September 2013 - Free-software-melb - lists.softwarefreedom.com.au

No FSM meet-up in September, SFD instead
by Adam Bolte 30 Sep '13

30 Sep '13

Hi all, I've got some bad news, and some good news. The bad news: There won't be any Free Software Melbourne meet-up this month. The good news: Instead, we'll be busy preparing for Software Freedom Day! This is on Saturday, 21 September, 09:30-17:00, at the Melbourne Unitarian Church hall in East Melbourne. More details on this event can be found in the following links: http://luv.asn.au/2013/09/21 http://wiki.softwarefreedomday.org/2013/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/SFD It should be an exciting day, so I hope you all can make it! There has also been the suggestion of perhaps doing an informal hacking day to celebrate GNU's 30th birthday. Stay tuned to the free-software-melb mailing list if this interests you, and feel free to suggest a venue if anyone has any ideas. https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/ Cheers, Adam

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GNU 30th Birthday celebration, Saturday 2013-09-28
by Ben Finney 28 Sep '13

28 Sep '13

Howdy all, Free Software Melbourne invites you to join us to celebrate 30 years of the GNU operating system, which sparked the free software movement. Come join us for lunch on Saturday, 2013-09-28. We'll meet 12:15 for a meal at 12:30, at Classic Curry Restaurant: Classic Curry Restaurant <URL:http://www.classiccurry.com/> 597 Elizabeth Street (Corner of Queensberry St) North Melbourne <URL:http://www.openstreetmap.org/?node=2274622026> Partners and children are welcome. Please do let us know if you plan to come or cancel; while not essential, the restaurant staff will appreciate a reliable expectation of how many we will be. RSVP to me (Ben Finney) or secretary Adam Bolte ahead of the day. Bring a stuffed GNU or any GNU-related toys you might have! We hope to get some fun photos. Read about the GNU operating system, its history, and worldwide 30th birthday celebrations, at <URL:https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/>. -- \ “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their | `\ home.” —Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital | _o__) Equipment Corp., 1977 | Ben Finney

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Train delays Belgrave-Lilydale
by Bianca Gibson 28 Sep '13

28 Sep '13

Hi all, Trains were out earlier today between Ringwood and Blackburn. They are running replacement busses, but expect delays. I'm not sure if it's still a problem now, but if you're coming to lunch from that direction I'd allow extra time. Cheers, Bianca

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Fwd: [lca-announce] lca2014 keynote - Jon Oxer - ArduSat
by Bianca Gibson 27 Sep '13

27 Sep '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "linux.conf.au Announcements" <lca-announce(a)lists.linux.org.au> Date: 27 Sep 2013 16:37 Subject: [lca-announce] lca2014 keynote - Jon Oxer - ArduSat To: <lca-announce(a)lists.linux.org.au>, <chat(a)lists.lca2013.linux.org.au>, " plug(a)plug.org.au" <plug(a)plug.org.au> Cc: Public Release. For immediate Release. The linux.conf.au 2014 team are excited to announce our first keynote speaker - Jonathan Oxer. Jon has agreed to come and present a keynote discussing ArduSat. Jon has been hacking on both hardware and software since he was a little tacker. Most recently he's been focusing more on the Open Hardware side, co-founding Freetronics as a direct result of organising the first Arduino Miniconf at LCA2010. His books include "Ubuntu Hacks" and "Practical Arduino". Jon has been variously referred to as Australia's geekiest man and as a cyborg-in-progress. As part of his “SuperHouse” home automation series, Jon has taken keyless entry to an all new level by embedding an RFID tag into his arm using a vet's chipping tool. Recently he has been working on ArduSat, a satellite that aims to give hobbyists, students and space enthusiasts an opportunity to design and run their own experiments in space. By choosing a standardised platform based on the hugely popular Arduino hardware design, ArduSat allows anyone to develop and prototype experiments at home using readily accessible parts and all based on a simple open source software environment. Jon will be presenting an overview of the latest developments to the ArduSat project as part of his keynote presentation during linux.conf.au2014 in Perth, Western Australia. linux.conf.au is an annual open source conference organised by Linux Australia. In 2014 the conference will be held in Perth, Western Australia from the 6th January to the 10th. http://linux.conf.au #lca2014 -- Kind Regards Luke Woollard luke.john(a)osmahi.com _______________________________________________ lca-announce mailing list lca-announce(a)lists.linux.org.au http://lists.linux.org.au/listinfo/lca-announce

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Celebrations from MediaGoblin [Fwd: Join us at GNU 30th! Also, Monster Liberation!]
by Ben Finney 27 Sep '13

27 Sep '13

Howdy all, The MediaGoblin project, to which Free Software Melbourne is a proud donor, continues strong this year. Here's a message from Chris Webber on what they'll be doing for the GNU 30th Birthday. -- \ “My house is made out of balsa wood, so when I want to scare | `\ the neighborhood kids I lift it over my head and tell them to | _o__) get out of my yard or I'll throw it at them.” —Steven Wright | Ben Finney <ben(a)benfinney.id.au>

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Please make a submission on Innovation Patents by 4 October
by Ben Sturmfels 26 Sep '13

26 Sep '13

Hi Free Software Lovers, Chances like this to eliminate the threat of software patents are rare. The Australian Government is requesting submissions for a Review of the Innovation Patent System. Please make a written submission by 4 October 2013. I've prepared the following no-nonsense guide to help you. It's not hard to do, and simply making your voice heard has a huge impact. If you have any questions, please call me on (03) 9024 2467. I'm happy to explain the issues without the legal jargon. Regards, Ben

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Debate event: “Copyright Is Dead, Long Live The Pirates”
by Ben Finney 23 Sep '13

23 Sep '13

Howdy all, The Wheeler Centre is organising an IQ² Debate with a topic related to free culture, that of copyright and the misnomer “piracy” for copyright infringement. The digital revolution is counter-intuitive to copyright. Technological change is moving too fast for adequate laws to be implemented – and for affected industries to keep pace. With such open access to information these days, how do we know where one person’s work ends and another begins? Is the very idea of intellectual property becoming a nonsense – or is it too important to give up on, for the continuing functioning of the arts and the sciences? And – the million-dollar question – how can we ensure creativity continues to pay? Our speakers will consider the obstacles and opportunities ahead. <URL:http://wheelercentre.com/events/event/copyright-is-dead-long-live-the-p…> -- \ “He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his | `\ enemy from oppression.” —Thomas Paine | _o__) | Ben Finney

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Haecksen miniconf Call For Proposals (linux.conf.au, January, Perth)
by Bianca Gibson 18 Sep '13

18 Sep '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Mary Gardiner" <mary(a)puzzling.org> Date: 17 Sep 2013 14:18 Subject: [OWOOT] Haecksen miniconf Call For Proposals (linux.conf.au, January, Perth) To: "OWOOT" <owoot(a)lists.owoot.org> Cc: CFP closes 1 November. -------------------------------- http://haecksen.net/haecksen-2014-call-proposals Haecksen 2014 - Call For Proposals Submitted by superhaecksen on Sun, 2013-09-15 13:39 Haecksen isn't Haecksen without all the Haecksen! That's you! This year, we're looking for: * Short talks (around 20 minutes, but requests for a double slot of 40 minutes will be considered) on anything related to open tech generally, or women in open tech specifically, that you are currently working on. * A small number of short hands-on presentations about *your personal or professional experience* of preparing, submitting, and giving talks at technical conferences. Think you've got what it takes? Go to http://haecksen.net/node/add/miniconfsubmission and tell us all about it! Submissions are open until 1 November. If you have questions about anything at all, email unicorn(at)haecksen(dot)net. Just a short note: Accepted miniconf speakers do not generally get free admission to the conference. If you would like to speak but CANNOT afford to attend, please let us know in your submission so we can work with you and the LCA organisers to try and make it happen. == About Haecksen 2014 == Haecksen has been a regular feature at linux.conf.au since 2007. In that time, it has stuck to a tried and trusted formula. A group of smart, vibrant women all working in some way with open source technology, spend the day together sharing their experiences and knowledge in a supportive and fun environment. For linux.conf.au 2014, the Oceania Women of Open Technology (OWOOT http://owoot.org) group proposes, again, a one-day Haecksen miniconf. Again, the intention is to feature women speakers and panellists on technical and community topics related to free software and women in free software. This year, however, the emphasis is on fun. Kicking off with a gameshow-style quiz covering achievements of historical women in tech, the day will then move into a series of short, upbeat presentations, before finishing with a light-hearted hands-on education session dedicated to encouraging and assisting women with conference speaker applications, professional speaking skills, and conference attendance. Speakers are expected, and indeed encouraged, to cover topics that range widely from technical talks to professional development, and community involvement. == 2014 Haecksen team == Lana Brindley. Lana will lead organisation of the miniconference prior to and at linux.conf.au 2014. Lana was the lead organiser of the 2011 and 2012 Haecksen miniconfs, and was a member of the LCA 2013 core team. Mary Gardiner. Mary will assist with the call for papers and selecting presentations. Mary was the founder of the Haecksen miniconf and was co-organiser of the 2007 and 2008 miniconfs. Bianca Gibson. Bianca will assist with the call for papers and selecting presentations. Bianca was co-organiser of the 2013 Haecksen miniconf. == About OWOOT == OWOOT (Oceania Women of Open Tech, formerly Aussiechix) was formed in October 2011, but grew out of women's groups in the region active since 1999. OWOOT remains a chapter of Linuxchix. Linuxchix functions as a geographically distributed user group. It has been running for over a decade and contains well over a thousand active members in many different countries. Originally founded with the explicit intention of providing an alternative to occasionally hostile online environments, it is not yet in the enviable position of being redundant. As such, as well as the usual technical aspect of user groups, OWOOT has a heavy social aspect. == Women at linux.conf.au == Possibly due to the community spirit provided by groups like OWOOT, the previous miniconfs have helped attract women in the greater FLOSS community to linux.conf.au. The presence of the miniconf since 2007 has demonstrably helped raise the numbers of women to the conference itself. The inaugural miniconf expected 20 women. Last year, over 80 people expressed interest in the miniconf, and the main conference is now regularly attracting around a 20% female attendance rate. With a reported 4% female contributions to open source projects, a 20% female attendance rate shows the good work the Haecksen miniconf does for promoting and welcoming female talent and perspective to FLOSS projects, and linux.conf.au in particular. _______________________________________________ owoot mailing list owoot(a)lists.owoot.org http://lists.owoot.org/listinfo/owoot

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Re: [free-software-melb] [luv-talk] Filling Software Freedom day "Sugar on a Stick" CD & "Edubuntu 12.04.3 + OpenDisc 12.09" DVD
by Rodney Brown 15 Sep '13

15 Sep '13

On 16/09/13 04:04, Wen Lin wrote: > Hi Rodney, > > Good on you for making the SFD "Sugar on a Stick" etc CDs & DVDs. Any > cost involved please let me know so I can reimburse you. > I currently have ~16 CDs of "Sugar on a Stick" Fedora-Live-SoaS-i686-19-1 burnt and ~10 of OpenDisc.12.09_Edubuntu-12.04.03 DVDs burnt Battle of Wesnoth didn't make the cut, ... I think there is < 10Mb free on the DVD I have labels to print on the CD/DVDs in SVG. > You need a hand in burning the CD/DVD? How many you intend to make? > From what Tony said, the 16 CDs should be enough, though it is running Fedora after all. I think it shouldn't be to hard to burn up to 50 DVDs here, so I should be Ok. More generally how useful are media for people? Edubuntu 12.04.03 gives a current LTS Ubuntu with LibreOffice etc installed. A similarly well populated Fedora iso would be worth distributing. > Cheers, > Wen > > > > On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 8:57 AM, Lev Lafayette <lev(a)levlafayette.com > <mailto:lev@levlafayette.com>> wrote: > > > On Wed, September 11, 2013 8:05 am, Rodney Brown wrote: > > For Software Freedom Day, I try to fill the media we write to > give away > > > > For "Sugar on a Stick" Fedora-Live-SoaS-i686-19-1, the CD will have > > 5-6Mb left, not enough for very much, but text and links in the > Readme > > are small. I've assumed this CD may interest people with younger > > children. > > Sounds good Rodney! Thanks for doing this.. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > luv-talk mailing list > luv-talk(a)lists.luv.asn.au > http://lists.luv.asn.au/listinfo/luv-talk

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Petition opened for keeping an "FttP-ed" NBN
by Adrian Colomitchi 11 Sep '13

11 Sep '13

Hi gals and guys, I signed the petition "The Liberal Party of Australia: Reconsider your plan for a 'FTTN' NBN in favour of a superior 'FTTH' NBN" on Change.org. If interested, here's the link: http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/the-liberal-party-of-australia-recons… Regards, Adrian

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