IFSA's display at the Cornell University IT Forum 2007
IFSA's display at the Cornell University IT Forum 2007

About IFSA

The Ithaca Free Software Association (IFSA) is a community of computer users who live and work in the Ithaca area of Central New York. IFSA's goal is to promote Free Software and provide support to local residents and organizations who are interested in using it.

Please join us in the Web forum, on our e-mail list, or at one of our monthly meetings!

What is "Free Software?"

Free Software is a matter of liberty not price. You should think of "Free" as in "Free Speech".-- an excerpt from the Free Software Foundation Web site.

Unlike "proprietary" software, which often attempts to impose various restrictions on its users, Free Software is software that guarantees its users the right to use, study, copy, modify, and share programs with very few restrictions.

Some of the more well-known Free Software projects include:

  • GNU/Linux: A Free Software computer operating system, which runs on a myriad of different types of hardware, from PCs to cellular telephones to supercomputers!
  • Mozilla Firefox: A very popular Web browser
  • OpenOffice.org: An "office suite" of programs, including a word processor, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software.

Support the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit organization which serves as the worldwide headquarters of the Free Software movement. The FSF provides support for a large number of Free Software developers all over the World.

Donate to the Free Software FoundationDefending software freedom on a global scale against very powerful enemies has its costs. The FSF could really use a little bit of your money. If you find value in Free Software, please consider becoming a member of the Free Software Foundation! Your membership dues of $10/month ($5 for students) will help the FSF do their work, and you can then proudly proclaim that you support Free Software! There are other membership benefits as well!

You have to admit that $5 or $10/month is not a lot of your hard-earned cash, so become a FSF member right now!

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