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Join us for the 2025 Fosdem Distros Room!

benny Vasquez

Chair, AlmaLinux OS Foundation

It’s almost time for the Linux Distributions DevRoom at FOSDEM again, but the Call for Participation is OPEN NOW! Let’s dive into what we’d like to see and how you can get involved!

Submit your talk to FOSDEM in the Distributions track, when you’re ready!

What is the Distributions DevRoom?

From the FOSDEM website:

Developer rooms are assigned to self-organising groups to work together on open source projects, to discuss topics relevant to a broader subset of the community, etc.

The general idea is that a group of people get together to organize a mini-event inside the FOSDEM umbrella. The groups of folks submit a proposal to the FOSDEM organizers, and then recruit content and build a schedule for the room. Everyone involved is likely to be a volunteer, but the content is always extremely beneficial, and presented by leaders and experts on their topics.

The Distributions DevRoom provides a unique home for the convergence of several different Linux distribution communities to share ideas and start conversations that matter to all of us. Although there are several different distributions that have different approaches to software packaging, choice of desktop environments, and various use cases, this Distributions DevRoom is a historic open forum that is unique to FOSDEM in making a space for all of our communities to share and learn from each other.

Why AlmaLinux is helping to organize this event

FOSDEM is one of our favorite events, as it helps us to connect with our users in an entirely unique way. When the chance to help organize the Distros room came up, I was happy to say yes because it is so obviously something we should be supporting! Linux as a whole is such an incredible community, and the vast number of distribuions in the world proves how important it is. Having a space dedicated to us sharing the things we’ve learned from work and from each other is critical to the long-term success of our ecosystem.

Submit a talk and help support the Distributions DevRoom!

We are looking for your most incredible talk for the Distributions DevRoom! Whether no matter where your focus in Linux is (development, community, distribution, testing, documentation, etc.), we want to hear from you. For inspiration, you can even look at the schedule that we had last year! The full CFP details can be found on the FOSDEM mailing list: https://lists.fosdem.org/pipermail/fosdem/2024q4/003551.html

Important Dates

  • 30 October - Call for Participation (CFP) opens
  • 1 December - Call for Participation (CFP) closes
  • 1 - 5 December - Submissions reviewed
  • 6 December - Speakers notified
  • 12 December - Deadline for speakers to confirm
  • 15 December - developer rooms publish complete schedules

Help out as a volunteer

Will you be at FOSDEM in 2025? The Distributions DevRoom welcomes volunteers to help with various day-of logistics for running the dev room. The list isn’t yet defined specifically, but generally we need people to do these things:

  • Speaker introduction and microphone-runner for questions
  • Time-keeping (reminding speakers how much time they have left to keep us on schedule)
  • Speaker support (making sure the on-deck speakers know what they need to do to get going on time)
  • Staffing the door (reminding folks in the hall or entering the room to be respectful)

If you are interested in helping out with the Distributions DevRoom, send an introduction email to the FOSDEM Distributions Devroom mailing list.

Whether you speak, volunteer, or just attend: FOSDEM is the best

FOSDEM is a free conference that requires no registration of any kind. You just show up on the days of the event, and then attend the talks that you want to attend. It is an extremely popular event, so the talks are also recorded and posted later on the FOSDEM website.

When the Distributions DevRoom schedule is live, you’ll be able to find it on the FOSDEM website, so keep an eye out for updates!

Sign up for the FOSDEM Distributions Devroom mailing list list for ongoing updates!

Stay updated!