#fossbackstage — Public Fediverse posts

We launched the Sovereign Tech Challenge (“Contribute Back”) in my first month, took the #SovereignTechFellowship from concept to pilot, to now 14 new fellows, and just last month brought the #SovereignTechStandards into the world.

Last year I came up with and developed a talk called “Open Source is a Sewer,” previewing it at #FOSSBackstage before giving it at #MonkiGras (thanks @redmonk!) and @lfeurope's #OpenSourceSummit Europe. The premise: open digital infrastructure deserves the same treatment as physical infrastructure, like water and sewage systems, something governments are expected to build and maintain quietly in the background. It's not just a provocative title!

Somewhere along the way, this stopped feeling only like a job and also like being part of a community. A global group of people who care, often invisibly, about the infrastructure holding up the digital world. We see each other at events like #FOSDEM, and I'm looking forward to #UNOpenSourceWeek in a few days. 2/3

FOSS Backstage Design is a decicated design day connected to the wider FOSS Backstage conference.

Open Source Design has been long time supporters of FOSS Backstage platforming design OSS and we're helping to fundraise to recover the costs of recording the design talks and ensuring that they stay available for years to come online!

https://opensourcedesign.net/design/open/source/2026/03/31/foss-backstage-donation-support.html

https://opencollective.com/opensourcedesign/projects/foss-backstage-design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrl7aRQ25HU&list=PLq-odUc2x7i-ZpO0FvWOCb5BzoyQOEZoT

#oss #foss #ossdesign #fossbackstage

Still thinking about our time at #FOSSBackstage 💭

A huge thank you @FOSSBackstage for the warm welcome. It was a pleasure to hear from so many great minds, espacially @aeva @nilhb @mirkoboehm @elioqoshi , Anxhela Nicole Weber, Daniel Gerber, Drew DeVault and Zainab Daodu.

Thanks for sharing your perspectives with the community! Until next year! 🚀#LunaLMS #FOSSback

The barcamp is barcamping!

#FOSSBack #FOSSBackstage #Design #UXDesign

Several community members of us are at #fossbackstage #design today. Say hello, grab some stickers!

The current excellent talk by Rich #Bowen of #AWS on "Plan to fork (So you don't have to fork)" at #FOSSbackstage is not easy to follow if you have been binging #TheGoodPlace . 🙉 🙈 🙊

Even at an extraordinarily smart event as #FOSSBackstage , people keep asking "Yeah but couldn't we do this [task that requires care, understanding and commitment] with generative AI?" and I am f*ing sick of it. If the task could not have been automated before the advent of "AI", then it should not be automated now. Just be a decent person put in the human work already! 😡

#FOSSback

Here's a #Wikidata item for this year's FOSS Backstage: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138706301
Please help improve and/or upload images to the associated category on Wikimedia Commons.
#FOSSBack #FOSSBackstage

Nice, @ainali giving a shout-out to @opentermsarchive in his talk at #FOSSBackstage 👏

Learning about @hare at #FOSSBackstage. https://harelang.org

I hope you will enjoy the orange stickers I have brought to #FOSSBack sticker exchange.

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” RBG

Feel free to spread the message. 🚀

#fossbackstage #dei #deib #Diversity #Leadership

Great session on how @opencollective has navigated recent organisation changes to a 501(c)(6) -> oficonsortium, and looking at decentralising to be less US-centric #FOSSBackstage

The funky music between the talks at #FOSSBackstage is captivating. 🕺

@FOSSBackstage , can you share the artist/playlist/BandCamp/link/whatever, especially for the soundtrack at the Auditorium this morning?

#FOSSback

Today at 10:00 @ #FOSSbackstage, my colleague @cschum and I are going to talk about "getting real with the supply chain". The session will be about how the #OSPO at #DeutscheBahn generates actionable insights from vast data and navigates the triangle of risk/value/people.

Delightful day at #FOSSBackstage - followed by dinner with some folks from the Mastodon team. 👌🏻

With the FOSS Backstage people, underway to c-base! (@ U8 ➡️ S+U Jannowitzbrücke (Berlin)) #NowTräwelling #fossbackstage2026 #fossback #fossbackstage

https://traewelling.de/status/7309184

The slides, with a lot of links, for my FOSS Backstage lightning talk "Using content from Wikidata in your apps" is here: https://aina.li/backstage2026/Using%20Wikidata%20in%20your%20apps.pdf
Thanks @nightrose for 99% of the slides!
#wikidata #FOSSBackstage #FOSSBack

Fantastic live mini-debate in the #fossbackstage lightning talks "Should I let AI do my homework" - young participant on the "anti" side of the discussion, so well argued. (sorry, this one not on the live stream / recording)

Nil has lessons from a funding crisis #FOSSBack #fossbackstage

Thank you to everyone who joined “Does FOSS Buy Sovereignty? Participation vs. Ownership” with Mirko Boehm at #FOSSBackstage 2026.

If you are in Berlin at #FOSSBackstage, connect with Mirko at the event to continue the conversation.
Missed it? The recording will be available in a few weeks.

Learn more: https://26.foss-backstage.de/session/does-foss-buy-sovereignty-participation-vs-ownership/

🤸‍♀️ Wir sind heute und morgen zusammen mit etlichen von unseren Mitgliedern auf der @FOSSBackstage in Berlin!

Habt Ihr eine Frage zur Arbeit der OSBA?

Wollt Ihr Euch mit uns über Open-Source-Lobbyarbeit austauschen?

Interesse, Mitglied zu werden?

👉 Sprecht Markus oder Miriam an!

#OpenSource #Fossbackstage

RE: https://mastodon.social/@torgo/114138565653392448

…remains true, one year on. #FOSSBackstage

Managed to snag a (signed!) copy of Diversifying Open Source from the amazing Paloma Oliveira at #FOSSBackstage

Cassie talks FOSS in the service of national interests #FOSSBack #fossbackstage

Thanks for the great conversations and questions about my #fossbackstage session. This is a great event for thought-provoking discussions around OSS sustainability and adoption!