Welcome ! / Bienvenidos ! / Benvenuti !
I am Mario Juliano Grande Balletta. I am currently residing in Rhode Island, in the United States. I am an Italo-Argentine.
I have been involved with open source technologies since the 1990's. I do not use commercial software or vendor based software on any of my business and home systems. I founded the first open source use group here in Rhode Island at Roger Williams University.
I work in the technology industry as Principal Infrastructure Engineer for an international organization providing real and virtualized gaming, transaction, reporting and database systems on a variety of platforms and networks.
I have also taught technology classes and certification courses at several institutions and given lectures/discources to crowds numbering into the thousands. I have traveled and worked at over 200 cities in 60 countries. I hold several passports and multiple citizenship in the EU, AR, and the US.
Traveling internationally 6-9 months per year has many advantages and also occasional setbacks. For example, I have seen many famous places, but have also expired over a dozen certifications due to an aggressive work schedule.
Open Source & I
In my personal life, I am an assertive advocate of open source technologies and promoting a community driven lifestyle, sharing and working together with friends and experiencing the new possibilities.
The four foundations of the Fedora Project are special and interwoven together, and thus all are part of the whole and yet, they each express different aspects. For me, the most important foundation is "FRIENDS" ! The community is the most powerful aspect of the Fedora Project and this is the most vital feature.
I hope to accomplish some useful goals on the Fedora Project. I am planning to attend the FUDCON in Blacksburg, VA in January, 2012. I hope it will be the first of many trips and an opportunity to meet many of you in person. I am also planning to host a release event in time for Fedora 17, here in the northeastern corner of the USA. I hope some of you will be there too!
Nothing is possible without working together, collaborating and organizing in unity trying to achieve goals. It is this foundation that means the most to me, especially since I am a former U.S. Marine, the team work and spirit collects together the individual desires and efforts and beliefs of all members and assembles that into an adhesive, a glue that binds everyone and holds everything together. That is what friends means to me.
I look forward to meeting you someday in person, even on the phone, and working with you to publish Fedora to rest of the world!
MJGB