User:Pfitzgerald
Introduction and Biography
Contact Details edit
Contact Details
My contact details in short:
- Email: patrickf at opensuse.org
- Twitter: @pfitzerald
- Telegram: @pfitzgerald
Hello all, I'm Patrick Fitzgerald, though I was born in Australia, I'm now based in Germany after more than 20 years living in London.
I've spent almost my entire adult life working with technology. Firstly with DOS based systems, then later with OS/2, and since 2000 I've been involved in Linux and open source.
From a technology perspective I'm gained a great deal of experience over the years, with deep knowledge of system admin, system design, storage, networking and programming being part of my skill set.
I've been a fan of openSUSE/SUSE for at least the last 12 years, and have given several presentations at both SUSE and openSUSE events. (Some more memorable than others). For the last 12 months I've been helping Doug DeMaio run the openSUSE stand at events in Germany, Italy and Croatia. One of my companies, Required Magic, was a sponsor of this year's openSUSE Summit.
Goals (2022)
Should I be elected to the board, I would work with the other board members and the community to improve the scale and the scope of the project. A large part of this would involve researching methods by which it may become a charitable foundation (or equivalent). In short, a charitable foundation:
- would serve as a target for donations from individuals and companies
- dispense those donated funds appropriately to projects and events
- would accelerate it's growth and enable more members, events and projects
- help ensure the long term survival of the overall project
I've already been working with the board to produce a document that outlines the ways, means and methods by which this aim might be realised.
Goals (2023)
Well that was a quick year.
Shortly after I was elected I decided that the best course of action would be... to take action. Hence the Geeko Foundation now exists, and is starting to attract donations - from Arm, Google and others.
Not to mention all the donations made by the community in the form of openSUSE merchandise!
If you haven't already visited, take a look at https://geekos.org - things are moving along quite nicely. We've presented and/or co-sponsored at a number of different events: DORS/CLUC, openSUSE Asia Summit, and Google Summer of Code. More to come (see you at FOSDEM)!
Goals (2024)
- Further integrating the fund raising side of the Geeko Foundation with Opensuse projects, and attracting more external projects.
- Providing more infrastructure dedicated to Opensuse use
- Imagining and integrating new means of communication and collaboration
- Imagining new ways to attract new members (both developers and users)
SO... Vote for me if...
- if you care about the future of the openSUSE project
- if you want to see it expand to cover more projects - possibly even your own ;)
- if you want it to become the distribution of choice - for everybody
- if you want me to help drive the agenda of the Geeko Foundation
BUT... DON'T vote for me if...
- you are happy with things the way they are
- you don't want to grow the project
- you prefer to use Windows... ;)
I'm a fervent believer in opensource technology, have been consulting and deploying it to companies large and small for the better part of 20 years. I've served the interests of my own customers for all that time.
Now I'd like to like to serve your interests in the next phase of the openSUSE project, with the same drive and commitment that I have displayed throughout my working life.
Electing me to the board will serve the project well.
Vote Fitz (again!) 2023!