Linux Foundation Europe Newsletter - October 2024

What’s spookier than Halloween? Realizing that sometimes, what you thought was a feature is just a bug!

As we close out October, we're pleased to share some updates for the open source community. Recordings from the LF Europe Member Summit held in September are now available, featuring insightful discussions on key topics. In this edition, you’ll also find information about our new policy working group and details on the upcoming event in Amsterdam for members. We hope you find these resources valuable as we continue to advance open source in Europe together.

Let's go!

Table of Contents

• News & announcements
• Updates from Linux Foundation Europe projects
• Top picks for reading/watching
• New publications and surveys from LF Research
• Training & certification deals
• Upcoming events
• Partner with Linux Foundation Europe for your next open source event
• Say “Hi!” to the LF Europe Team 👋
  
  

News & announcements 🗞️

Join our Public Sector Open Source SIG

We are excited to announce the launch of a new policy special interest group (SIG) aimed at fostering collaboration on open source governance and advocacy across Europe. This initiative is designed to bring together diverse voices from the public sector and Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) to strengthen our collective efforts in shaping policies that support open source. Whether you are involved in government, technology, or open source projects, we invite anyone interested in participating to get in touch and contribute to this important dialogue.

Additionally, we would like to highlight the upcoming Open Source Software Stewards and Manufacturers Workshop, an invite-only event dedicated to addressing the work necessary for implementing the EU Cyber Resilience Act. This workshop will bring together Linux Foundation projects, members, and contributors to collaborate on formalizing community cybersecurity specifications, providing compliance guidance, and developing effective compliance processes and tooling for both upstream projects and manufacturers. For more details, visit the event page here. 

LF Europe and Digital Sovereignty: Insights from Digital Gipfel 2024

Revisit an insightful panel discussion featuring Dr. Mirko Böhm, Senior Director of Community Development at Linux Foundation Europe, at the Digital Gipfel. The panel, titled "Joint Digital Sovereignty: How EU States Remain Capable of Action Through Cooperation and Co-creation," explores how open, secure, and interoperable digital infrastructure can enhance sovereignty while fostering international collaboration amidst global crises.

Held under the theme ‘Digital Germany – Innovative. Sovereign. International,’ the event was co-hosted by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. With notable speakers including the German Chancellor and the Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the discussion sheds light on the current state of digitalization in Germany, which remains a critical area for improvement. 

LF Europe Member Summit Recordings

We are excited to announce that the recordings from the LF Europe Member Summit are now available! Catch all the insightful discussions and keynotes that took place during this dynamic event. Here are the sessions you can rewatch:

1. Keynote: ApeiroRA: Open-Source Toolbox for Your Own Cloud Infrastructure
2. The Role of Openness in Responsible AI
3. Open Source Collaboration by Public Sector Stakeholders
4. Keynote: EMBAG - The New Swiss Open Source Law and Its Implementation
5. Neutral Multi-Stakeholder Governance for Digital Public Goods
6. Open Discussion: Shape the Future of Linux Foundation Europe
7. Linux Foundation Europe & Global Project Updates
8. A Vision for Open Source in Europe
9. Keynote: Looking Ahead: The Future of Linux Foundation Europe

Want to organise an open source event near you? Sponsor a LF Europe Roadshow

LF Europe Roadshows are dynamic, one-day events held twice a year, bringing together grassroots community members and executives for a unique blend of collaboration.  For more details, check out the sponsorship prospectus. 

Why Sponsor?
Gain visibility and engage with key players in the open source community. Showcase your commitment to innovation and collaborate with industry leaders. Get in touch for more information

Updates from Linux Foundation Europe projects 🚀

Open Mobile Hub:

We are excited to announce the release of a new blog post by Callstack, introducing the OMH Cloud Storage module! This latest addition to the Open Mobile Hub ecosystem simplifies cloud storage integration for React Native developers, enhancing flexibility across both GMS and non-GMS devices. The module enables seamless file management, making it easier for developers to store, retrieve, and manage data across cloud environments. Check out the full post on Callstack's blog here and join the conversation on LinkedIn and X. Stay tuned for more updates from the Open Mobile Hub team!

OpenWallet Foundation:

In early October, OpenWallet launched the Forum at the Global DPI Summit in Cairo and later showcased itat the World Telecommunication Standards Assembly (WTSA) in New Delhi, where it received overwhelming support from UN Member States worldwide. We are eagerly anticipating the first meeting of the new Government Consultative Committee  and advancing cooperation among the critical staekholders in developing interoperable digital wallets

On October 17, 2024, Mirko Mollik, Chair of the Wallets Overview SIG, hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session to discuss the group's ongoing work, the current state of its public resources, and future direction. It was an insightful exchange for those interested in digital wallets and the SIG’s initiatives.

To get involved and learn more:

• Mailing List: Join here
• Discord: Connect here
• GitHub: Explore here
• Meetings: Every other Thursday, 7am PT, 10am ET, 4pm CET Join via Zoom

For a full recap, visit the OWF blog.

Servo:

October started with Servo contributors and team members participating in various events—GOSIM China and Ubuntu Summit . Alongside this, we made significant progress on layout, fonts, and nightly builds for OHOS. This month, we also received several contributions from Outreachy candidates.

Some of the highlights were:

- Implement keyword sizes for intrinsic contributions

- Prevent `stretch` from producing a negative size

- Implemented DOMMatrix `stringifier`

- Instantiate system fonts using system font loaders

- Published nightly builds for OHOS

Sylva:

Sylva made an impactful presence at NetworkX 2024, contributing to key conversations on telecom innovation and the increasing role of cloud-native and open source solutions in reshaping the industry.

Sylva members led insightful panels, including:

• Building Cloud-Native for Telco with Open Source: Highlighted Kubernetes' impact on workload management and industry collaboration.
• How Close Are Telcos to Cloud-Native Networks?: Addressed adoption challenges like skills, technology, and investment, with insights from successful deployments.
• Building True Cloud-Native: Tackled CSP hesitation, security concerns, and legacy system integration.
• Telco Transformation: From Telco to Tech-Co: Explored automation, AI, and edge computing in telecom's shift toward tech-driven operations.

Sylva also took the main stage with a presentation on Tackling CaaS and CNF Integration Fragmentation, spotlighting our efforts to streamline cloud-native functions.

Join the Sylva Community - We're setting the stage for a smarter, more connected world. 🌐

RISE

The RISE Project was thrilled to participate in the LF Europe Member Summit in Vienna, where we shared the stage with other LF Europe projects and explored adjacent initiatives like Zephyr. The event sparked valuable discussions on open source challenges within Europe and offered insights into the broader ecosystem.

Looking ahead, RISE is gearing up for RISC-V Summit North America in Santa Clara, where over 1,000 RISC-V developers will gather to discuss the latest advancements. RISE is proud to be a Bronze sponsor, with a booth and sponsored lounge onsite. Our co-chair, Barna Ibrahim (RIVOS), will deliver a keynote reflecting on 18 months of progress and future goals. We hope to see you there, or you can catch the recorded keynote afterward!

On the technical front, RISE recently issued RFP011 (Python package support for 64-bit RISC-V), with bidding closed on October 16. Stay updated on our active wiki: wiki.riseproject.dev.

As the year winds down, we’re preparing for a busy start to 2025 with FOSDEM, Embedded World, and RISC-V Summit Europe in Paris. Stay tuned!

Top picks for reading/watching 📚

✨ What’s in the SOSS? Podcast #17 – Intel’s Katherine Druckman and the Impact of Developer Relations
Join CRob as he discusses developer relations (DevRel) with Katherine Druckman, Open Source Evangelist at Intel. Katherine shares her passion for open source and her extensive experience as a developer and podcaster.
Listen to the podcast

✨ Celebrating Two Years of Linux Foundation Europe
Gabriele Columbro, General Manager of Linux Foundation Europe, reflects on the organization's growth, now with 173 members and five active projects. He discusses its engagement with the EU on key policy issues, including the CRA and AI Act.
Watch the interview

✨ Sylva Project Case Study: Leading Innovation in Open Source and Telco Cloud
Discover how the Sylva Project is driving innovation in the European tech landscape and transforming the telco cloud sector in our latest case study.
Read the case study

✨ Exploring Funding Solutions for Open Source Maintenance
In our latest blog post, we examine the challenges of open source project sustainability and explore targeted funding as a potential solution. We also review a recent report by the Sovereign Tech Fund on public investment in open source maintenance and security.
Learn more

Latest LF Research Reports:

In response to shifting winds in the IT sector — including generative AI impacts and budgeting constraints — Intel sponsored LF Research to survey the open source developer community, asking the strategic question: What do you need to advance your career? Learn more in this report.

The healthcare sector in Europe is at a pivotal moment, with increasing demands for efficient data management and patient care. Engaging with the system—whether as a patient, provider, researcher, administrator, or IT manager—often reveals challenges related to data exchange and portability. To explore how open source can enhance interoperability in this sector, LF Research conducted a study on its application in health data management and its potential to improve health data portability.

This qualitative report examines the unique characteristics of the healthcare sector, highlighting the significant interoperability gaps among its data systems. It also discusses how generative AI could serve as a transformative opportunity to overcome these challenges. The author addresses common (mis)perceptions of open source and its benefits for the healthcare sector, concluding with a call to develop a unified architecture of standards and technologies to foster innovation and enhance data sharing.

Training & certification🐧

FREE Course “Developing Secure Software”

Many software developers lack training in secure software development, leaving the systems they develop vulnerable to exploitation. Addressing this skills gap is crucial; for example, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) recognizes the need to enhance cybersecurity skills as a priority in both the public and private sector. Article 10 of the CRA emphasises the importance of developing the necessary skilled workforce. 

Our free course “Developing Secure Software” (LFD121) equips software developers - including DevOps professionals, software engineers, and web application developers - with the fundamentals and essential skills to create secure software. You can earn a free certificate upon completion, demonstrating your commitment to secure coding practices. This course explains how to create and maintain systems that are resilient against attacks, reduce damage from successful attacks, and improve response times. It covers the key topics of security basics, requirements, design, reusing external software, implementation, verification, threat modelling, and cryptography. It addresses common vulnerabilities and practical countermeasures. This online course is self-paced with “bite-sized” units for busy schedules. We don’t assume knowledge of any specific programming language. Along with interactive quizzes, we have recently added labs, making it easier for participants to practise while learning. In short, if you develop software, please enroll today in “Developing Secure Software” (LFD121).

Upcoming events 🗓️

• Cephalocon in Geneva, Switzerland🇨🇭Dec 4–5, 2024
• Open Source Software Stewards and Manufacturers Workshop Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱 Dec 10–11, 2024
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2025 in London, England 🇬🇧 Apr 1–4, 2025 
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱 Mar 23–26, 2026

• BackstageCon Europe London, England 🇬🇧 Apr 1, 2025

• CiliumCon Europe London, England 🇬🇧 Apr 1, 2025

• Open Source Summit Europe Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱 Aug 25–27, 2025

To register for in-person attendance or virtual LF events, please view our full calendar of events here, and be sure to subscribe to our events newsletter. Check out our Flickr stream for photos of past events!

Partner with Linux Foundation Europe for your next open source event

Planning an open source event in Europe? Let Linux Foundation Europe amplify your event's reach! To our members, we offer promotion on our social channels and newsletters, connecting you with a broad audience of open source enthusiasts. 

Reach out if you'd like a Linux Foundation Europe team member to speak at your local open source event. 

As an independent, trusted supporter, and vendor-neutral hub for open source projects in Europe, we accelerate collaborative efforts, connecting public and private sectors and individual contributors. 

Say “Hi!” to the LF Europe Team 👋

If you’d like to stay updated with what we’re up to at LF Europe, subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn & Discord.

We are excited to invite you to join the newly launched Bluesky channel of the Linux Foundation Europe for open source initiatives. We aim to create a platform where open source enthusiasts and experts can come together to discuss, collaborate, and work towards advancing the open source movement. Please check this link to follow. 

If you have ideas for new projects, please feel free to contact us at info@linuxfoundation.eu. We would be glad to explore how we can support your efforts. 

Finally, please also consider supporting LF Europe by participating (it’s free for existing Linux Foundation members, not for profit and public sector entities). 

On behalf of the LF Europe team, we look forward to hearing from you!