What
Our keynote panel, Open-source everywhere, includes several people in different industries. They’ll discuss how they’ve each used open-source technology, methods, or structures in their respective industries and efforts
We’ll learn about how it has affected their overhead, as well as the operating and community benefits they’ve seen with usage of open-source software or methodologies.
Why
Many attendees to WordCamps are people that already know the benefits of open-source; they’ve chosen a WordPress-focused company to build their product, work on open-source software, and so on. But – this isn’t the case for everyone. Many people and organizations – across dozens of key industries – either have an antiquated stigma around using open-source software, or may be unaware of the options available to them.
This affects our world deeply.
- A non-profit organization spending 20% of an operating budget on annual licensing fees. Their outreach ability is, in turn, reduced.
- Technologists in government offices being hindered against agile development and policy adjustments by proprietary software, and draconian vendor contracts. Their ability to help their communities is delayed.
- Educational facilities prevented from providing modern computers and software to their students due to contractual obligations with vendors, and the common usage of closed software. Students are then using out-dated systems and software, risking their curriculum being irrelevant, and their education being inefficient or ineffective.
Our hope is that these notable panelists will engage someone in the audience to make a change at their institution. Not necessarily to the altruism, progressive ethics, and global-perspectives that can be common with open-source projects, but rather the benefits in cost and logistics reduction – factors everyone places at a priority.
Get involved
The panel will be a series of (somewhat) curated questions in combination with questions submitted by attendees, and twitter.
Have a question you’d like us to ask at the panel? Tell us on twitter!
Our distinguished panelists
- Charlie Reisinger, IT Director, Penn Manor School District, Lancaster County. Contributing author to opensource.com.
- Cameron Barrett, Head of Web Innovation and Strategy, Newark Public School System.
- Courtney O’Callaghan, Chief Digital Officer, Smithsonian, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. WordPress Community Training Co-Chair.
- Dawn McDougall, Executive Director, Code for Philly.
- Howard Carson, Chief Technology Officer, USSN Co-op.
The moderator of this panel is Rami Abraham.