If you want to learn more about free and open source software (FOSS) then you might want to check out the Wits FOSS Awareness Day on Thursday 4 September. The event, which starts at 8am on the Wits University West Campus, will include presentations on the current state of FOSS in South Africa, the position of FOSS within the Wits University community and its role in the university’s Knowledge and Information Management systems (KIM).

While there are some sessions catering to Wits-specific interests, there will also be a number of demonstration sessions on FOSS desktop tools including those on Ubuntu, OpenOffice.org, The Gimp, Blender, Icecast and Audacity. Also of interest to the education community will be demonstrations on FOSS e-learning tools, including OpenOffice.org, Chisimba, podcasting and realtime class tutorials. The FOSS Awareness Day will be held in the FNB Auditorium and anyone who wants to attend can register on the KIM website.