Software Freedom Day Slated in Philippines

Are you tired of frequent spyware and viruses in your computer? Do you want to get loads of fantastic, feature-packed software for free?

Join us in celebrating Software Freedom Day 2008 at the University of Makati where ordinary users, geeks, programmers, NGOs and even internet shops have laid out a coordinated celebration of free and open source software (FOSS) on September 20, 2008.

Starting at 8 am in the morning with simultaneous events from Luzon to Mindanao, open source enthusiasts will meet and hold seminars and trainings on the use and promotion of FOSS. There will be a live video stream that will allow viewers to join in the events. Aside from the University of Makati and PUP-Taguig events in Metro Manila, there will also be regional events in Angeles, Mindanao State University and in Isabela City. The event is expected to bring in more than 2000 advocates and enthusiasts all over the country in line with this year’s call of “One Nation: Unity for Software Freedom”.

In Makati, there will be a discussion on what is open source software, its use in everyday computing and the Open Source bill filed by Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino in Congress. Breakout sessions will be held inparallel in the afternoon on varied topics such as FOSS for education, for NGOs and advocacy organizations, for developers as well as FOSS for internet cafes and small business.

In the spirit of free and open software, the latest versions of free operating systems and applications can be copied and burned on a CD onsite. A CD containing free software for proprietary operating systems will also be available. High quality free software are available for your computer in the office, at home and even well polished games for the gaming enthusiast. Free and open source software is the affordable software alternative especially for a third world country like the Philippines.

In 2007, over 330 teams all over the world celebrated Software Freedom Day. Last year’s activity was attended by more than two hundred enthusiasts in Manila with other regional events. Attendance in this year’s event is expected to increase due to the participation of more schools and groups working to make the event successful.

The Software Freedom Day 2008 Coordinating Team is composed of the Computer Professional’s Union, IT Society-University of Makati, TXTPower, the PHP Users Group Philippines (PHPUGPH), UP Linux Users Group, IOSN, Bayan Muna, and the Imus Internet Cafe Association.

Software Freedom Day is a yearly celebration of Software Freedom and why it is important; our purpose is public education about these important issues. Information about the Software Freedom Day event in the Philippines can be found at http://www.sfdphil.org and we invite you to come along to a fun day with giveaways and information.

Know a world where software is free and no pirates exist. Discover free and open software.###

Ref: Rick Bahague
Lead Organizer - SFD Philippine Celebration 2008
Computer Professionals’ Union
www.cp-union.com