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By Paul Rodriguez
My name is Paul Rodriguez. I am 22 years old and am taking a leave of absence from Hampshire College where I was studying Comparative Religion and Political Science. Over the past three years I have been learning about Linux and the issues revolving around Free Software and Fair Use. I have become very passionate about the potential of Free Software. As well as the potential of it's adoption and use. Central to the fulfillment of this potential is an understanding of the technology and the human factors which determine its use and development. I first heard of Linux while helping to administer funds for my university.
A group of students (our in-house LUG as it turned out) came to me asking for funding to distribute free cds with different Linux distributions on them. When I took a leave of absence from that school, I went to work with a variety of NGO's and local organizations in Brazil. These were organizations with little financial backing, all of which were planning and implementing extensive educational initiatives. I became interested in their information infrastructure.
While I didn't have the technical expertise at the time (and frankly, still don't), I began to realize the enormous potential of free software in a great variety of environments. As it so happens, Brazil has a very active and growing base of Linux users (as evidenced by 18 year old Marcelo Tosatti, the new maintainer of the Linux kernel). Ok. That's some background on me. And now to the really juicy stuff.
The Free Software Institute is an initiative of NYLXS. Its goal is to promote Linux and Free Software through education and training. This meant to be a service to the Free Software community. We are putting together a complete "cradle to grave" Linux educational program. These classes are designed to be taken together to get a well rounded base in Unix administration.
This includes use, installation, programming, and system and network administration. With the funds generated from these classes we are looking to allocate space that will be available to the various Free Software groups in the area. Securing a space for the community to meet, learn, and discuss. We currently need people who are willing to share their knowledge and are willing to teach! I am also looking for people willing to help organize this initiative.
-Paul Rodriguez sangrelinux@yahoo.com 201-864-4323 You can also IM me using AIM at SangreToro