Today:
Richard Stallman toured NZ between August 6th and 21st in 2008 to help promote the use, dissemination and ideals of Free Software. This page was used to keep track of where he was, when.
Heartfelt thanks to all those who helped make this tour happen.
RMS has enjoyed his stay and would like to visit again. Maybe September 2009? People interested in helping this happen, drop me a line.
The itinerary changed almost daily, it finished up looking like this:
Day | Date | Event |
| Thursday | 7 | Arrives AKLX early morning. |
| Friday | 8 | University of Auckland (City Campus)11am-12:30pm: Conference Center 22 Symonds St - building 423 on the [map].Topic: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks There will be an extended question time. |
| Saturday | 9 |
Saturday Morning with Kim Hill [transcript]Mark Cubey, producer of Saturday Morning with Kim Hill has written to clarify what happened with the start time for Richard's interview on 9 August.He'd assumed that the 8:15 start time for the interview would mean that Richard would be there a bit earlier to get into the studio ready to kick off at that time. As it was, the fire alarm in the Wellington studio threw the whole programme off schedule, but the resulting two-part interview has been stitched together for the Radio New Zealand website, available here. The interview is available in Ogg Vorbis format, as are all others on that day. The Saturday Morning programme is now providing all audio in this format alongside Windows Media Audio and MP3. It's also now on the Nine to Noon programme as well, and Radio New Zealand will be rolling it out to other programmes as time allows, though not where copyright restrictions forbid downloads. The Ogg Vorbis format is higher quality than MP3, free of any patents, and is preferred by some people because it is publically documented and is not associated with any commercial vendor. Radio New Zealand estimate that it is the primary audio format for about 1.5% of their web visitors. For the People By the PeopleFree Software in Ethics and Practice. |
| Sunday | 10 | Travel |
| Monday | 11 | Travel |
| Tuesday | 12 | /free6:30pm: Davis Lecture Theatre, Watt St. WanganuiTopic: Free Software in Ethics and Practice |
| Wednesday | 13 | Unlimited PotentialGeeks, Gadgets and Games3pm-5:30pm: Level 2 Council Chambers, Wellington Town Hall, 111 Wakefield Street, [info + RSVP] Topic: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks |
| Thursday | 14 | 8:40am: interview on Radio Active Breakfast show.Victoria University (Pipitea campus)12:00-2:00pm: GB LT2 The Danger of Software Patents6:00-8:30pm: RH LT1 Free Software in Ethics and in Practice [Lecture Theatre Locations] |
| Friday | 15 | (midday) CIO Round Table (no public, sorry) |
| Saturday | 16 | University of Canterbury2:00-5:00pm: Lecture Theatre A1Topic: Free Software and Beyond |
| Sunday | 17 | travel |
| Monday | 18 | Invercargill7:00pm at the Hanson Hall at SIT, 133 Tay StreetTopic: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks [contact] |
| Tuesday | 19 | DunedinCopyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks6:30pm at the Castle One Lecture Theatre, Otago University |
| Wednesday | 20 | Waikato University6:00-8:00pm the L block lecture theatre, LG.01Topic: Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks |
| Thursday | 21 | University of Auckland 1:00 - 4:00pm venue: OGGB4, bldng:260 (see map 8th) topic: The Danger of Software Patents 7:30pm Leaving AKLX |
There are still some books and GNUs left. These will be available for sale at Software Freedom Day events.
Note: While we are happy to receive comment, our inboxes are very full right now so please do not be offended if you do not get a reply. Priority has to go to people wishing to host a talk or offer sponsorship.
Richard Stallman will speak about the goals and philosophy of the Free Software Movement, and the status and history of the GNU operating system, which in combination with the kernel Linux is now used by tens of millions of users world-wide.
Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.
The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers, while suppressing public access to technology. But if we seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of copyright -- to promote progress, for the benefit of the public -- then we must make changes in the other direction.
[Ogg/Vorbis Audio] [Ogg/Theora Video]
Richard Stallman will explain how software patents obstruct software development. Software patents are patents that cover software ideas. They restrict the development of software, so that every design decision brings a risk of getting sued. Patents in other fields restrict factories, but software patents restrict every computer user. Economic research shows that they even retard progress.
Richard Stallman will speak about the goals and philosophy of the Free Software Movement, and the status and history of the GNU operating system, which in combination with the kernel Linux is now used by tens of millions of users world-wide, and how the ideas of free software extend, entirely or partly, to some kinds of other published works.
September 20th.
Giveaways and publicity stunts promoting Free software.
Make a team and register for free stuff.
NZ-Wide Official SFD Wiki Page
Thanks to:
Simon Bridge
2008
![[Lecture Theatre Locations]](http://www.victoria.ac.nz/home/about/maps/images/pipitea_map.gif){kind=link}