Walking the halls at FOSDEM 2007

MEETING OF THE MINDS

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On February 24 and 25, around 4,000 geeks gathered in Brussels, Belgium, for the Free and Open source Software Developers European Meeting (FOSDEM).

The FOSDEM conference has a unique position in the European FLOSS world. Geeks from across Europe – and further away – gather for a few days of talking, working on free software technologies, and having a good time (quite often fueled by the beer). FOSDEM is different from most other conferences. You will not find “booths with suits,” commercial talks, or business lounges. You will find a few buildings full of bright people, a great conference program, and a good opportunity to talk to others who are interested in free software. The conference is free; thus, your only expenses are for travel, lodging, and food. This formula clearly works because the number of visitors has increased steadily since the first FOSDEM (then OSDEM) in 2001.