---
title: FLOSS daily — but FLO all the time
osem_url: https://osem.seagl.org/conferences/seagl2021/program/proposals/836
beginning: '2021-11-05T10:10:00.000-07:00'
end: '2021-11-05T10:40:00.000-07:00'
resources:
  internet_archive_identifier: SeaGL2021-Athan_Spathas_Aaron_Wolf_and_Wm_Salt_Hale-FLOSS_daily_but_FLO_all_the_time
presenters:
- name: Athan Spathas
  osem_url: https://osem.seagl.org/users/929
  gravatar_id: 9317e6d13f278aa7f44ae804cbb07657
  biography: Athan is an educator, artist and developer who has been a advocate of
    Free / Libre / Open Source ideals since he learned about GNU/Linux in 2015. In
    particular, Athan is focused on the development of accessible music technology
    and community. He is also a Luthier who works on microtonal guitars!
- name: Aaron Wolf
  affiliation: Snowdrift.coop
  osem_url: https://osem.seagl.org/users/54
  gravatar_id: b32ae4ca7b2465cc5b642eed9c285b06
  biography: |-
    Aaron teaches private music lessons (in Oregon City and Portland prior to covid, now online via Jitsi Meet) and is otherwise an activist and advocate for Free Culture and Free Software.

    He is co-founder of the in-progress fundraising platform Snowdrift.coop, which aims to support widespread community patronage of freely-licensed creative works.
- name: Wm Salt Hale
  affiliation: Snowdrift.coop
  osem_url: https://osem.seagl.org/users/87
  gravatar_id: 3e18e58f206ab70b6ebd6c8cde5a37c4
  biography: "_/?/ Kilted Globetrotter,  \nFree/Libre/Open Advocate,  \nand Lifelong
    Hacker /?/_\n\nWilliam **Salt** Hale, is a Seattle local who studies Technology
    and Society at the University of Washington (UW) Department of Communication and
    is the Community Director at Snowdrift.coop. He attends, organizes, and speaks
    worldwide at: conferences, conventions, events, festivals, and faires; on various
    topics including: communication, crowdmatching, internet technologies, linux,
    music, sci-fi/fantasy, security, and windsports. Salt is very approachable and
    will always be found wearing a kilt."
---

The important concepts in technology and collaboration that were pioneered by the Free Software Movement are *also* pertinent *beyond* software. Both the term "Free Software" and the common acronym FLOSS (*Free / Libre / Open Source Software*) are limited to software programs. So, we use the broader term **FLO** to bring our ethical and creative values to a wide range of other areas. FLO values matter in hardware, science and medicine, governance, music and art, and many other domains.

FLO is about people, communities, and cultures rather than about the products themselves. As Cory Doctorow emphasizes, *information* doesn't want to be free, *people* want to be free. That's why the FLO movement emphasizes people-first principles. FLO encompasses more than licensing and source availability. The FLO world that we wish to see is one in which all of us are both legally and *practically* able to use, study, adapt, and share creative resources in *all* the different facets of our lives.

This session will address why FLO matters as a term as well as a movement. The discussion will be facilitated by three FLO advocates who have experience with hardware and (FLOSS) software, community development, music education and performance, fundraising, and beyond. The audience is invited to participate via a live dialog while we explore getting 'into the FLO'.
