Another Ohio LinuxFest has come and gone and another wonderful time was had by all. This year I did something a little different. Instead of attending the more technical sessions, I spent my time in the sessions on business and legal issues as they relate to FOSS. Here are some of the highlights from the sessions I attended.
- Open Source Business 101 For Hackers – This session provided an overview of the different business models for open source companies and the pros and cons of each model. I found this very interesting as a business owner who would like to incorporate open source into our product and service offerings.
- Fedora, OLPC, lessons learned and where we go from here – This was an interesting review of the OLPC project and where they plan on going.
- Legalities of FOSS from a Hacker’s Perspective – This session discussed the legal issues around licensing your code in an open source project. Discussion included a look at some of the most popular licenses and how to choose one to fit your project, what it means to put something into the public domain and some of the special cases like dual-licensing. From a business standpoint, it is critical to pick a proper license the first time to avoid problems down the road.
- Building a Community Around Your Project – This was a look at what to do and what not to do in order to build a community around your project.
- Be A Wonk! Open Source, Government Policy, and You – This was a look at some of the technical issues like net neutrality that are being discussed and examined by our government. It also provided tips on how to get involved at the local, state and federal levels.
Once again the OLF committee put together another fabulous community event. I really look forward to seeing what they put together for next year.
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