[GNUz] Media release: Software Freedom Day 4

[Rik Tindall]

"NZ takes global software project lead"

Education innovation addresses IT skills shortage.

Media release:

Software Freedom Day 4, Team Christchurch. 17th September 2006.


The fourth annual Software Freedom Day has arrived a year early, for one 
IT educator team. The global celebration of computing independence is 
growing steadily, with 180 teams from over 70 countries taking part in 
2006. Australia has claimed the title for the most teams in one country, 
at 15, after a big contribution to the year-old Software Freedom 
International organisation. New Zealand had seven teams registered, but 
the Christchurch team, uniquely, is extending SFD 3 into its second day.

The significance of the milestone was explained by the SFD Christchurch 
team leader, Rik Tindall.

“Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) is the main component on which the 
Internet runs. As such it is hidden, along with its importance, from 
general public view. But a far deeper technical insight has great 
priority for every modern society - perhaps the greatest. For example, 
both Labour and National's websites are run on FOSS, and Green Party 
policy is very much tending to promote it. Nandor Tanczos reportedly 
joined the Auckland SFD event. It is now a matter of joining the dots 
for the rest of the country,” Tindall says. “The facilitation skill-set 
FOSS delivers is unique.”

“We live in an addicted society, overburdened by health and policing 
costs as a result. The place to start breaking addiction is our own 
computer screens. FOSS multiplies information choice. The core 
difference from deploying FOSS is changing the concept of computers from 
consumer appliance to communications tool. By empowering the user, 
visual capture by commercial product is broken. Healing of mind, body, 
and spirit can thereafter begin. This isn't an abstract cause, because 
if politicians, educators, journalists, and the rest of society's 
leaders were wishing to retain what respect they have from the young 
generation, they would be acting upon this today. Christchurch SFD team 
has invited the general public and news media to participate in a live 
demonstration of computing liberation, at its fourth Software Freedom 
Day,” reports Tindall.

FOSS will be used and explained for a further SFDay, at the South 
Learning Centre, South Christchurch Library, 66 Colombo Street, 
Beckenham, from 12pm to 4pm, Sunday 17 September 2006. Training centres 
on the Ubuntu GNU/Linux operating system distribution, and software 
running consistent with that. A secure, virus-free work environment is 
created, increasing productivity. From this stable platform is offered 
an alternate course, for how computer users' number one bane will be 
solved – that of spam junkmail.

“At the moment we are locked into a treadmill by which our productive 
output is being eroded daily, through unsolicited advertising broadcasts 
to our Inboxes,” Tindall advises. “Computer monoculture is to blame. 
Expect in the near future to see proprietary software offering a 
filtering solution at the operating system level, that monitors every 
email communication and adds a small charge for each legitimate item to 
the user. Free and Open-Source Software is the better direction because 
it substitutes the spam platform itself, in infinite meaningful ways,” 
Tindall concludes.

“The way forward is to show how each individual can grow with computing, 
once their minds – and their desktops - are set free from commercial 
servitude. The nature of work has been changed forever by the ICT 
revolution. But it is up to each of us to now ensure that this change 
becomes an improvement.”

Ends


WHAT: Software Freedom Day - international Free and Open-Source Software 
festival.

WHEN: 12pm to 4pm, Sunday 17 September 2006

WHERE: South Learning Centre, South Christchurch Library, 66 Colombo 
Street, Beckenham, Christchurch.

CONTACT: Rik Tindall sfd@infohelp.co.nz Ph 03-332-1069 or 027-406-0077

EVENT: http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/gallery/2006/Christchurch

regards,
-- 
Rik Tindall, InfoHelp Services <http://www.infohelp.co.nz> on virus-free
Ubuntu GNU/Linux 6.06 freeOS, 2.6.15-26-686 kernel, GNOME 2.14.3 desktop
OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 suite, Mozilla.org Firefox 1.5.0.5 web browser and
Thunderbird 1.5.0.5 email, gEdit 2.14.4 web editor, gFTP 2.0.18 fileXfer