ABLEconf
Arizona Business and Liberty Experience (ABLEconf) is a non-profit consortium chartered to foster the growth of Free Software FOSS.
AbOUT
Founded in 2008 by der.hans, Chairperson for the Phoenix Linux Users Group, ABLEconf coordinates an annual conference hosted by a coalition of mostly Arizona-based Free Software advocacy and user groups that include LOPSA, Phoenix Linux Users Group, Software Freedom Day, The Ubuntu US-AZ Team , PhxBuG, TeensOnLinux, TFUG, LUGY, ASULUG, DeLUG and EMCCLUG. Its purpose is to promote the use of Free Software and open source (FOSS) solutions in a Business operations environment.
FOSS Community
Coordinating local non-profit free software users and business educational groups, ABLEconf provides community resources that stretch across platforms . Since modern businesses and other organizations are functioning outside of traditional models that include remote workers, job sharing, alternative contracts, internships and mentoring, powerful FOSS information technology solutions are available that also integrate individualism, social responsibility, and ethical practices, while also functioning very securely outside of the corporate IT software licensing models. Demonstrations from and to the business community in Arizona punctuate this experience.
WIT - Women in Technology and Business
ABLEconf's Women in Technology (WIT) committee has been planned as a new branch of ABLEconf for the 2009 conference. It ensures a strong technical contingent of practical knowledge sharing for developers, engineers, small business owners, and a myriad of technical professions via free software solutions.
FOSS Education
ABLEconf provides knowledge sharing and training throughout the conference, designed around business Free Software use, GPL source tools, and alternatives to corporate licensed IT products for home schooling, accounting, marketing, group project management and more. The user group community provide install media, education and services to the public throughout the conference , as well as free support beyond.
SCaLE
ABLEconf maintains a sister partnership with the Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE) . Community representatives attending SCaLE internationally bring back business solutions to various venues, including Southwestern businesses; ABLEconf provides inter-user-group networking . Businesses controlling IT costs via free and open source best practices, enjoying state of art development through FOSS solutions converge annually in Tempe, Arizona at the University of Advancing Technology .