2 years ago, Norm asked, Tomorrow [Sept 15, 2006] is Software Freedom Day... what about Cleveland?

Cleveland will have an answer this year.

September 20, 2008 is Software Freedom Day. Cleveland will be [fashionably late in] joining the rest of the world to promote Free and Open Source Software. The conference will be held at Fairview Park's Gemini Center on Oct 27th or 28th, (TBA,) and will be free to attendees.

The website is up and under construction at Software Freedm Day - Cleveland. More resources are available on the Cleveland Software Freedom Day Meetup where preparatory events are scheduled.

The conference theme is ACE: Associate, Celebrate, Educate:

• Associate with professionals and businesses that create and offer technical support for Free Software.
• Celebrate the freedom and vastness of the Free and Open Source (FOSS) ecosystem.
• Educate the public, IT workers, business owner and leaders, and other users about the benefits of Free Software.

Please spread the word, and help as you're able! Plans are being fleshed out on the Meetup message board and mailing list -- join in the discussion there, or come chat on IRC channel #sfdcle on freenode.

Or, email for more info on attending (info [at] softwarefreedomday-cleveland [dot] org), presenting (speakers [at] softwarefreedomday-cleveland [dot] org), sponsoring (sponsors [at] softwarefreedomday-cleveland [dot] org), or suggestions (suggestions [at] softwarefreedomday-cleveland [dot] org.)

For most of us, technology is a big part of our lives. We rely on our computers, PDAs, and cell phones to help us with almost everything. It’s amazing when you think about the everyday impact technology has on our world. And as a community, we have the power to make sure that technology continues to take us on a path of opportunity, innovation and freedom.

Software Freedom Day celebrates transparent and open technology, and Sun sees the promise of open source software as the perfect way for anyone to create a world of expanded opportunity, increased flexibility, and continual innovation. If you share our perspective, we invite you to support open source software by celebrating Software Freedom Day.