FOSS Backstage 2025

This was FOSS Backstage 2025

FOSS Backstage — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:50:25 +0000

The second day of FOSS Backstage has come to an end after two days of insightful sessions and lively conversations.

We would like to thank everyone who joined us for the seventh edition of #FOSSBack.

We welcomed around 270 attendees, onsite and offline, who enjoyed 49 sessions on three stages. Thanks to our streaming platform Venueless, participants from all over the world were able to join us and speakers were able to share their knowledge and ideas from the comfort of their own homes.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the speakers for their amazing and insightful talks, panels and workshops!

Thanks to the fantastic tech team at Covalent and our recording partner, Mercedes Benz Tech Innovation, we will be uploading all the sessions to our YouTube channel by the end of next week.

Other highlights of our programme included our Get-Together on day one, kindly sponsored by Grafana Labs, and our Lightning Talks session, hosted by Kris Freedain, where we enjoyed six 5-minute presentations on various topics. Recordings of the Lightning Talks session will also be uploaded to our YouTube channel next week. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their ideas and of course Kris Freedain for his wonderful moderation.

On day two, we started the day with the FOSS eGov Breakfast, which brought together professionals from public and private institutions who are working on digitizing public administration. The gathering was co-organized by NEGZ and FOSS Backstage and was sponsored by Nextcloud, element and Univention.

Thanks to our breakfast partner, Bitergia, attendees were able to enjoy delicious breakfast snacks such as croissants and fresh food, and thanks to our drinks partner, Search Guard, water, tea, coffee and soft drinks were available throughout the conference.

Helping Hands are the heart of FOSS Backstage. We would like to thank each and every one of our volunteers for their fantastic support: Federica Nocerino, Celeste Horgan, Erick Rea, Heike Quosdorf, Nasser Kaze, Jarek Potiuk, Barbara Fischer, Malte Dik, Alin Jerpelea, Patrick Muluh Penn, Tejas Shah and Ania Sroka.

FOSS Backstage would not be possible without the great support of our partners. We would like to thank our recording partner Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation, our community partners Google, The Linux Foundation, Landeshauptstadt München IT-Referat, OpenSearch, Open Source Collective, Sentry, our Get-Together partner Grafana Labs, our drinks partner Search Guard, our breakfast partner Bitergia, the FOSS eGoV breakfast partner element, Nextcloud, Univention, our newsletter partner pwc and our media partners Linux Magazine, Open Source JobHub, Linux Professional Institute and IT-Schulungen.com.

FOSS Backstage 2025 was co-funded by the European Union and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

We would also like to thank the people at Covalent, especially Florian Baron and Johannes Waltermann, for their amazing recording work and for overcoming every technical challenge for us. Last but not least we would like to thank the venue bUm for their great cooperation.

A very special thank you to our photographer – Jan Michalko. We upload all photos to our flickr account.

Preparations for the next edition of FOSS Backstage will be underway this autumn! If you don’t want to miss any updates, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn, BlueSky, Mastodon and subscribe to our newsletter!

We look forward to seeing you all again next year in Berlin or online.

All the best,

Alex, Paul, Sven & Anne

PS: We are always looking for ways to improve FOSS Backstage: If you haven’t already, please participate in our feedback survey. You can also reach out to us directly with any feedback about the conference, or ideas for improvement, at info@foss-backstage.de.

FOSS Backstage Day 1!

FOSS Backstage — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:56:15 +0000

We kicked off the first day of FOSS Backstage with our keynote speaker Jutta Horstmann on “Digital Sovereignty and Open Source – Shaping an answer to geopolitical instabilities“. Jutta introduced ZenDiS, its platform (openCode), products (openDesk and more) and services for the public sector, and shared ZenDiS’s experience in cross-national collaboration.

Participants could enjoy 24 sessions across three stages. Recordings of our sessions will be uploaded to our YouTube channel by the end of next week.

Our Lightning Talks session at this year’s FOSS Backstage, hosted by Kris Freedain, allowed attendees to share their short ideas, pitches and more about free and open-source software in 5-minute presentations. The recordings will be uploaded to our YouTube channel as well.

We rounded off the day with our Get-Together, enjoying tasty snacks and drinks, kindly sponsored by our partner, Grafana Labs.

Be sure to follow the hashtag “fossback” in the Fediverse to get more impressions from the community!

We look forward to many more insightful sessions and conversations tomorrow on day 2 of FOSS Backstage!

Looking for a FOSS Backstage souvenir? Get your FOSS Backstage T-shirt! (Available at the registration desk in the lobby)

Photos by Jan Michalko

Lightning Talks at FOSS Backstage

FOSS Backstage — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:16:21 +0000

Lightning Talks at FOSS Backstage are short, five-minute presentations in which we invite you to share your short ideas, pitches, use cases or philosophical musings about community, management and compliance in free and open-source software at this year’s FOSS Backstage!

The Lightning Talk session will take place on the first day of the conference, 10 March at 17:15 CET at the Stage Auditorium.

If you would like to participate, please submit your talk idea to lightning@foss-backstage.de. The deadline for submissions is Monday 10 March at 14:00 CET.

make sure to include:

your name
a fun fact about yourself
and of course, the topic you want to talk about
(optionally) your slides as PDF with your full name in the file name

Accepted speakers will be notified by email between the lunch and coffee breaks. Please note that remote presentations are not possible.

We look forward to hearing your lighting ideas! If you haven’t already done so, get your FOSS Backstage ticket and join us for two days of exciting talks!

FOSS Backstage 2025 – Everything you need to know!

FOSS Backstage — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Venue & How to Get There

For the second year running FOSS Backstage takes place at the former transformer station bUm (Paul-Lincke-Ufer 21, 10999 Berlin). It’s conveniently located in the popular district of Kreuzberg and offers a great starting point for some post-conference explorations of Berlin.

We recommend arriving by public transport or bike. Speaking of transport, we have two recommendations for your journey to FOSS Backstage: Find or offer ride-sharing opportunities with HopHub or book your event ticket of Deutsche Bahn from any train station in Germany at fixed prices starting from 59€!

We want to host a conference that is open and accessible to everyone. Our venue, bUm, is fully wheelchair accessible. There will be wheelchair-accessible toilets. We will have an Accessibility Assistant on-site to help attendees who need assistance navigating the venue. If you know in advance that you will need help, please email info@foss-backstage.de so that we can plan ahead.

Programme

We received a record 165 submissions in response to our call for participation. Our Programme Committee has diligently blind-reviewed all submissions to curate the most exceptional sessions, resulting in 45 talks including online talks, 2 panel discussions and 2 workshops. Be sure to check out our schedule to make sure you don’t miss any of the sessions you want to attend.

Also, make sure to join our Lightning Talk session on Monday after the official programme! Lightning Talks at FOSS Backstage are short, five-minute presentations on a topic of your choice. We will open the Call for Lightning Talks close to the event date.

And finally, join us for a drink and a chat at our Get Together directly after the conference! Take the opportunity to meet old and new friends or maybe the person to collaborate with on your next project in a relaxed atmosphere. Thanks to our partner Grafana Labs, food and drinks will be provided: We will offer a range of vegetarian and vegan snacks as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Join FOSS Backstage online

Attend flexibly from anywhere in the world with your FOSS Backstage Online Ticket!

Venueless is the central hub of the FOSS Backstage online experience. It runs seamlessly in your browser without the need to install any additional software. Venueless is where you will find the live streams of our 3 stages during the conference. As an online participant, you will be able to ask the onsite speakers questions using our Q&A tool.

Please note that workshops will not be streamed or recorded.

Good to know: On-site ticket holders will also have access to our online event platform and are welcome to join the live streams if they are unable to attend on-site.

Food & Drinks

Monday, 10.03.

Assorted breakfast snacks

Lunch

Eggplant and chickpea tagine with couscous and herbal yoghurt (warm)

Coffee Break

Vegan Carrot Cake

Tuesday, 11.03.

Assorted breakfast snacks

Lunch

Rice bowl with marinated tofu, pickled vegetables and fresh salad (warm)

Coffee Break

Chocolate Ganache Cake (vegan)

Coffee, tea, water and soft drinks will be provided throughout the day thanks to our drinks sponsor – SearchGuard!

If you have any questions about the food (intolerances, allergies, etc.), please send us an e-mail at info@foss-backstage.de.

Fringe Events

There are plenty of other great events around Free and Open Source Software topics going on in the week of FOSS Backstage.

FOSS Backstage Design

At FOSS Backstage Design we will dedicate a whole day to UX and Design in Free and Open Source Software. Join us on March 12 for the second edition of #FOSSDesign and discuss this crucial and often neglected topic in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

When: March 12, 2025
Where: bUm, Berlin

FOSS eGov Breakfast

Our FOSS eGov Breakfast is the place to connect with professionals from public and private institutions who are working on digitizing public administration.
Grow your network and meet like-minded people enthusiastic about the opportunities of free and open-source software for public administrations.

When: March 11, 2025 – 9 am
Where: Lobby @ FOSS Backstage, Berlin

InnerSource Gathering

InnerSource means fostering an open source-like culture within a company and realizing highly transparent collaboration. At the InnerSource Gathering, you can not only learn about the latest trends and practical examples of InnerSource but also meet and connect with members of the ISC community.

When: March 12, 2025
Where: bUm, Berlin

Join the team!

We are still looking for motivated volunteers to help with registration or as accessibility assistants. Join our team and receive free access to the entire conference, including food and drinks, as well as a FOSS Backstage 2025 T-shirt. Learn more here or send an email to team@foss-backstage.de.

Ticket Shop

If you haven’t already, make sure to get your ticket or voucher by 3 March, 23:59 CET. After that, only Last Minute Tickets at 500€ will be available.

For the first time, we also offer a free Child Ticket for Children under the age of 16. Learn more about this ticket on our dedicated blog post.

To the ticket shop

FOSS eGov Breakfast

FOSS Backstage — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:48:42 +0000

Open-source software is a fundamental part of today’s digital infrastructure and is being adopted by governments around the world. As digital frameworks become integral to the delivery of public services, it is essential to have a reliable and adaptable software base. In the pursuit of digital sovereignty, governments are increasingly turning to open-source solutions to meet these demands.

Open source thrives on user engagement, and active participation in the maintenance and enhancement of the software is the most effective way to ensure it meets your needs. As a result, some governments are looking to increase their involvement in existing open-source communities, start their projects or look to acquire more open-source technologies.

At the FOSS eGov Breakfast, we are looking forward to welcoming many of our speakers for example from the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the French Digital Ministry and the OSPOs of Paris and Munich.

Network with public and private sector professionals involved in the digital transformation of public administration. Expand your professional contacts and meet others who are enthusiastic about the potential of free and open-source software in public administration.

FOSS eGov Breakfast is hosted by FOSS Backstage in cooperation with NEGZ and will take place on 11 March from 9 am to 10 am at the same venue as FOSS Backstage: bUm, Paul-Lincke-Ufer 21, 10999 Berlin.

Register for free and join us!

Please pre-register by sending us an email to info@foss-backstage.de.

Children at FOSS Backstage

FOSS Backstage — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:03:47 +0000

We understand that attending events can be challenging for those with children, and we want to make the experience as seamless as possible. That’s why, we are pleased to offer free tickets for children under the age of 16 at FOSS Backstage 2025.

To ensure a comfortable environment for families, we will provide a quiet room, along with baby changing facilities to accommodate younger children. While we do not provide organized childcare services, we recognize that attending events with a child often requires additional support. As such, we allow one additional adult to accompany the child to enter the event free of charge. However, please note that this accompanying adult cannot access the event program.

Tickets for children are available for purchase until March 3rd in our main ticket shop.

Plan your journey to fossback with our event ticket

FOSS Backstage — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 12:46:22 +0000

We are delighted to announce that FOSS Backstage is once again an event ticket partner of Deutsche Bahn.

Take advantage of our event ticket and start your journey to FOSS Backstage 2025 from any station in Germany.

Prices are fixed at a maximum of 59€ for Economy Class and 95€ for First Class when booking a specific train, or 82€ for Economy Class and 119€ for First Class with unrestricted choice of train. (Tickets for specific train bookings are available while stocks last)

Deutsche Bahn trains run on 100% green energy, making it the ideal way to travel to FOSS Backstage in an environmentally friendly way.

Book your journey to fossback now!

Haven’t got your FOSS Backstage ticket yet? Visit our ticket shop.

fossback25 – Session Announcement

FOSS Backstage — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:11:26 +0000

We are excited to give you a glimpse of the FOSS Backstage 2025 programme. We received a record total of 165 submissions for our Call for Participation. Over the past few weeks, our programme committee has diligently blind-reviewed all submissions to curate the most exceptional sessions. As a result, we will have more than 45 sessions, including Online Talks, 3 workshops, and 2 panel discussions. Check out the first confirmed sessions here:

Learn more

Join us for #fossback25‘s sessions featuring keynote speaker Jutta Horstmann on March 10-11, 2025, in Berlin or online!

Tickets and vouchers can be purchased in our ticket shop.

Get your ticket here

Keynote Announcement & CfP Update

FOSS Backstage — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:30:19 +0000

Jutta Horstmann to Keynote at #fossback25

We are thrilled to announce Jutta Horstmann as our keynote speaker for FOSS Backstage 2025!

Jutta is an entrepreneur, visionary leader and advocate for digital sovereignty, sustainability and open-source software (FOSS). As CEO of ZenDiS GmbH, Jutta is leading efforts to enable public institutions in Germany to achieve digital independence through innovative open-source solutions.

ZenDiS, Germany’s Centre for Digital Sovereignty, often referred to as Germany’s OSPO, aims to strengthen public IT against rising geopolitical threats by promoting open-source alternatives and reducing tech dependencies.

At FOSS Backstage 2025, she will present ZenDiS, its platform (openCode), products (openDesk and more) and services for the public sector, and share ZenDiS’s experience in cross-national collaborations.

CfP Update

We received 165 submissions for the coming edition of FOSS Backstage – a new record!

Our CfP closed yesterday and we would like to thank everyone who submitted a proposal and showed an interest in shaping the FOSS Backstage 2025 programme.

Our Programme Committee will now begin the process of blind-reviewing all submissions to select the most outstanding sessions.

Look out for the final programme announcement in December!

Don’t miss out on our Early Bird Tickets

Take advantage of our Early Bird tickets, available until December 8, and enjoy a discount of over 40% off the regular entry fee.

Get your Ticket here

We look forward to seeing you at FOSS Backstage 2025 on 10-11 March! In the meantime, watch the FOSS Backstage 24 sessions on our YouTube-Channel.

Watch here

DEI Gold Badge for #fossback 2025

FOSS Backstage — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:26:13 +0000

FOSS Backstage creates an environment for conversations about community and project management, compliance and other aspects of open source software. We are committed to ensuring that everyone who joins us feels valued, respected, welcomed and motivated to participate fully. The CHAOSS badge serves as a key metric and standard to enhance the diversity and inclusivity of our conference.

Child-friendly conference

We want to make it easier for people who are caring for a child to attend FOSS Backstage. That’s why at FOSS Backstage 2025 we are offering a free ticket for children under the age of 16. We will provide a quiet room and baby changing facilities. We don’t provide childcare, but an additional adult accompanying the child will also be admitted free of charge (but will not have access to the event programme). Tickets for children are available at the ticket shop.

Code of Conduct

Everyone is welcome at FOSS Backstage, regardless of their background. To ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone, we have a Code of Conduct that everyone attending our conference must agree to and abide by.

Diversity Ticket Programme

To ensure that people from under-represented groups within the FOSS Backstage community can attend and contribute to the discussions, we have launched a Diversity Ticket programme. These Diversity Tickets are fully sponsored, i.e. free of charge, and can be purchased through our ticket shop.

You can support this programme by adding a Diversity Fund Contribution to your order. Available for all ticket types except Reduced Tickets.

Click here to learn more about the steps we undertake to create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

Your company is interested in supporting our Diversity Tickets programme through a sponsorship? Please message us at partner@foss-backstage.de. We would be very happy to hear from you!