Wilhelmtux to stand for Open Standards and Free Software in Switzerland.
Last Thursday, June 6th, members of the LUGs of Murten[1], Berne[2],Fribourg[3] and Basel [5], as well as people with interest in Free Software and lobbying, got together to formally found what is to become a lobbying group for Free Software and Open Standards.
About 20 people, most of them with an IT background, assembled to found Wilhelmtux[4]. The goal of the exercise ia to raise awareness for Free Software and to promote the use of it mostly within the Swiss Government, and the Swiss Administration.
A public discussion much like those already under way in other european countries, is to be started. This discussion should allow a critical approach towards Software development and point out the shortcomings of Closed Source/Proprietary Software.
Two delegations left for Linuxtag in order to talk to organisators of Bundestux in Germany (a source of inspiration), and to members of FSF Europe and to spread the news to other organisations present at the conference.
Since the group focuses mainly on swiss interests, the website [4] is available in the official languages of Switzerland. An english version is not planned at the moment.
For feedback and enquiries, support, etc. please contact the people mentioned on the website, or get back to me. All people involved in the organisation are fluent in english.
[1] http://www.lugmu.ch [2] http://www.lugbe.ch [3] http://www.linuxbourg.ch [4] http://www.wilhelmtux.ch [5] http://www.blug.ch -- Robert Ribnitz ribnitz@linuxbourg.ch