Conference Overview

The Conference Objectives:

• To reveal the general Open Source and Free Software concepts, the differences between the two trends and the types of licenses used in this area.
• To demonstrate that Open Source and Free Software is a valid replacement or complement to proprietary software.
• To present the possibilities to use and develop Open Source and Free Software in Romania.
• To present various business models based on OS/FS and the way they can be implemented by Romanian entrepreneurs.
• To help local and national governments understand how FLOSS is a viable and strong option for their IT needs.
• To help strengthen the Romanian FLOSS community and increase it's ties to the global FLOSS community.

Proposed Topics

• Open Source and Free Software: meaning, philosophy, past, present and future.
• OS/FS license models and related legal aspects.
• Business models based on OS/FS. How using and developing OS/FS can turn into a successful business.
• Freedom of choice; FLOSS mainstream and democracy information.
• How to achieve professional reputation contributing to OS/FS projects.
• OS/FS alternative for companies and regular users. Examples of OS/FS applications that can successfully replace the proprietary software: operating systems, office software, CMS, web servers, web applications, project administration, etc.
• The FLOSS influence in the new IT trends: the need of standardization, building social communities on web, etc.

The Initiative

Creating a FLOSS movement in Romania is the initiative of a group of Romanian computer professionals, living within the country and abroad, supported by FLOSS domain experts from North America (more details under "Credits" section).