FOSS Backstage returns on March 16-17, 2026!
We are excited to invite you to the 8th edition of FOSS Backstage next March.
Be sure to get your ticket now and take advantage of our early bird rate: https://tickets.plainschwarz.com/fossback26/
The Call for Participation will launch this autumn. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!
At FOSS Backstage 2025, Bianca Kastl presented the GA-Lotse project, which aims to develop open digital infrastructures for public health in Germany. She discussed the challenges of procuring, developing, maintaining and scaling open digital infrastructures in the highly distributed landscape of health authorities in Germany.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/dyd69P5CkZQ
https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/building-open-digital-infrastructures-for-public-health/
Divisions and discord are spreading at an unprecedented rate. At FOSS Backstage 2025, Ashley Sametz discussed how the open source community can continue to champion free and open source software while promoting and protecting the diverse voices and perspectives that are essential for collaboration, retention and resilience within the community.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/ouk1S6caevM
More information: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/commit-to-inclusion-building-better-open-source-culture/
We're excited to support our former #fossback speaker, @jzik! He has been invited to speak at major open-source conferences, including the OpenSUSE Conference 2025 in Nuremberg, later this month.
These are incredible opportunities for him to share his expertise and advance open source globally. To help him cover essential travel costs, please consider contributing to his GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-ziks-journey-to-global-tech-conferences
Check out his talks here: https://events.opensuse.org/users/447235
For open-source enthusiasts, giving up isn't an option when software dies or your company is acquired. At FOSS Backstage 2025, Peer Heinlein shared the story of an open-source team that took control of its future. He showed how theory meets practice and discussed why developers sometimes need to take matters into their own hands.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/ZSSoq66v9oA
Session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/a-community-has-to-do-what-a-community-has-to-do/
In open-source, diversity is frequently emphasised as a key priority. However, the uncomfortable truth is that diversity initiatives can sometimes be nothing more than a facade, lacking genuine inclusivity. At FOSS Backstage 2025, Ijeoma Onwuka and Maryblessing Okolie discussed how to transition from performative diversity to real transformation in open-source projects.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/YJLl1RatSCQ
Session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/tokenism-in-open-source-diversity-or-decoration/
At this year's FOSS Backstage, @ainali discussed the responsible use of digital commons and how to avoid contributing to their depletion. Find out how developers can engage with open projects without causing harm, and learn about strategies for collaboration, responsible contribution, and ensuring the longevity of these valuable resources.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/fRpcF7URtnY
Session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/using-the-commons-without-causing-a-tragedy/
Why aren't more designers contributing to open source? At FOSS Backstage 2025, Nina Rojc, Leia Ruffini and Kola Ojoodide shared insights from their research, identifying key barriers such as intimidating contribution platforms and unclear documentation, as well as practical solutions to improve collaboration between designers and developers.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/5kq2emKppSc
Session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/bridging-the-gap-between-designers-open-source-communities/
Can AI be open source? At this year's FOSS Backstage, Dr Lina Böcker and Angelika Wittek discussed licensing options for both code and non-code artefacts, addressing the challenges associated with licensing non-code and AI-generated artefacts and providing practical guidance for developers.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/Ac-wDgncIqM
Full session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/foss-ai-and-non-code-artifacts-whats-new-and-noteworthy/
At FOSS Backstage 2025, Eriol Fox and Christoph Ono presented the Open Design Guide - a guide to help designers navigate their way into the world of open source.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/VUofVwvgWuU
Open Design Guide: https://opendesign.guide
Full session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/open-design-guide/
At FOSS Backstage 2025, Daniel Guagnin discussed how different community structures create unique "technical mindsets" that impact projects and provided real-world examples and insights for open source leaders on how to create community structures that align with project goals.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/zENRxOYuP04
Full session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/how-your-projects-organization-shapes-its-technical-dna/
At FOSS Backstage 2025, Andrea Kao took a holistic view of how people interact with software documentation, examined tools and frameworks that improve the overall documentation experience, and discussed best practices and helpful resources for creating and maintaining effective documentation. She presented Markdoc - a framework designed to enrich both the developer and author experience.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/lmwpPyrrPdY
Full session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/abundant-with-life-docs-beyond-the-wall/
At FOSS Backstage 2025, Philippe Bareille discussed the City of Paris‘ journey in Open Source. He covered the development of its digital services platform, Lutece, created in 2001, as well as the introduction of its new software suite, CiteLibre. He highlighted the establishment of the open source program office in 2022 and the city’s open source policy, which started 23 years ago.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/eMyz6RegWDY
Full session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/from-lutece-to-citelibre-the-city-of-paris-journey-in-os/
At FOSS Backstage 2025, @geekygirldawn, Mirko Boehm, Cailean Osborne, and Paul Sharratt have presented a practical toolkit for measuring the impact of public funding on Free and Open Source Software development. This toolkit is based on first-hand experience with EU and German funding initiatives and methodologies developed by the CHAOSS project.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/S7TluGPvmnk
Full session abstract: https://25.foss-backstage.de/session/toolkit-for-measuring-the-impacts-of-public-funding-for-foss/
At this year's FOSS Backstage, Ariane Segelitz-Karsten talked about creating an independent foundation and the effects of moving from a company-led model to a foundation-supported one for the open-source project Yaook.
Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/tMdiFnwxDqI
@krisfreedain and there was a very good talk about it and how it came together at #FOSSBack – the recording is online here: https://youtu.be/fYT7Ne9ASUM
All FOSS Backstage 2025 sessions are now available on YouTube!
If you missed them live or want to re-watch your favorite session, all the recordings are on our YouTube channel.
Don’t forget to share your favorite sessions with the community!
Watch now: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq-odUc2x7i-vFcBUZoDxTz9Vyu0Joq0X&si=VmZiR7ByfpYRMvje
Excited to share the recording of my FOSS Backstage 2025 presentation: "Empowering African Communities using Open Source Software"!
I discuss the challenges and strategies for increasing FLOSS adoption in underserved regions.
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/VsCuQ4401oc
My #FOSSBack talk has been published! Now you can watch me proudly talk about @outreachy and our fantastic work behind the scenes—I’ve shared some insights that will show you why we’re such a special and loved open internship program. 🩵
At #FOSSback this year, I gave two talks, Using the commons without causing a tragedy, and How to self-assess your codebase towards the Standard for Public Code. Here are both videos and the accompanying slides.
