for the GNU & Linux and F/OSS (Free and Open Source
Software) communities
Founded in 1996. In Guadalajara, Jalisco México since 2005
A Name You Can Count On!
Celebrating
in Guadalajara
Software Freedom Day is a worldwide event to educate the public about the importance of Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) and it's virtues and availability.
Our objective in celebrating this event is to educate the public on a worldwide level of the benefits of using high quality "Free and Open Source Software" (F/OSS) in education, government, homes and business, in short; EVERYWHERE.
In a time when our lives are increasingly dependent on technologies, it is important we take the time to consider the impact of technology on our lives, and the importance of ensuring technology isn't used to limit us, but rather to take us further along a path of opportunity, innovation and freedom for all people.
The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a set of basic human rights that most people would agree would be a bare minimum. Not often are our basic rights thought of in the context of technology, but as more and more our lives are dependent on technology, it is a rapidly growing concern. Technologies that matter to our freedom are used in our voting systems, our leisure, our work, education, art and our communication. What does this mean to you? It means that the basic human freedoms you take for granted are only as free as the technologies you use.
Transparent and sustainable technologies are vital to ensuring we can protect our freedoms. Think about e-Government systems such as electronic voting. When the systems running our voting is proprietary or closed, it means that we can’t be sure what the software actually does, so how can we trust the results? The issues with the Diebold voting systems in the US is testament to the need for transparent systems that are trustworthy. Think about other software you use everyday that is proprietary and apply the fact that you can’t be sure what it is actually doing! Does your email system send copies of your mail to a third party? Is your web browser, logging and automatically sending your browse history to someone? The most interesting case recently was when Sony purposely added spyware to their music CDs that silently and automatically installed itself onto Microsoft Windows systems to search for piracy breaches. This behaviour has spawned a whole new wave of viruses and is a gross breach of privacy.
So what is meant by transparent? Well some software gives you access to the source code, such as Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) which ensures that you can know (or get checked) what exactly a piece of software will do. It avoids nasty surprises, spyware, result rigging and all kinds of issues that we can’t be absolutely sure to avoid in closed software. Proprietary software keeps the source code locked away from public scrutiny which means that there is no way to know exactly what the software actually does, and no way to trust it to safeguard your human rights. Transparent technologies are about ensuring you can trust the results and operation of your technology.
Sustainable technologies are also important, and the best example of the issue is proprietary data formats. Why should the generations of today not have access to the love letters, essays and poems of their youth? With many applications using proprietary data formats, we can't access the information in other programs or even future versions of the same program. When data is stored in data formats based on open standards, there is the ability for people everywhere to easily use and implement the standard and have your data accessible by more applications well into the future. Sustainable technologies are about ensuring access to knowledge forever.
As more and more of the worlds population starts using technology, getting online, and developing the next major life changing event of the future (such as the Internet was for many of us), ensuring open, transparent and sustainable approaches are considered best practice is important. Important to a future where technology empowers everyone equally, where knowledge is forever, and where our basic human freedoms are strengthened by technology, not hampered.
Software Freedom Day is a global celebration and education of why transparent and sustainable technologies are now more important than ever. With over 200 teams in 60 countries participating, it is a fantastic event to get your schools and communities involved in in order to meet a wide range of people, all working together to help ensure our freedoms are maintained by the technologies of tomorrow.
Written by Pia Waugh Tuesday, 06 October 2006
It is intended that we dedicate this day to anilyzing the state of technologies in our society and the manner in which we can guarentee privacy and freedom.
For example; In México we have the problem of ACTA, as well as a problem that the IPhones capture and announce our physical locations. Never mind software like firesheep that can capture identity information from Facebook as well as from other such sites.
Software Freedom Day is not simply yet another day to promote the use of Free and Open Source Software, or to teach the details of configuring some Email Server. Its a day to create and strengthen our conciousnes of the fragility of our liberty and to seek ways of defending it.
Good themes for this day are: "How to audit your software in order to verify that there are no back doors or other infringments of privacy and liberty". "How to secure your network against such software curtailing it's functions to communicate sensitive data to unauthorized persons (Call Home)".
Written in Spanish by Alexandro Colorado Viernes, 29 Julio, 2011
Saturday September 17, 2011
At the LinuxCabal headquarters - from 15:00 to 21:00.
Admission is FREE
If you are interested in meeting others in the community, you are welcome. If you are unfamiliar with "Free and Open Source Software" (F/OSS) and/or GNU & Linux, you are welcome.
If you want to install "Free and Open Source Software" (F/OSS) and/or GNU & Linux in your machine today, don't forget your monitor, keyboard and your mouse.
We have Mandriva, Fedora, Ubuntu and Debian. If you desire to install some other distribution of GNU & Linux, bring your disks and we will help as we can.
Program
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Hour |
Topics |
Workshops |
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| 15:00 - 16:00 |
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Blender
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Install
Fest |
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| 16:00 - 17:00 |
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| 17:00 - 18:00 |
Intelectual Property and Free Software
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F
O O D |
Creating RPMs for Fedora
by Rene Bon Ciric |
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| 18:00 - 19:00 |
Subneting IPv4
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| 19:00 - 20:00 |
Debian for Beginners
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| 20:00 - 21:00 |
Social Hour |
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As in all of our reunions at LinuxCabal, we have Soft Drinks, Beer and our famous SpaghettiCabal which is prepared with a Ragu tomato sauce, cheese and meat. Served with bread.
Dont miss this opportunity to meet the members of the GNU & Linux and "Free and Open Source Software" comunities in Guadalajara.
Come to "LEARN", "TEACH"
and "SOCIALIZE"
( Click on any photo to enlarge )
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Software |
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Freedom |
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2011 |
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