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.
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
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.
-- DennisKaarsemaker ("Seveas"), 17 oct 2006
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).
-- MarcPortier, 17 oct 2006
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.
-- PierreBuyle, 17 oct 2006
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 
), 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.
-- JanClaeys 2006-10-17 11:47:16
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.
-- FrancoisCauwe, 17 oct 2006
Mark has done a phenominal job at editing and creating LoCo content at UDS-MTV.
-- Joey Stanford, 08 Nov 2006
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 !
-- Lionel Dricot, 03 Mar 2007
FOSDEM 2009 PR translations
Deutsch (coming up, slot already reserved)
Italiano (coming up, slot already reserved)