Wikinews exclusive interview: Drupal founder Dries Buytaert

In the year 2000, Dries Buytaert created Drupal, a freely licensed and open source tool to manage websites, as a bulletin board for his college dorm. Since Dries released the software and a community of thousands of volunteer developers have added and improved modules, Drupal has grown immensely popular. Drupal won the overall Open CMS Award in 2007, and some speakers in Drupal's spacious developer's room at FOSDEM 2008 were dreaming aloud of its world domination.

Buytaert (now 29) just finished his doctoral thesis and has founded the start-up Acquia. The new company wants to become Drupal's best friend, with the help of an all-star team and US$7 million collected from venture capitalists. Wikinews reporter Michaël Laurent sat down with Dries in Brussels to discuss these recent exciting developments.

>> Click here to read the interview
>> Open software developers meet at FOSDEM 2008

Open software developers meet at FOSDEM 2008

Hundreds of developers of freely licensed and open source software from all over Europe met in Brussels, Belgium this weekend for FOSDEM 2008. The 8th edition attracted considerably more visitors than previous editions, with visitors from Belgium and its neighbouring countries the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, but also from other European countries and even from the United States.
During the two-day-long conference, presentations touched on programming languages, build systems, gaming (such as Battle for Wesnoth, Crystal Space, Globulation 2), packaging, virtualisation and web applications. The conference also has rooms were developers who usually work together via the internet can meet in real life and share thoughts on their projects; CentOS, Fedora, CrossDesktop, Drupal, GNOME, KDE, Mozilla, OpenSUSE and X.org had the biggest rooms this year. The corridors were filled with stands from organisations such as the Free Software Foundation Europe and the Free Knowledge Foundation, Debian, Ubuntu, OpenOffice.org, etc.
Since FOSDEM brings many European open software developers to Brussels, it also provides an important networking opportunity. FOSDEM kicks off Belgium-style on Friday with a beer event, but during the entire weekend several groups hold parties all over town. Wikinews reporters attended a barbecue hosted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on Friday, were it interviewed EFF and Open Rights Group representatives on the upcoming E.U. proposal to extend copyright for performers to 95 years. Wikinews also interviewed Drupal founder and Acquia CTO Dries Buytaert about Drupal and how Acquia will relate to its developer community.

>> Full story

Wikinews Picture of the Year 2007

The winner has been announced in the 2007 Wikinews Picture of the Year election. The photo was taken by Wikinews reporter and photographer David Shankbone, and captures the protest in front of Columbia University, that marked the controversial debate with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in September.

Invited to participate in a debate during his visit to New York City this week to address the United Nations General Assembly, Ahmadinejad engaged University president Lee Bollinger on a number of topics, including his country's human rights record, opinions on Israel and the Holocaust and the role of nuclear weapons and terrorism on the global stage.

The images of the event are gathered in a designated category on Commons.

Wikinews covers the 2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships

>>Full Story

After covering Wikimania, Wikinews user Rico Shen from Taipei, Taiwan has now committed himself to reporting from the 2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships in his city, which opened August 11.

The event is unique because only deaf athletes can participate, and because organizing a competition for deaf swimmers requires specific sign language interpreters, technical staff (for example to operate the 'start' and 'foul' lights) and referees.

Two articles about the event have been posted, the first covering the opening ceremony and the first day, while a second article brings news from day two. Shen's photos can be found in a designated category on Wikimedia Commons, and one of his original images is featured on today's main page, in the News In Pictures section.

Taipei will also host the 2009 Deaflympics.

Empire State Games come to White Plains, NY

>>Full story

The Empire State Games is an annual Olympic-style competition for amateur athletes from the state of New York, United States, encompassing several divisions allowing athletes of all ages to compete. In 2007, it is hosted by Westchester County and takes place July 25-29, 2007. In all, some 6,000 athletes are expected to participate.

"I think the Empire State Games is one of the best things that's happened to Westchester County," Buster LaBarbera, 74, of New Rochelle said. "It's good for the economy and it's just a great thing."

Long Island had made a bid to host the games but lost out to Westchester. "Once done, it's done," said Bob Kenney, region director for Long Island, at the opening ceremonies. "We can't look back. We can't hold grudges." Long Island may submit a bid for the games in 2010 according to Kenney.

Saturday, the Criterium cycling events took place in White Plains. Starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT (UTC-4), races for both men and women began at Martine Avenue at Court Street in downtown White Plains.

Wikinews was there to cover the men's open event race. Points were awarded for sprints on certain laps. Joe Zaverdas from Commack, New York, representing the Long Island region, won with 75 points. 58 riders participated.

Wikinews reports from TV-series MuchOnDemand, Toronto

• July 28, 2007: Cast of Bratz appears in Canada to promote film release
• July 27, 2007: Claire Danes appears on MuchMusic to promote film "Stardust"

The four stars of Bratz appeared Thursday in Toronto on the television series MuchOnDemand, to promote their new film.

While a great deal of computer animated, direct-to-DVD Bratz films have been made, as has a relatively successful television series, Bratz: The Movie is the first time the characters have appeared in live action.

On Wednesday, actress Claire Danes appeared on MuchOnDemand to promote her new film, Stardust.

Danes appears in the fantasy epic Stardust opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, and Sienna Miller. The film is based on Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name. Danes plays a striking girl named Yvaine, who is a fallen star. Pfeiffer, DeNiro, and Charlie Cox are all pursuing her.

Best known as Angela Chase in the 1994 television series My So-Called Life and Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. She began stepping back into the spotlight a few years ago, with lead roles in The Hours, Stage Beauty, Shopgirl, and The Family Stone.

MuchOnDemand is a long-running program MuchMusic, Canada's primary music channel. Wikinews has sent professional photographer Robin Wong to the show. All images from Thursday can be viewed in a Wikimedia Commons' gallery devoted to Bratz.

Wikinews reports from anarchist demonstration in Belgium

>> Full story (and more pictures) : Police ends demonstration of anarchist squatters in Belgium

This Friday, I passed another exam, and to celebrate I decided to do some original reporting. Since I also contribute to the Belgian Indymedia, I got a request from the editor to cover a demonstration of squatters in my home town Leuven.

When I arrived at the rendez-vous point, I was amazed by the impressive amount of security forces present. The police had cordoned off the square in front of city hall with barb wire fence, and a police helicopter followed the movements of the crowd.

The protest was loud but fairly non-violent at first. It's just a matter of positioning yourself as a reporter: sometimes behind the police line (I climbed on a police car to get some great shots of the protesters pushing the policemen) waving your press card, sometimes as far as possible from the police, if it rains projectiles. A colleague from the national TV network was less fortunate and sustained a minor head injury.

The demonstrators were not at all happy with how the police kept them out of the city centre: so they decided to occupy the ring road around the city! Of course the police had to take decisive action -too late, they should've seen it coming and prevented it. The photos of the arrests were a lot better than the ones of the fights in the centre... I really should learn how to use another function than "auto" on my camera.

The police chased the protesters through the bushes... one was chasing me, waving his baton at me -I yelled "PRESS,PRESS!!! You wanna see my card?!" The officers looked really scared and outnumbered. So they called reinforcements: in all, 250 officers worked overtime to control less than 100 protesters (they had already arrested everyone else by then).

I followed the protesters into another squat, an empty house near the canal, where they wanted to hide out from the police. A masked anarchist teenager pulled me by the backpack, and waved a big stick at me as if he was preparing to hit me, but he wanted to here what I had to say for myself first. "Indymedia, man..." I told him, and he immediately apologised. They're all eager readers of the site, and the Indymedia press card was a welcome alternative to the Wikinews card during these protests.

They had clearly been there before, some of there stuff were stored there. But it was too dark for pictures. On leaving, I was stopped by another group of squatters, but again the Indymedia press card did the trick so I could walk out of there with no problem.

After all spectators were scared off the square, I was left with 2 camera crews, from the state and from the main commercial TV station. My credentials were checked a few times. Luckily the police wasn't really paying attention to us: some officers ordered us back, others allowed our free movement... I should really inform myself about the rights I actually had and didn't have.

There would be no action for hours because the police was waiting for a court order, I was cold, sleepy, tore my paints while running on the ring road, and it was too dark for good pictures... I headed home to get a good night's rest before writing 'Police ends demonstration of anarchist squatters in Belgium'.

Wikinews originals: Awards, monarchies and presidents

Irish president opens new park dedicated to Irish refugees in Toronto, Canada

Wikinews user Joshua Sherurcij reports the activities of Irish president Mary McAleese (pictured) from Toronto. The president wrapped up a two-day visit to Toronto, Canada on Thursday by cutting the ribbon at the opening of a new park. The city's Ireland Park is dedicated to the Irish immigrants who fled the great famine to start a new life in Canada 160 years ago.


MMVAs handed out in Toronto, Canada; Wikinews was there

Nicolas Moreau (User:Zanimum) managed to get yet another professional photographer to get quality images of stars on Commons for all Wikimedia projects to benefit from... without paying the photographer! This time it was at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto. Some of the stars include Avril Lavigne (pictured), Joss Stone and Hilary Duff.

Noel Cox talks to Wikinews about New Zealand's constitutional monarchy

Gabriel Pollard, who has been very active with interview with New Zealand's finest lately, conducted an e-mail interview with the chairman of the Monarchist League of New Zealand Incorporated", who told him: "In this time of increasing globalisation it is also good to remember that we are already part of an international family of nations, sharing the Queen with Australia, Britain, Canada and so on."

Protests on Wikinews!

Two new original reports on Wikinews show that everywhere around the world, where politicians go, protesters show up and the media follows... citizen journalists in this case.

Protesters demonstrate at US Coast Guard Academy

Sage Ross wrote an article (his first on Wikinews) about a demonstration at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. President Bush drew hundreds of protesters and counterprotesters to New London, Connecticut. "Next time I go to something like this I'm going to take extensive notes, write down quotes, and do full-fledged original reporting," he wrote on his blog. We sure hope so, because the Wikinews Original Reporting policy demands so!

Ross was also mentioned in a report from the newspaper Norwich Bulletin :

Yale doctoral student Sage Ross was protesting the president and snapping photos of both sides for the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the Internet-based, free encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Pro-troop protesters rebuffed him when he approached them to take photos.

"They didn't quite buy it that I was one of the press," he said with a smile.

The latter was probably because he didn't have a Wikinews Press Card, as Accredited Reports on Wikinews sometimes do. Of course, then he could no longer go "to participate in an anti-war protest", because, as the Wikinews:Original reporting page says: "If you go to a protest to participate in it, leave your Wikinews Press Card at home!" Also, we hope he clearly explained to the reporter that interviewed him that he is not an official representative of the Wikimedia Foundation; Accredited Reporters on Wikinews have a clear disclaimer on their user page:

Accredited Wikinews reporters do not represent the Wikimedia Foundation, but are trusted contributors who the Wikinews community has certified for the purposes of gathering information related to Wikinews articles.

Protesters turn their backs on Australian PM

In Bathurst, Australia, protesters turned their back on Prime Minister John Howard as he arrived for a Liberal Party luncheon. Reporter and Wikinews Admin Nathan Carter had some difficulty balancing the article, because he was able to interview the protesting side, but as he describes on the article talk page he "attempted to speak to some attendees at the luncheon but all approached refused to be interviewed."

Strange events covered on Wikinews

Wikinews reporters Paul Williams and Steven Fruitsmaak report on some of the bizar events taking place in their environment...

• Belgian bus company knows solution for car parking problems

• Radio 1's Big Weekend closes, sinister plot game continues

Wikinews sends photographer to concert in Sesame Place

Wikinews reporter Nicholas Moreau contacted professional photographer David Fore of Lloyd David Photography to go to the recent Christy Carlson Romano concert at Sesame Place theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

Although Nick describes it "mainly as an exercise to get images for Wikipedia itself" on the news report's talk page, his actions have resulted in an article on Wikinews and new images on Commons. Under his user name Zanimum, Moreau has been contributing to the articles relating to Sesame Street on Wikipedia (for example helping the article Sesame Street to reach FA status).

Nick has successfully used the strategy 5 times already, and said on the article talk page: "If there's any events anywhere in Canada/US/UK/Australia/anywhere else that speaks English as a primary language, I'm willing to get us in, ask me, I can try my best."

Read the article:
Wikinews attends Christy Carlson Romano concert in Sesame Place