I’ve been attending two conferences in Czech Republic in the past few years, LinuxDays and OpenAlt. LinuxDays is a conference focused on Linux, while OpenAlt covers everything related to FOSS (it describes itself as local FOSDEM in Czechia). OpenAlt is not just conference though, it’s also a non-profit association that manages several FOSS projects in the Czech Republic and organizes monthly community meetups.

I’ve been living in Romania for over three years now, and I’ve realized there is no similar event here. That’s why I’ve decided to establish the Romanian branch of OpenAlt, with support from Czech OpenAlt community.

The goal of this community is to promote the use of FOSS tools, encourage contribution to Romanian OpenSource projects and organize in-person meetups.

To start, I’ve created a website and some communication channels. I’m also planning to organize in-person meetings in Cluj-Napoca, which I hope to hold on a bi-monthly basis (at least initially). If all goes well, I’d like to also establish a OpenAlt Romania Conference.

If you are interested, or want to get involved, you can join us on Matrix, Mastodon, LinkedIn or Discord. We will also welcome any feedback or suggestions.

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash