Free Software Spearhead Richard Stallman to Talk in City on Jan 15 and 16

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Dr Richard Stallman, founder and the global campaigner of free software movement, will be delivering lectures here on January 15 and 16, as part of his visit to the state capital.

“What free software means, and why the government’s responsibility is to use it” is the topic of his first lecture, hosted by International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS) on behalf of Government of Kerala at Convention Centre, Hotel Mascot January 15, at 3 PM. The next day, he will address a gathering of free software community in Technopark, Trivandrum.

As the most vehement advocate of free and open source software, Richard Mathew Stallman has been the global spearhead of the campaign for the use of free software, especially by governments and state initiatives. Over the decades, he has been touring the globe advocating use of free software as well as campaigning against legal and technical restrictions like software patenting, which come in the way of free and independent use of software.

Kerala government has been a pioneer in adoption of free software, successfully adopting it for a major initiative like IT@School and for the Kerala State Electricity Board and many other public agencies, as part of its policy of wider adoption of free software in the state. An autonomous initiative of Kerala Government, ICFOSS is mandated to popularise free and open source software.