Background

In 2003/4 I started helping out with the Firefox project. This was my first real Open Source collab experience and I started by helping the new (and very few) Danish users on the Danish support forum. Soon I also translated extensions and made artwork for a primarily Danish and Scandinavian audience.

The Firefox experience really gave me a taste of Open Source, and it was not long before I got involved in several other projects. The OSS project which I definitely spent most time on after og alongside the Firefox project, was the translation of Open Office into Danish. This was in the 1.x days, and a lot have happened since then - especially peoples view on the office suite which is no longer seen as immature and very inferior to Microsoft Office.

So in 2005 I made a decision and wanted to move to Linux. Ubuntu was not that much a deal at that time, so at first my focus was directed to Mandrake (now Mandriva) and Fedora. But problems with my CD-Rom drive made me seek for help in my local Linux community (http://oejlug.dk), and a very friendly person decided to come by and help me out. We found the problem and a solution, and on his advice I decided to try Ubuntu 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog). I was not all that enthusiastic by Hoary, but it kept growing on my. When Dapper entered the stage, it was a point of no return

Detalis of myself

Name: Martin Pihl

Age: 27

Nationality: Danish

Email: martinpihl@gmail.com

My Launchpad profile: https://launchpad.net/~martinpihl

My blog: http://martinpihl.dk/words

My Ubuntu work

When Dapper was released and my legs at the same was swept away, I decided to become a part of the Ubuntu community by actively contributing to the project.

At first I helped out with translations but long time disagreements on language politics wore me out and decided to ut my efforts elsewhere. I turnede to the marketing groups which at that time had all communications on a web forum, and not on the mailing list as they later turned to. Among other things I was a part of the small group which concretely started to make a Ubuntu magazine. I actually do not know, if FullCircle Magazine is the result of that initial work back then.

My ,with no comparison, biggest contribution though, came when I decided to make my own Danish website (http://ubuntudanmark.dk) promoting Ubuntu in Denmark and helping new Danish Ubuntu users. At the time there was not much activity in the Danish LoCo team, so it was much easier to just make it myself. The website and forum (a Danish equivalent to ubuntuforums.org), which take almost all my 'Ubuntu time', has been very successful is by far the largest Danish Ubuntu site and the second largest Linux related site in Denmark.

Besides than just maintaining the website and keep the forums clean, organized and well-functioning we also launch different sub-project on the website from time to time. If you want to keep yourself updated on new events on the Ubuntudanmark forum you can subscribe to my blog where I will announce major events related to ubuntudanmark.dk: htt://blog.martinpihl.dk.

Vision of Ubuntu in the future

Denmark is one of the most advanced nations in the world when it comes to the use of Information Technology. This is also one of the reasons why several of the biggest software companies in the world place development departements here. Microsoft has based its largest development departement outside of the USA in Denmark, where it currently employs about 900 people.

Although being one of the worlds leading IT nations Denmark has one of Europe's lowest Open Source Software adoption rates with Firefox only having about 10% marketshare. Being one of the richest nations in the world also makes it easier for Microsoft to sell its Office suite here, making it more difficult for e.g. Open Office to compete.

Thus, I have three primary goals:

1) Increase the overall marketshare of Open Source Software in Denmark with Ubuntu as the front runner

2) With roots in ubuntudanmark.dk to get rid of Bug#1 in Denmark

3) Creating the potential of commercial interests in Ubuntu development and support.

The first to goals is very broad but contains a lot of sub-project which I implement through ubuntudanmark.dk and the Danish LoCo team. Number three is a crucial one as there is no companies in Denmark today who has commercial interest in Ubuntu, thus delimiting Ubuntus marketshare with private users as well as companies and institution.

So basically two things need to be done: Develop the Danish community so more people put efforts in contributing to Ubuntu in one way or the other, and establish the conditions where more people can make a living of doing Ubuntu related work (either as a developer, support or other).

Work and Studies

I have a background from Aarhus University where I mainly studied Aesthetics And Culture and supplemented it with Multimedias. However, I did not finish my studies but still took a lot of knowledge with my.

A the moment I works in Technical Support in a Danish software company which develops Content Management Systems and hosts websites. I work primarily with server-related issues, but also support the software itself.

I have previously worked as a producer/project manager in the theatre/music business. Together with a director I've established several bigger projects with up to 100 employees and volunteers, and also had a company of my own which made cultural projects.

My OSS Projects

Currently:

• http://ubuntudanmark.dk (takes all time)

Previously:

• UbuntuMarketing (#ubuntu-marketing)

• Ubuntu Translations

None-Ubuntu OSS work:

• Firefox (2003-06)
• Open Office (2005)
• Translation of various projects)

- Feel free to visit the Danish Ubuntu users at our IRC channel #ubuntu-dk @ freenode or on our forums: http://ubuntudanmark.dk/forum

Please also visit

DanishTeam

SupportOgDokumentation

DanishTeam/BidrageTilFællesskabet

DanishTeam/Møder

https://launchpad.net/bugs/1

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