Awakenings

I’ve been in Porto Alegre this week at the fifth (!) annual DebConf and the 5th Fórum Internacional do Software Livre, one of the largest free software events in the world.

No matter how many years pass, I will never fully wrap my head around the past ten years. People from 28 different countries were here with me this week. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Peru, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the U.S., Wales. 28 countries! A new culture has emerged while no one was looking that truly transcends nationality or religion. We all speak different languages, but in many ways we speak the same language too.

Many people have thanked me for starting Debian, that they wouldn’t be here without me, and I’d like to share the answer I’ve given many times this week for everyone to read: I wouldn’t be here without you either. That’s what it’s all about, and we must never forget that.

2 comments on “Awakenings”

  1. stratus

    Hi Ian,

    I agree with you about the “new culture”, and i believe that we all have many different goals but what i call as ‘the same spirit’.

    I want to say thank you for your contribution not only to the Debian project, that is clear, but to free software in general.I was too nervous to do it in person. :)

    Best Regards,
    Gustavo Franco —

  2. Arash

    Hi Ian,

    I/We didn’t have a chance to be there at DebConf. But I would like to join all those others as well and thank you in the name of that small Iranian community that uses Debian. YES, we do exist:
    “We use Debian, therefor we are” or somethinglike that :)

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