[lug] Second Annual Free Software & Linux Forum (fwd)

[J. Wayde Allen]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 22:17:09 -0700
From: Joseph Grover <joe at fslc.ser.usu.edu>
To: info at lug.boulder.co.us
Subject: Second Annual Free Software & Linux Forum

Hello,

There have been some high profile cases in the American court system that have brought a lot of publicity to the Open Source and Free Software movements, some of it bad publicity.  As an organization that has used, supported, or developed software with one of these paradigms, I am sure that you are saddened and dismayed by the characterization of Open Source developers in our court system.  Many times we are portrayed as pirates, only looking to make everything available for free on the Internet.

To help combat this negative image, the USU Free Software and Linux Club will be holding our second annual Free Software Forum on November 15th beginning at 2:00 p.m.  Our topic this year is "A World of Freedom."  Building on this theme, we will be giving several presentations throughout the day that will explain many of the different licenses available that fit within the Open Source and Free Software paradigms.  We have sent out invitations to lawmakers for the surrounding states, as well as local state and community officials in order to get them the word on licensing issues.  We want to be able to ensure they are getting as much objective information as possible.  After all who wants the RIAA to dictate what we need as citizens?

As an additional treat, our keynote speaker this year is Bruce Perens.  Mr. Perens is an open source software advocate and a notable open source software developer. His comments promise to be very educational to anyone interested in this exciting and revolutionary movement.

We would like for you to join with us in presenting a more positive image of the Open Source community.  We invite your organization to send representatives to the forum.  We will also be providing space near the presentations for interested groups to set up booths depicting what they are doing with Open Source software.  If you choose to bring a display to the forum, we ask that you make a $20 donation to the USU Free Software and Linux Club to help defray the costs of running the forum.  If you can't send a representative to the forum, we hope that you would consider sending demo copies of your products, brochures, or items we could give away in contests throughout the day.  If you are unable to do any of the above but would like to support our efforts, we do accept donations via paypal through treasurer at fslc.usu.edu.

A flyer listing the particulars of the forum can be found at http://fslc.usu.edu/images/events/forum-2001-flyer.png.  Mr. Perens curriculum vitae may be found at http://www.perens.com.  Further information can be obtained by sending an email to info at fslc.usu.edu

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely

Joseph Grover
FSLC Officer
joe at fslc.usu.edu