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Texas Linux Fest 2026: travel support to record Fedora Podcast episodes on site #148

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opened 2026-08-29 17:08:02 +00:00 by itguyeric · 3 comments

itguyeric commented

2026-08-29 17:08:02 +00:00

Name

Eric Hendricks

FAS username

itguyeric

How do you primarily contribute to Fedora?

I host the Fedora Podcast. I run the show end to end: booking guests, writing the episode guides, recording, editing, cutting the audio and video, and publishing to Fireside, YouTube, PeerTube, and Discourse. Recent episodes include "What is CentOS?" with Amy Marrich, Troy Dawson, and Shaun McCance, and an episode on EPEL with Carl George. I also promote Fedora releases and community work to the broader Linux audience I have built through The IT Guy Show.

Event name(s)

Texas Linux Fest 2026

Event dates

from 6 November 2026 to 7 November 2026

Event location(s)

Austin, Texas, United States

Event URL(s)

https://2026.texaslinuxfest.org/

Event description(s)

Texas Linux Fest is a two day regional Linux and open source conference, now in its second decade, with around 40 speakers and 500 seats. It is held at the Commons Conference Center, 10100 Burnet Road, on UT Austin's J.J. Pickle Research Campus. It draws a mix of sysadmins, developers, students, and hobbyists from across Texas and the surrounding states.

The 2026 program has real Fedora and enterprise Linux content on it, including "Transactional Systems in the Fedora Ecosystem" from Neal Gompa and Shawn W Dunn, "RHELevant security practices: SELinux, Keylime, USBGuard hardening lab" from Joshua Loscar, and "Linux and RISC-V: 2026 Edition." Several CentOS contributors are already planning to be there.

Support requested

Hotel, Travel—air, Travel—taxi/ride-share/parking

Travel expenses

$430

Hotel expenses

$480

Accessibility needs & requests

None.

Other needs

None required. If Fedora swag is already headed to the event, I am happy to help hand it out, but I am not asking for a swag budget here.

Are you a speaker or presenter?

Yes. "From Bash to Burnout: Staying Sane in a 24/7 Tech World," Saturday November 7 at 2:00pm in the Big Tex room.

IT is full of late nights, urgent tickets, and systems that fail right before a holiday weekend. Over time that pace catches up with you, and I learned that the hard way. The talk is about what burnout actually looks like from someone who lived through it, the patterns that get us there, and how I found my way back to something healthier.

Are you an organizer or volunteer?

No, but see below for what I am proposing to do on the ground for Fedora.

Why is it a good idea for the Fedora Project to have a presence?

Texas Linux Fest pulls in exactly the audience Fedora wants: working sysadmins and developers in a region that does not get many open source conferences, plus a steady stream of students from UT Austin. The program already leans toward Fedora and enterprise Linux, so the people in those rooms are primed for it.

The specific thing I want to do is record Fedora Podcast episodes on site. Almost every episode I make is a remote call, which works fine, but it means the show never captures what an event actually sounds like. Neal Gompa and Shawn W Dunn are speaking on transactional systems in the Fedora ecosystem, and CentOS contributors will be around. Getting those conversations in person gives me a batch of episodes that reach far past the couple hundred people who were physically in the hall.

I would come home with recorded interviews for the podcast, plus an event report on the Community Blog. That is durable content that keeps working long after the conference ends, which is not something a booth alone does.

Why do you want to represent the Fedora community here?

I already do, most weeks, on a microphone. I have been hosting the Fedora Podcast and telling Fedora's story to a general Linux audience, and I would rather do that in a place where I can shake hands with the people I usually only see in a video call.

I am also already going to be in the room as a speaker, so Fedora gets a presence for the cost of the travel, not the cost of the travel plus a separate trip.

I will be straight about my situation, since it is the reason I am asking. My contract ended in June and I am job searching, so the airfare and hotel are the part I cannot cover myself right now. The talk is accepted and I want to be there either way, but the travel support is what makes it a sure thing and what lets me spend the weekend recording for Fedora instead of just attending.

Are there others in the Fedora community who could help this event be successful?

Yes. Neal Gompa and Shawn W Dunn are speaking on Fedora transactional systems. Troy Dawson and other CentOS contributors are planning to attend, and Amy Marrich mentioned CentOS talks and a booth when she was on the show. Any of them would make a good on site recording, and I would coordinate with them ahead of time rather than ambushing anyone with a microphone.

Is there anything else the Fedora Mindshare Committee should know when reviewing your request?

Two things.

The hotel number may come in lower. Texas Linux Fest had a block at the Element at $144 per night in 2025, and their venue page currently says they are working on blocks for 2026. If that block lands at a similar rate I would book into it and spend less than the amount above.

Everything I record at the event goes out on the Fedora Podcast feed under the project, not on my personal show.

### Name Eric Hendricks ### FAS username itguyeric ### How do you primarily contribute to Fedora? I host the Fedora Podcast. I run the show end to end: booking guests, writing the episode guides, recording, editing, cutting the audio and video, and publishing to Fireside, YouTube, PeerTube, and Discourse. Recent episodes include "What is CentOS?" with Amy Marrich, Troy Dawson, and Shaun McCance, and an episode on EPEL with Carl George. I also promote Fedora releases and community work to the broader Linux audience I have built through The IT Guy Show. ### Event name(s) Texas Linux Fest 2026 ### Event dates from 6 November 2026 to 7 November 2026 ### Event location(s) Austin, Texas, United States ### Event URL(s) https://2026.texaslinuxfest.org/ ### Event description(s) Texas Linux Fest is a two day regional Linux and open source conference, now in its second decade, with around 40 speakers and 500 seats. It is held at the Commons Conference Center, 10100 Burnet Road, on UT Austin's J.J. Pickle Research Campus. It draws a mix of sysadmins, developers, students, and hobbyists from across Texas and the surrounding states. The 2026 program has real Fedora and enterprise Linux content on it, including "Transactional Systems in the Fedora Ecosystem" from Neal Gompa and Shawn W Dunn, "RHELevant security practices: SELinux, Keylime, USBGuard hardening lab" from Joshua Loscar, and "Linux and RISC-V: 2026 Edition." Several CentOS contributors are already planning to be there. ### Support requested Hotel, Travel—air, Travel—taxi/ride-share/parking ### Travel expenses $430 ### Hotel expenses $480 ### Accessibility needs & requests None. ### Other needs None required. If Fedora swag is already headed to the event, I am happy to help hand it out, but I am not asking for a swag budget here. ### Are you a speaker or presenter? Yes. "From Bash to Burnout: Staying Sane in a 24/7 Tech World," Saturday November 7 at 2:00pm in the Big Tex room. IT is full of late nights, urgent tickets, and systems that fail right before a holiday weekend. Over time that pace catches up with you, and I learned that the hard way. The talk is about what burnout actually looks like from someone who lived through it, the patterns that get us there, and how I found my way back to something healthier. ### Are you an organizer or volunteer? No, but see below for what I am proposing to do on the ground for Fedora. ### Why is it a good idea for the Fedora Project to have a presence? Texas Linux Fest pulls in exactly the audience Fedora wants: working sysadmins and developers in a region that does not get many open source conferences, plus a steady stream of students from UT Austin. The program already leans toward Fedora and enterprise Linux, so the people in those rooms are primed for it. The specific thing I want to do is record Fedora Podcast episodes on site. Almost every episode I make is a remote call, which works fine, but it means the show never captures what an event actually sounds like. Neal Gompa and Shawn W Dunn are speaking on transactional systems in the Fedora ecosystem, and CentOS contributors will be around. Getting those conversations in person gives me a batch of episodes that reach far past the couple hundred people who were physically in the hall. I would come home with recorded interviews for the podcast, plus an event report on the Community Blog. That is durable content that keeps working long after the conference ends, which is not something a booth alone does. ### Why do you want to represent the Fedora community here? I already do, most weeks, on a microphone. I have been hosting the Fedora Podcast and telling Fedora's story to a general Linux audience, and I would rather do that in a place where I can shake hands with the people I usually only see in a video call. I am also already going to be in the room as a speaker, so Fedora gets a presence for the cost of the travel, not the cost of the travel plus a separate trip. I will be straight about my situation, since it is the reason I am asking. My contract ended in June and I am job searching, so the airfare and hotel are the part I cannot cover myself right now. The talk is accepted and I want to be there either way, but the travel support is what makes it a sure thing and what lets me spend the weekend recording for Fedora instead of just attending. ### Are there others in the Fedora community who could help this event be successful? Yes. Neal Gompa and Shawn W Dunn are speaking on Fedora transactional systems. Troy Dawson and other CentOS contributors are planning to attend, and Amy Marrich mentioned CentOS talks and a booth when she was on the show. Any of them would make a good on site recording, and I would coordinate with them ahead of time rather than ambushing anyone with a microphone. ### Is there anything else the Fedora Mindshare Committee should know when reviewing your request? Two things. The hotel number may come in lower. Texas Linux Fest had a block at the Element at $144 per night in 2025, and their venue page currently says they are working on blocks for 2026. If that block lands at a similar rate I would book into it and spend less than the amount above. Everything I record at the event goes out on the Fedora Podcast feed under the project, not on my personal show.

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