Open Source Leeds – September 2021

It’s the inaugural event of this new meetup group dedicated to promoting the use of open source in large enterprises, and we have three fantastic speakers lined up:

• Sukhvinder Panesar, Chief Engineer, Lloyds Banking Group
• Colin Eberhardt, CTO, Scott Logic
• James Robertson, Software Engineer, Mixcloud

// How to book your place

This will be a hybrid event. If you would like to attend the event in person, please register via this Meetup page. We're limiting attendee numbers to 30% of room capacity to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

If you have a mobility impairment, you can access the venue via the entrance on Park Cross Street. Please contact Claire Cocks (ccocks@scottlogic.com) in advance who will make the necessary arrangements.

We don't want anyone to feel excluded from attending our events. If you have any special requirements, please let us know in advance by contacting Claire Cocks (ccocks@scottlogic.com).

If you would like to watch the live stream instead, please register on Eventbrite to access details: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/open-source-leeds-tickets-167449358539
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// Open Source Contribution in Banking // Sukhvinder Panesar

Open source can add much value by reducing development costs, enhancing features, fixing bugs more quickly and, most importantly, by reducing reliance on vendors to manage products and tools.

The emergence of Fintech and Challenger banks – which use infrastructure that’s significantly based around open source tools – has provided a pathway for the bigger banks to also use open source effectively by engaging with a global community of talented engineers to build cutting edge products and services.

In this talk, Sukhvinder will discuss different strategies that are being used in banking to adopt open source. Banking has huge legacy estates with common operating models around support for suppliers. Open source creates new opportunities to modernise the estate, along with challenges that must be overcome.

// Open Source Sustainability and our Corporate Social Responsibility // Colin Eberhardt

Modern software is increasingly complex, made up of hundreds or thousands of open source components, hidden away in deeply nested dependency trees. Just how much do we know about these components that are an integral part of our products? What are the risks associated with their usage, and our exposure?

In this talk, Colin will take a closer look at the make-up of modern software supply chains. We’ll look at where this code comes from, who authored it and how it is distributed, ultimately asking ourselves the question, “Is this sustainable?”

This problem is growing; to solve it, we need a reset in how we view this precious and fragile asset. Grass-roots activism can only go so far; to really make a difference, large corporations need to wake up to their responsibility and make genuine commitments.

// Lightning talk: Building open source productivity tools // James Robertson

Many engineers spend years building a suite of their own custom productivity tools. Many of these tools have great value to the wider community and are ripe to be open-sourced.

James will chart his attempts to open-source some of his own bespoke tools. He will cover the challenges of converting projects to work beyond personal use. He will also cover learning and building in public and his attempts to get traction for the projects. He'll demo his latest tool which allows engineers to keep across all company communications without leaving the comfort of their coding environment.
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If you are interested in presenting, please contact Claire Cocks (ccocks@scottlogic.com). We particularly welcome talk submissions from women speakers, speakers from ethnic minorities, and speakers from other under-represented groups.
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By registering for the event in person or online, you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct which you can find in the 'About' section: https://www.meetup.com/open-source-leeds/