Training Workshop by FIRE:

Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE)
Creates Their Own Open Source Internet Server

San José, Costa Rica.  RIF/FIRE. 

An Internet server called APACHE, using LINUX, an Open Source operating system, has been created for Feminist International Radio Endeavour (RIF/FIRE) for their upcoming workshop entitled, "Internet Technologies for Our Political Action," to be conducted November 3-7 in San José, Costa Rica. 

The server has two functions:  To share a non-corporate Internet operating system with the 32 workshop participants from throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region, and to offer these same participants a local server to use for practice during the workshop. Incorporating this technology and Open Source technology into FIRE's workshop unites a democratization movement with that of computer technology.  Specifically, the concept of Open Source Software (OSS) has become a true technological revolution.

The basic idea is very simple:  Computer programmers create and share these software programs at no cost with others, who in turn are able to add or change the characteristics and codes of the programs according to their own needs, and share them further with the user community (who are also free to change them) and OSS users around the world.

Thus, the open source programs are constantly evolving through an open and shared development process.  Open source technology is considered to be more stable, secure and creative than its commercial counterparts from Microsoft. 

The APACHE server, which today is the most popular worldwide, was originally created and is currently used by many in the open source community.  Its operating system of open source is called GNU/Linux and is used not only for Internet computers but also for creating special effects in Hollywood, as well as for administrative systems in hospitals, for example.  It is very popular among activists, including those struggling against monopolistic corporate power because it represents a concrete alternative example both technically and socio-economically.

The enormous wealth acquired by computer companies in the 1980s and 1990s came from the sale of expensive hardware and software programs and their licensing systems.  Although the original programs may have been created at a relatively low cost, each copy is sold at a very high cost.  And the software cannot be altered or changed to meet specific user needs, but can only be used for their original purpose or as originally designed for mass production. 

As such, open source technology redistributes the power of technology, enabling users to copy the programs at no cost, and adapt them to their needs.  Thus anyone who has even some knowledge of computer programming can produce and create open source programs, and so are not merely acting as commercial servants to the mass technology monopolies.

For the experimental server to be used in the upcoming FIRE workshop, each participant will have their own website, access to e-mail, and a link to the internal server network for the workshop, all in a free form that was created and designed for the event itself and the participants.

The students will be able to use a free version of FTP to create and modify their websites, whose host will be www.radiofeminista.local 

Obviously only the participants will be able to access the websites created from the workshop computers, and will only be published on the Internet later as decided by the participants.

A webcast transmission in www.radiofeminista.net about the development of this server and the workshop will be broadcast in the afternoon of November 6 during hours to be announced in the webpage at this same URL address.  It will be open to the general public, and audience members may interact with the producers through a chat room available on the website.

To contact the workshop participants or organizers, write to: oficina@radiofeminista.net.