Since 2005 the free software community sets apart the 4th saturday of April. That´s the usual Flisol date, the Latin American Free Software Installation Festival. In April, 28, in various brazilian cities people from the community will be available to share and help the non-initiated understand why we love so much this so called GNU/Linux.
More than 250 "ciudades" participating
But its not only in Brazil. The Latin American Free Software Installation Festival - Flisol is an international event happening simultaneously in several latin american cities. In Novo Hamburgo, in Guarulhos, Campina Grande, Petrolina, Palmas, but also Buenos Aires, Santo Domingo, Tegucigalpa or Bogotá, this huge decentralized festival is being carried on voluntarily. Users groups are promoting the use of free software, presenting its philosophy, reach, advancements and development to the public at large.
The festival began in Colombia, in 2003, when the Colombian Community of Free Software Users "Colibri" organized its first national Festival de Instalación de Software Libre Colibrí (FISLC). The basis for the event were there already: free entrance, oriented towards the general public, aiming to promote usage and exchange between people already using free software.
At the time, eight colombian cities participated, starting the simultaneity tradition that Flisol, created one and a half year later, inherited. In the first edition of the International Festival, 106 cities in 13 contries participated.
Today, the event is consolidated and remains open to every kind of public: curious people, interested ones and Free Software users. Volunteers help in installing Free Software, such as GNU/Linux distros, BSD systems, applications in general (also for Windows, for example) and also share the philosophy in informal talks.
Besides promoting usage of Free Software, FliSol also offers speeches and sort courses for the participating community, which makes Flisol also interesting for regular free software users.
University of São Paulo Free Software Week
This year, the community of researchers and students of Free Software in the São Paulo University went ahead and joined the date for FliSol to promote the Free Software Week at USP.
From tomorrow (Apr/23) up to friday at USP a series of speeches and workshops will cover tech subjects and also ethics and market. In the saturday (apr/28) with the help of the USP community, FLISOL-SP will take place at the very nice venue of SESC-Pinheiros
(São Paulo capital).
All activities are free, but some need previous registration. Check below the websites of the events, figure out the FliSol closest to you and bring family, neighbours, don´t waste the opportunity to spread free software and make some new friends.
Learn more:
USP Free Software Week
FliSol Guarulhos and Alto Tietê (SP)
Flisol Natal and Parnamirim (RN)
List of all Brazilian cities with FliSol