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Stay Legal - Use Free Software

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stay Legal -- For Free

Linux Consultants Offer Attractive Alternative To Costly Software Audits

OTTAWA, ON, March 19, 2002 -- The Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST) recently announced a special program to encourage businesses and organizations with improperly-licensed software to 'get legal'.

The CAAST program offers tools and assistance designed to audit the software used in participating organizations and ensure that all copies of commercial software are properly licensed and paid for -- a potentially costly procedure.

But there is another, easier and less-expensive way for companies and organizations -- particularly in the budget-strapped health, education and non-profit sectors -- to 'get legal'.

A number of Linux consulting companies are offering incentives to organizations which wish to replace proprietary, license-required software with free software such as the Linux operating system and OpenOffice productivity suite. The "Stay Legal - Use Free Software" campaign, started by Roaring Penguin Software Inc., is supported by over a dozen consulting companies in Canada and the United States.

"The savings associated with free software start at installation and compound with every future proprietary software upgrade you don't have to buy," Roaring Penguin president David F. Skoll explains. "In addition, there is no ongoing cost of administration for tracking license renewal dates or conducting future audits."

"With the ever-changing nature of the software industry, the only viable long-term solution is Free Software", said Russell McOrmond of FLORA.ca. "With Free Software you are not tied to any single vendor for software updates or support, and can make use of this more competitive environment to gain solutions more tailored to your organization's individual needs."

"My specialty is communication networks and for me the benefits of using linux for networking go far beyond not having to buy a software license" says Alex Vandenham of Avantel Systems (www.avantel.ca). "The quality, flexibility, security and features of the software available under the GNU General Public License are excellent."

"Open source and free software have proven that they offer maximum flexibility, security and cost effectiveness," said Evan Leibovitch of Starnix Inc. "They have a track record of saving money on licenses for our clients, as well as running reliably in a variety of environments. We welcome the opportunity to introduce organizations to this increasingly popular approach to computing."