LibrePlanet: Conference/2014/Conference brainstorm

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(deleted suggestions that should have been listed on the 2015/Conference_brainstorm page, which I've just created.)
 
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If you would like to share a quick idea for a workshop, topic, or a speaker you’d like to see at LibrePlanet, please add your thoughts below. You'll have to use the buttons in at the upper right to sign in to this wiki or make an account.
 
If you would like to share a quick idea for a workshop, topic, or a speaker you’d like to see at LibrePlanet, please add your thoughts below. You'll have to use the buttons in at the upper right to sign in to this wiki or make an account.
  
−
==Theme ideas==
+
==Workshop ideas==
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==Topic ideas==
 +
*A session or networking/social event where folks could discuss Tech-Startups/Free software based Business ideas?
 +
The goal would be to network with committed developers who would want to see greater adoption of Free Software in Businesses (especially SMBs) by writing Custom Business Software and in the process make some money (https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html). An informal round-table type with setting with interested folks getting 15 minutes talk/pitch per participant is a suggestion..
 +
 
 +
* GNU Hurd! Perhaps one of the lead developers can speak about the current status and how the community can contribute to the project.
 +
* A session or discussion involving the Electronic Frontier Foundation and/or Fight for the Future (which seems Boston based).
 +
* Free access to information and privacy concerns as it relates to online public libraries such as the Digital Public Library (dp.la), Open Library (https://openlibrary.org/) and the Internet Archive (https://archive.org).  Recently, the Open Library and Internet Archive moved to support https (https://blog.archive.org/2013/10/25/reader-privacy-at-the-internet-archive/).  It would be great if the DPLA could commit to doing likewise (if they haven't already).
 +
* Relationship between FLOSS and the Open Hardware/Maker Space communities, perhaps in collaboration with Artisan's Asylum of Somerville?
 +
* Relationship between FLOSS and voting machines that cannot be easily hacked, perhaps in collaboration with osdv.org?
 +
* Relationship between FLOSS and charitable efforts, perhaps in collaboration with the Developers for Good meetup out of New York?
 +
* Relationship between FLOSS and local monopoly pricing of broadband internet connections, and government violation of the Bill of Rights, perhaps in collaboration with occupyhere.org and with http://www.whoismcafee.com/future-tense-d-central/
 +
* Free Software and Politics: The different uses and campaigns that political activists can run and conduct
 +
* Automated aquaponics systems: scalable, sustainable food production, using open hardware/software for remote monitoring and automation. ''Free software, free society, '''free food!'''''
 +
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2wWTadsBDA Internet of Farming: Arduino-based, backyard aquaponics]
 +
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IryIOyPfTE Internet of food: Arduino-based, urban aquaponics in Oakland]
 +
** [http://apduino.org/index.php/about-us APDuino]
 +
** [http://www.kijanigrows.com/smart-aquaponics-project-page/ Smart Aquaponics by Kijani Grows]
 +
* As a developer, I would like to publish/donate software for noncommercial purposes, but require paid licensing from the big commercial corporations. I believe many others would want the same.  But I have not seen any copyleft discussions or documents that address that type of arrangement.
 +
* Hardware that supports free software and free/open formats (What is available currently, and ways to promote more libre-friendly hardware)
 +
** What can be done to compete against the rise of Raspberry Pi, in particular kits like Kano (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexklein/kano-a-computer-anyone-can-make) which are tremendously attractive to hobbyists and students.
 +
** The Improv was just announced as new Open Hardware: https://makeplaylive.com/#/open-hardware/improv
 +
* Best practices/suggestions for migrating from proprietary ecosystems to free ecosystems (especially for newbies and non-programmers)
 +
* How to run a profitable free-software company (as a newcomer to free software and an end-user/non-programmer, I want to trust that whatever software I use will be supported for years to come (i.e. will be updated regularly), which requires a profitable business model)
 +
** Cooperatives
 +
* FLOSS medical devices
 +
** Safe hacking
 +
* City Hall, for instance City of Cambridge, for instance City of Boston.
 +
** City Council, for instance Cambridge City Council, for instance Boston City Council
 +
** Public Library, for instance Cambridge Public Library, for instance Boston Public Library.
 +
** City Chief Information Officer, e.g. [http://www.cambridgema.gov/itd.aspx Cambridge Information Technology Department], e.g. [http://www.cityofboston.gov/DoIT/ Boston Department of Innovation and Technology].
 +
How to talk software freedom with municipal civic officials and municipal civic advocates!?...
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==Speaker ideas==
 +
 
 +
For each speaker, please note what they work on and what they promote.
 +
 
 +
For caveats, please try to be precise if they differ from FSF's philosophy.  The goal is not to build a list of "sins" (ex: ''I heard X say "open source" in 2011''), but to avoid surprises.  For example, some people who support free software promote [https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.en.html SaaSS] or make a lot of unnecessary compromises.
 +
 
 +
A person doesn't have to share 100% of FSF's ideals to be a speaker, but it would be best to avoid giving an audience to someone who would encourage people to value convenience over taking a firm stance for freedom.
 +
 
 +
A link to their project is useful, but it's more important to make our own assessment of their work and standpoints.
 +
 
 +
===Alison Chaiken===
 +
 
 +
Work / ideals:
 +
* ...?
 +
 
 +
Caveats:
 +
* ...?
 +
 
 +
===Eben Moglen===
 +
 
 +
Work / ideals:
 +
* FSF legal counsel, SFLC free software law firm
 +
 
 +
Caveats:
 +
* None.  His positions on free software are thoroughly documented and don't pose any real problem.
  
−
'''Please add your new ideas, add variations on existing idea you like more, and express your like or dislike of existing ideas by adding a "+" or "-" next to them.'''
+
===Chris Montgomery===
  
−
Please consider using the watchlist feature on this page so that you can respond to requests for clarification, etc.
+
Work / ideals:
 +
* audio video formats (Ogg vorbis, theora, opus...)
 +
* some campaigning against [[software patents]]
  
−
Your ideas don't have to be polished or complete; just put down what's in your head. The other sections of this page are good places to look for inspiration. Last year's theme was "Commit Change" which you can read about at http://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2013/About . Our goal for a theme is that it be expressable as '''a short, punchy phrase''' so that it can be the sub-title of the conference ('''as in LibrePlanet 2014: [theme]''') and be broad enough that it can encompass the variety of things that go on at LibrePlanet.
+
Caveats:
 +
* [http://xiphmont.livejournal.com/61927.html Supported] Mozilla's November 2013 decision to use CISCO's binary video codec, saying it helps free software most in the long run. ([[User:ciaran|Ciaran]] comments: he seems to genuinely want to help free software, and this one compromise has to be seen amidst years of work.  I noted this issue because I hope all proposals are examined thoroughly but I don't see any problem with having Chris as a speaker.)
 +
* ...?
  
−
* Grass <code>root</code> (with root in monospaced font) | +
+
===Jay Sulzberger===
−
* Free Software, Free Society | ++
 
−
* Streaming Stories | +
 
−
* Community Stories
 
−
* Free Software Generations
 
−
* Going above and beyond
 
−
* Decolonizing free software
 
−
* All Together Now | -
 
−
* Skillshare | +
 
−
* 30 years
 
−
* Going above and Beyond
 
−
* Streaming
 
−
* Building Community | -
 
−
* Free Software Stories (what are some more active ways of saying this?)
 
−
** Share? Shout? Add? Contribute? Document?
 
−
** Share your story / Tell your story
 
−
** Your free software story
 
−
* Software freedom for whom?
 
  
−
==Ideas for Conference goals and objectives==
+
Work / ideals:
 +
* ...?
  
−
Some of the items that have been added thus far are not punchy taglines, they are goals or objectives for the conference.  This shows that LibrePlanet supporters are interested in contributing more than a tagline!  That's great.  Let's continue to elaborate on that. TODO: if there is a better place on the wiki for this, move these there and link to it. Meantime, here are the goals/objectives (pulled from the taglines section).
+
Caveats:
 +
* ...?
  
 +
===John McAfee===
  
−
* Why free software alone is not enough for software user freedom
+
Work / ideals:
−
* Which users get what types of freedom from what aspects of which pieces of software and web services?
+
* ...?
−
* Moving past our current liberal ideology towards a politics of liberation
 
−
* Adjusting our messaging/behavior accordingly   
 
−
* Encouraging women to use GNU/Linux
 
−
* Getting more users using distributed social networks
 
−
* Software Freedom as a new Natural Law for this digital age.
 
−
** It is easy to imagine a near future world where every experience you have is in some way influenced by software.  If/when that happens, she who controls software controls '''lives'''.  It is '''vital''' that we share our own intimate understanding of the importance of software with the rest of society.  Personally I feel that '''if''' the magnitude of influence that software already has on our lives were better understood by the general public, we'd already have laws in place that mandate use of free software for many common purposes (for example, communication infrastructure!).
 
−
* Increasing use of Free Software in business and government
 
−
** Each of the following spend fortunes on Windows licensing AND they experienced reduced productivity in return.  They also become less attractive workplaces to developers who prefer to work in and run their code on sensible platforms.  This self-reinforcing system of lame must stop if we ever hope to restore these institutions to their former positions of respect.  ... ;)
 
−
*** State governments
 
−
*** City governments
 
−
*** County governments
 
−
*** Unions
 
−
*** Small businesses
 
−
*** Big businesses
 
−
*** Non-profits  ''[ Are non-profits more likely to use FOSS? Less likely? What effect do free (as in beer) licenses to proprietary OSes, office suites, etc.. have on FOSS adoption by non-profits?]''
 
  
−
==Workshop ideas==
+
Caveats:
 +
* ...?
 +
 
 +
===Bruce Schneier===
 +
 
 +
Work / ideals:
 +
* Security Technologist, writer, and board member of the EFF
 +
* Outspoken critic of massive surveillance and the need for the engineering community to help fix it:
 +
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/05/government-betrayed-internet-nsa-spying
 +
 
 +
Caveats:
 +
* Doesn't agree that all software users deserve the four freedoms.
 +
* Uses Windows
 +
* Promotes non-free software
 +
* ...?
 +
 
 +
===Jessamyn West===
 +
 
 +
Work / ideals:
 +
* Library Technologist  http://www.librarian.net/
 +
* Volunteers with the Open Library
 +
* Online Privacy 
 +
** http://www.librarian.net/stax/4182/the-fbi-and-whether-theyve-been-here-or-not/
 +
** http://www.librarian.net/stax/4207/why-digital-literacy-should-include-privacy-education/
 +
* Supports Fair Use
 +
* Education to reduce the Digital Divide
 +
* Co-authored an edition Library Reports concerning OSS:  http://maisonbisson.com/oss4lib/ West's contribution seems to be Chapter 10.  Her politics are generally aligned with free software:  "I believe that humans have a responsibility to look after each other and take care of one another so that everyone's strengths and creativity are utilized and maximized. I also think everyone should be actively working towards this.."  http://www.jessamyn.com/me/faq.html#politics  I think she offers an opportunity for dialogue with someone on the front lines of reaching out to the community through libraries and education.
 +
 
 +
Caveats:
 +
* ...?
 +
 
 +
===Aaron Seigo===
 +
 
 +
Work / ideals:
 +
* http://makeplaylive.com/
 +
** As of May, 2012 is co-owned by Mr. Seigo:  http://dot.kde.org/comment/117411#comment-117411
 +
** Improv, open hardware:  http://makeplaylive.com/#/open-hardware/improv/discover
 +
** Bodega, a "open digital market":  http://aseigo.blogspot.ch/2013/10/freedom-and-content-distribution.html
 +
* Active KDE contributor
 +
* Following Mr. Seigo's blog, it is clear he is a strong "free software" supporter, he states his occupation is to "Create technology that embodies and spreads freedom":  http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2013/11/on-introducing-new-ideas-to-free.html
 +
* http://makeplaylive.com/#/who-we-are/our-philosophy , and yes I believe this is his personal philosophy as well.
 +
 
 +
Caveats:
 +
* ...?
 +
 
 +
=== Noam Chomsky ===
  
 +
Work / ideals:
  
−
==Topic ideas==
+
* http://www.chomsky.info/
 +
* Critique of US foreign policy, linguist, [http://mit.edu MIT] Professor Emeritus, etc.
 +
* Opinion concerning "Intellectual Property", quoted from:  http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/noam-chomsky-on-intellectual-property/2011/12/25  ''I just don’t think it has much to do with innovation or independence.  It has to do with protecting major concentrations of power, which mostly got their power as a public gift, and making sure that they can maintain and expand their power.  And these are highly protectionist devices and I don’t think…  You really have to ram them down people’s throats.  They don’t make any economic sense or any other sense.''
  
 +
Caveats:
  
−
==Speaker ideas==
+
* I'm not sure if he is acquainted with the ideals of the free software community. But if he gives a talk regarding recent Snowden's revelations about the N.S.A, it'd be very interesting.
−
* Alison Chaiken
+
* ...?
−
* Eben Moglen
 
  
 
==Other suggestions==
 
==Other suggestions==
 +
 +
{{featured resource|month=November|year=2013}}
 +
 +
 +
* Would there be any interest in requesting a screening of ''Terms and Conditions May Apply''?  As far as I can see, it has not been show in MA yet and this conference might be an opportunity to get a group together to view it.  Details here:  http://tacma.net/location.php

Latest revision as of 11:12, 9 July 2014

If you would like to share a quick idea for a workshop, topic, or a speaker you’d like to see at LibrePlanet, please add your thoughts below. You'll have to use the buttons in at the upper right to sign in to this wiki or make an account.

Workshop ideas

Topic ideas

  • A session or networking/social event where folks could discuss Tech-Startups/Free software based Business ideas?

The goal would be to network with committed developers who would want to see greater adoption of Free Software in Businesses (especially SMBs) by writing Custom Business Software and in the process make some money (https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html). An informal round-table type with setting with interested folks getting 15 minutes talk/pitch per participant is a suggestion..

  • GNU Hurd! Perhaps one of the lead developers can speak about the current status and how the community can contribute to the project.
  • A session or discussion involving the Electronic Frontier Foundation and/or Fight for the Future (which seems Boston based).
  • Free access to information and privacy concerns as it relates to online public libraries such as the Digital Public Library (dp.la), Open Library (https://openlibrary.org/) and the Internet Archive (https://archive.org). Recently, the Open Library and Internet Archive moved to support https (https://blog.archive.org/2013/10/25/reader-privacy-at-the-internet-archive/). It would be great if the DPLA could commit to doing likewise (if they haven't already).
  • Relationship between FLOSS and the Open Hardware/Maker Space communities, perhaps in collaboration with Artisan's Asylum of Somerville?
  • Relationship between FLOSS and voting machines that cannot be easily hacked, perhaps in collaboration with osdv.org?
  • Relationship between FLOSS and charitable efforts, perhaps in collaboration with the Developers for Good meetup out of New York?
  • Relationship between FLOSS and local monopoly pricing of broadband internet connections, and government violation of the Bill of Rights, perhaps in collaboration with occupyhere.org and with http://www.whoismcafee.com/future-tense-d-central/
  • Free Software and Politics: The different uses and campaigns that political activists can run and conduct
  • Automated aquaponics systems: scalable, sustainable food production, using open hardware/software for remote monitoring and automation. Free software, free society, free food!
  • As a developer, I would like to publish/donate software for noncommercial purposes, but require paid licensing from the big commercial corporations. I believe many others would want the same. But I have not seen any copyleft discussions or documents that address that type of arrangement.
  • Hardware that supports free software and free/open formats (What is available currently, and ways to promote more libre-friendly hardware)
  • Best practices/suggestions for migrating from proprietary ecosystems to free ecosystems (especially for newbies and non-programmers)
  • How to run a profitable free-software company (as a newcomer to free software and an end-user/non-programmer, I want to trust that whatever software I use will be supported for years to come (i.e. will be updated regularly), which requires a profitable business model)
    • Cooperatives
  • FLOSS medical devices
    • Safe hacking
  • City Hall, for instance City of Cambridge, for instance City of Boston.

How to talk software freedom with municipal civic officials and municipal civic advocates!?...


Speaker ideas

For each speaker, please note what they work on and what they promote.

For caveats, please try to be precise if they differ from FSF's philosophy. The goal is not to build a list of "sins" (ex: I heard X say "open source" in 2011), but to avoid surprises. For example, some people who support free software promote SaaSS or make a lot of unnecessary compromises.

A person doesn't have to share 100% of FSF's ideals to be a speaker, but it would be best to avoid giving an audience to someone who would encourage people to value convenience over taking a firm stance for freedom.

A link to their project is useful, but it's more important to make our own assessment of their work and standpoints.

Alison Chaiken

Work / ideals:

  • ...?

Caveats:

  • ...?

Eben Moglen

Work / ideals:

  • FSF legal counsel, SFLC free software law firm

Caveats:

  • None. His positions on free software are thoroughly documented and don't pose any real problem.

Chris Montgomery

Work / ideals:

  • audio video formats (Ogg vorbis, theora, opus...)
  • some campaigning against software patents

Caveats:

  • Supported Mozilla's November 2013 decision to use CISCO's binary video codec, saying it helps free software most in the long run. (Ciaran comments: he seems to genuinely want to help free software, and this one compromise has to be seen amidst years of work. I noted this issue because I hope all proposals are examined thoroughly but I don't see any problem with having Chris as a speaker.)
  • ...?

Jay Sulzberger

Work / ideals:

  • ...?

Caveats:

  • ...?

John McAfee

Work / ideals:

  • ...?

Caveats:

  • ...?

Bruce Schneier

Work / ideals:

  • Security Technologist, writer, and board member of the EFF
  • Outspoken critic of massive surveillance and the need for the engineering community to help fix it:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/05/government-betrayed-internet-nsa-spying

Caveats:

  • Doesn't agree that all software users deserve the four freedoms.
  • Uses Windows
  • Promotes non-free software
  • ...?

Jessamyn West

Work / ideals:

Caveats:

  • ...?

Aaron Seigo

Work / ideals:

Caveats:

  • ...?

Noam Chomsky

Work / ideals:

  • http://www.chomsky.info/
  • Critique of US foreign policy, linguist, MIT Professor Emeritus, etc.
  • Opinion concerning "Intellectual Property", quoted from: http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/noam-chomsky-on-intellectual-property/2011/12/25 I just don’t think it has much to do with innovation or independence. It has to do with protecting major concentrations of power, which mostly got their power as a public gift, and making sure that they can maintain and expand their power. And these are highly protectionist devices and I don’t think… You really have to ram them down people’s throats. They don’t make any economic sense or any other sense.

Caveats:

  • I'm not sure if he is acquainted with the ideals of the free software community. But if he gives a talk regarding recent Snowden's revelations about the N.S.A, it'd be very interesting.
  • ...?

Other suggestions

This page was a featured resource in November 2013.



  • Would there be any interest in requesting a screening of Terms and Conditions May Apply? As far as I can see, it has not been show in MA yet and this conference might be an opportunity to get a group together to view it. Details here: http://tacma.net/location.php
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