Loads of info at Software Freedom day | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

This Sunday sees Tauranga's very own Software Freedom Day event.

The event - an open day to promote free software and free software concepts - is part of a worldwide celebration.

Organised by the BOP Linux User Group supported by TechnologyWise, the open day will feature volunteers showing visitors the extent of open source software and its capabilities.

Internationally, the goal of Software Freedom Day is to educate the worldwide public about the benefits of using high quality Free and Open Source Software in education, in government, at home, and in business.

A wide range of software will be demonstrated including areas such as audio-visual, astronomy, business, design, educational, games, genealogy, libraries, music and programming.

The vision of Software Freedom Day is shared by TechnologyWise: "... to empower all people to freely connect, create and share in a digital world that is participatory, transparent and sustainable".

In a nutshell, open source software is software that is freely available via the internet.

Unlike proprietary software, which is sold by licence and can't be altered, open source software can be changed, adapted and improved to meet the needs of the user. Versions are regularly updated and upgraded and made available for download.

The open day is free and everyone is welcome. It runs from 11am-3pm at St Mary's Catholic School, 11 Thirteenth Ave, Tauranga.

For more information visit http://www.boplug.co.nz/sfd