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Dear LibrePlanet visitor,

For the first time ever, [LibrePlanet 2020][1] was a fully
virtual conference due to ongoing issues caused by the
coronavirus pandemic. In our last week of preparations before the
live event, increasingly disturbing news related to the virus
made us realize we could not responsibly hold our usual
conference on software freedom in person while protecting the
safety of our participants and their communities. So we turned
everything around to eventually bring 35 free software
presentations to our community through the filter of a computer
screen. After the conference, we had many people writing to ask
us for more details about what we used to do it, so we wanted to
take this opportunity to share how we were able to create a fully
free interactive and educational virtual experience.

[1]: [link removed]

LibrePlanet 2020 videos were recorded from the livestream, and they
will be posted online soon. For the sessions that are not too
dependent on the visual information from the slides, we'll also
be providing the audiostreams via an RSS feed for anyone to
listen to while they exercise, bake, garden, or seek distraction
from very stressful times.

### The setup

Because our community is an international one, we have been
streaming our event online for years using fully free
software. Thankfully, the tech team could [build on this
experience][2] to make sure that we delivered a smooth online
conference. Previously, we used [HUBAngl][3], which was developed
specifically for LibrePlanet, by Free Software Foundation (FSF)
intern David Teste. It fetches audio and/or video input streams,
and then streams to the [Icecast][4] streaming server. The
streams that are broadcasted and stored can be audio-only,
video-only, or both at once.

[2]: [link removed]
[3]: [link removed]
[4]: [link removed]

In 2016, we gained some [livestreaming experience][5] when we
interviewed Edward Snowden live from Moscow. To minimize the risk
of failed recordings due to overly complex or error-prone
software systems, we made it a priority to achieve a pipeline
with low latency, good image quality, and low CPU usage. The
application we used then was [Jitsi Meet][6], and the [tech info
and scripts we used for streaming][7] from 2016 are available for
your information and inspiration.

[5]: [link removed]
[6]: [link removed]
[7]: [link removed]

Naturally, for this year, with no time for researching other
applications, we opted to build on our experience with Jitsi
Meet. We hosted our own instance for remote speakers to connect
to and enter a video call with the conference organizers. A
screen capture of this call was then simultaneously recorded by
the FSF tech team, and streamed out to the world via
[Gstreamer][8] and [Icecast][9]. Some parts of the Jitsi Meet
configuration were set up differently than suggested to bypass
recommendations of nonfree services or software. In the days
following the conference, we have already [improved the script we
used for streaming your screen or window][10], and it is free
for you to use and adapt.

[8]: [link removed]
[9]: [link removed]
[10]: [link removed]

At the time of the conference, it was still considered safe to
have a small number of people together, so we were able to have
some of our staff and volunteers in the office. Speakers called
in to a dedicated digital conference room for their session,
where they were assisted by a room monitor and a tech team member
who coordinated the session together. The call was received on a
local monitor in the office. Our [three digital conference
rooms][11] all had similar streaming setups, with the local
monitor being broadcast through Gstreamer to Icecast. The
desktops used were [ASUS KGPE-D16 motherboards with
Libreboot][12]; this hardware has previously also been certified
under the [Respects Your Freedom][13] (RYF) certification
program.

[11]: [link removed]
[12]: [link removed]
[13]: [link removed]

When everyone was ready and everything worked, they would start
the stream. All speakers were asked to deliver their slides in
advance. That way, if a presenter had trouble sharing their
screen with Jitsi Meet, the slides could be loaded from the FSF
server and controlled by the tech team member in charge of
coordinating that digital conference room as a backup
solution. In some exceptional cases, like major time differences
or panel coordination challenges, the talk was pre-recorded. If
so, it was played locally on the machine with the [mpv][14] video
player.

[14]: [link removed]

### Interactivity

We hosted interactive [IRC][15] sessions on the Freenode network. In
addition to a private channel to communicate directly with the speakers
about technical issues, we had a general \#libreplanet channel, and
additional channels for every conference "room." In these rooms, the
speakers connected directly to the audience to field questions and
join the conversation. We enlisted volunteers to monitor the rooms for
safe space policy issues, but the audience was so great and
enthusiastic that we did not have a single issue!

[15]: [link removed]

Each year at LibrePlanet, we've facilitated a self-organized
meeting of associate members who discuss the FSF's work and
opportunities, and share their feedback and ideas with us
afterward. We didn't want to miss out on this year's feedback, so
we moved the member meeting online as well. This required more
conversational communication and note taking, so we opted for a
combination of [Etherpad][16] for note taking and written
feedback, [Mumble][17] for voice communication, and the use of
the dedicated IRC channel.

[16]: [link removed]
[17]: [link removed]

### Issues and improvements

We had only a week to select and and optimize our streaming
setup, but the experience itself taught us a lot. If given the
opportunity, or for those of you now bringing your event online,
some things we would do differently are:

* We would set up a continuous stream and insert the session into
this; this would relieve the need to refresh between sessions
and improve the viewer experience.

* It is important to notify speakers of bandwidth used by the
streaming. Make sure they test their connection or have
dedicated Internet lines. This is especially important with
the international connections, as they showed to be more
unreliable than local connections; this presented itself mostly
in connection issues, and in difficulties with sharing the presentation screen.

* For a better experience for people on the move, or to
experience the event via mobile, we advise the deployment of
audio-only feeds and a lower bandwidth alternative feed for the
videos.

* The FSF tech team is currently experimenting with [Big Blue
Button][18] and [Canvas][19] for interactive streaming that
allows for video, slide sharing, and instant chat. We will post
about our work with these applications soon as well, and they
are worth considering if you are planning a conference,
interactive video session, or online meeting.

[18]: [link removed]
[19]: [link removed]

### Conclusion

Hosting your conference freely is absolutely possible. You do not
have to compromise freedom when you want to connect to your
community, and you most certainly do not have to settle for
proprietary software to help you communicate. You can read more
about this subject in our recently published article *[Better
than Zoom: Try these free software tools for staying in
touch][20]*, join the conversation on the [remote communication
email list][21], or contribute to our evolving [list of remote
communication tools][22] on the LibrePlanet wiki.

[20]: [link removed]
[21]: [link removed]
[22]: [link removed]

If you have an upcoming event and are interested in a
freedom-respecting setup, but need a hand, you can email us at
<[email protected]> and we might be able to help. In recent weeks, the
FSF technical and campaigns teams have spent a lot of time working on
and communicating about free communication tools. If you want to
help support our work in this space, and help us improve our
setup to develop more remote solutions, please consider
making a [donation][23].

[23]: [link removed]

Happy and healthy hacking!

Zoë Kooyman
Program Manager

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