[clug] Software Freedom Day in Canberra this Saturday

[Lana Brindley]

*PRESS RELEASE*

*16 September 2010 - For Immediate Release*

*Software Freedom Day – what is it and why should I care?*


You might never want to look at the nuts and bolts of the software you use,
so why should you support Software Freedom Day? To keep the software you
want to use free of charge, and to make sure that the people who can improve
it continue to do so. You probably already use, or know of, some open source
projects - Firefox (a web browser), Thunderbird (an email client) and Open
Office (word processing and spreadsheet software) are all completely free
programs used by millions of people worldwide.

The developers who write and maintain free and open source software do so
because they are passionate about it – they're not paid for their work, and
they don't expect to be. By using and distributing their programs, you are
helping them to continue making great software for you to use free to
charge. Just by copying the software and handing it to your friends, you're
supporting those people who have written the code, and who work hard to
maintain it.

*
*

*But wait! Isn't copying software illegal?*

Copying open source software is not only legal, but encouraged. With
proprietary software that you pay money for, the source code is under lock
and key, so you can never be quite sure what you're getting. It could
contain viruses or adware, have security vulnerabilities, or just be
unreliable and unstable.

Open source software is not only free to use, and free to share with your
friends, but it's also a step towards personal freedom for everybody. By
supporting Software Freedom Day, you're supporting the open source community
and helping to keep knowledge where it belongs – in the hands of the people
who created it.


  *OK! I'm excited! Where do I start?*
Drop in and see the Canberra Software Freedom Day team at the Computer Fair
in the Bus Depot Markets this Saturday 18 September. See free and open
source systems in action, get your own free copies of the software, and ask
as many questions as you want. There will also be plenty of prizes and
giveaways.

*Then:*
Drop in to the Install Fest at the ANU (CSIT building - Room N101) the
following weekend on Saturday 23 September. Bring your computer and we'll
provide the software and help you get up and running.

*What if I can't make it?*
Jump online and check out these websites:
http://softwarefreedomday.org/
http://clug.org.au/
http://www.theopendisc.com/
http://www.osalt.com/

Or email the Canberra Linux Users Group at linux at lists.samba.org and we'll
do our best to help.


 See you this Saturday!

-- 
Cheers! Lana

In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon
the name it bears. Things are not only what they are. They are, in very
important respects, what they seem to be.
  - Hubert H. Humphrey <http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1387.html>

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