16th June Manchester Free Software Talk - Jon Spriggs, Introducing Microblogging (Identi.ca, Open Microblogging, Laconica and even Twitter!)

Manchester Free software's next meeting will be on Tuesday 16th June 2009.

*Please note the change of venue*

Talk
------
This month’s talk will be given by Jon "The Nice Guy" Spriggs. He will
be talking about Microblogging (uBlogging), specifically citing
Identi.ca and Twitter, some of the conventions used in microblogging,
microblogging services and how you can use microblogging in your
projects and social networks. He'll then open the floor to questions.

Jon can be found on identi.ca at http://identi.ca/jontheniceguy, so
feel free say 'hello' to him!

Location
----------
The meeting will take place at the usual time, 7pm, at the Lass O'
Gowrie pub on Charles Street in Central Manchester. We will be located
in the Salmon Room upstairs, although there will be people
around a little earlier downstairs(probably sampling the food and drinks on
offer). Just ask at the bar if you can't find us. Their website[1] has
full details of how to get there and the
fine selection of food and drink available. The venue also provides wifi.

General information about Manchester Free Software meetings can be
found on our website[2].

If you would like five minutes to tell us about something, please
contact us at .

[1]: http://www.thelass.co.uk/
[2]: http://manchester.fsuk.org/blog/meetings/

19th May Manchester Free Software Talk - Steven Flower, Plings (Places to Go, Things to Do)

Talk
------
Substance, a local cooperative, are working to free local government
and other data so that the information can get to the people who
really need it. The project is called Plings [1] and Steven Flower
will be talking about about their experiences over the past two years
and their plans for the next two years. Free software and freedom of
data are the goals - but they have to jump through and negotiate a few
hoops along the way!

Location
----------
The meeting will take place at the usual time, 7pm, at the Lass O'
Gowrie pub on Charles Street in Central Manchester. We will be located
in the back room on the ground floor. As normal, there will be people
around a little earlier (probably sampling the food and drinks on
offer). Their website[2] has full details of how to get there and the
fine selection of food and drink on offer.

General information about Manchester Free Software meetings can be
found on our website[3].

If you would like five minutes to tell us about something, please
contact us at .


[1]: http://www.plings.co.uk/
[2]: http://www.thelass.co.uk/
[3]: http://manchester.fsuk.org/blog/meetings/

24th April, Ubuntu Release Party

Ian Forrester (from BBC Backstage) has
booked us the BBC Manchester Bar on Friday 24th April for the
Ubuntu-UK Manchester release party. The party will start at 7pm and
go on until late (although after 10pm we may have to move to another
pub on Oxford Road).

If you are interested in attending you need to sign up before 9am 24th
April. You can do this by emailing me, adding yourself to the facebook
page [1] or adding yourself to upcoming yahoo page [2].

The address is: New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester M60 1SJ.

The nearest train station is Oxford Road, although it's within walking
distance of Piccadilly and Victoria stations.

For car parking, the Cornerhouse is just down the road and their
website [3] has some useful information.

When you arrive just wait in reception where someone will meet you to
take you up to the bar.

Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think maybe interested.
It's time to show the London lot some competition!

Rock on Ubuntu 9.04!!


[1] http://preview.tinyurl.com/cy6pgq
[2] http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2173360/?ps=5
[3] http://www.cornerhouse.org/about/?page=22330

25th March, Bradford LUG Meeting

Bradford LUG Official Meeting
Date: 25th March 2009 - that's tomorrow!

Time: 7pm - 8:30 ish
Place: Mable Booth Room
Bradford Council for Voluntary Services (CVS)
Voluntary Services Centre
19/25 Sunbridge Road,
Bradford
West Yorkshire
BD1 2AY
tel. 01274 722772

more info at:
http://www.bradford.lug.org.uk/wiki/


We're focusing on Games this month with a presentation about Gaming
past, present and future. It promises to look at how to persuade you're
hard core gamers that Linux is platform for them.

You may also get a chance to rub shoulders with our very own Linux
Format contributor - get a copy and then match the face to the person!
(are you coming John?)

It will also be Document Freedom Day,
http://www.documentfreedom.org/

so we may raise a glass to that following the meeting - probably in the
Sir Titus Salt (near the Alhambra) from about 9pm.

27-29 March 2009 Oekonux free software conference

Project Oekonux researches the economical, political and social forms of Free Software and similar forms of production we collectively call peer production. In Project Oekonux, different people with different reasons and different approaches get together to build something new. A lot of participants want to know, whether and if so, how, the peer production can serve as a basis for a new society.

For the 4th Oekonux Conference Project Oekonux cooperates with the P2P Foundation. The Foundation for Peer to Peer Alternatives researches, documents and promotes P2P practices in every domain of social life. It's a global cyber-collective and aims to be a knowledge and internetworking platform for open/free, participatory, and commons-oriented initiatives on a global scale.

http://www.oekonux-conference.org/invitation/invitation.html

March 17th, "Waking Up to an Open World" Talk by John Adams

John Adams, Managing Director of Mintra Limited , and member of Axiom Tech , will talk about the barriers to adoption of free software .

Manchester Free Software serves a growing need for a group in the Manchester area that focuses on free software . The group also covers topics which impact on the freedoms of computer users.

The purpose of this group is to:
* Increase awareness and promote the use of free software within Manchester.
* Provide a friendly and accessible community for individuals in Manchester to learn about and discuss free software, with particular emphasis on ethical considerations.
* Be a source of information regarding free software to individuals and organisations in Manchester.

Full details

March 6th ManLUG social (Chinese meal + beers)

As usual for the first Friday of the month, a group of us from ManLUG (and various other geek groups) will be going out for a meal and some drinks on Friday 6th March. In a departure from our usual arrangements, we'll be meeting in Fab cafe on Portland Street from 7:30pm and then heading off for a Chinese meal after a couple of drinks. If you haven't been before, one of us will usually be wearing a geek t-shirt of some description, so we should be fairly easy to spot, and we'll be looking out for people anyway. The social is open to all, so please do forward this invitation on to other geek lists in the area.

P.S. There's also a web site where the details of socials are
announced:

http://www.manlug.org.uk

1st March - Linux/Free Software Skillshare@Common Place, Leeds

10:00am - 4:00pm

Come down and show off yr skillz or join in making good things happen, e.g.:

* Getting GNU/Linux installed on your computer, or someone else's
* Configuring a tor relay
* Experimenting with free audio software
* Getting one's head around plausible deniability in cryptographic systems
* Introduction to the Mir content management system (as used by Indymedia)
* The delights of Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
... or whatever you want to suggest/offer

http://www.thecommonplace.org.uk/