We consider all things connected with the Open Source and Free Software communities, including supporting one another in installing and using it on all types of hardware. We also keep an eye on developments in the political, standards, legal, copyright and patent areas where they may affect private individuals in their use of this software.

After each meeting, it is hoped that a description of what was discussed will be put up on these pages. However, we do not have the resources to answer direct questions on any of the topics or documents here, but new members to the group will be welcomed where you will be able to talk about any issues you may have.

The background and reasons why FOSS programs were developed are described in some of the early papers. Look at the diary for 2006 for more information, as well as for April 2010, when a special paper was prepared as an introduction to the world of freely available software.

Brian Martin, one of our members, has a background in databases, and has produced a number of examples of the use of the OpenOffice BASE component. They can be found at his website: https://sites.google.com/site/brian4mswebsite/.

Note: Left clicking the links to PDF files of notes, and other information relating to individual meetings, will generally open them in separate browser windows. In most cases you may prefer to right click and save the files to open outside the browser.