Open Software Week in Belgrade

10 March 2006

The dez.org Art Group organized the Open Software Week at the Belgrade�s Ozon Gallery. In addition to presentation by members of dez.org, the Open Software Week included a number of events, workhops, lectures that provided insight in the development, possibilities and character of open software as a social phenomenon. The association, education, freedom of action and activism are some of the aspects discussed during the Open Software Week.

"The social impact of free software is visible in the creation of the community of free software users, which gathers huge number of computers all over the world. The openness towards users creates a spontaneous need for association, with the goal to improve the cooperation motivated not by money, but the need to raise social awareness to a new, higher level�, states the announcement of the OSW.

The OSW was opened last monday, with presenations by members of dez.org (disorganization). Dez.org gathers eleven young artists of various interests and preferences, who work together on promotion of contemporary artistic practice (promotion of digital media above all), as well as popularization of contemporary theorty and trends in arts.

During the OSW, J.T.S. Moor documentary OS Revolution was screened, on the development of GNU/Linux operating system over the 1990s. After the screening, a discussion was opened, mediated by Ivan Jelic, founder and president of the Free Software Network � FSN that works on software freedoms in Serbia. FSN cooperates with Free Software Federation � Europe. Jelic is involved in web-design, GNU/Linux administration, IT jourlalism and promotion of GNU idea through organization and participation of lectures and debates on this topic.

Several workshops were held: �Fundamentals and Concepts of GNU/Linux�, �Office and internet (web, e-mail, chat,...)� and �Multimedia on GNU/Linux (audio and video reproduction)�, as well as two lectures � �Free Software Application� and �Free Communication Formats and Protocols�, both by Ivan Jelic. Milos Rancic, the founder of Serbian Wikipedia gave a lecture on Wikipedia and its development.

On the occasion of the publication of Open Culture and Nature of Networks, a book by Felix Stalder, the �Certain Cultural Terms: Materiality of the Digital� debate was organized, paticipation by the author himself, Marcell Mars, web-programmer and member of the Mi2 Multimedia Institute from Zagreb, and members of the kuda.org New Media Centre from Novi Sad.

OSW ends during this weekend, with the visit by Richard Stallman the founder of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation. Stallman will give a lecture on GNU/Linux Free Software on Sunday, 19:00 hours, at the �Dom Omladine� in Belgrade. Addmission is free.