Today, we are proud to announce all four keynote speakers who will
appear at the LibrePlanet 2019 conference, which takes place in
the Boston area, March 23-24, 2019. They are: Debian Project
contributor Bdale Garbee, free software activist Micky Metts,
physician Tarek Loubani, and FSF founder and president Richard
Stallman, all of whom are trailblazers of free software in their own
right.
REGISTER FOR THE LIBREPLANET 2019 CONFERENCE HERE!
Bdale Garbee has contributed to the free software community since
1979. He was an early participant in the Debian Project, helped port
Debian GNU/Linux to five architectures, served as the Debian Project
Leader, then chairman of the Debian Technical Committee for nearly a
decade, and remains active in the Debian community. For a decade,
Bdale served as president of Software in the Public Interest. He also
served on the board of directors of the Linux Foundation, representing
individual affiliates and the developer community. Bdale currently
serves on the boards of the Freedombox Foundation, the Linux
Professional Institute, and Aleph Objects. He is also a member of the
Evaluations Committee at the Software Freedom Conservancy. In 2008,
Bdale became the first individual recipient of a Lutece d'Or award
from the Federation Nationale de l'Industrie du Logiciel Libre in
France.
Micky Metts is an owner of Agaric, a worker-owned technology
cooperative. She is an activist hacker, industry organizer, public
speaker, connector, advisor, and visionary. Micky is a member of the
MayFirst People Link Leadership Committee, and is a liaison between
the Solidarity Economy Network (SEN) and the United States Federation
of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), with an intention to bring communities
together. Micky is also a founding member of a cohort that is building
a new Boston public high school based in cooperative learning:
BoCoLab. She is a member of the Free Software Foundation and of Drupal.org, a community based in free software. She is a published author contributing to the book Ours to Hack and to Own, one of the top technology books of 2017 in
Wired magazine.
Dr. Tarek Loubani is an emergency physician who works at the London
Health Sciences Centre in Canada and at Al Shifa Hospital in the Gaza
Strip. He is a fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation, where he focuses
on free software medical devices. His organization, the Glia Project,
develops free/libre medical device designs for 3D printing, in an
effort to help medical systems such as Gaza's gain self-sufficiency
and local independence.
Continuing an annual tradition, FSF president Richard Stallman
will present the Free Software Awards and discuss opportunities
for, and threats to, the free software movement.
LibrePlanet is an annual event jam-packed with interesting talks and
hands-on workshops -- and we know you have a lot to say! Have an idea
for your own free software-related talk or workshop? Submit it for
consideration by October 26, 2018 at 10:00 EDT (14:00 UTC).
Your talk can be aimed at an audience of experienced developers, young
people, newcomers to free software, activists looking for technology
that aligns with their ideals, policymakers, hackers, artists, or
tinkerers. Talks and workshops should examine or utilize free
software, copyleft, and related issues, but beyond that, we welcome
any topics that may educate, entertain, or encourage action.
Some possibilities include updates on free software projects,
especially if they fulfill a High Priority free software need;
the intersection of free software and other social issues or movements;
how to resist the harmful effects of proprietary software by using
free software; introductions to aspects of free software for newcomers
generally or children specifically; hands-on workshops using free
software for particular applications; copyleft and other free software
legal issues; free software's intersections with government; and how
to use free software in artmaking. Find more inspiration in videos of
LibrePlanet 2018 talks, as well as the full program listing.
Gratis admission for FSF members
Current Associate Members and students with valid ID may attend
LibrePlanet gratis. FSF Associate Membership starts at just $10/month
and comes with many benefits. If you're not already a member,
there's no better time to join than the present!
Travel funding available
Do you need help with the cost of travel to LibrePlanet? The FSF is
able to offer a limited amount of funding to bring conference
participants to Boston from all around the world. You can apply for a
scholarship through Friday, November 16 at 10:00 EST (15:00
UTC). Scholarship recipients will be notified by the end of
November. If you don't need a scholarship, you can help those with
financial need attend LibrePlanet 2019 by making a contribution to
the conference's scholarship fund.
Free Software Award nominations
Each year at LibrePlanet, the FSF presents its annual Free Software
Awards. Nominations for the awards are open through Sunday,
November 4th, 2018 at 19:59 EST (23:59 UTC).
Promotional opportunities
LibrePlanet is a good place to spread the word about your organization
to the free software community. You can sponsor LibrePlanet or have a
table in our exhibit hall (or both!). Our exhibit hall is highly visible at the LibrePlanet venue, and sponsors are highly visible at
the conference and in our promotional materials. LibrePlanet is a
distinctive event that centers free software, in its infrastructure,
program of talks and events, and audience, and we appreciate the
support of organizations that embrace free software. Apply to
exhibit at LibrePlanet 2019 or email us at campaigns@fsf.org if
you are interested in being a sponsor.
Volunteering
LibrePlanet is propelled by the positive energy of dozens of
volunteers. We simply couldn't make this community event happen
without them, and we thank them accordingly, with a gratis T-shirt and
admission to the conference, and our deep gratitude. Applications for
most LibrePlanet volunteer opportunities will be available soon, but
if you would like to help with advance outreach, including spreading
the word about the conference in online communities and your networks,
and by posting flyers in schools and community spaces, please email
resources@fsf.org to get started!
LibrePlanet 2019 is about 170 days away -- tell your friends and
submit a talk proposal today!
Photo of Richard Stallman by by Adte.ca. This image is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Photo of Tarek Loubani by Tarek Loubani. This image is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Photo of Bdale Garbee by Karen Garbee. This image is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Photo of Micky Metts by Micky Metts. This image is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.
