Kernal King Alan Cox returns to Swansea for ict forum wales

Open Source software offers a cost effective alternative to many of the "off the shelf" solutions for business and education. Linux is now a real alternative to well known proprietary software like Microsoft Windows. Linux is the most successful Open Source operating system today, and has around 27 million users, with this number roughly doubling every year.

There are some great benefits to using Open source software. Programmers usually cooperate freely with others, and software can be developed, adapted and shared as required. Sharing means that with many people to scrutinise the software bugs, security flaws, poor design has no place to hide. All of which means it is often available free, or at a fraction of the cost of other traditional software.

Alan Cox is a name that is well known to most Linux users, as the man responsible for much of the code in the Linux kernel (the heart of the system). He says "Open Source software provides quality and reliable software at far better prices than the proprietary model. The public sharing of the source code avoids costly duplication of work and allows for extensive peer review of programs. The open licensing means no more complex license tracking, no more expensive audits and the ability to shop around between service and support providers all of whom can fix the software not just work around it."

He goes on to say "The rise of Open Source enables business to finally take the IT driving seat, driving down costs and guiding innovation rather than being dictated to."

Beti Williams, Director ITWales and founder of ict forum wales, comments “Alan’s comments are extremely interesting - not many organisations are aware that there is a choice. One of our aims with events like ours is to raise awareness of this issue.”

ict forum wales, which runs from 14 – 25 November 2005, was devised by the team at ITWales with partners from both public and private sectors and is described as a festival of events for business, community and education celebrating innovation in Information Communication Technology.

The unique 2 week pan Wales event will focus on future technology and how it will shape our lives.

Presentations and workshops aimed at SMEs will cover topics from connectivity to e-commerce, sales and marketing over the web, e-security and the latest mobile technology.

Specialist events for logistics and manufacturing organisations add to the varied programme.

The community and education sectors will be treated to events such as Teen Works 2005, a conference which concentrates on the young and internet security and the ever popular Technocamps for schools is back, designed to encourage young people to consider the challenge of a career in the computing sciences.

The ict forum wales programme of events will draw to a close with a business challenge day at Margam Park organised by Neath Port Talbot College, and ITWales. This unique team development event offers participants the opportunity to meet the challenges of 21st Century business management using the latest technologies.

Established in 2000 as ICT Forum, ict forum wales is one of many events for business and the community organised by ITWales, an innovative ICT initiative based in the Department of Computer of Science at the University of Wales, Swansea, and part funded by the European Social Fund. For further information, please visit www.ictforumwales.com

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For further information and interviews please contact Sali Earls or Jacqui Malpass, ict forum wales press office, tel: 01792 513382, or email: info@itwales.com.


NOTES FOR EDITORS:

About Alan Cox

Alan Cox works for Red Hat, one of the largest and most recognised companies dedicated to Open Source software. As a programmer he has been heavily involved in the development of the Linux kernel since its early days (1991).

While studying at Swansea University, he installed a very early version of Linux on one of the machines belonging to the university computer society. This was one of the first Linux installations on a busy network, and revealed many bugs in the networking code. Cox fixed many of these bugs, and went on to rewrite much of the networking subsystem. He then became one of the main developers and maintainers of the whole kernel.

On October 5th 2005, Cox received a lifetime achievement award at the LinuxWorld awards in London.