Northwest Software Expo Highlights Open Source Software
LinuxFest Northwest, a regional exposition for computer users interested in the Linux operating system and other Open Source software, will be held on April 26 at Bellingham Technical College (BTC) in Bellingham, Washington. This event is being organized by Linux User Groups from Bellingham, Kitsap Peninsula, Seattle, and Tacoma, and hosted by BTC.
Jed Reynolds; (PRWEB) February 17, 2003 -
From:6095; Bellingham Linux Users Group (BLUG)
Date: Friday Feb. 14, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Place: Bellingham Technical College, Bellingham Wash.
Date: April 26, 10 AM to 4 PM
For information contact: Leland Anderson, (360) 733-6010
NORTHWEST SOFTWARE EXPO HIGHLIGHTS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
LinuxFest Northwest, a regional exposition for computer users interested in the Linux operating system and other Open Source software, will be held on April 26 at Bellingham Technical College (BTC) in Bellingham, Washington. This event is being hosted by BTC and is being organized by Linux User Groups from Bellingham, Kitsap Peninsula, Seattle, and Tacoma, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
Admission to the event is free. The public is invited and will find material appropriate for computer users having a wide range of interests and expertise.
Jon "maddog" Hall, an internationally recognized pioneer in the Open Source software movement, will be featured as the keynote speaker. Events will include introductory to advanced lectures and tutorials presented by Open Source experts. There will be a number of vendor booths and a raffle of valuable computer products. A detailed schedule of events can be found at the event website, http://www. linuxnorthwest. com (http://www. linuxnorthwest. com).
There will be a welcoming address given by Dr. Gerald Humphries, president of BTC, before the lectures begin. The schedule of lectures can be found online at the event website.
"We have an exciting lineup of speakers this year," said Leland Anderson, an organizer of the event. "Not only are we privileged to have Jon Hall as our keynote speaker, several of our presenters are respected authors of books. In addition to lectures, hands-on tutorials will be taught in the BTC computer labs."
"We've added a new educational track this year on the use of Linux in schools," Anderson said. "There will also be some great tutorials on the Apache web server, free database management applications, Internet security, Perl, and Java all given by local professionals and expert users."
"Open Source software programs allow developers to view and modify the source code without having to pay for licenses to do so and, with certain exceptions, are required to make those modifications freely available to others," said Irvin Dorfman, an event organizer and publicist. "End user software developed from this Open Source code is generally available to the public at low cost, and often at no cost. Any end user software that is available free from the distributor can also be shared unrestricted with other users."
"Open Source software is gaining popularity. If you are a student, a small business operator, a non-profit organization, a library or a school, the low cost and great reliability of Open Source software is appealing," said Jed Reynolds, a software engineer from Bellingham.
"The exposition provides a showcase for anyone interested in learning more about the Linux and BSD operating systems and other Open Source software," said Jeremy C. Reed, an event organizer and speaker. "Booths and speakers this year will highlight alternative desktop operating systems and stable, low-cost servers running Open Source software."
"We will be cooperating with other Educational Service Districts (ESDs) in both Washington and Oregon to present the ways that Open Source software is used in their respective regions," said Eric Hall, Information Services director for Washington's Northwest Educational District (ESD) 189.
"ESDs provide support services primarily to public K-12 education. Many ESDs are supportive of Open Source software as a way to stretch the shrinking technology dollars available to our schools."
There will be booths hosting vendors and demonstrations by enthusiasts. A list of vendors and demonstrations can be found at the event website. Vendors and presenters interested in participating can also find more information about LinuxFest Northwest at http://www. linuxnorthwest. com (http://www. linuxnorthwest. com), or contact Leland Anderson at (360) 733-6010.
