The Ubuntu Chronicles: Amber’s Adventures in the Community :)

Part 42

Linux Fests and more…

Over the years I have watched my husband talk about and attend the different Linux Fests. I would just smile, wave, and wish him well at the events with a “Have a good time, see you when you get back.”

I started using Ubuntu in February. As I asked questions and heard about the events that happen in the Open Source community I wanted to know more about them. What happens at a Linux Fest, who attends them, and not just who but what is the story behind the person? What makes them passionate about their part of the community and Linux as a whole? Every person’s experience is as unique as a finger print, and people are fascinating!

My husband, Pete will be speaking at a couple of Fests in the area and I wanted to go. Before Ubuntu Open Week, I was just going to go and watch and hang out with him and meet people that said they were going. (I can’t wait to meet some of the people that answer my question and chit chat with me in the #ubuntu channels on Freenode. However, after Ubuntu Open Week, I went to some of the websites and starting seeing which LoCo’s were going to be where and when. Then started asking, “Do you need extra hands?” So if you want to go and be part of something, look up what’s near you and see what looks like a good fit for you, then put the power of the internet to work. 🙂

Summer is filling up. I have the opportunity to go to a few fests and hopefully a summit. I think the cool thing is that the events aren’t about just one distribution of Linux, but many coming together in one place. How cool is that! I can’t wait to see and hear *all* the presenters, not just my hubby.

Below are the ones as of today I am planning on attending, should everything work out. So if you are going to be there, give me a shout, I would really like to say “Hi”, and “Thanks for taking the time to read my rants and raves and offer all the great comments, tips, clarification and help.” I really like putting faces and names together. 🙂

June
Southeast Linux Fest,Check out the site.

July
Community Leadership Summit, July 18-19, 2009 in San Jose, CA
This event is all about Developing Community. I am fascinated. The Community Leadership Summit is a great lead into OSCON (Open Source Conference) 2009, being held July 20-24, 2009 in San Jose, CA, so If you are attending OSCON and can swing it, go a few days early and join in on the Community Leadership Summit. I am not attending OSCON, but I heard it’s a great event as well.

August
BarCampRDU, August 8, 2009 in Raleigh, NC.
One our NC LoCo and TriLUG member was telling me about it, and I thought how cool. So I can’t wait to see how this works.

September
Atlanta Linux Fest, September 19, 2009 in Atlanta, GA.

Whew! When I see everything listed in one place, I think my summer is going to be a little busy. In June we move to a little town in NC where I grew up; I love it. When I left for the Army in May 1989, I had no idea it would take me 20 years to move back home.

When I tell people I enjoy being back home, it’s not just about the house I grew up in, it’s not just my family, it is the entire community. When I feel at home in a place, then community feels like family! I love my family and I love the area I grew up in. I am familiar with the surroundings, the families, and I can’t wait to meet the new people that have moved into the area over the last 20 years (The funny thing is my family and I will be the “new people” for a while) and reconnect with my childhood friends and hang out with the coolest family in the world. (OK I might be a bit bias there. :-))

My mom and I went this weekend and put flowers on the graves of family members for Homecoming at one of the Churches in the town. It was great to stand there and remember my relatives, which for me goes back to great-great’s. My kids were amazed and curious about the great-great-great grandparents, aunts, uncles and more. They, my kids, began to realize that they have family members who’s military service pre-dates World War I. Awesome!

For those who aren’t familiar with a church Homecoming, it is one Sunday out of the year when the families of the church, come home, visit with the church community and family, walk through the cemetery and tell the stories of who is whom, and just come together under the theme of love and family. Oh and it seems like everyone brings food. If you leave hungry it’s you’re own fault. 🙂 People just feel loved by everyone because of the link they have to the past and present and they look for the hope of the future.

I guess I said all that to say, the feeling of Community happens all around me. The Ubuntu community is just an extension and reminder of how great the feeling, not just the location of community is.

Enjoy! More later…:-)