Students interested in learning more about free and open-source software can sign up for the Feb. 12 FOSS Fair.
Red Hat is sponsoring the Free and Open Source Software Fair. Students on campus utilize open software on a daily basis at computer labs that allow them to use certain programs to complete assignments. The FOSS Fair is an initiative to educate others about the open source community through discussion.
Jack Neely, a Linux specialist with the Office of Information Technology and this year’s FOSS Fair Organizer, said the event is supposed to be a fun, informal affair for attendees.
”The Fair is an un-conference event,” Neely said. “Everything is produced by the participants.”
Attendees have the opportunity to host their own sessions. Participants collectively decide on which topics are most interesting, and the schedule of the day is adjusted accordingly. Various rooms will be lent for the sessions; each talk may run up to 50 minutes.
Participants decide how many of the sessions they will attend, and there will be scheduled breaks in between. Individuals that sign up for the FOSS Fair by Feb. 4 will be able to enjoy free food, also sponsored by Red Hat.
According to Neely, this year’s turnout is expected to be much larger than in years past. So far, 65 participants have signed up for the event. The fact that he’s worrying about having enough space for a growing crowd is something Neely says is a good thing.
“The venue is kind of full now,” Neely said. “But, I’m not discouraging any more students from signing-up.”
Organizers of the FOSS Fair are very excited to have different groups of individuals in attendance to this year’s fair. Students who are not too familiar with the open-source community and projects, such as ProjectEos, which seeks to standardize academic computing systems on open source software that would expand educational resources, will be present at the event.
“There are a bunch of computer science students” attending the event, Neely said. “There will be plenty of folks from Red Hat.”
Participants of the FOSS Fair will include undergraduate and graduate students, school faculty and representatives from companies such as Linux. As a side note, Neely said there is even diversity among the individual’s dietary habits.
“A good percentage of the attendees are vegetarians,” Neely said, laughing. “That’s an anomaly.”
Possible discussions topics for the FOSS Fair can be previewed on the event website. One guest speaker will be talking about how to hack a wireless network. The FOSS Fair is in its third year; Neely said he has received positive feedback from past participants.
“It has been a fantastic success,” Neely said.
