Loads of Linux Links: Advocacy

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'Trusted Computing' FAQ - TC / TCG / LaGrande / NGSCB / Longhorn / Palladium / TCPA - Excellent review of Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) and Microsoft's Palladium and the threat to Linux and the open source movement. (2003) This document is a little dated, but unfortunately the problems identified here are still with us today. In other words Microsoft is still being a pain. (2007)
"Commercial" is not the opposite of Free-Libre / Open Source Software (FLOSS) - This essay explains why it's important for Linux advocacy to understand that "commercial" is not the opposite of FLOSS. Many useful links are included throughout the document. (2007)
"REVOLUTION OS" - Site dedicated to the Linux advocacy video and DVD, "REVOLUTION-OS".
A Business Case Study of Open Source Software - Complete report available in PDF format.
A Guide to Earning an Income From a Free and Open Source Project - John Andrews, creator of the Damn Small Linux distribution, offers advice on earning a living from FOSS projects. (2006)
ACCRC - Computer Recyclers - A Microsoft-free organisation that recycles and refurbishes PCs (installed with SUSE or Ubuntu) to schools, non-profit organizations, and economically and/or physically disadvantaged individuals.
AFFS (Association for Free Software) Homepage - UK organization which supports and defends free software.
Affero Software Project - Fund raiser enabler for open source/Linux and non-profit organizations.
Against Intellectual Monopoly - Online Book - This book demonstrates why "Intellectual Property", otherwise known as Intellectual Monopoly, does not foster and protect innovation like the IP pundits claim. PDF format only. (2007)
Anatomy of the Irrational Microsoft User Response - Advice on advocating Free and Open Software and for dealing with typical responses from Microsoft users. (2008)
Ankur - Home - A project run by people in Bangladesh and India to provide Bangla support for some major XServer applications and to create awareness about Linux/GNU and the FLOSS movement.
Audio Recordings about Our (Free Software Foundation) Philosophy - This site contains the key speeches of Richard S. Stallman. These are available for download. A guide to audio formats is also included.
BinaryFreedom | Free as in Freedom and We Really Mean It! - An advocacy site for freedom and fairness in the digital world.
Blue GNU - News for Gnus - A Free Software news, advocacy, and opinion site which uses only Free Software. This site talks the talk *and* walks the walk re Free Software.
Builder AU Article - "How To Make Money From Open Source" - A detailed, easy-to-follow guide for potential open source entrepreneurs written by Con Zymaris, Australian Linux advocate and businessman. (2005)
CIO Magazine Article - "The Myths of Open Source" - A still-relevant article debunking the myths of open source: cost, no support, lack of good desktop, legal issues, can't handle mission-critical applications. (2004)
CLUE: The Canadian Association for Open Source - The mission of this organization is to promote the use and development of free, open source software, by providing a public voice to the community of its Canadian users, developers and supporters.
Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) - University of Ottawa Faculty of Law initiative to deal with law, technology and public interest issues such as copyright, file sharing, domain name disputes, privacy, Internet censorship in public libraries. Also available in French.
Canopener -- Canadian Open Source Education and Research - A Canadian open source advocacy and research site.
Chilling Effects Clearinghouse: Patent - Information about patents in the U.S.; specific information about computer technology patents; recent news and cease & desist (c&d) orders.
Community Free Software Group (CFSG) - A New York City non-profit group that helps young people in city neighborhoods learn how to install and run Debian Linux on hardware donated by area businesses and individuals.
Congressman Villanueva's reply letter to Microsoft - Peruvian Congressman Dr. Edgar David Villanueva's detailed rebuttle to Microsoft's now-infamous response to Peruvian Bill Number 1609, Free Software in Public Administration. Excellent advocacy piece. (May, 2002)
Debian Women - Promotes and encourages women's involvement in the Debian Project.
Desktop Linux At Home - An advocacy and Linux desktop news site geared towards the home user. Site provides Linux news feeds, distribution news, a FAQ for new Linux users, an annotated list (with links) of common software applications most users will need, a distribution selector, and recommended reading.
DesktopLinux.com ... Windependence Day Essays - Outstanding collection of Linux advocacy essays.
Digital Copyright Canada - All Canadian Citizens are "Rights Holders"! - A digital rights advocacy site for Canadians.
Digital Doorway Home - This project provides freely available open source software and computer kiosks throughout rural and disadvantaged areas of South Africa. The aim is to provide an environment for people to experiment with and learn computer skills without formal training and with minimal external input.
Digital Tipping Point - A Linux and Open Source advocacy and news site. Of particular interest is the open source documentary film project. Site also available in Spanish.
DigitalConsumer.org Home Page - Advocacy group whose purpose is to protect fair-use rights in the digital world.
Directory of Open Access Journals - The aim of this project is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals thereby promoting their increased usage and impact.
EACOSS - East African Center for Open Source Software - An advocacy and training centre focussing on free and open source software.
EDRi-gram Newsletter - European Digital Rights (EDRi) bi-weekly newsletter.
EFF - Electronic Freedom Frontier - The Patent Busting Project - The Electronic Freedom Foundation's initiative to protect innovation and freedom.
EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation - Defending freedom in the digital world.
EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation Article - "Noncommercial Email Lists; Collateral Damage in the Fight Against Spam" - Outlines the problems with current spam filtering techniques and the basic principles and best practices for both email listowners and ISPs. (2004) This article is still relevant today (2008).
End Software Patents - An advocacy site for eliminating software patents.
FREE GEEK - Home - A Portland, Oregon (USA) non-profit computer recycling organization which provides free GNU/Linux OS computers and computer/internet training in exchange for a few hours of community service. There are now other Free Geek and other computer recycling centres available; check the recycling links on the main page for more information.
FSF - The Free Software Foundation - A non-profit organization dedicated to promoting computer users' rights to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs; promotes the development and use of free software, particularly the GNU/Linux operating system. Principal organizational sponsor of the GNU project.
FSF - The Free Software Foundation - India - A non-profit organisation committed to advocating, promoting and propagating the use and development of swatantra software in India.
FSF Europe - Free Software Foundation Europe - A European advocacy site which actively supports development of free software (as in freedom) and GNU-based operating systems such as GNU/Linux. Site available in all European languanges.
First Monday Article - "Open Source Intelligence" - Article about open source collaborative principles; examples of open source intelligence (OS-INT); and the future of OS-INT); a little dated, but still quite relevant and provides an interesting historical perspective. (2002)
Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) - A European non-profit association dedicated to the development of public information goods based on copyright, free competition, open standards; an advocate for public policy questions concerning exclusion rights (intellectual property) in data processing.
Free Software in Education - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) - An advocacy and resource site for free (as in freedom) software in schools maintained by the Free Software Foundation (FSF).
Freedom Toaster - Sponsored by the Shuttleworth Foundation in South Africa,the Freedom Toaster is a self-contained machine where users can make free copies of open source software; now (April, 2006) these machines will allow content-sharing as well. Available in several locations across the country.
Freedom to Tinker - Edward W. Felten's website about freedom to understand, discuss, repair, and modify your own technological devices.
GNU's Not Unix! - the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) - Premier meta site for GNU/Linux and open source software information.
GNU/Linux World Domination for the Wrong Reasons - An excellent advocacy piece for software freedom. (2008)
GNU/Linux: Too Much about Hate, Not Enough about Pride - This Linux advocacy article is spot-on: be proud of what the free software and Linux community has accomplished and what it has to offer computer users today. (2008)
GNUWin II : Open your Windows - Free software distribution for MS-Windows with the ultimate aim to assist in the transition to a free operating system such as GNU/Linux
GROKLAW Article - "Why Linux Is Conquering the World" - An excellent Linux advocacy article (2003) by the indefatigable PJ. This still rings true today (2007)
Get GNU/Linux! - Promotes the use of Linux and freedom (from restrictive software licenses) for everyday users. A site to visit for those thinking of switching to Linux or have already decided to use Linux and want to learn more. Also available in Catalan, French, and Spanish (Castilian).
Get the Facts - A comprehensive information site on migrating to Linux; includes guides, articles, HOWTOs, and success stories.
Getting Linux on to the Desktop - www.reallylinux.com - An excellent article on how to introduce and successfully make the switch to the Linux Desktop. (2003)
Groklaw: Eben Moglen: "The Global Software Industry in Transformation: After GPLv3" - Intellectual freedom is an enormous subject but Eben Moglen ties it all together in an inspiring way. Read, enjoy, and reread! (2007)
HOSEF - Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation - An open source in education advocacy group.
HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux - An excellent HOWTO aimed at male Linux enthusiasts who would like to see more women involved in Linux. It also contains good advice to LUGs about encouraging new members.
IBM Linux Portal - IBM Linux information portal.
IBM Redbooks | Linux Client Migration Cookbook A Practical Planning and Implementation Guide for Migrating to Desktop Linux - A detailed guide for IT departments planning a switch to Linux on the desktop; suitable for any size company. (2005) N.B.: Version 1 (2005) is available as a downloadable PDF, online version, or in print; version 2 draft (2006) is available as a downloadable PDF only.
IBM developerWorks : Migration Station: Linux Track - A comprehensive resource site for Linux migration information.
IBM devloperWorks: Linux Zone: Windows-to-Linux Roadmap: Series Overview - A nine-part series roadmap for developers making the transition to Linux; a little dated (2003), but the information is still relevant.
Innovation Happens Elsewhere; Open Source as a Business Strategy - Online Book - Aimed primarily at business executives who need to understand the basic concepts of open source and how it will benefit their companies. This book is also useful for engineers who find themselves working in an open source work environment. (2005)
Irish Free Software Organisation (IFSO) - Homepage - This organization works to promote awareness of FreeSoftware, and to protect the rights of those who use and write it.
KDE Myths - Addresses some of the common misconceptions about KDE. Some parts are a little dated, but still useful nonetheless.
KDE Women Project - Purpose is to build a community of female KDE contributors and users.
LXer Article - "Linux - Millenium Momentum" - Notes from Paul Ferris' Keynote Address at the 2004 Ohio LinuxFest. This is an example of great Linux advocacy, and is still relevant today (2008).
League for Programming Freedom (LPF) - An organization that opposes software patents and user interface copyrights.
Libervis.com - Free Open Source Software (FOSS) Community Center - A portal site dedicated to free and open source software; a community site complete with blogs, forums, news headlines, articles, FudZilla Project (reporting and responding to FUD articles about open source software), related links, IRC chat and web digest.
Linux Advocacy mini-HOWTO - How the Linux community can effectively advocate the use of Linux. (2005) Complements the Linux User Group HOWTO(http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/User-Group-HOWTO.html).
Linux Advocates Turn Violent, Riot In Seattle - A humourous, satirical account of the WTO "Battle of Seattle" and Linux advocates.
Linux Brochure Project (LBP): Home - LBP is GPLed data and software which is used to document key Linux information in a standard-size brochure; an excellent advocacy and publicity tool for LUGs and other Linux organizations.
Linux Business Applications - Directory of businesses that use Linux in their day-to-operations and a good place to find out about Linux in business; also availble in French.
Linux Librarian -- just when you thought libraries couldn't get any cooler... - A Linux and open source advocacy site for library staff and administrators worldwide.
Linux PR - How to write a press release for Linux advocacy; last updated in 1999, but the information is still relevant, although some links are broken.
Linux T-Shirts, UNIX T-Shirts - Linux Tux Apparel - A variety of Linux-related clothing and merchandise.
Linux Today - Update: Ending Microsoft FUD: An Interview with Peruvian Congressman Villanueva - An outstanding advocacy story, which still is relevant today (2006). (Original date of this interview: 2002-05.)
Linux in Universities - An advocacy site for Linux in universities; a little dated, but the basic information is still valid particularly for those institutions that have not made the switch to Linux. (2002)
Linux.com Article - "Going open source: A manager's guide to doing it right" - A guide to open sourcing code; includes a handy checklist for managers to use before making the open source decision. (2004) The information in this article is still relevant today (2008).
Linux.com Article - "'Creative destruction' and the future of the software industry" - How Free/Open Source Software is changing the software industry. (2004) FOSS is still changing the software industry today (2008).
Linux.com Article - "10 ways to pay back the open source community" - An amazing article that summarizes the ways Linux users can give back to the community; a must read. (2005)
LinuxChix - A Linux and computing support group for women.
LinuxChix Africa - An African-based Linux and computing support group for women.
LinuxDevCenter Article - "Sowing the Seeds of Open Source Advocacy" - An overview article on the techniques for advocating open source software. (2005)
LinuxEDA.com - Electronic design automation software - Advocacy site for Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software on Linux.
LinuxLots - A site that offers free web and ftp space for contributors to the Linux cause.
LinuxPlanet - Interviews - The Voice of Groklaw - An excellent interview with Pamela Jones of Groklaw. Notable quote: "Proprietary software is like petrified wood. It used to be alive, but then it was fixed in time and put in a box." (2003)
LinuxPlanet - Reports - Koha: A Library Checks Out Open Source - Welcome to Nelsonville, Ohio; Hot Bed of Open Source - Nelsonville Public Library has chosen KOHA, an open source library system for public libraries. (2002) In 2006 they are still using this system.
Linuxcaffe - Coffee, Code, Culture, Community - A Linux user's dream -- a Toronto coffee/internet cafe totally run on open source software. Offers good food, coffee, music, art, free WiFi, Linux distros, and Linux help.
Linuxmanship - An outstanding advocacy essay.
Living Without Microsoft - This site is designed to help anyone who wishes to explore the possibility of living without Microsoft software.
Lobby4Linux - Bringing Help to the New Linux User - An advocacy site for the Linux desktop and the beginning Linux user. Of particular note is the Linux4Austin Project, a radio advertising campaign to bring desktop Linux to the attention of the general public.
LocalFOSS - Promoting FOSS in Your Backyard - An Australian weekly online radio programme ("Open Source On The Air") whose primary focus is helping smaller and regional LUGs raise their profiles and spreading awareness of FOSS in the region.
MadPenguin Article - "Open Source : Where We Are Now. Where We Are Going" - A "must read" article on open source; includes a historical perspective, the current situation, what's likely to happen in the future, and lots of useful links to explore throughout the article. (2005)
Malaysian OSS (MyOSS) Magazine - A Malaysian publication which provides resources and information about Linux and Open Source with the aim to expand their use in the region; welcomes contributions from new and experienced users. Each issue is available in PDF format.
Martus.org -- Human Rights Bulletin System - A cross-platform application that assists non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to collect information on human rights abuses. Also available in Arabic, French, Nepali, Persian, Russian, Spanish,and Thai.
Migrate With Confidence From Microsoft Windows Servers to UNIX/Linux - A comprehensive, guide for IT executives and managers; guide also available in Catalan, Danish and Spanish.
Moving to Freedom - This site deals with free/open source software, moving to GNU/Linux plus related issues such as copyright, software patents, and DRM.
Netcraft - What's That Site Running Results - Reports on a site's operating system, web server, and netblock owner together with, if available, a graphical view of the time since last reboot for each of the computers serving the site.
Netcraft Web Server Survey - Monthly survey of web server software usage. Includes: market share for top servers across all domains from August 1995 to present; top developers and active sites.
Netcraft Web Server Survey--Active Sites - The first report (July 2000) when Linux took over the server world!
Netcraft Web Site Finder - Research data and analysis on many aspects of the Internet including server statistics.
No Software Patents! - Campaign against the legalization of software patents in Europe; a multi-lingual site.
O'Reilly Network: Free Culture: Lawrence Lessig Keynote from OSCON 2002 - This keynote address is still relevant today. Lessig challenged the audience to get more involved in the political process to ensure that free culture and open source continues in our society.
OLPC - One Laptop per Child - The mission of this non-profit association (One Laptop Per Child) is to develop a low-cost laptop - the "$100 Laptop" - a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's children. Their goal is to provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves. Website also available in German.
OSNews.com Article -"Why Free Software Matters" - A thoughtful article about why you should care about the politics and freedoms (or lack thereof) associated with proprietary and open source software. Good examples of how proprietary software restricts your freedom. (2004) This article still rings true today (2008).
OSS Watch - Open Source Software Advisory Service - Provides advice and guidance about free and open source software for the education sector in the UK.
OfB.biz: - Open for Business Commentary - "Free Software Does Matter" - Excellent commentary on the role of free software and the pursuit of human freedom. (2002) Still relevant today (2007).
OfB.biz: Open for Business Commentary - "Gurus versus Newbies" - How to make it easier for the home user to adopt Linux; a little dated, but the advice is still valid. (2003)
Online Rights Canada - A Canadian grassroots organization that promotes the public's interest in technology and information policy, in particular copyright law, access to information, and freedom from censorship in the digital world.
Ontario Linux Fest - An annual, grassroots Linux and Open Source event in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) featuring talks for all levels of Linux users, and an exhibit area for commericial companies and a Dot Org pavillion for non-profit software projects and Linux advocacy groups.
Open Access News - This is the primary record of the open access movement whose objective is to have peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature on the Internet without financial, copyright, and licensing barriers that currently exist in scholarly publishing.
Open Source Industry Australia (OSIA) - OSIA is the national industry body for Open Source within Australia. The purpose of this organization is promote the cause of both Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in Australia and to help members to improve their business success using FOSS.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) - A non-profit corporation dedicated to managing and promoting the Open Source Definition for the good of the community; an advocacy site.
Open Source Now - An open source community advocacy site sponsored by Red Hat.
Open Source Software Institute (OSSI) - A U.S. non-profit organization which promotes, develops and implements open source software solutions between government, corporate and academic sectors.
Open Source Software in Libraries - An introductory article about Open Source Software (OSS) and libraries; the shared, underlying principles of OSS and librarianship; and a description of well-known OSS software projects. (2002 and updated in 2007).
Open Source and These United States - Treatise on open source and open licensing.
OpenCafe - Building Open Source Communities - Open source advocacy in South Africa using the Internet cafe model with all profits used to setup new open cafes and open source school labs. OpenCafe specialises in the usage, distribution, training and technical support for open source software.
OpenDisc - A collection of open source software for users of the Microsoft Windows platform. The goals of this project are to provide free alternatives to costly proprietary equivalents and to educate people about the Linux operating system. There is also an OpenEducationDisc specifically targeting the education sector. Continues TheOpenCD project.
OpenDocument Fellowship - A worldwide, non-profit, volunteer organization to promote the adoption, use and development of the OpenDocument format (ODF).
OpenInformatics.org Homepage - Making scientists more aware of open source software and the benefits to them. Site also contains a science-related software resource list.
Penguin Day: Free and Open Source Software for Non-Profits - An advocacy site for Linux and FOSS in North America.
Promote Linux - A site that presents great ways to promote Linux.
SchoolForge - The purpose of this site is to unify independent organizations that advocate, use, and develop open resources for primary and secondary education. SchoolForge members advocate the use of open source and free software, open texts and lessons, and open curricula for the advancement of education and the betterment of humankind.
Security Space -- Free Reports - Note in particular Web Server Market Share report. This report is archived from June 1998.
Seeds for Change Network - Guide to switching to Linux for non-profit groups; includes information on computer security, X terminals, and general information on Linux.
Software Freedom Day - An advocacy initiative to raise awareness of the benefits of Free and Open Software (FOSS) and to encourage more use globally.
Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) - This organization provides legal representation and other law related services to protect and advance Free and Open Source Software. SFLC offers direct services to nonprofit FOSS developers without charge, as well as resources for everyone.
Software Wars - A graphic map depicting the epic struggle of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) against the Empire of Microsoft.
Software in the Public Interest, Inc. - A non-profit organization that supports, encourages and promotes the creation and development of open software available to the general public; has mailing lists and archives.
Spread Firefox - Igniting the Web - An advocacy site for the Firefox browser.
Spread Open Media - A community portal for the promotion of open media formats.
Tectonic Article -- "Internet Cafe Builds Community Around Open Source" - Open source advocacy in South Africa using the Internet cafe idea, but with a crucial difference: all profits go to building and sustaining open source and training initiatives. (2005)
Texts & Transcripts on Software Freedom - A collection of texts & transcripts on software freedom, software patents, copyright, and The GNU GPL. Maintained by Ciaran O'Riordan, Linux and software freedom advocate.
The Cathedral and the Bazaar - A treatise on open source software.
The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual - Online Book - How the Internet will change business and our lives forever. A classic. (2001)
The Community/Linux Training Centre Project - U.K. project to develop a mobile computer network for teaching computer and networking skills to community groups.
The Halloween Documents - Classic FUD documents (1-12) from Microsoft along with other documents in the collection written by Eric Raymond refuting this FUD. This shows an awareness that Linux and open source are threats to the proprietary world.
The Humanitarian FOSS Project - The goal of this project is to build a community of academic computing departments, IT corporations, and local and global humanitarian and community organizations dedicated to building and using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to benefit humanity.
The Last Dinosaur and the Tarpits of Doom; How Linux Smashed Windows - A classic. Available in Danish, English, and French.
The Linux Foundation - A nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007 by the merger of the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, it sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world.
The Magic Cauldron - Eric Raymond analyzes the evolving economic substrate of the open source phenomenon.
The Public Patent Foundation - A U.S.-based a non-profit legal services organization working to mitigate the harms caused by the patent system; of particular interest to the open source and Linux communities who face software patent challenges.
The Rabid Penguin - The raison d'etre for this site is simple: spread awareness of Free/Libre Open Source Software in governments across Canada. Their first project is Free Ontario (from the clutches of proprietary software in the Ontario provincial government).
The Tux Project | Openly Promoting GNU/Linux - A community-based Linux advocacy site for sharing promotional ideas as well as collaborating with others to make them a reality.
Tim.oreilly.com Article - "The Open Source Paradigm Shift" - A thought-provoking article about the evolution and the future of the open source phenomenon. (2004) This article is still pertinent today (2008).
UNDP-APDIP International Open Source Network - A Centre of Excellence for FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) in the Asia-Pacific region. Information on education, licensing, localisation, networking/security, govenment, open standards, open access, training and a FOSS resource directory for Asia-Pacific countries. Note in particular the link to Foss Primers, which is an ongoing series of downloadable primers series on Free/Open Source Software.
Ubuntu Women - This website promotes and encourages women to become involved and contribute to Ubuntu-Linux.
Video Compilation on Free Digital Culture - An annotated list of freely available videos about Free Culture and Free Software.
Viewable with Any Browser: Campaign - A site dedicated to advocating a non-browser-specific WWW; available in many languages.
Welcome - Consumer Electronics Linux Forum (CELF) - An industry consortium for promoting the use of Linux in consumer electronic devices.
Welcome to DRM.info - Digital Restrictions Management - The purpose of this new website is to educate the public about the use of technological restrictions on digital media.
Welcome to Linux International - A non-profit association of groups, corporations and others that work towards the promotion of growth of the Linux operating system and the Linux community.
Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS)? Look at the Numbers! - Comprehensive article on the economics of Linux. Contains numerous links. Czech, French, Japanese and Spanish translations available. (2007)
Why Open Source in Schools - An essay which makes the case for open source software in schools. Includes references to websites devoted to open source software in the education sector.
Wired Magazine Article - "Open Source Everywhere" - A still-relevant article on how the concept of open source will slowly but surely replace the proprietary world with a collaborative one. (2003)
Women in Technology - Hear Us Roar - This series is comprised of articles written by women on the topic of "Women in Technology". Many of the articles highlight the authors' experiences in the IT and FOSS communities. (2006-2007)
World Domination 201 - Eric Raymond and Rob Landley discuss what needs to be done for the Linux community to take over the world. (2006)

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