Fall 2024 FreeBSD Summit
I attended the Fall 2024 FreeBSD Summit at the NetApp San Jose Campus in Santana Row. The event gave me a great opportunity to connect with the FreeBSD community, exchange ideas, and discuss ongoing projects. My main goal was to highlight the role of directly funded projects in the work of the FreeBSD Foundation through by giving a talk as well as through informal conversation.
Meeting people face-to-face reinforced how valuable in-person engagement is. I had many useful discussions about the impact of Foundation-funded initiatives, and I saw a lot of interest in FreeBSD’s usability for laptops, which was central to my talk.
During the event, I met several interesting people who shared their experiences with, and ambitions for, FreeBSD. During the same trip, I was also glad to have the opportunity to meet the team at Framework which has helped me to understand more about the context of the Foundation’s laptop project.
I delivered my talk, Learning as We Grow: Managing FreeBSD Infrastructure and Laptop Projects at The FreeBSD Foundation, on Friday, Nov 8. The audience asked thoughtful questions, and I appreciated the chance to share insights into how we structure and fund these projects.
One talk that especially stayed in my thoughts was The History of the BSD Daemon by Marshall McKusick, which provided interesting insights into the history of BSD. He also brought along t-shirts from past BSD conferences and gave them away, which was quite a touching moment for all involved.
Santana Row provided a lively and convenient setting for the summit. The NetApp building felt spacious and welcoming, which made it easy to meet people and have meaningful discussions. The event was well organized, and the setting encouraged productive conversations.
Since the summit, I have already seen the benefits of the connections I made and the conversations I had. The discussions and insights I gained have helped shape ongoing projects and reinforced the importance of community-driven development efforts.
Attending the Fall 2024 FreeBSD Summit gave me a chance to engage with the FreeBSD community, share knowledge, and strengthen collaborations. The event helped highlight the value of the FreeBSD Foundation’s investments and provided a great forum for discussions on FreeBSD’s future. I look forward to continuing these conversations and building on the momentum from the summit.