Would you like to know for certain that you are safe when you surf the internet?  Safe from viruses?  Safe from cracking programs and corrupted websites that attempt to compromise your computer and install their software to track where you go, what you do, what your passwords are, or even read the contents of your files?

What if I told you that there was an operating system that is free of charge that is safe and secure?  Or that almost all the software written for this operating system are also just as safe and also free of charge?  Software like word proccessor, spreadsheet, database, presentation, sound recording and music production, video transcription, education, scientific research, managing photos and thousands more including lots of world-class titles.  For those that would rather continue to use older software, many popular titles written for Microsoft Windows will work, and some even work better.

As a matter of fact, this operating system and it's software is thought of so highly that NYSE Euronext just switched over all their computers worldwide that handle the trading of stocks to use it.  Many companies, large and small, well known and not so well known, use this operating system and it's software in a variety of ways.  A short list of some of these companies' names is available by clicking HERE

This operating system is easy to use.  You use a mouse and keyboard to point and click just like both Apple osX and Microsoft Windows.  Only it is much more stable then Windows and has much more functionality and flexability then osX.  Another enormous difference is that you are not leasing the software you have installed on your computer, you OWN it.  Because it is free to use in any way you choose you can put it on as many computers in your home or business as you like, then you can make copies of the disk and give it to all your friends...all perfectly legal.  This is all due to the way this system is developed and licensed.

I am not talking about the land of OZ, nor is this Never-Never Land; This is the world of Free and Open Source Software(called FOSS for short).  Free in this context meaning Free as in Freedom, not like Free-Beer.  Although almost all FOSS applications are free of cost, this is not in the definition of Free and Open Source.  Most FOSS software is published under the GNU General Public License, and it is this license that specifies the 4 specific freedoms that must be available to the user.  To read more about this license and how this all started, please visit the GNU Project, and the Free Software Foundation

So, what does this mean to you?  It means that there is an option for you in computer software that you may not have known about.  It means that this software is licensed such that your computer is never out of your control, doing something that may not be in your best interest.  That this software is stable, safe, secure, efficient, easy to use, and is available for the cost of a few hours to download(free from the internet), or a trip to Best Buy(Ubuntu is $20 there and comes with 2 months of support).

There are ways for you to try this out first, without installing anything onto your computer.  You can actually boot your computer from what is called a 'Live' Ubuntu CD or DVD and your computer will use this disc as it's operating system instead of your hard drive.  It's a little slower because of how CD/DVD drives work, but if you can use all the software that comes preinstalled and even surf the net if you have broadband internet(ethernet) running to your computer.  You will find Open Office already there for office tasks, GIMP for photo retouching and such, various music and video players, and more.

We also invite you to come to a free community meeting that we provide to the public if you're in the Olympia area.  Email us here with any questions or concerns inbox@olympicsoftworks.org.  Or look for a Linux User's Group in your area.  Learning from others that already use GNU/Linux is a great way to help you over that initial part of the learning curve that comes with anything new.

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