LOCALHOST 2025 Wrap-up

Phew! It was a whirlwind nine (9) days in July as volunteers stepped to host a number of events wrapped around the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) meeting in Vancouver.

We would like to thank all the LOCALHOST and related community organizers, as well as other community members that volunteered their time and energy.

A hearty thank you to the sponsors Boris Mann Consulting, Bluesky, Websim, and Orcfax.

We would also like to thank IETF LLC for their help with collaboration. LOCALHOST was the first time a hosting city stepped up with community events to engage locals to interact with IETFers and think about how we can define, create, and govern our own technology. We had IETF members come out to a number of events, including the LOCALHOST Social where two Area Directors took the stage to introduce the IETF's work. It was a night which overflowed with ✨⚡✌️VANCOUVER ENERGY✌️⚡✨

Our Networks "Does not cloud compute" capped off the week with a one day event of talks. Our Networks has started to release videos of their "security footage" of the event. (Legible slide decks are coming soon!)

Read the interview with the organizers to learn more about the Our Networks series.

Lessons Learned from LOCALHOST v1

A month after LOCALHOST wrapped, co-organizers and participants came together at the coFood Garden to reflect on takeaways from this inaugural event; over a potluck meal we thought through what worked, what do we know better for next time, and what might come next. A few key takeaways from that conversation are shared on the DWebYVR wiki. The two biggest questions for this wrap up are:

Did it achieve the goals of attracting IETF folk to local events? Yes.

Did it achieve the goal of informing local folks about IETF? Middling.

Attendees at the Social gained some insight from the two IETF area directors who spoke. We could have had more locals come out to the free IETF Hackathon had we activated the community more.

The IETF is an important pillar of the Internet, collaboratively defining voluntary but oft-adopted standards which scaffold how the internet works. Despite this, it's little known to the average developer. A case in point: engaging with standards organizations like the IETF is not often covered in post-secondary computer science education, which is where many developers start their careers.

We're leaving with a guiding question for next time: how can LOCALHOST be arranged to amplify the relevance and importance of visiting events and organizations, for the benefit of both the visitor and the host?

What's next?

In May 2025 WebSummit will be taking place in Vancouver. This could be an opportunity for another LOCALHOST pop-up event (See the DWebYVR wiki for more discussion about Camps, Work From & Pop-up Cities in Vancouver 2025)

The idea of LOCALHOST is to have a vehicle, or a bridge, to connect the local community to large international events that happen in our fair city. It gives everyone a chance to participate in the discussions and decisions, and to reflect on how to effect change here. LOCALHOST is not an organization or team, it is an idea. And like all ideas, it is better when shared. So get involved! Who would you like to LOCALHOST next?

Join us in the DWeb Discord and keep an eye on the DWebYVR Luma calendar for upcoming events.