GNU and Free Software Speakers

We often get requests for speakers who can represent the GNU Project and/or the free software movement at a conference, event or panel discussion. You can use this page to find someone to speak on behalf of the GNU Project and/or the free software movement. Speakers are listed in alphabetical order by last name. If you would like to invite one of these speakers to an event, please contact the speaker directly via email.

This page ends with advice to people who would like to become speakers.

Véronique Bonnet <veronique@gnu.org>

Biography

Véronique Bonnet teaches philosophy. She was president of April from 2020 to 2022.

Topics

Véronique can address the following topics:

Presentation of the history, concepts and stakes (social, legal, political, etc.) of free software
Political and institutional fights around free software
Threats to free software: DRM, software patents, bundled sales/racketware, etc.
A philosophical lecture about the ethics of free software
Presentation of GNU philosophy

Languages

Véronique speaks French.

Loïc Dachary <loic@gnu.org>

Biography

Loïc first got involved in free software in 1987. He is now a senior developer who has contributed to many software projects. In January 2001 he initiated Savannah to improve the infrastructure of the GNU Project. Loïc also does volunteer work for free software organizations, mostly in Europe, to protect free software from legal threats and promote cooperation and freedom.

Topics

Development of free software
Free software and hacktivism
The infrastructure and dynamics of the GNU Project
Free software solutions for information retrieval

Languages

Loïc speaks French and English.

Nagarjuna G. <nagarjun@gnu.org.in>

Biography

Nagarjuna G. is one of the founding members of the FSF India and currently serving as its Chairperson. He held a faculty position at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR in Mumbai. He is an author and maintainer of the GNU project GNOWSYS, and leads the Gnowledge Lab in Mumbai. He holds M.Sc.(Biology), M.A. (Philosophy) from University of Delhi and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in the area of Philosophy of Science.

Topics

Nagarjuna G. is willing to deliver speeches about the following topics:

Introduction to Free Software Movement (Why Free Software?)
Roadblocks to Free Society
Why Free/Open Document Standards is Mandatory and not an Option
Free Knowledge, Free Software and Free Society
On the Fundamental Right to Read, Write and Execute
Free Software for Education

Languages

Nagarjuna prefers to give speeches in English, but if the situation demands, he can also manage in Hindi and Telugu.

Ricardo Galli <gallir@uib.es>

Biography

Ricardo Galli is an advocate of free software. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and he is a professor of the University of Balearic Islands. He has more than 40 scientific papers, some of them devoted to free software issues. He has been teaching Operating System subjects based exclusively on free software and GNU/Linux since 1993. He has released several Free Software programs (cpudyn, llaut, wp-cache, etc.). He research interests include Small Worlds graphs, the impact of free software on the regional economy and ethics applied to the use of software in research and high level education.

Topics

Ricardo Galli is willing to deliver speeches about the following topics:

Definition and ethical aspects of free software.
Economic impact of free software.
Free software and Informatic Profession.
Ethics, software, patents and copyright in the Information Society.
Free software as an opportunity to [technologically] peripheral regions.

Languages

Spanish, English and comfortable with Catalan speaking audiences.

Joshua Gay <jgay@gnu.org>

Biography

Joshua Gay was the editor of the book Free Software, Free Society. He is active in and familiar with a number of free software and free culture communities.

Topics

Joshua Gay can speak about:

How you can help: Strategies for communicating and organizing around free software ideals
Why software should be free
Introduction to the GPLv3 and free software licensing

Languages

English

Georg C. F. Greve <greve@gnu.org>

Biography

Georg C. F. Greve is a Physicist (German Diploma from the University of Hamburg) with experience in the areas of medical science, physical oceanography, biophysics and nanotechnology, although computer science has always been a focal point. Example activities are his authorship of the monthly GNU forum “Brave GNU World” and the program GNU Xlogmaster. He is also initiator and president of the FSF Europe.

Topics

Topics Georg Greve can speak about include

Visions for free software and the FSF
Background, concept and future of the FSF Europe
History, background and philosophy of free software and the GNU Project
"Copyright in the internet age": implications for copyright of the digital revolution.
Commercial, practical and sociological aspects of free software and the GNU Project
The Brave GNU World

Languages

Greve speaks English and German fluently, and can deliver speeches in either language.

Dr Peter Heath <pheath@hct.ac.ae>

Biography

Peter is the Program Chair for Bachelors & Masters IT programs at Abu Dhabi Men's College in the United Arab Emirates. Peter's first experience with GNU/Linux was a Caldera CD in 1999. This experience has given him a profound appreciation for the recent advances in auto-configuration of X-Windows. Peter has been a leading proponent of Free Software at ADMC since joining in 2004.

Topics

Peter can speak about the following

The Economics of Free Software
Free Software in the Technical College

Languages

Peter can deliver talks in English. He remembers half of the French he took in high school, and can order Lebanese food in Arabic.

Federico Heinz <fheinz@vialibre.org.ar>

Biography

Federico Heinz is a latin-american programmer and free software advocate living in Argentina. He is a co-founder of La Fundación Vía Libre , a non-profit organization that promotes the free flow of knowledge as a motor for social progress, and the use and development of free software as a powerful tool towards that goal. He has helped legislators such a Argentina's Ing. Dragan, Dr. Conde and Peru's Dr. Villanueva draft and defend legislation demanding the use of Free Software in all areas of public administration.

Topics

Federico can speak to audiences on a range of topics around Free Software, including:

general aspects of free software and the free software movement
Free software's role for poor and developing countries
Free software in the public administration
Free software as an enabler for sustainable development
Free software in education

Languages

Federico speaks fluent Spanish, English and German, and can deliver speeches in any of these languages.

Kefah T. Issa <kefah.issa@freesoft.jo>

Biography

Kefah Issa is a software programmer, he holds a BSc degree in electrical engineering from the University of Jordan. He is an activist and an advocate to free software in the Arab World, participating in many events. He got extensive experience in delivering commercial software solutions across a wide range of applications. Kefah wrote a document in Arabic, “Free Software Whitepaper”, introducing free software and detailing the various strategic reasons why it should be considered.

Topics

Kefah can speak about the following topics:

Definition and Ethical / Moral aspects of free software.
Economic and Social Impact of free software.
Strategy and helping decision makers on why should free software be adopted for Governments,Educational Organizations, and Businesses in general.

Languages

Kefah T. Issa speaks Arabic and English he can give talks in both.

Jose E. Marchesi <jemarch@gnu.org>

Biography

Jose E. Marchesi is a long-term GNU hacker. In 1999, he founded GNU Spain, and he later assisted in the creation of GNU Italy and GNU Mexico. He maintains several GNU programs such as sed and GNU Recutils and is a member of the GNU Advisory Comittee.

Topics

Jose can address the following topics:

Free Software
The GNU Project

Languages

Jose gives speeches in Spanish.

Alexandre Oliva <lxoliva@fsfla.org>

Biography

Alex is one of the founding board members of FSF Latin America. Since early 1990s, he has been free software user, then volunteer developer, then evangelist and professional toolchain developer. He holds Computing Engineering (1995) and Master in Computer Sciences (1998) degrees from the University of Campinas, where he pursues a Doctorate degree in Computer Sciences.

Topics

Free software philosophy and the GNU project
Moral, economic and legal aspects of software freedom
GPLv2, GPLv3, and some other licenses
Copyright, patents, Digital Restrictions Management and other threats to your freedoms
Free software in Latin America

Languages

Alex is a native Brazilian Portuguese speaker and a fluent English speaker.

Javier Sepúlveda <javier.sepulveda@uv.es>

Biography

Javier Sepúlveda is the founder and executive director of VALENCIATECH, which runs GNU/Linux servers using free software exclusively. He was a professor of computer science for over ten years, and has worked as a programmer, systems administrator, and consultant. He donates his time to the GNU Project, the Free Software Foundation, and the Asociación de Usuarios de GNU/Linux de Valencia. He lives in Valencia, Spain, with his wife and two children.

Topics

The free software movement and the GNU/Linux operating system
Free software and education

Languages

Javier can give speeches in Spanish and English.

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>

Biography

Richard Stallman is the founder of the GNU Project, launched in 1984 to develop the free operating system, GNU.

In October 1985 he founded the Free Software Foundation, and served as its president until September 2019.

Richard Stallman is the principal author of the GNU C Compiler, the GNU symbolic debugger (GDB), GNU Emacs, and various other GNU programs.

Topics

Richard Stallman has prepared speeches on the following topics:

The Free Software Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System (Textual summary of this speech.)
Copyright vs. Community in the Age of Computer Networks (Transcription of a speech on this subject.)
A Free Digital Society (Transcription of a similar speech.)
The Danger of Software Patents (Transcription of a speech on this subject.)

Audio and video recordings of these and other speeches by Richard stallman.

Dr. Stallman is also available for press interviews and panel discussions concerning all aspects of the GNU project and the Free Software Movement.

Languages

Dr. Stallman speaks English, French, and Spanish fluently, and can deliver speeches in any of those languages.

Becoming a speaker

If you have been working for some time in the free software movement and you would like to become a speaker, here are some suggestions.

Carefully read the materials in the philosophy, gnu, and licenses directories.
Arrange some opportunities to give speeches, perhaps to local organizations in your area.
When you feel you are ready, record a speech and email us to send us the recording. We'll then give you feedback and perhaps decide to list you as a speaker.
If you can present the free software ideas clearly in a foreign language, you can surely do it even better in your first language. Thus, if we get a good recorded speech in a non-native language, we can list you as a speaker for that language and for your first language too.

However, the inference doesn't go in the other direction: we don't know how well you speak a foreign language unless we check. Thus, if you would like to be listed for speeches in languages other than your first language, please show us recordings in those other languages.
If you are not an experienced public speaker already, Toastmasters International is useful for practicing and learning about speaking. You need not pay great attention to their merit badges and degrees, unless you find those important to motivate you. The most important thing they offer is practice and feedback.