FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Irene Orense-Balaoing
Organization: Bluepoint Foundation
Telephone Number: 534-1077
Fax Number: 534-5873
Email Address: irene@bluepoint.com.ph
Website: http://bluepoint.com.ph/SFD/2008/
METRO MANILA - Bluepoint Linux Users Elite (BLUE) in cooperation with the Commission on Information & Communications Technology-National Computer Center (CICT-NCC), Advanced Science & Technology Institute (ASTI), and Bluepoint Foundation celebrated Software Freedom Day along with more than 500 teams in over 90 countries all around the world last September 20th at the National Computer Center, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
Software Freedom Day (SFD) is the annual worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The goal in this celebration is to educate the worldwide public about the benefits of using high quality FOSS in education, in government, at home, and in business.
Over 500 attendees joined the Fedora Ambassadors Philippines, LinuxChix Philippines, Slackware Linux Users Group Philippines (SLUGPhils), Philippine Linux Windows Users Group (PH-LWUG), Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration & Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV), Philippine Linux Users Group (PLUG), One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Philippines, Novare Technologies, Computerworld Philippines, Sun Microsystems, and Trend Micro in the 8AM to 6PM event.
"We were all pleasantly surprised by the large number of attendees" said Marie Grace Gaffud-Antonio, Executive Director of Bluepoint Foundation. "Our initial estimate was a maximum of 150 participants but we experienced an overflow crowd, with some people coming all the way from provinces up north." A total of three NCC venues were required for the standing room plenary and technical sessions. “Bluepoint and NCC are happy with the turnout of today’s FOSS awareness campaign. Attendees are looking forward to using FOSS in their schools and offices. Sponsors have already expressed their support for next year's SFD” she added.
Former Senate President Jovito Salonga led the invocation and NCC Director General and CICT Commissioner Angelo Timoteo Diaz de Rivera delivered the opening remarks. Linuxcare founder Arthur Tyde delivered the keynote and talked about Oracle's Unbreakable Linux. The morning plenary session was capped by presentations about Open Source for the Visually Impaired, SM's Open Source Experience, IPv6, and the Fedora Project.
Experts from ASTI, Novare, PH-LWUG, and SLUGPhils discussed Desktop Linux from Scratch, J2ME Applications Development on Netbeans, Open Source Network Access Controller, and Robotics with Slackware Linux during the afternoon technical sessions. A tune-up session for Codefest contestants and judges was also held at the NCC Digital Media Arts Development laboratory in preparation for BLUE's on-the-spot programming contest in October.
Attendees enjoyed freebies from the exhibit booths set up at NCC lobby by PLUG, PH-LWUG, SLUGPhils, Fedora Project, LinuxChix Philippines, National Computer Institute (NCI), Computerworld Philippines, OLPC Philippines, ASTI, and Sun Microsystems.
