Today, free software covers just about every field of computer applications. Because of their high quality and openness, several free software programs have become leaders in their field or comprise the core of of an entire industry. Here is a short list of free software headline acts :

[Note: this is only a rough translation of the only authoritative version: the French one. Understand it at your own risks ;)]

[Epigraph --- not cited the D day] 'You will see enterprises developing, made by selected men, acting in teams, producing in a few moments, in a place, both unexpected, some crushing events.'

Paul Valery.

[Speech]
The subject of this presentation is the Zeroth Debian Conference, which will be held during the Libre Software Meeting; at the same time, but, also, a bit apart.

What is GNU/Linux?

In 1991, Linus Torvalds began writing the program for an operating system kernel which he called Linux. At that time the GNU Project was searching for a kernel to render the GNU system operational while wainting for its own kernel, Hurd, to be developped. Thus the Linux kernel became a component of the GNU system. This combined system is called GNU/Linux.

Imagine that you go to a restaurant and you enjoy a fantastic meal. The next day you might want to prepare the same meal at home for your friends.

Unfortunately, that is impossible because you don't have the recipe. You can always return to the same restaurant to enjoy the same meal, but even if you know the taste and texture of the food, you don't know how to reproduce it exactly.

The ceremony

The interest of IT's main actors towards Free Software, towards its enthusiasm and reactivity, keeps growing -- even though their marketing departments, in order to reassure their investors, commonly (mis)name it the 'Open Source community.'

What makes the children of free digital knowledge keep going is the will to share and the power to create. They also benefit from the experience gained through partnerships with private companies and in their R&D labs. IBM has set up such partnerships a long time ago.

Programme du cycle de conférences.

LINUX S'EXPOSE !