Yesterday’s event was engaging and sparked a lot of reflections. Here are my immediate, unordered thoughts:
• The organizers poured their passion into this conference - they created something genuinely interesting and enjoyable. Thank you for that.
• Every talk offered valuable insights. A recurring theme was developers’ anxiety about large language models: they rely on them heavily and fear losing competitiveness without these tools. I personally resonated more with some speakers than others, especially appreciating the friendly, down‑to‑earth atmosphere that some of them tried to create - we should feel like peers, not influencers on a pedestal.
• I was the oldest (and most traditionally dressed) speaker - some even addressed me formally, which made me feel ancient! Yet I was arguably the most “alternative”, challenging the crowd not just on BSDs but on open source philosophy itself. Instead of blindly rewriting projects in Rust, I urged people to do so only when it truly adds value. I felt like a real hipster 😆
• Many equate open source with large, corporate‑backed projects you can consume or contribute to. This narrow view risks creating mainstream currents dominated by a few profit‑driven companies, ultimately limiting choice and freedom.
• Despite time constraints (the ticking timer was painfully visible, I was a bit nervous while presenting!), I achieved my goal: to broaden minds and open eyes to the BSDs and the deeper spirit of open source. Several attendees - including fellow speaker Sal, whom I already admired - came to chat afterward, sparking wonderful discussions.
• Sometimes I observed a dismissive attitude toward anything outside the mainstream (“Ok, Boomer…”), reflecting a worrying trend. For many, open source is merely a paycheck, which saddens me.
• A few were genuinely curious about the BSDs but unsure how to apply it professionally. Almost everyone I spoke with uses Docker/Kubernetes but dislikes its complexity. I encouraged them to drive change from the ground up by learning different workflows and bringing that value into their work - not just replicating existing OS practices.
• One of the sponsors, Aruba Cloud, gifted me some swag - including a pair of blue socks emblazoned with a cloud logo. I can now literally say I’m walking on clouds (or that the cloud is at my feet)! 😄
#OSDay #OSDay25 #OSDay2025 #Conference #OpenSource
Stefano Marinelli
Stefano Marinelli
IT Notes - https://it-notes.dragas.net
Paul Broadwith
Maciek Palmowski