Communities

The free software community is made up of free software users and developers, as well as supporters of the free software movement. The following is an (incomplete) list of this community and the major organizations that comprise it.

Argentina

USLA

USLA stands for "Argentine Free Software Users". It could be said that it is the "mother" of all Free Software organizations in Argentina. It brings together the Free Software User Groups and different organizations, among which are all those detailed below.

Other user groups are:

  • CaFeLUG: Group of Linux users of the Federal Capital.
  • GRULIC: Cordoba Linux Users Group.
  • Linux Santa Fe: Linux user group in Santa Fe.
  • LUGNA: Group of Linux users in Neuquén.
  • gulBAC: Group of Linux users of the Center of the Prov. Of Bs. As.
  • LUGLi: Free Software users group of the Litoral.
  • gugler: Entre Ríos user group.
  • LUG Men: Mendoza Free Software User Group.
  • lanux: Lanús Linux user group.

Solar

The SOLAR Free Software Argentina Civil Association was founded in 2003 by members of the free software movement in Argentina. Its purposes are to promote the technological, social, ethical and political advantages of free software and free culture, creating an organic space for the representation and coordination of individuals, communities and projects. Its main activities are related to the dissemination of Free Software at the state level, in social organizations and marginalized social sectors.

SoLAr actively collaborates with national state institutions such as INADI (National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism), INTI (National Institute of Industrial Technology), ASLE (Scope of Free Software in the State), municipalities and universities from Argentina.

Vía Libre Foundation

Fundación Vía Libre is a non-profit civil organization founded in the city of Córdoba, Argentina, which since 2000 follows and promotes the ideals of free software and applies them to the free dissemination of knowledge and culture. Among its various activities is the dissemination of Free Software in the political, business, educational and social fields. One of its central lines of work is the relationship with the press1 and the dissemination of awareness-raising materials on the issues it addresses.

CADESOL

It is the Argentine Chamber of Free Software Companies. It is precisely a group of companies (independent professionals –monotributistas specifically– are not included within the CAdESoL statute) based in the Argentine Republic and committed to the objectives of CAdESoL and to the free software business model. To be part, the company must be approved by the board of directors.

gleducar

Gleducar is a free educational project that emerged in Argentina in 2002. In addition, it is a civil association that operates in the field of education and technology.

Gleducar is an independent community made up of teachers, students and educational activists linked by the common interest in collective work, the cooperative construction of knowledge and the free distribution of it.

The project works around various themes such as free knowledge, popular education, horizontal education, collaborative learning, new free technologies and promotes the use of free software in schools as a pedagogical and technical model, having as its maximum objective a change in the paradigm of the production, construction and dissemination of educational content.

It is made up of a self-organized educational community, constituted as an NGO (a civil association) that responds to the interests and objectives of the community.

BAL

BuenosAiresLibre, also known as BAL, is a group dedicated to developing and maintaining a community digital network in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and its surroundings using wireless technology (802.11b / g). It has more than 500 nodes that communicate information at high speed.

The objective of BuenosAiresLibre is to organize a free and community data network in the City of Buenos Aires and its surroundings as a free medium to offer content, among other community applications. Among other content, the network includes Wikipedia in Spanish. The expansion of the network is helped with dissemination and training activities, in which it is taught how to assemble antennas with homemade elements. BuenosAiresLibre develops this network using free software applications

Argentinian wikimedia

Founded on 1st. September 2007, Wikimedia Argentina is the local chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation. It works in the dissemination, promotion and development of free culture resources, in particular in the dissemination of projects associated with Wikimedia such as Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikinews, among others. In 2009, it was the group in charge of coordinating Wikimanía 2009 in Buenos Aires.

mozilla argentina

Mozilla Argentina is the dissemination group for the Mozilla Foundation projects in Argentina. They are especially dedicated to spreading the use of free programs produced by Mozilla through the organization and participation in different events.

Python Argentina (PyAr)

Python Argentina is a group of promoters and developers of the Python programming language in Argentina. Its tasks include dissemination through talks and conferences, as well as the development of projects based on Python with PyGame or CDPedia, a version of Wikipedia in Spanish on DVD.

ubuntuar

Uuntu-ar is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Argentina, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this system.

His intention is to spread the benefits of Ubuntu in a climate of participation, where the ideas of all users are welcome to improve this fantastic operating system. Also, on their site you will find the necessary tools to get started in Ubuntu, troubleshoot problems or simply exchange opinions.

Spain

GNU Spain

The GNU Spain community. There you will find a wealth of information about the GNU Project and the free software movement: licenses, where to find and download GNU software, documentation, philosophy, news, and community.

ASOLIF

The main objective of the National Federation of Free Software Companies ASOLIF (Federated Free Software Associations) is to defend and promote the interests of free software business organizations in the Technologies and services market, through the generation and / or support of projects, as well as the organization of initiatives to exploit the Free Software business model, to achieve the generation of wealth in a responsible way.

Founded in early 2008, ASOLIF today brings together more than 150 companies distributed in 8 regional associations, which makes it the leading exponent of the free software business sector in Spain.

DINNER

CENATIC is a State Public Foundation, promoted by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce (through the Secretariat of Telecommunications and for the Information Society and the public entity Red.es) and the Junta de Extremadura, which also has its Board of Trustees with the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Asturias, Aragon, Cantabria, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country and the Xunta de Galicia. The companies Atos Origin, Telefónica and Gpex are also part of the Board of CENATIC.

CENATIC is the only strategic project of the Government of Spain to promote the knowledge and use of open source software, in all areas of society.

The vocation of the Foundation is to position itself as a center of national excellence, with international projection both in Europe and Latin America.

Ubuntu Spain

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Mexico, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this system based on debian GNU / Linux.

Linux User Groups (Spain)

  • AsturLinux: Group of Asturian Linux users.
  • AUGCYL: Group of users of Castilla y Leon.
  • FIND: Beginners Linux users from Mallorca and Surroundings.
  • Glug: Linux Users Group of Galicia.
  • GPUL-CLUG: Group of Linux Programmers and Users - Coruña Linux Users Group.
  • GUL (UCRM): User Group of the Carlos III University, Madrid.
  • GULIC: Group of Linux users of the Canary Islands.
  • HispaLinux: Association of Spanish Linux Users.
  • indalitux: Almeria Linux Users Group.
  • LILO FABRIC: Linuxeros Locos - University of Alcalá de Henares.
  • VALUX: Association of Linux users of the Valencian community.

Mexico

GNU Mexico

The GNU Mexico community. There you will find a wealth of information about the GNU Project and the free software movement: licenses, where to find and download GNU software, documentation, philosophy, news and community.

Mozilla Mexico

Mozilla Mexico is the dissemination group for the Mozilla Foundation projects in Mexico. They are especially dedicated to spreading the use of free programs produced by Mozilla through the organization and participation in different events.

Ubuntu Mexico

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Mexico, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this operating system.

Linux User Groups - Mexico

Brazil

Association SoftwareLivre.org (ASL)

It brings together universities, businessmen, government, user groups, hackers, non-governmental organizations and activists for the freedom of knowledge. Its objective is to promote the use and development of free software as an alternative for economic and technological freedom.

Paraguay

Paraguay Linux User Group

It has forums, mailing lists, Free Software mirrors (.iso distributions and updates), hosting of national projects, mirror of documentation sites (tldp.org, lucas.es), and coordinates Linux InstallFests organized by various organizations . In addition, it has a wiki for projects and documentation sent by users.

Uruguay

Ubuntu Uruguay

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Uruguay, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this operating system.

Linux User Group - Uruguay

It is a Uruguayan group of users of the GNU / Linux operating system for computers. The main objectives of the group are to spread the use and ideals of GNU / Linux and Free Software and to be a place for exchanging not only technical knowledge, but also opinions on the philosophy that sustains Free Software, the Code Open Source and the like.

Peru

Ubuntu Peru

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Peru, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this operating system.

Peru Linux User Group

The group's objectives are to spread the Linux operating system, promote its use and teaching; as well as supporting the development of OpenSource in the country.

The PLUG does not pursue any economic purpose, but only to serve the Linux community of Peru. Participation within the group is open to all people and institutions willing to collaborate with the objectives and purposes of the group.

Chile

GNU Chile

The GNU Chile community. There you will find a wealth of information about the GNU Project and the free software movement: licenses, where to find and download GNU software, documentation, philosophy, news and community.

Ubuntu Chile

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Chile, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this operating system.

mozilla chile

Mozilla Mexico is the dissemination group for the Mozilla Foundation projects in Chile. They are especially dedicated to spreading the use of free programs produced by Mozilla through the organization and participation in different events.

Linux User Groups - Chile

  • AntofaLinux: Group of Linux Users of Antofagasta.
  • UCENTUX: Linux Users Group of the Central University, Metropolitan Region.
  • CDSL: Free Software Diffusion Center, Santiago.
  • GULIX: Linux Users Group of the IX Region.
  • GNUPA: Linux User Group of the Arturo Prat University, Victoria.
  • GULIPM: Group of Linux Users of Puerto Montt.

Other communities

Cuba

GUTL:

The Free Technologies User Group (Cuba), better known as GUTL, is a Community of OpenSource enthusiasts and Free Software in general.

Firefoxmania:

Mozilla Community in Cuba. Founded and led by members of the University of Computer Sciences of Cuba.

Ecuador

Ubuntu Ecuador

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Ecuador, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this operating system.

Linux User Group - Ecuador

Portal dedicated to spreading the use and ideals of GNU / Linux and Free Software, and providing services and information related to GNU / Linux systems.

Venezuela

Gugve

The GNU Users Group of Venezuela is a group focused on imparting and preaching the philosophy and idealism of the GNU project and the FSF (Free Software Foundation) in Venezuela through the development, and use, of programs, publications and documentation based on software free.

ubuntu venezuela

It is a group of Ubuntu users, based in Venezuela, dedicated to exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge about this system based on debian GNU / Linux.

Velug

The Venezuela Linux Users Group (VELUG) is an organization that offers access to a large amount of information related to the GNU / Linux operating system and Free Software.

Its our members generate a great deal of material on the mailing lists. All the technical material, the result of the questions and answers exchanged in VELUG, is available in the historical archives of the mailing lists.

FRTL

The Revolutionary Front of Free Technologies (FRTL) is a left-wing collective, oriented to the dissemination, promotion and use of free technologies in the community in general, in the search to share and encourage liberating knowledge and contribution to the entrusted technological sovereignty in the Plan of the Fatherland from a humanistic point of view in the field of socialism of the XXI century.

Central America

SLCA

The Free Software Central America community (SLCA) is a meeting point for the different organized groups that work for the development and dissemination of free software in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

We have come together in order to communicate, join forces, share knowledge and experiences; and above all, to promote change towards societies where software freedoms contribute to the generation and sharing of free knowledge.

Linux User Groups - Central America

  • GULNI: Linux Users Group in Nicaragua
  • GULCR: Linux Users Group in Costa Rica
  • GUUG: Group of Unix users in Guatemala
  • SVLinux: Linux Users Group in El Salvador

International

FSF

The Free Software Foundation is the mother of ALL Free Software organizations and was created by Richard M. Stallman to fund and support the GNU project. Currently, it puts in the hands of the Free Software user multiple services for the community to develop and be productive.

There are other organizations related to the Free Software Foundation, which share the same objective and carry out their work at the local or continental level. Such is the case of Free Software Foundation Europe, Free Software Foundation Latin America and Free Software Foundation India.

These local organizations support the GNU Project in the same way that the Free Software Foundation does.

IFC

It is a non-profit organization based in the USA, whose main function is to coordinate Software Freedom Day around the world. All employees volunteer their time.

OFFSET

OFSET is a non-profit organization whose objective is to promote the development of free software oriented to the educational system and teaching in general. OFSET is registered in France but is a multicultural organization with members from all over the world.

Do you know any important organization and / or community related to free software that is not mentioned? Send us your recommendation.