# Why OFFDEM? **URL:** \ **Category:** OFFDEM\ **Tags:** page\ **Created:** [2 October 2019 20:10 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49 "2019-10-02T20:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/how/32/8_2.png) [@how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/how)\ **Post date:** [2 October 2019 20:10 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49/1 "2019-10-02T20:10:31Z")
FOSDEM is approaching its 20 year anniversary. It is customary to many large festivals to have an _Off version_ at the margin of the main festival, to give space to proposals that are not represented in the official one. The idea of OFFDEM is to address intersectional questions that are not present at FOSDEM, in a format that attracts people who usually do not go there: at OFFDEM, _everyone is a user._ FOSDEM misses cosy and quiet spaces for collectives to meet, focus, hack and work together in good conditions, away from the noise and seasonal rain, shielded from the usual stress of too much sollicitation and perceptual saturation ; the main attraction of OFFDEM should be its absence of both concurrent tracks and a main track, so that _ad-hoc_ organization, free conversation and unexpected activities can take place. OFFDEM should also act as an _overflow mechanism_ for a number of free software groups that could not obtain a _devroom_ due to the saturation of physical space at FOSDEM. The idea came from the conjunction of two processes: 1. the feeling that another type of free software gathering is needed, more radical, and more focused on intersectional topics, gathering concerned citizens and everyone who falls under the unique vocable of _user_, unfolding the diversity and exploring the complementarity of the people usually left aside of the programming elites of “open-source”; 2. a growing discontent with the evolution of FOSDEM: cultivating social grouping, accepting questionable sponsors that fail to address our concerns against surveillance capitalism. This situation made us will to create an alternative event to FOSDEM that would break down the barriers between communities, provide an inclusive space for people from different disciplines to be considered not only as _end-users_ but as accomplices in the production of new techniques that support social change and the Commons. ---
**Author:** ![how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/how/32/8_2.png) [@how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/how)\ **Post date:** [15 November 2019 10:45 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49/2 "2019-11-15T10:45:15Z")
A post was split to a new message: [Traduction sur OFFDEM](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/traduction-sur-offdem/3041) ---
**Author:** ![natacha](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/natacha/32/103_2.png) [@natacha](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/natacha)\ **Post date:** [16 November 2019 10:03 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49/3 "2019-11-16T10:03:14Z")
> [@how](#): > > The idea of OFFDEM is to address intersectional questions that are not present at FOSDEM, in a format that attracts people who usually do not go there This is very important, and it will not happen by itself, we still have many things to put in place to make this happen, one important things is to ensure proper communication towards structures that are different from the ones usually informaed of this type of events. Who can they be, lets list them here: [https://ps.zoethical.org/t/offdem-team/3039/2](https://ps.zoethical.org/t/offdem-team/3039/2) > [@how](#): > > the feeling that another type of free software gathering is needed, more radical, and more focused on intersectional topics, Yes this is certain, to have something happening in this prospect maybe a first good step would be to specify why is there this feeling, I mean why now and not before, for example. I think clarifying this would help specify where the points of intersection should happen. I mean if the meeting rooms are only hosting developers meeting, obviously intersectional problematic will not be addressed. How should we make this happen, do we write some open call for example. ---
**Author:** ![tierce](https://oxygen.offdem.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@tierce](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/tierce)\ **Post date:** [2 February 2020 17:18 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49/5 "2020-02-02T17:18:54Z")
## Because … tierce»[copyleftconf.org](http://copyleftconf.org) $ ./read\_those\_words.sh Occurencies of − linux −\> 6 Occurencies of − gnu −\> 6 Occurencies of − free software −\> 6 Occurencies of − free and open source software −\> 5 Occurencies of − open source −\> 14 Occurencies of − M̶̰̊á̸̩c̴̦̉r̶̝̕ō̸̟t̶͕̃h̴̼͝é̶̪f̸͕̍t̸͔̿ −\> 26 Occurencies of − G̶̢͈̠̣̓̓̈a̴͖̦̓́̇̒͜ḡ̸̺͇̚̚͝g̵̨̻̺̣̓l̷̞͊̀̿e̴̫̼̳̊ −\> 31 Occurencies of − cloud −\> 32 Occurencies of − freedom −\> 28 Occurencies of − alternative −\> 2 😄 ## done using this … ```auto #!/bin/bash domain=2020.copyleftconf.org if [! -d $domain] then wget -4 --recursive --no-clobber --page-requisites --html-extension --convert-links --restrict-file-names=windows --domains $domain --no-parent https://$domain/ fi cd 2020.copyleftconf.org declare -a list=("linux" "gnu" "free software" "free and open source software" "open source" "microsoft" "google" "cloud" "freedom" "alternative") for l in "${list[@]}" do echo "Occurencies of − $l −> " $(rgrep -l "$l" . | wc -l) done ``` ---
**Author:** ![how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/how/32/8_2.png) [@how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/how)\ **Post date:** [6 September 2023 16:56 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49/8 "2023-09-06T16:56:20Z")
---
**Author:** ![how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/user_avatar/oxygen.offdem.net/how/32/8_2.png) [@how](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/how)\ **Post date:** [6 September 2023 16:56 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/why-offdem/49/9 "2023-09-06T16:56:23Z")