What we’re about
Whether you're running GNU/Linux as your desktop operating system or interested in doing so, this Meetup is for you. Our goal is to create an environment that's welcoming, fun, and educational.
A paradox...
The argument for open source ("free" as in speech) software is stronger than ever.
GNU/Linux has been wildly successful in the server market.
Desktop GNU/Linux operating systems like Ubuntu provide a rich end-user experience on par or better than commercial rivals in many respects.
...Yet the uptake of using GNU/Linux as an end-user (desktop/laptop) operating system still lags. This Meetup aims to end that by:
1. Creating a community of GNU/Linux on the desktop enthusiasts.
2. Providing a venue where GNU/Linux questions can get asked by users of all levels.
3. Fostering GNU/Linux on the desktop evangelism. Let's spread the word!
We welcome long time GNU/Linux enthusiasts, those who've heard of GNU/Linux but aren't even sure what it is, and everyone in between. Join us!
We're part of BLU! BLU is the Boston Linux & Unix User Group and has been meeting actively since 1994. BLU does a fantastic job of covering topics across the broad spectrum of GNU/Linux, from technical topics to end-user topics. I'm excited that BLU has invited our group to become a sub- group of theirs. This gives us tremendous support from more experienced users and allows us to coordinate events. As a sub- group, we aim to focus on using GNU/Linux on the desktop and attracting new and less technical users to the platform. To learn more about BLU, please visit http://www. blu.org.
To learn more about our group, please visit http://LibreBoston.org.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Privacy Panopticons: J. Edgar Hoover to the Age of AI — where is the OFF switch?Artisans Asylum, Boston, MA
SPECIAL EVENT! NEW LOCATION!!!
Micky Metts will share stories of her life of community activism, and organizing around free software and cooperative development, privacy, and nurturing collective ownership. Theodora Skeadas will interview Micky on her four passions - community building, industry organizing, free software liberation, cooperative development, and how they have permeated her life, from living next to billionaires in affluent Connecticut, marching on DC to protest the Vietnam War with Students for a Democratic Society, playing in a punk rock band in Boston, to more recently, co-founding the Agaric Web Technology Collective and participating in the May First Movement, discussing the role of autonomous technology providers.
Join us for a Fireside Chat as they discuss a pressing challenge of our time: the interplay between technology and individual freedoms. They will explore critical questions such as:
- Why should I care about free software?
- Why are there no guarantees of privacy and security?
- What does “freedom” mean in the context of software in our society?
- How is our collective freedom linked to the software we choose?
This conversation will bridge past and present efforts to resist surveillance and centralized power, highlighting actionable steps individuals and communities can take to reclaim agency in an increasingly digitized world.
Don’t miss this powerful discussion on reclaiming privacy and freedom in the age of AI!
>>> SIGN UP HERE SO WE CAN PLAN FOR FOOD AND DRINKS! COME JOIN US!
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Micky Metts
Micky is a member of visionary Agaric Web Technology Collective, a May First board member, and part of the "free software for community building" movement - using tools like Nextcloud, Drupal and GNU/Linux as an OS. She is on the board of the US Solidarity Economy Network (SEN) - and Agarics are members of United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), the national grassroots organization representing thousands of workers across the country. The members are worker-owners "building power with national and international partners to advance an agenda for economic justice rooted in community-based, shared ownership."Micky's four topic areas -- Community building, Industry organizing, Free software liberation & cooperative development -- converge in her presentations. She is a member of the Drupal community, a group based on free software. She has presented and lectured at Universities and Cooperative events around the world, and she writes about her experience in Agaric as a contributing author in what has been dubbed the Platform Cooperativism Handbook Manifesto, "Ours to Hack and to Own." In the top ten books list, Wired Magazine.
Theodora Skeadas
Theo is a public policy professional with 13 years of experience at the intersection of technology, society, and safety. As DoorDash's Community Policy Manager, she helps build their trust and safety policies to make DoorDash the safest and most trusted marketplace out there. Additionally, as Chief of Staff with Humane Intelligence, she contributes to the development of hands-on, measurable methods of real-time assessments of societal impact of AI models. She is also Advisory Board Chair of All Tech is Human.Previously, she worked as an independent consultant with non-profits, governments, and companies on issues including AI governance, tech-facilitated gender-based violence, government efforts to combat disinformation, information integrity, journalist safety, fraud, election integrity, and AI philanthropy.
- FOSS, Libraries, and CommunitiesLocation TBD, TBD, MA
We will be having a social meet up to discuss libraries, Internet in a Box, and many other pragmatic, change-making, and action-oriented topics related to Free/Open source software (FOSS) and communities! Do you have ideas for using FOSS to craft an Internet for ourselves and our peers, under our communities’ control?
We will convene at TBD location. We meet roughly the 1st and 3rd Friday every month. Come join us!
