I was at Open Source Day 2024 in Florence

At the beginning of March, I had the chance to visit Florence and take part in OS Day 2024.

Writing this took me more time than it should have. Especially that was an exceptional event for me.

OS Day 2024

After a bit of problematic travel(train, plane, bus - 2/3 were late), I arrived in Florence for OS Day 2024. As the name stands - it was a conference about everything related to Open Source. This made sure that during one conference we could learn a bit about CMSs, space rockets, and the Internet of Things for cats. With such a spectrum of topics, I was sure I would have a lot of fun.

The whole event was organized amazingly - everything clicked perfectly. The venue, the talks, and the amazing group of people. This was one of those events that made my inner Pole suffer because there was nothing wrong with it - and believe me, we love to nitpick such things.

Usually, in moments like this I use the "coffee was shitty" card, but not here - there was an amazing specialty coffee place nearby. BTW Ditta Artigianale Riva d'Arno is a truly 5 ⭐ place. Amazing drip and aeropress.

Speaking

This event was special for me because it was the first time when I was speaking at a non-WordPress event. It was a bit of a rollercoaster because at first I wasn't selected but someone had to back off and here I was 😄

My talk was about Is the headless architecture really the future for CMSs? You can even re-watch my talk:

Am I happy with it? Yeah - I think went nicely and I truly hope that my talk will help others when deciding if going headless is a good idea.

Also, if you want to learn more about the topic, check out the articles below:

• Is going headless worth the fuss?

• Is it worth converting your WordPress to headless?

Being an MC

Speaking at the non-WordPress event wasn't the only new thing I did in Florence. I was also an MC for half of the first day together Lorenzo. It was a cool experience and I think I will want to do something like this more often.

Also, I'm happy that I didn't fall off the stage - which happened twice and I was a centimeter away from doing the same 😄

The best talks

Harry Potter and the Elastic Python Clients by Iulia Feroli

This was a fascinating talk showing how we can benefit from using advanced search engines and machine learning. If you ever wondered how to make searching book content more interesting, you should watch this talk.

From the origin to the future of Open Source model and business by Francesco Corti

I'm not sure what I enjoyed more - the content of this talk or Franscesco's energy. Francesco went through all the stages of Open Source and explained how it changed over the years. Very informative talk.

From Smart Home to Smart Cats: extending my home automation to my pets by Paolo Insogna

What happens if you have a house and you are a nerd? The smart home happens. But now let's add a bunch of lovely cats to the equation. Paolo described his journey with making his smart home cat-friendly.

From Earth to Orbit: The Journey of Linux in Space by Sal Kimmich

Many people use phrases like "over the moon" etc, but Sal is one of few people who is using them in a literal way. She talked about how Linux ended up in space and what problems the community had to overcome along the way.

Open Source Isn't What It Used to Be by PJ Hagerty

PJ Hagerty started this year's edition of OS Day. In his talk, he shared his thoughts about how Open Source evolved and how to be a good Open Source citizen.

Florence

This was my first time in Italy and in Florence, so I was quite excited to walk around and see it. Luckily I had a great guide - Carlo Daniele. I must admit that Florence is beautiful. Sadly, I only had a limited amount of time, so I could walk around the town without visiting any museums. That said, I'm certain that next year I will come back with the rest of my family, so we can spend more time sightseeing.

I also had a chance to try the famous Italian coffee. It was exactly how I suspected - bad. It wasn't a surprise at all, but I still can't understand that a nation that had such an influence when it comes to coffee hardware, treats coffee in such an instrumental way.

Time to sum up

It was an amazing event and I'm almost certain that I will come back for OS Day 2025. Congratulations to the whole team responsible for organizing this event. I know how difficult it is, but you managed to do everything just right.

Don't forget to visit the official gallery.