Software Freedom Day 2011 Boston/Schedule

This is the detailed schedule for Software Freedom Day 2011 Boston.

10:00: Venue opens
Please come in and enjoy our free coffee and bagels.

10:30: Opening keynote by Máirín Duffy
Topic: The highly-effective outreach effort called "Fedora Design Ninjas."

11:00: Community Ignite presentations
We want attendees to learn about the different ways they can get involved in free software projects and free software-related communities, right here in the Boston area. So this is a series of 5-minute talks by different community groups about what they're up to.

These speakers have confirmed:


 * 1) Shauna Gordon-Mckeon for the Sunlight Foundation Meetup
 * 2) Jessica McKellar on the Boston Python Meetup
 * 3) Mike Burns for the Boston Android Developers Group
 * 4) Ben Alman for the JQuery Boston Meetup
 * 5) Nate Aune on Django Meetup
 * 6) Walter Bender on Sugar Labs
 * 7) Martin Owens, on the Ubuntu LoCo (local community)
 * 8) Benjamin Mako Hill, on Debian

Noon: Lunch, on your own
Some suggestions for where to get lunch within a few blocks:


 * 950 Mass Ave: Greater Buddhist Cultural Center
 * 955 Mass Ave: Dado Tea
 * 24 Pearl St: Rangzen Tibetan Place
 * 31 Putnam Ave: Petsi Pies
 * 1105 Mass Ave: Cafe Sushi

Also, both Harvard and Central are about an 8 minute walk away so and there are lots of other reasonable options in both places.

1:00 PM: Show & tell
The speakers from the Ignite community talks will be available for show & tell conversations in the main hall.

Also, if you get excited, you can jump right into an installfest.

1:30 to 4:30 PM: Two tracks
We divided the afternoon into two so that more experienced contributors can discuss nitty-gritty, while newcomers to software freedom can learn the basics.

Track one

1:30 - 2:00: Deb Nicholson, on how to message free software
When explaining free software to newcomers to the movement, it's important to speak to their experience. Learn from Deb Nicholson's experience.

2:15 - 2:45: Jessica McKellar, on the Boston Python Workshop
The Boston Python Workshop is a free, project-driven introduction to the Python programming language for women and their friends. With 3 iterations under its belt since March and no sign of slowing down, the Workshop has brought over 100 women into the Python community in Boston. It has also inspired similar outreach events across the globe.

Hear from Jessica McKellar, the lead organizer for the Boston Python Workshop, about lessons learned running this open source diversity and outreach event and what it takes to run your own!

3:00 - 3:30: Jeff Mitchell, on communities and the Community Working Groups
Years ago, amidst internal strife, KDE created the Community Working Group to resolve community issues. Jeff Mitchell is involved with the CWG as well as other free software activities.

At Software Freedom Day, Jeff will discuss communities, their makeups, and common pitfalls. He'll then discuss the lessons learned from KDE's CWG experience, and how the focus of KDE's CWG has evolved.

3:45 - 4:15: Rob McQueen, on making money with free software
Rob McQueen is co-founder and partner in Collabora Ltd., a company that provides software development and other services to companies building consumer electronics products. He joins us from Cambridge, England.

Rob will talk about his experience employing engineers to work on free software applications and the business model that Collabora has used in its six years of life.

Track two

1:30 - 3:00: Installfest and installation help
We will provide CDs and DVDs containing free software: this will include applications for proprietary operating systems (Windows and Mac OS), as well as installation disks for, and common Linux distributions.

A team of helpers will be able to provide advice and assistance with these programs:


 * Asheesh Laroia
 * Oliver Day

3:00 - 3:30: Danny Piccirillo, on the basics of video editing in PiTiVi
Today, free software can help you edit and mix video and audio. Learn more as long-time video free culture fan Danny Piccirillo teaches you the basics of one such tool.

A hand-out will be provided so you can practice the skills at home.

3:45 - 4:15: Oliver Day, on the solid basics of online security
Learn from Oliver Day, a member of the Akamai security team, how you can stay safe online. You'll learn about tools like GPG and SSH but more importantly you'll leave with an understanding of the basics of security that will serve you in an ongoing fashion.

A hand-out will be provided so you can review at home.



5:00: It's over! After-party
We intend to have an after-party at a nearby location, probably in Harvard Square.