01 / THE IDEA
An open-source project, in people’s hands.
Omarchy brought people into the room. What they did with it made the evening interesting. DHH joined developers and enthusiasts exploring how an open desktop could fit their work, devices, and everyday habits.
I wanted the gathering to make room for both conversation and getting started: live demos, questions, laptops, and volunteers helping people install and explore.
02 / ON THE FLOOR
Less abstraction. More working setups.
The ten demos covered ARM hardware, cloud workspaces, local AI, desktop customization, and remote access. People brought systems they were already experimenting with, and questions that only appear when you use them.
ARM & hardware
CIX P1 and personal-device experiments.
Cloud & local AI
Alibaba Cloud Wuying, Atomic Chat, and Longwire.
Everyday tools
Desktop plugins, audio, recovery workflows, and remote access.
03 / THE PEOPLE
The last laptop mattered, too.
Fifteen volunteers helped people get started. The event wrapped up around nine. At half past nine, a volunteer was still helping the last attendee install Omarchy.
That is the kind of community I want to keep building.
The value of a gathering is what people can do after they leave: try a new setup, ask a better question, or find someone to build with.
