MarkVanDenBorre

Hi! My name is Mark Van den Borre. I am a classical guitar teacher. I also lead a secret life as a digital freedom advocate.

http://map.ubuntu-be.org/leuven20061015/mq/img-10.jpg

https://launchpad.net/~markvdb

My ubuntu activities

  • 1999 (pre-ubuntu) - now: free software translation work, inside & outside ubuntu, see google & https://launchpad.net/people/mark-markvdb/+translations

  • 2004/10: ubuntu user since Warty

  • 2005/07: offer gstreamer MIDI integration bounty (see https://launchpad.net/bounties/gstreamer-midi)

  • 2006/03 - now: report bugs, see https://launchpad.net/people/mark-markvdb/+reportedbugs

  • 2006/02: set up a map of Ubuntu users in Belgium (code+ quiet beta launch, initially under http://www.vrijesoftware.be , Dutch for free-as-in-freedom-software.be)

  • 2006/05/27: organise a Dapper PR preparation meeting with 10 fellow Ubuntu users from Belgium. Relatively little if anything had happened between the ubuntu-be.org launch in 2006/02 and this date.
  • 2006/05/30: write Ubuntu 6.06 LTS/ubuntu-be.org press release, including quote from NL_BE education ministry IT policy chief
  • 2006/05/3x: write ubuntu-be.org NL_BE site contents, coordinate with FR_BE
  • 2006/06: /me ubuntu-be.org administrator, next to Lionel "ploum" Dricot who is more and more occupied by his very demanding first job, and thankful that someone takes action.

  • 2006/06: create use cases for LoCoTeam software infrastructure based upon team member input, see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BelgianTeam/SupportPointsSpec

  • 2006/06 - now: find & encourage php developers to create tools for our volunteers, set up launchpad infrastructure, see https://launchpad.net/people/mapdevs/+branch/support.points.map/dev

  • 2006/06/x: reformulate the ubuntu-be.org mission statement after group input, https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-be

  • 2006/06/01: gather press contacts; send off PR; be NL_BE press contact

  • 2006/06/01: Het Nieuwsblad interview (print newspaper, 212000 ex.), see http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=GI6T3PF2

  • 2006/06 - 2006/07: request, receive and distribute 900 Ubuntu 6.06 LTS CD's

  • 2006/09: search and find volunteers & funding for computer fair booths

  • 2006/09/2x: Het Bedrijf/L'entreprise, >10000 ex. SME magazine interview, see https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-be/2006-October/001109.html

  • 2006/09/26: shipit request: 999 Ubuntu 6.06 LTS 32 bit x86 for computer fairs
  • 2006/10/04: shipit received: 200 Ubuntu 6.06 LTS 23 bit x86 from shipit

  • 2006/10/07: fund Antwerp computer fair booth & CD-R's

  • 2006/10/08: promote Ubuntu at Antwerp computer fair booth

  • 2006/10/13: organise 2006/10/15 Leuven computer fair booth preparation meeting (7 people), see https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-be/2006-October/001145.html

  • 2006/10/14: print and cut 800 leaflets for fair booth

  • 2006/10/15: buy breakfast for booth participants & have great fun evangelising at booth, see http://map.ubuntu-be.org/leuven20061015

  • 2006/10/22: participation to Liège computer fair

  • 2006/10/29: participation to Oostende computer fair

  • 2006/11/04-11: Ubuntu Developer Summit, Mountain View

  • 2006/11/05: help prepare Kortrijk fair booth

  • 2006/11/26: organise Gent computer fair booth

  • 2006/12/10: organise Mechelen computer fair booth

  • (awful lot of activities still missing here, especially a lot of fairs)
  • 2007/01-02: participated in ubuntu certified professional training pilot, Geneva
  • 2007/01/31: 10' national radio interview on ubuntu (occasion: Vista launch)

  • 2007/02/24-25: ubuntu booth, meeting, volunteer at FOSDEM, Dennis Kaarsemaker & Sebastian Schauenburg at my place

  • 2007/03/05-08: ubuntu booth & presentation at http://vlod.be / http://cst.be : IT in education fair

  • 2007/06/19: ubuntu presentation at request of JOCI.org, Brussels
  • 2007/09/09: ubuntu booth at dipro fair, Antwerpen
  • 2007/09/16: ubuntu booth at dipro fair, Gent
  • 2007/10/14: travel to NL, meeting with Sebastian Schauenburg
  • 2007/05/06-08: Ubuntu Developer Summit, Sevilla
  • 2007/10/21: ubuntu presentation at Ubuntu release party, Brussels
  • 2007/10/28 - 2007/11/02: Ubuntu Developer Summit, MIT, Boston
  • 2008/01/05-06: organisation of ubuntu-be.org meeting

My ubuntu plans

I want to continue actively leading the ubuntu-be.org community for at least one year, like I have done after Lionel Dricot became less active. I like its current form as a rather informal horizontal organisation, but will seek a more formal recognition from the Belgian team members if necessary.

Some non-ubuntu things

These should give you an idea how I am dedicated to digital freedom:

  • 1997: start using free software (install floppy Linux router at former primary school)
  • (exact date lost, students don't make enough backups): Larry Sanger creates nl.wikipedia.org at my request

  • 2000: wiki user, UseModWiki, first free software translation

  • 2000: project musicaliberata: free-as-in-freedom music content, content absorbed into Mutopia project (http://mutopiaproject.org)

  • 2002 - now: FOSDEM (Free & Open Source Developer Meeting) volunteer, see http://fosdem.org

  • 2002/07/31: first contribution to Mutopia free-as-in-freedom sheet music archive, see http://mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?searchingfor=borre

  • 2002 - now: cofounder & sysadmin for openstandaarden.be, stimulating open standards in digital communication, see http://openstandaarden.be

  • 2003 - now: software patents are an insult to creative minds, FFII volunteer, see http://ffii.org; actions taken: explaining to members of Strasbourg parliament, organising demonstration s, kayaking in front of European parliament, see http://gallery.ffii.org/Strasbourg050705/00071_G Smile :)

  • 2004 & later: financial contribution to GNU Lilypond music typesetting software

  • 2004/10 - now: install & maintain Debian based thin client system at my former primary school as a volunteer

  • 2005: financial contribution to GCompris education software

  • 2006/02: started small free software business, see http://lusis.be (NL)

Some of my qualities (to be completed)

  • language skills (important for ubuntu-be.org!!!, we have 3 official languages and quite a few imported ones):
    • NL native, +++

    • FR read & speak: ++, write +

    • EN read/write/speak ++
    • DE read ++ speak +- write =
    • IT: read +
    • ES: read =

Endorsements

Mark is an inspiration for both the belgian and dutch locoteam. He's very active and dedicated to both Ubuntu and FOSS in general. His contributions to the -be team are, as you can see above, both significant and sustained (many months already). I would love to see him as official Ubuntu member.

I've learned to know Mark through his remarkable interventions on the ubuntu-be list. What he says and does shows a quite remarkable combination of "pragmatism, focus and drive" with a gentle care for both bystanders and people with different opinions. Ubuntu-be is a better place with him around. Appart from that, he has been identified as a genuine super-hero (with alter ego! http://blogs.cocoondev.org/mpo/archives/004628.html).

Mark is an enthusiast Ubuntu and Free Software advocate. His motivation is very communicative. He is really dedicated to Ubuntu and Ubuntu-be and will certainly be a valable official Ubuntu member.

Ever since I have known Mark (must have been about 2001, I think), he has been working on promoting open standards (e.g. openstandaarden.be), actions against software patents (guess who was in the kayaks that circled around the yacht that was rented by the pro-swpats lobbyists Wink ;-) ), and helping to give FOSS a wider audience (e.g. as a FOSDEM volunteer and now with Ubuntu-be). What makes him invaluable is, in my opinion, that he's good at pushing projects and people forward, so that things actually happen.

Mark is the responsible for dutch speaking ubuntu-be, and he proved already that he knows how to organize the local community. He tries to do it on a very professional way and he motivates all the other team-members do the same.

Mark has done a phenominal job at editing and creating LoCo content at UDS-MTV.

Mark is an awesome guy... well, given the work he does for Ubuntu-be and LoCo teams, I would rather say : Mark is ten awesome guys !

FOSDEM 2009 PR translations

Deutsch (coming up, slot already reserved)

English

Français

Italiano (coming up, slot already reserved)

Nederlands

Estonian

Greek

Danish

Hungarian

Macedonian

MarkVanDenBorre (last edited 2009-01-12 18:28:30 by 77)