====== INVITATION TO JOIN THE FREELORE PROJECT == FreeLore is useful information that is stored in electronic or magnetic media and has a copyright similar to that of GNU software. FreeLore is not a proprietary name or product, but an idea. In essence, it is the generalization of GNU software to any kind of useful information. You are hereby cordially invited to join the FreeLore Project as a charter member. The provisional purpose of the FreeLore Project is to organize volunteers to: -- promote and encourage the production of free educational and other useful materials (``FreeLore'') in the electronic and electronically-derived print media; -- to define standards for FreeLore; -- to promote active discussion of issues facing the producers of FreeLore; -- to capture and enhance (markup) public-domain data for inclusion in FreeLore; -- to provide information to persons interested in using or writing FreeLore; -- to promote efficient use of networks as a means of providing access to FreeLore; -- to organize and provide support services such as archiving, markup, cataloguing, self-registration of (self-)published materials, and software maintenance; -- to promote cataloguing standards for FreeLore; -- to encourage electronic-media as the primary media of scholarly discussion and journal publication; -- to create copylefted or public-domain software for creating, accessing, and viewing FreeLore; -- to promote freedom of access to information in whatever form generally. Our first task will be to work out a real charter and an agenda. Discussion will be mostly by email, and not necessarily conducted in alt.uu.future. If you are interested, please send your contact information, special concerns, and ways in which you think you might be able to contribute to the project to: jgoodwin@adcalc.fnal.gov Please indicate whether you have access to the alt.uu.future newsgroup, or whether you obtained this information by other means. ========================================================= John Goodwin (in propria persona, nec pro Fermilab) JGOODWIN@ADCALC.FNAL.GOV ----- (Advertisement) Upcoming numbers of the FreeLore Tracts, available in newsgroup alt.uu.future: FreeLore I. What is FreeLore? [Publius] FreeLore II. Who Needs FreeLore? [Publius] FreeLore III. What Is to Be Done? [Publius] FreeLore IV. Public Domain Markup and the Public Good [Publius] The purpose of the FreeLore Tract series is to promote discussion of the direction of quasi- public domain information resources, especially those used for educational purposes, and to encourage the production of useful, free software and educational materials. If you wish to contribute to this series, send your article to the above email address. We reserve the right to edit for style, format, and content, and to reject articles not congruent with the goals of the series. Edited articles will be returned to authors for approval before publication. ======= (end advertisement)