[Fsf-friends] Library to celebrate Free And Open Source software

[Frederick Noronha]

http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17185243&BRD=2279&PAG=461&dept_id=467076&rfi=8

Library to celebrate Free And Open Source software
09/13/2006

Software Freedom Day, a global, grassroots effort to educate the
public about the virtues and availability of Free and Open Source
Software, will offer CDs, demonstrate Open Source products, and
increase public awareness of Open Source Software.

Products such as Linux, Firefox, OpenOffice.org, NVU, Audacity and the
GIMP are showing up on more desktop computers every day. Firefox is a
tabbed Internet browser with millions of downloads since its release,
the GIMP is a top-notch graphics editing program, NVU is a complete
web authoring system,
Audacity is a cross-platform audio editing system, OpenOffice.org is a
fully integrated office suite, and the list goes on. All these Open
Source products are available free.

Open Source Software runs many of the world's servers. LAMP, which
stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP, is becoming the software of
choice for System Administrators and is increasing its market share
annually. By 2008, the LAMP market share is expected to be over 37
percent.

Locally, Susquehanna County Library and Susquehanna Community
Information Network (CIN) websites were developed and are maintained
using Joomla! which is a dynamic, state-of-the-art Content Management
System (CMS).

"As frugal librarians, we love Joomla! because it's free, like all
Open Source Software," said Hilary Caws-Elwitt of the Susquehanna
County Library.

"The best part is that staff members can add content easily to the
library's website without needing to know any code. At the CIN, all
non-profits and community organizations are encouraged to add content.
Plus, Joomla! is flexible and powerful - just as good as software we'd
have to pay thousands for!"

Free and Open Source Software is freely available from the Internet,
or on CDs and DVDs. You can install it on as many computers as you
like, copy, or share with friends.

Broadband Internet is recommended for downloading. If you do not have
broadband at home, go to your local library, download the software,
burn it to a CD to take home.

As an incentive for participating teams to promote Software Freedom
Day, the international sponsor has organized a global competition,
offering high performance IBM servers to teams with the best event
publicity, documentary, FOSS deployment project, and event.

Autographed T-shirts are being offered as prizes to individuals
producing the best SFD logo, event photo, blog coverage, and photo of
the highest-ranking government official at an SFD event.

Information is available at the local website,
http://sfd2006.gbztechnology.com, and the global website,
http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/.

Local team leader William Davies may be reached by calling
865-368-1912 or by registering at the local website.

(c)Susquehanna Independent Weekend 2006
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Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org  9822122436 +91-832-240-9490
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