LongfordIreland
Email: softwarefreedomday@yahoo.co.uk
Team: Longford
Local Parent Organisation: Midlands Linux User Group http://midlands.linux.ie/portal/
Team Contact: Mel (at the above email address please!)
Your team members:
Andris Roze and Gvido Roze http://rckcomputers.com/
- Arek Wozniak
Mel McWeeney
Avoid the "Microsoft Tax" Many thanks toRCK Computersfor support on the day, and for selling Windows-free computers.
Photo Gallery is over here.
CDs:
The Open CD: download here. This link contains a fixed "Thunderbird" application. The distributed "Open CD"s did not have this correction. If you also brought the Ubuntu CD, please install "Thunderbird" from that instead, or download from the Open CD menu by visiting the site.
Ubuntu: The latest Ubuntu can be downloaded here The version given at the stand was "Feisty Fawn" 7.10. This is a "Live CD" that you can boot from and try Linux without touching your hard disk. It can also be used as a "Rescue CD" if you need your data and (for example) windows won't boot. This same CD contains some free software for windows: Clam Antivirus, Firefox (for many languages and platforms), Thunderbird (for many languages and platforms), Abiword, Blender (web content creator).
Note: Installing the Ubuntu "Live CD" on a system with 256MB is painfully slow, so for these systems it is better to install from one of the "alternate" CD. Just download and boot the alternate CD from this CD. Help is available (see "Wiki Help" below), or you can email the team at the address at the top of this page.
Wiki Help:
Last years pages at http://www.ifso.ie/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi/SoftwareFreedomDay will be updated for 2007. All constructive comments and suggestions, especially offers of help, are welcome.
What is Free Software?
It is best thought of by asking the question "Well, I got this software, now what can I do with it". Freedom is NOT about whether a payment is made to obtain it or not, it's about what you can legally and freely do, now that you have it. A good definition of these criteria is available here (http://www.ifso.ie/about-free-sw.html) from the IFSO.
What is Software Freedom?
It is aboutWHAT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DO WITH THE SOFTWARE, rather than whether or not you got it 'free gratis'.This is what distinguishes what we call free software from: * Freeware - Which is software with freedom restrictions (eg: copying, sharing). Someone just decided to let you use something without taking your money.
Shareware - Broadly similar but usually you are allowed you to use it only temporarily, then asked to buy.
"Free Software" - Gives control to the user, as below.
Basic "Freedoms" that "Free Software" grants:
Freedom to:
Study the code
Redistribute the code
Use it for any purpose
Modify and redistribute modifications of it
Why we "sell" free software at the SFD stand:
- Anyone can stick out their hand for anything that costs nothing, and miss the message.
- Yes, the software is free, but the tub of CDs, the boxes and the printer cartridge were bought.
- Even geeks need refreshments on the day.
- Anyone not prepared to give a nominal cost (€1) for a CD, should probably pay a few €100 for commercial equivalents anyway!!
The official CD for this years event is the modified version of The Open CD (http://theopencd.org/), available from the Software Freedom Day site ([/ http://softwarefreedomday.org]).
If you miss the event, just download and enjoy.
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