EESSI · boegel · Feb 4, 2026 · Feb 4, 2026 · Feb 4, 2026 · Feb 4, 2026
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+---
+authors: [hvelab, boegel]
+date: 2026-02-04
+slug: EESSI-at-FOSDEM-26
+---
+
+# EESSI at FOSDEM'26
+
+This year's [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/2026/) exceeded all expectations a first-time attendee like me could have. Filled with interesting talks, wide range of diverse people and impactful projects, I bring back home a bag full of stickers, lovely memories and some Belgian chocolates. 
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Stickers](stickers.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+
+## Pre-FOSDEM hackathon (Thu + Fri)
+
+Members of the EasyBuild + EESSI community gathered the Thursday and Friday right before the FOSDEM to do an informal hackathon to do hands-on work on both projects. 
+
+### EESSI CLI tool
+
+One of the main outcomes of this meet is the brainstorming and consecuently the first releases of the [EESSI CLI tool](https://pypi.org/project/eessi/), a command-line tool to make the interaction with EESSI even easier!
+
+It is still a work-in-progress, but it already features options like `eessi shell` to start an EESSI shell with your version of choice,
+and `eessi check` to verify your [CernVM-FS](https://cernvm.cern.ch/fs/) setup for accessing EESSI.
+
+Here's a quick demo:
+
+<script src="https://asciinema.org/a/cBJ0V94PAGrHWKeD.js" id="asciicast-cBJ0V94PAGrHWKeD" async="true"></script>
+
+To start playing with the `eessi` tool yourself, install it with:
+```shell
+pip install eessi
+```
+
+### Food
+
+After all the pair-programming and hard work we went to Le Corbeau, a 150-year old Belgian brewery where we could try local traditional dishes like the Flemish carbonnades. :smile:
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Carbonnades](carbonnades.webp){width=50%}
+</figure>
+
+## FOSDEM'26 (Sat+Sun)
+
+### CernVM-FS talk
+
+EESSI was briefly featured as an example repository in the *"Multi-Petabyte Data Distribution in Industry & Science with CernVM File System"* talk.
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the dinner](fosdem26-cvmfs.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+For more information, including slides & recordings, see the [talk page](https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/9YET9Y-cvmfs/).
+
+### Group dinner
+
+All speakers, volunteers and peers of the [HPC, Big Data & Data Science](https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/track/hpc-big-data-data-science/) devroom enjoyed a dinner fully sponsored by the [High Performance Software Foundation](https://hpsf.io/) at an Italian restaurant close to the FOSDEM venue. 
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the dinner](dinner-1.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+The starters consisted of Italian finger food, focaccia and cured meats.  Followed by pizza and *cacio e pepe* for mains and a gigantic tiramisu as the cherry on top dessert, so it is safe to assume that nobody went hungry to sleep.
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Main dish](cacio-e-pepe.webp){width=50%}
+</figure>
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the dinner](dinner-2.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the dinner](dinner-3.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+If you look closely, you may spot both a Spack developer *and* a Canadian in the picture above!
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the dinner](dinner-4.webp){width=50%}
+</figure>
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the dinner](dinner-5.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+**Thank you [HPSF](https://hpsf.io) for sponsoring the HPC devroom dinner!**
+
+
+### Sunday
+
+On Sunday, EESSI was featured in not just one, but *two* devrooms talks.
+
+#### EESSI talk in Software Performance devroom
+
+First one, by Kenneth Hoste in the *Software Performance* devroom titled *"Keeping the P in HPC: the EESSI Way"*.
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the first talk](talk-1.webp)
+</figure>
+
+Here's the recording of the talk:
+
+<div align="center">
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1AZZqhvQIgo?si=D5zIS6zDCsS1xlcM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+</div>
+
+Slides are available [here](https://fosdem.org/2026/events/attachments/CHGEYH-keeping-the-p-in-hpc-the-eessi-way/slides/266192/keeping-t_1sl3ny0.pdf).
+
+#### HPC devroom
+
+The HPC, Big Data & Data Science devroom was filled with people! 
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![HPC devroom attendees](hpc-devroom.webp)
+</figure>
+
+#### Cookies
+
+Accepting some cookies (literally) to have energy for the afternoon!  
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Cookies](cookies.webp)
+</figure>
+
+#### EESSI talk in HPC devroom
+
+The second talk was given by Helena Vela at the HPC, Big Data & Data Science devroom, titled *"Status update on EESSI, the European Environment for Scientific Software Installations"*, highlighting the developments made in EESSI during the last years.
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Picture of the second talk](talk-2.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
+
+Here's the recording of the talk:
+
+<div align="center">
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2HKNcE6QZJY?si=Rk9VBEybzUWWZF0K" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+</div>
+
+Further details and slides are available in the [talk page](https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/RQD9AD-status-update-eessi/). 
+
+
+### Off-topic funny things 
+
+#### How To Make Package Managers Scream
+
+Kenneth's talk in the Main Track titled *"How To Make Package Managers Scream"* :scream: is a must-watch!
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Main track talk pic](fosdem26-camera-how-to-make-package-managers-scream.webp){width=40%}
+</figure>
+
+Check out the recording here:
+
+<div align="center">
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PBlDHlFnzGo?si=2C6mOG8bKCg0jOgi" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+</div>
+
+#### Word cloud
+
+Our first ever word cloud of the available software in EESSI reveals that EasyBuild is the package we have the most versions of :smile:
+
+<figure markdown="span">
+![Wordcloud pic](wordcloud.webp){width=70%}
+</figure>
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