Imed Hammouda

Adjunct professor
Tampere University of Technology (TUT)

Talk subject:
Open Source in North Africa: Challenges and Opportunities - The Case of Tunisia Download PDF

About speaker:
Imed Hammouda is currently an adjunct professor at Tampere University of Technology (TUT) where he is heading the international masters programme at the Department of Software Systems. He got his Ph.D. in software engineering from TUT in 2005. Dr. Hammouda's research interests include open source software, community-driven software development, and software architecture. He is co-leading TUTOpen - TUT research group on open source software. He has been leading and involved in several research projects related to various open initiatives. In 2010 he lead a research project examining the open source ecosystem in Tunisia as an example developing country. He is the program chair of the 8th International Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2012.

Pasi Nieminen

CEO
Nomovok

Talk subject: 
Open Source & Opportunities and Challenges for Entrepreneurs in Asia Download PDF

About speaker:
Pasi Nieminen is CEO of Nomovok, a leading software supplier for Open Source based embedded devices. He is one of the COSS founders and has worked over 8 years on Open Source deployments. During last years Nomovok has been focusing especially on MeeGo product deployments on tablet and IVI segment.

Jos Poortvliet

openSUSE Community Manager
SUSE

Talk subject:
Amazing openSUSE Download PDF
Sponsor Lightning Talk: SUSE Studio Download PDF

Talk abstract:
openSUSE has developed both great infrastructure technology and a powerful enduser product; where is it going now? 

Over 5 years ago Novell decided to turn their new asset, SuSE Linux GmbH into a community distribution. It was a long and laborious process but since almost 2 years now the development processes have been opened up to the community. We now speak of openSUSE, a community which is now searching for it's direction. The project has state-of-the-art infrastructure at its disposal and develops a modern, stable and powerful linux distribution. Meanwhile, communication and marketing are it's weak points - innovative technologies like the openSUSE Build Service and SUSE Studio do not get the exposure they deserve. In this talk an overview is given of openSUSE's history, the developments in the community and the latest openSUSE technology is presented.

About speaker:
Jos Poortvliet is the openSUSE community manager for SUSE Linux and has been Free Software evangelist for 10 years. Before openSUSE he was active as volunteer in the KDE community as marketing team lead, writing, coordinating, talking to press and visiting conferences. In his 'offline life' he has had jobs at a variety of companies like the dutch telco KPN, Royal Bank of Scotland and the dutch Department of Education. His favorite pastime besides Free Software is experimenting in the kitchen, trying to come up with something edible.

Mikko Puhakka

Founder
C2I Ventures

Talk subject:
Building Bonfires in China Download PDF

Talk abstract:
China has been slowly getting more and more involved in open source development efforts. Still there is very limited participation from China in international communities. What is the cause of this? Will it ever change?  What are the key implications of this and what kind of opportunities does it provide for global entrepreneurs? Some thoughts on status of Open Source in China in the fall of 2011 and what the future holds. 

About speaker:
Mikko Puhakka is founding partner of C2I Ventures, Beijing China. He was also founder of Holtron Ventures which was the first investor in MySQL (2001), that was exited to SUN for USD 1 billion in 2008 and is considered the best venture funds to come out of Finland. He was an Open Source researcher at Helsinki University of Technology between 2004-2009. Currently he serves as an advisor companies such as Nomovok in Europe and Foreveross, Agilesource, Fei Chang Hao Kan, GrowVC China and Appannie in China. Mikko is also in the process of setting up a early-stage fund Silk Road Partners in China.

Twitter: @pumo68

Gianugo Rabellino

Senior Director, Open Source Communities
Microsoft

Talk subject: 
Microsoft, Open Source, And Interoperability - What's Ahead! Download PDF

Talk abstract:
The world is changing, and so is Microsoft. We are continuing down the path of even greater openness and interoperability in new ways . . . not just in development, but rising to meet the challenges and opportunities of the cloud and becoming flexible and nimble in the world of mobile. We also continue to evolve our focus to meet the challenging needs on the industry: we are open, more open than you may think. It's time to take a look behind the scenes and understand the many reasons why we continue to evolve and embrace greater openness. This keynote will update you on our journey towards even greater openness and share the thought process that lies behind these profound, and evolving, changes. 

About speaker:
Gianugo Rabellino is the Senior Director for Open Source Communities at Microsoft. He is also a Vice President of the Apache XML Project Management Committee and Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Sourcesense.

Gianugo has a deep understanding of open source technologies and platforms, and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the group of passionate and committed individuals who share his same enthusiasm for interoperability and openness between Microsoft and non-Microsoft platforms.

Blog: http://boldlyopen.com
Twitter: @gianugo

Aaron Seigo

Core Developer and KDE Ambassador
KDE.org

Talk subject: 
Software Freedom in the Americas: Successes and Challenges in North and South America for F/OSS
Download PDF

Talk abstract:
The "new world" of the Americas was where the Free Software movement, as we identify it today, started. As one of the hotbeds for information theory and computer science, it was little surprise that Free Software should emerge earliest in the USA. Since then, however, F/OSS has been through a fascinating tale of struggle and success across the Americas. From Linux surging forward in unprecidented fasion in Brazil, to Venezuela's hard lessons with proprietary software, from the widespread entrepreneurlism in North Americas around Linux to the F/OSS community "on the ground" in both the USA and Canada, this presentation aims to cast an overview of where F/OSS is in the continents of the Western hemisphere. 

About speaker:
Aaron Seigo is a core KDE developer who has been working with the KDE community since the KDE 2.0 release. Aaron Seigo began working in the software industry as a developer in 1992, has owned and run a variety of software companies and is a past-president and board member of KDE's global non-profit foundation, KDE e.V. Today, Aaron focuses exclusively on Free and Open Source software and, as the founder and chief architect behind KDE's Plasma technology, works on the development of promotion of KDE's Plasma and other software. Named one of the 40 most influential people in IT by silicon.com in 2008, Aaron speaks and write internationally on topics related to open source, business and sustainability.

Blog: http://aseigo.blogspot.com/

(Photo credit: Big RonW)

Jan Wildeboer

EMEA Evangelist
Red Hat

Talk subject: 
Accidental Empire - Red Hat: Why Red Hat is what it is and what it wants to do

Talk abstract:
Embedded in a "tour de force" through the historyx of Open Source, Free Software, Red Hat and more, Jan Wildeboer will explain what drives Red Hat and how the world continues to change around us. Why we are just at the start of the road to more OPENness and how we can learn from the FOSS movement to make this world a better place.

About speaker:
Jan Wildeboer works at Red Hat as the EMEA Evangelist. Travels across EMEA to talk, discuss and convince his audience that Open Source, Knowledge, Standards etc. are the only way to go. Jan Wildeboer lives in Munich, travels a lot and is always interested in everything Open.

Paul Wolneykien

Site Manager, Saint Petersburg
ALT Linux

Talk subject: 
Open Source in Russia: Plans for the National Software Platform Download PDF

Talk abstract:
The primary goals of the creation of the technological platform involve:
- Improvement of expense structure (including public sector expenses) of IT-related procurement and re-orientation of financial streams towards the internal market.
- Ensuring national security by means of technological independence and information security.
- Elimination of inferiority in volume and quality of IT deployed in business, government and society.
- Improvement of education system, encouragement of applied and fundamental research in the field of IT.
- Development of world-class national centers of IT development that would benefit from broadening of integration between fundamental and applied science, education system and industry, including the establishment of international partnerships.
- Boosting the competitiveness of domestic IT products on the local and international markets. 

About speaker:
Born in Leningrad, 04 October 1980. School. North-West Institute of Printing, IT department, Graphic Arts Technology department post-graduate. J2EE developer, leading developer in the Bercut, Ltd. (bercut.com). Software developer, head of the Saint Petersburg department in the ALT Linux, Ltd.