Third Free Software Foundation Award to be Presented in Paris

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award honoring free software innovator will be given during the GNU/Linux (Linux) Expo in Paris

Paris, France - January XX, 2001 - The Free Software Foundation (FSF) will bestow its third Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software on February 1, 2001 at the Musie D'art et D'histoire du Judaisme in Paris, France. The award, a one-of-a-kind handmade quilt, will be given to one of three finalists who were selected for their contribution to the worldwide free software movement. The ceremony is being sponsored by Aurora (www.aurora-linux.com), Idealx (www.idealx.com) and VA Linux (www.valinux.com). Proceeds of the event will go to benefit the Free Software Foundation Europe.

A panel of free software pioneers and leaders selected the three finalists from the scores of mostly volunteer programmers worldwide who dedicate their time to advancing free software. The selection panel included: Jeff Bates, Chairperson; Steve Blood; Jeff Carr; Miguel de Icaza and Bruce Perens.

'All three of the finalists have contributed significantly to the free software movement,' Jeff Bates, chairman of the Free Software Foundation Awards Committee said. 'They have added tools and capabilities to the GNU/Linux system that are being utilized by people all over the world.'

The three finalists are: Donald Becker, who was nominated for his network device drivers for the GNU/Linux system and for the Beowulf project; Patrick Lenz for his work on freshmeat.net, a vital site for news and information on free software and Brian Paul for his work on the Mesa 3D graphics library.

'We began the Free Software Foundation Award as a way to honor those who have tirelessly given their time and their immense talent to further the free software movement,' Richard Stallman, founder and president of the Free Software Foundation said. 'While only one of the three finalists will receive the award, they all deserve to be recognized for their invaluable contributions.'

This will be the third Free Software Foundation Award. Prior winners included: Miguel de Icaza and Larry Wall.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, a 501c non-profit, is dedicated to eliminating restrictions on people's right to use, copy, modify and redistribute computer programs. This is done by promoting the development of new free software, working towards the goal of eliminating the need to use proprietary systems and programs. They also work to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues that concern software users' freedom. Their Web site, located at www.gnu.org is an important source of information about GNU/Linux worldwide, receiving more than 1 million visits per week. They

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