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Freedom Toaster gives open access to software

14 September 2005

Monash South Africa celebrated the second annual Software Freedom Day this week with the official opening of a Freedom Toaster.

School of IT staff, from left, lecturers Mr Neil Manson and Ms Komla Pillay and head of school Dr Jacques Steyn try out the new Freedom Toaster installed at the gatehouse at Monash South Africa.

Software Freedom Day aims to promote awareness of Free/Open Source software, which gives people the freedom to use, share and change software usually at no charge.

The Freedom Toaster is a self-contained 'bring 'n burn' facility, where users bring their own blank CDs or DVDs and make copies of the Open-Source software they require.

The Toaster has been supplied by the Shuttleworth Foundation, established by entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, and is being hosted at Monash.

Dr Jacques Steyn, head of the School of Information Technology at Monash South Africa, said the Freedom Toaster installation was only the second in the greater Johannesburg area and the first in the north and west of the city.

"Monash is pleased to be associated with the Open Source movement and we are delighted to have this installation on our campus. We also believe that increased access will grow the number of South Africans skilled in the use of Open Source," he said.

While Open Source software is freely available via the internet, South Africa suffers from bandwidth starvation. Unlike other countries, the general standard for internet access is still via the extremely slow dial-up modem. This and the high cost of local telecommunications means only a select few have access.

The Freedom Toaster comprises a touch-screen from which users can choose the software they want. On-screen information provides more information about the software selected, including how many CDs will be needed. Toasters also contain information about the world of Free and Open software.

The Freedom Toaster is in the gatehouse at Monash South Africa and is available to the public.