The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has announced that Scottish Games Network founder and CEO Brian Baglow will deliver one of the opening keynote addresses at its flagship Community Over Code 2026 conference, taking place at the Hilton Glasgow from 11–14 October 2026.
Formerly known as ApacheCon, Community Over Code is the premier annual gathering of the global open-source community, bringing together software engineers, committers, maintainers, and foundation leaders responsible for some of the world’s most critical digital infrastructure.
Baglow will join fellow keynote speakers Stephen Walli, adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, and Vlad-Stefan Harbuz, executive director of the Software Stewardship Lab, addressing the overarching pressures reshaping modern software ecosystems, from artificial intelligence to long-term funding sustainability.
Taking the Games Ecosystem Beyond the Traditional Sector
While the Apache Software Foundation’s conferences are traditionally rooted in core enterprise infrastructure, data platforms, and open-source governance, the keynote invitation provides a unique platform to bring games technology and public policy directly into the mainstream digital economy.
The address will make the case for interactive technology as vital economic and industrial infrastructure, drawing directly on the arguments set out in Scotland’s National Games Action Plan and the ongoing More Than Games initiative.
I’m very happy to be invited to keynote at an event as established and globally significant as Community Over Code. For an open-source institution like the Apache Software Foundation to dedicate main-stage time to games and interactive media is a clear validation of where our sector actually sits within the wider tech world.
For far too long, video games have been treated as an isolated pocket of the consumer entertainment industry. But games technology, real-time 3D, simulation, and interactive design are foundational to a lot of modern software architecture. The tools built by game developers are already running everything from aerospace, automotive and urban planning digital twins, to medical visualisation, film production and more.
Being invited into a room of foundational software engineers and open-source leaders gives us an opportunity to show how interactive media connects directly with public policy, national digital strategy, and the wider knowledge economy. Scotland has a remarkable creative and technical heritage, but to realise its full economic potential, we must treat interactive technology not as a novelty with a significant commercial value, but as core economic infrastructure, with a role in many other industries.
Key Themes: Education, Sustainability, and Infrastructure
The Glasgow conference programme focuses heavily on the structural forces altering how software is created, funded, and maintained:
- Stephen Walli (Carnegie Mellon University): Examining the evolution of software engineering education as artificial intelligence transforms development practices, drawing on six years of running the Semesters of Code mentored open-source placement programme.
- Vlad-Stefan Harbuz (Software Stewardship Lab): Addressing financial sustainability for open-source ecosystems and the work of the Open Source Pledge, which has mobilised millions of dollars in backing for open-source maintainers.
Alongside the keynote sessions, the four-day event will host over 160 technical sessions across 18 specialised tracks, including dedicated Airflow Contributor Days and a pre-conference Lakehouse Day on 10 October.
Event Details & Registration
Community Over Code runs across four days in central Glasgow, offering in-person access to project committers, architectural deep dives, and evening community sessions.
- Dates: 11–14 October 2026 (Lakehouse Day: 10 October)
- Venue: Hilton Glasgow, 1 William Street, Glasgow
- Event Schedule & Registration: Full details and tickets are available via the official Community Over Code Glasgow 2026 portal.