeared to make room for newer ones. Many of those newcomers never gained real traction and faded away as well.

The biggest shift I have noticed is a move away from abstract or general subjects (such as Linux Kernel discussions or C/C++ performance tricks) and towards finished products and near-mature technologies applied to achieve concrete results.

The quality of the sessions varied. Even when the slides were genuinely interesting, some speakers could have used better presentation skills, and their job title made no difference. A few good ideas were spoiled because the presenter could not keep the audience focused on the topic.

I also noticed that all the non-technical talks and discussions had been moved to the smaller “developer” and “community” rooms. Unless you grabbed a seat early in the morning, you could not get in, and the queues at the doors grew long because interest often exceeded the room capacity.

The event as a whole was busier than last year’s, continuing a trend of several years. The hallways and common areas were packed at times, and lunch took a long while, with 20-30 people queuing at every vendor.

I had also hoped the closing keynote would be interesting and innovative: a peek into the future, a look back at the previous year’s events, or achievements that made the world a better place. Unfortunately, it was a dull talk that many attendees stopped following before the end. Unsurprisingly, no questions were taken from the audience.

That was FOSDEM 2017. I expect the organizers to spread the topics over more days or introduce some form of registration, because the venue, large as it is, is reaching its limits.