Notices by Garrett LeSage (garrett@mastodon.xyz)

@n8 The problems are even worse than that on a basic level. It's an issue with the network, and this even affects proprietary apps.

We need to go back to what works: PPP data transport.

By that, I mean: Paper, Pens, Pigeons.

Year after year, #FOSDEM continues to disappoint.

The most relevant part of their keynote's description at https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-4507-infusing-open-source-culture-into-company-dna-a-conversation-with-jack-dorsey-and-manik-surtani-block-s-head-of-open-source/ (purposefully taken out of context):

"Block Founder and CEO Jack Dorsey"

Yes, please do. (Block as a verb, not a "proper" noun.)

More details: https://drewdevault.com/2025/01/16/2025-01-16-No-Billionares-at-FOSDEM-please.html

#FOSDEM:

is inaccessible for those with:

- mobility issues

- scent sensitivities (no policy against perfume, uses smelly soap in bathrooms); this affects around 30% of the population

- who need/want CC for videos

And refused:

- to have a code of conduct for years; have no real means of enforcing the one they have now

- to implement any kind of sickness mitigation (COVID, "FOSDEM Flu", or other), including encouraging masks and ventilation

And promotes:

- cryptocurrency
- billionaires

@alatiera FWIW: I'm also hoping that it gets packaged soon.

The Git talk @ FOSDEM is the first I've heard of GitButler (I assume you saw it there), and it does look amazing!

And Tauri is something we so desperately need — it should be a lot better than Electron for "native" web-based apps.

Hopefully someone will see all this and help out to make sure it's all more easily flatpak'd!

@alatiera That'd be awesome. However:

GitButler is Tauri*, not Electron, so that makes it trickier (for now).

https://github.com/gitbutlerapp/gitbutler/issues/2509

https://github.com/tauri-apps/tauri/discussions/4426

There are at least 2 Tauri apps that are in Flathub already, but Tauri 1.x doesn't really support it well. Tauri 2.0 should support it soon?

* Tauri is basically like Electron, but uses the system webview to make apps a lot smaller. (On Linux and macOS, that means WebKit. On Windows, it's the Edge version of Chromium, IIRC.)

@aral @nekohayo FOSDEM's closing talk made a point (right after they bragged about being "the largest conference in the world") about how they prefer donations which would "keep them independent from corporate sponsors".

(I laughed a bit and specifically thought of you, @aral... I do agree with you.)

Sadly, it's hard to avoid FOSDEM in some form with so many people pouring so much time and effort into the talks. So I did watch the talks... safely from home.

@aral @nekohayo I wish we had a more ethical, safer, environmentally better*, and most likely distributed alternative to FOSDEM.

(* Most of the traveling to and from FOSDEM is highly polluting. Many people fly over from all over the world.)

I guess a few smaller "conferences" probably targeted on a few topics throughout the year and hosted on the Internet might work? With meet and greets? Perhaps with smaller in-person spinoff events too? Some of which can be done async as well?

@nekohayo They won't even accept subtitles from people as a distributed effort.

I tried to submit some last year, but they refused. They said I should transcribe all the videos myself and set up a server for all videos and subtitles. (WHAT?!)

It's literally a tiny sidecar text file (.vtt) that should be included next to each video. It can be linked from their website.

It can be a distributed effort, and Whisper ( https://github.com/openai/whisper ) can even do most of the work in an automated way.

@nekohayo Anyway, got a little off topic, but just as examples of where FOSDEM doesn't even have guidelines and could start an initiative, even for things where they can ask for volunteers.

These are all examples showing that FOSDEM has issues respecting their attendees wellbeing and how they don't do anything at all unless they're repeatedly called out about it… and even then do the bare minimum.

So I'm not hopeful about FOSDEM implementing any COVID measures (or any other things mentioned).

@nekohayo Yeah, same feeling.

The fact that FOSDEM didn't even attempt to do anything at all to try to prevent the spread of COVID (& the "FOSDEM flu" cocktail of viruses) means I (and many others) can't even think of attending ever again (unless they change their tune in upcoming years). 😖

There's some hope: They had issues with the lack of a code of conduct for years, then a flimsy one for a while ( http://www.sarahmei.com/blog/2015/02/01/the-fosdem-conundrum/ ), but now have a real one.

But COVID requires being proactive too.

@nekohayo On the other hand, FOSDEM hasn't done anything at all to try solve the root of so many of their issues: Overcrowding (which impacts overall experience and also amplifies conduct issues and disease spread).

That requires being proactive and creative problem solving — just like having measures against COVID.

However, working ways of avoiding COVID have been thought about already elsewhere:

- ventilation
- masks
- distancing & avoidance
- policies to not attend when sick
- etc.

@nekohayo FOSDEM has also done nothing about accessibility in general:

- Many rooms still aren't accessible for mobility reasons (and the crowing makes it worse)

- There's no fragrance-free policy (https://csw.ucla.edu/toolkit) and bathrooms use scented products (incl. soaps)

- Food trucks did not list allergens or if something is vegetarian or vegan or not (although this might've changed)

- There are no sign language interpreters

- Videos after the fact do not have subtitles

@scottjenson Yeah, totally. It's even worse when you get hired as a UI/UX Designer, with decades of portfolio work to show for it — and are then told to make websites and stickers instead. (This even happened to me. 🙄)

"Software Interaction and Visual Designer" is at least a bit more encompassing, I guess, and doesn't rely on acronyms.

@scottjenson I just say "Designer" when it's obvious that I'm working in the realm of software. Otherwise "Software Designer".

I've been all across the board with different types of design, so limiting it to UI, UX, icon, visual, web, etc. is absurd... as is listing them all out.

But I don't need to advertise myself for work; I have a relatively stable job and have worked in a niche (FOSS) for quite some time, so I don't have to.

However, my approach definitely wouldn't work for everyone. 🫤

@scottjenson "Jack of All Trades Software Designer" 🫣

I want to like Matrix / Element, but Element might be the worst piece of software I've ever used.

Nearly every day, it either hangs indefinitely or forgets my login info, or some other bug (with most being showstoppers).

The UI is confusing and I have a thousand rooms that I can't get rid of that clutter everything (as I've attended conferences from the past few years in it).

When it works, it's nice and all... but it rarely ever works.

I really *want to* like it. 😕

@johnmark It's not available anywhere here except on Apple TV, and we don't have a Mac or some Apple TV device, and we already have 4 different streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Joyn), so... ?

I imagine it's the same for a lot of other people?

@mattl Pixel 6 Pro.

I wanted a good, stock phone and didn't want Samsung bloatware...

I figured Samsung phones and other Android phones all have their own bloatware and "call home". Google's phones do too, but all other Android phones ALSO come with Google's bloatware and "call home" to Google too, so might as well reduce that a little.

Alternative would've been an iPhone, but I want to run Firefox, which is impossible on an iPhone, as it just has one browser engine (WebKit for everything).