Latinoware 2012

Acknowledged as one of the most important publications in the area of free software, Revista Espírito Livre will be represented in Latinoware for the fourth time. Just like last year, the team will have a stand at the event, where participants can learn about the work donesince 2009.

Moreover, in his lecture, João Fernando Costa Junior, creator and maintainer of the magazine, will report on the case of success of publishing the magazine, as well as the tools used in production and the challenges of building a publication using only free software and open document formats. “Latinoware is an incredible event. Each year we participate in the event, we feel our energies are renewed for another year of battle,” he says.

João Fernando will also be present at the roundtable on regional free software meetings in Brazil. The publication is responsible for organizing the Espírito Livre Magazine Forum, which is being held on Thursday (04), in Serra (ES). Check out the full interview:

- In recent years, which are the major developments in the area of free diagramming tools?

We believe that there is still much to be done, but what we already have at our disposal in perfectly meets our needs. Whether in layouting with Scribus, or with Inkscape on vectorial drawing or image editing with Gimp, we are well served. There is still much to be done, since most of the features are included through collaborators / volunteers from the communities of each of these software. We realize however that these are gradually maturing and increasingly becoming excellent tools.

- About the roundtable, how do you see the panorama of regional OS meetings in Brazil?

I realize that some states simply lack events. I find that in the opposite direction, the Rio / SP axis continues with an extensive event calendar, which is great, but still very much concentrated. I think regional events, preferably in states outside Rio or SP would help balance the scales. The proposal of the Revista Espírito Livre Forum, at least, targets this. Latinoware is also another strong contributor because it creates a great event, outside the commercial axis mentioned.

- Has holding this type of event evolved in recent years?

Yes, I realize that we continually receive news of events at colleges, research centers, institutes. I think that is the way to go. Universities are the ideal place to plant the seed of freedom.

- What is needed to improve?

I think if we had more events before the month of July, this would help a lot! I notice that almost all free software events in Brazil happen after the month of July and I still think that the vast majority of companies that use free software do not regularly collaborate with the community. And when I say collaborate, I mean return to the community the benefits they enjoyed (and enjoy). I think we need a change in this direction. Companies that use free software, approach the  communities, participate in events, sponsor events, create partnerships with communities to improve code … there is no lack of thing to do.

Check out details of the latest edition at http://www.revista.espiritolivre.org/lancada-edicao-n-38-da-revista-espirito-livre link.