El Mundo Libre

Like Aq I was getting worried about where Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical where taking Ubuntu. Bug #1 was funny and interesting at first, but it soon became clear that freedom stood in the way of the quickest way to solve it. Matters only got worse when it was almost decided that proprietary drivers would be included by default (kudos for the compromise, though) and Ubuntu and Linspire becoming best friends. (You'll notice from his interview on the Linux Action Show that Kevin Carmony is not really a freedom kinda guy.)

A while ago the FSF launched Play Ogg: a campaign to promote Ogg Vorbis as a digital music format. This got me thinking: everybody uses the term "MP3-player" (or even just "MP3"), even for devices that are primarily designed to play other proprietary formats that support DRM. So if we could get people to call it something else, that would certainly be a step forward. To be successful, the new name has to fulfill two conditions: it has to be codec-agnostic and it has to sound cool.

It was fun. It was funny. It told me how to win every argument. I learned that MassDebating doesn't make you go blind. It showed me that LugRadio presenters are no gods, even especially when their chest is covered in oil. It suggested to me that I should kill old people. It whispered in my ear that not everybody in the BBC thinks DRM is a good thing. It made me believe that when creating a (libre) replacement in one's own time for the proprietary platform one programs with at work doesn't mean one's employer automatically owns the rights to that software.

I would like to share some practical tips with anyone who thinks about going next year:

• Foreigners who went throught the whole hassle of ordering their train tickets in advance (only by phone for Stallman's sake) should make sure they get five tickets from the FastTicket machine: 2 travel tickets, 2 seat reservations and a receipt.
• If you're staying in a hotel that's more than a kilometer from the venue, print a map of the whole area instead of just the 100 square meter area around the hotel and around the venue. You don't want to get lost every friggin' time you walk from one place to the other. Or get a cab if you don't mind polluting the enviromnent.
• If you are the silent type then the evening 'parties' might not be for you.
• Do not look for 'The Light House', the side of the building says 'The Chubb Buildings'.

Will I be going back next year? That depends on a multitude of factors, one which is wether or not the UK train lines can get their (online registration) act together.

It's final: I'm going to LugRadio Live 2007, the super-duper libre software event of podcast fame with tons of speakers, BOF sessions, exhibitions, beer and parties. It's probably the best Linux event in all of Wolverhampton. Sounds good, huh? Want some promotional videos to go with that? OK, here they are:

• The Freedom March
• Don't Listen Alone
• The One Man Freedom March

I should have mentioned this sooner, because then I might have had someone to go with. Promoting the event just one week in advance isn't good marketing on my part either. I had some trouble planning my trip, mainly because, apparantly, travelling by train in the UK sucks. I also was a bit late with booking my hotel, so if anyone wants to use the other half of my twin room at the Barons Court and help me cut my expenses, I certainly wouldn't mind. I'm staying from Friday until Monday. See you there!