Introduction
Every year on the third Saturday of September, hackers, free software users and open source adepts celebrate Free Software Day. For this event, HSBXL organises a day of interesting talks on the merrits, uses and principles of free and open source software, as well as adjacent topics such as privacy, open data and security. Join us for a great day of talks with a nice meal at the end and drinks and snacks throughout the day. The event is free as in freedom, so please pay your drinks, but we can flash a Linux ISO on your USB flashdrive if you’d like!
Talk Schedule
It’s about people, stupid (Stijn Vanhandsaeme)
- Prior knowledge: None needed
- Format: Presentation
- Language: English
It is always nice to develop cool projects, be idealistic and exchange geek talk, but how can we use this to help non-technical people? Stijn Vanhandsaeme presents the case of Nubo, a Belgian based cooperative offering mail and cloud, as a way to explore helping non-geek people use Free Software in their daily life. we will explore how this utimately is about building an economically stable project and how do the principles of Free Sotware correspond with the kind of economy we want to build.
From ASCII to JPEG: Hacking Image Compression (Ramiro Polla)
- Prior knowledge: None needed
- Format: Presentation
- Language: English
Ramiro will introduce us to his ascii-jpeg project, a plain-text JPEG generator that challenges our understanding of file formats. This short presentation will reveal how the project creates a single, self-describing file that is simultaneously a valid JPEG image and a readable ASCII text file. We’ll explore the clever techniques used to bridge this gap, demonstrating a creative and unexpected use of open standards and showcasing the kind of ingenuity that is at the heart of the free software movement.
Free software in robotics: build your own autonomous systems (Arne Baeyens)
- Prior knowledge: None needed
- Format: Presentation
- Language: English
Robotics software has progressed by leaps and bounds over the past years and now is an excellent time to build your own intelligent physical systems, from autonomous lawnmowers to aerial vehicles. In this talk, Arne introduces relevant robotics concepts and discusses several robotics free software projects, covering topics such as intra- and inter-robot communication, control and behavior, simulation as well as development tooling. By the end of this talk, you will have a good idea what software to use in your FOSS-based robotics projects.
Federated immersive learning, why and how (Fabien Bénétou)
- Prior knowledge: None needed
- Format: Presentation
- Language: English
We take a dive into the world of education with a talk on Federated Immersive Learning. Fabien will explore why and how open-source technologies like WebXR and ActivityPub can be used for building a decentralized, creative, and collaborative learning environment, empowering students to actively shape their own educational experiences. more information on the projects nlnet page
A Taste of Open Data: Exploring the Open Food Facts Project (April Bilbrey(
- Prior knowledge: None needed
- Format: Presentation
- Language: English
Join us for a talk about Open Food Facts, the world’s largest open-source food database and a recently recognized U.N. Digital Public Good. April Bilbrey, a regular volunteer and board member, will give a “show and tell” of this collaborative project, highlighting how their app empowers users to access and contribute data, including things like nutri-score , eco-score and packaging. Come learn how you can get involved with this impactful, community-driven initiative.
Panel: Looking under the white hat of professional hackers
- Prior knowledge: None needed
- Format: Panel conversation
- Language: English
- Note: This talk will not be recorded or streamed
JeGeVa, Erik and Cedric have been making a living off of ethical hacking and cybersecurity for over a decade. In this talk they will share their stories and experiences from throughout their career, and explain how Free and Open Source Software has played a role along that path. We will end the session with a round of questions. We will see what they can — and are allowed to — tell us…
More talks will be announced in the next days and weeks. Stay tuned!
Livestream
For those who can’t make it to Brussels this year, most talks will be available through a livestream on PeerTube. Of course a stream will never have the same great vibes and audience interaction as joining us live, so if you’re able to come to the hackerspace, we very much recommend it.
side activities
Food and drinks)
- There is a wide range of drinks and snacks available at the space at very reasonable prices
- At the end of the day we will have dinner together. If weather permits it will be a barbecue, otherwise we will cook a hot dish. We will also offer vegetarian and vegan options. Please check again later for more details and a registration form for the dinner.
🕹 Play a FOSS arcade game
Play Tux Racer, SuperTux or one of the other cool FOSS games on our arcade box.
🎨 Artists challenge
For participants of Software Freedom Day, Huion is challenging you to create a digital artwork using FOSS software (Krita, GIMP, Inkscape, Blender, FreeCAD, MyPaint, Tux Paint, …) expressing the joys or importance of Software Freedom. More details and submissions on the Digital Freedoms website!
Notice: age is taken in account. Contributions of all ages are welcomed!
International Software Feedom Day
Software Freedom Day is a global event coordinated by the Digital Freedom Foundation. Find out more below about Software Freedom Day beyond HSBXL below.
