Software Freedom Day

Join us on Software Freedom Day to learn more about Free Software and Open Source.

Free Software Melbourne, Linux Users Victoria and Electron Workshop are celebrating the 13th annual Software Freedom Day. With a variety of talks and workshops helping everyone to get the most out of the Free/Libre and Open Source communities and the free software they make available.

It doesn't matter how much you directly participate in software freedom or what operating system you run, all that matters is that you would like to live in a world of software freedom where every individual can control the code that runs on their computer and the conditions under which it executes. It's that time of the year for all of us who compute to celebrate our freedoms in technology and indulge in the finer details of keeping our increasingly digital lives under our direct control.

Entry is free anytime, so help spread the word on everyone’s liberties. Tea, Coffee and light snacks will be provided gratis and soft drinks avaliable at Electron Workshop prices.

This is the a family friendly event, please invite anyone that is interested as the more people that are involved the more the positive effects can be spread.

You can see our Code of Conduct online. Be respectful. Be mindful. Work together. Advocate freedom.

Electron Workshop
31 Arden Street, North Melbourne

Schedule

10:00am Doors Open

So there is no opening ceremony. What is this the Olympics? I hope not! We don't need that level of needless grandeur! Also we are not sponsored by Mega-Globa-Pharma Corp. Come early and meet some like minded people before the talks start off.

11:00am Information and communication technology & Free software in Schools (1 hour)

The stereo type of most technology in schools is one of an endless sea of proprietary software with no room for anything else, the truth however is much more refined. This is a look at what software is being using in schools and what can be done in the future to improve the use of free software in education.

12:00pm Matt Cengia (@mattcen) and Open Street Map Applications (1 hour)

Almost all people talk about Google Maps and Apple Maps - not us! It is great to see progress in the open alternative Open Street Maps. Find out how to use one of the most comprehensive and complete mapping data assets ever compiled for your own use. A great place to start is the Electron Workshop!

1:00pm Free and Open Source Community Gathering (1 hour)

2:30pm Russell Coker and Bionc

Have you ever wanted to help search for extra terrestrial activity? How about helping develop the next generation of antimalarial drug? What about helping mankind discover the secrets of the cosmos? Russell will show us all how to do this and more from the comfort of our living rooms using the Boinc research platform.

3:30pm Games and workshops (45 mins)

Must we go on? Yes! This is the point of the day you will have hopefully been through a few talks, have your head buzzing with questions and ideas and a have been eyeing off the games running off to the side for the last few few hours. Well now is your time to play! Or talk. Network with others at the event or have fun on fully free software games (No Steam or GOG here).

4:15pm Round up of the day (15 mins)

At last we must say goodbye. A 'State of the union' like speech from Linux User Victoria and Free Software Melbourne representatives. A reminder of why freedom in technology is important to everyone. Also expect us to persuade you to come to our regular monthly meetups - don't worry we are not a cult. Well not yet.

About Software Freedom Day

Software Freedom Day is an international celebration with events organised by volunteers all over the world.

Free Software and Open Source are social movements that celebrate the freedom and independence of people who use software. They are ethical approaches to building software that values your rights to use the software in any way, study how it works, share it with others and modify it to suit your needs. Over 30 years these movements have grown from a philosophy to the entire operating system of freedom-respecting software.

For more information about the Free Software movement visit the Free Software Foundation and the GNU Project.

To get a Free Software operating system for your computer, we recommend Trisquel GNU/Linux or Debian GNU/Linux. Both these operating systems can be run from a CD or USB drive so you can try them without disturbing your existing installation.