Open Ohio

The Ohio Linux Fest has long been considered a community-centric Linux gathering, and the 2009 incarnation of the festival proved not only that it's an exciting and important event but also that it's not afraid to expand its scope. With more speakers and special events than ever before, OLF managed once again to strike a balance between a fan-based social convention and a corporate-sponsored trade show.

For the community, a beginner's "Intro to Linux" class was taught by the local Free Geek organization. At this gathering, new users installed and used Linux on a computer that, at the end of the session, they got to take home. Also, "early bird" talks were given on the day before the festival officially began, covering diverse topics like Open Street Map, video editing in Blender, Ruby on Rails deployment, and Enterprise Security. On Sunday, a Diversity In Open Source panel convened, with a keynote speech by Rikki Kite, to examine the accessibility of Linux to all groups of potential users and developers.

To those who have only been to traditional trade shows, this professional technical conference might have seemed strange. Whereas most social interactions offered at other conventions are for the purpose of pitching sales, at Ohio Linux Fest, it was not uncommon to find complete strangers gathering in spare rooms or at a nearby bar, excitedly sharing their knowledge with one another. This conference was as much about the people using Linux as it was about the businesses marketing it.

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