[Air-l] new open source conference info

[Bernie Hogan]

Hi Everyone,

Here's the latest news about our open source conference at UofT. The 
speaker's list is great, and the energy is there (we might even have some 
Microsoft presence...should make the business model session a little 
provocative). Feel free to check out the website. 
http://osconf.kmdi.utoronto.ca/ It should be a good time.

Take Care,
BERNiE

--
March 15, 2004 - Toronto
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Digital Entrepreneur Bob Young To Deliver Keynote at Toronto Open Source
Conference
LULU.COM CEO, TICATS OWNER AND RED HAT CO-FOUNDER TO DISCUSS INNOVATION IN
DIGITAL MARKETPLACE

Bob Young, CEO of Lulu.com, new owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and
co-founder of the world's most successful alternative software company Red
Hat, will deliver the keynote address at the Open Source Conference May 
9-11
at the University of Toronto. Young will address how the open exchange of
information stimulates innovation in the marketplace in both the software
and publishing industries.

Titled "Open Source and Free Software: Concepts, Controversies and
Solutions," the conference will take place Sunday, May 9, to Tuesday, May
11, at Convocation Hall, 31 King's College Circle. Bob Young will deliver
the keynote address May 10.

"It is a myth that successful businesses have to maintain proprietary
control of their product and marketplace in order to be successful.
Innovation is ultimately the key to success for any business. Closed 
systems
actually discourage innovation," says Young.

"At Red Hat we were not in the software business, at least not in the same
sense that Microsoft is in the software business. Instead we succeeded by
giving more power to our customers and responding to their needs. We are
doing the same thing now with Lulu.com, an on-demand publishing tool that
provides consumers with access to an open marketplace for content. Lulu.com
challenges the assumptions of conventional publishing the same way that Red
Hat challenged the assumptions of the software industry." Red Hat is the
largest distributor of Linux, the most popular open-source operating 
system.

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Young is truly an open-source
visionary according to conference chair Ron Baecker. "He is an imaginative
and successful entrepreneur, as well as a thoughtful and entertaining
communicator. We are honoured he will be participating as our keynote
speaker and as presenter at our 'business models' session."

Full details on Young's role in the conference are available at its Web
site, http://osconf.kmdi.utoronto.ca.

     - 30 -

Please contact:

Ron Baecker, Conference Chair
(416) 978-6983, rmb at kmdi.utoronto.ca

Kelly Rankin, Conference Coordinator
(416) 946-8512, kelly at kmdi.utoronto.ca

=============================================================

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Topic of Young's address: "In a free-market-based democracy the consumer 
and
citizen are one." The speech will be an autobiographical journey through
issues that include open source, free software, open content, public 
domain,
public good, entrepreneurship, business, free markets, democracy, customer
service and profit.

Young will explain how understanding 18th century philosophers, from Adam
Smith to Ricardo and Mill, can help identify business opportunities that 
are
not only highly profitable, but extremely beneficial to society. Young
studied philosophy at UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.

Named one of BusinessWeek's top entrepreneurs in 1999, Young also founded
The Center for the Public Domain, a foundation that supports the growth of 
a
healthy, robust domain of knowledge and the arts. He is currently CEO of
Lulu.com, a marketplace for digital content.

Conference registration: a discounted fee of CDN$395 for the entire event 
is
available until March 19, after which it increases to CDN$495. Price at the
door is CDN$595. Single-day and discounted volume registrations are
available.

The conference is presented by the following organizations within the
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: Knowledge Media Design Institute, Connaught
International Symposia Fund, Centre for Innovation Law and Policy, Citizen
Lab of the Munk Centre for International Studies, Department of Computer
Science, Information Policy Research Program, the University of Toronto
Libraries and their Resource Centre for Academic Technology.

The support of these organizations is hereby acknowledged: Communications
and Information Technology Ontario, IBM Centre for Advanced Studies, Linux
Professional Institute, Seneca College, Ontario Ministry of Economic
Development and Trade, Caseware International, Novell, Inc., Openflows
Networks Ltd. and The Commons Group.

     - 30 -

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