GUADEC 2003 TO ATTRACT GLOBAL AUDIENCE OF GNOME DEVELOPERS AND ENTHUSIASTS

Free software luminaries, open source developers gather to advance the next generation of the multi-platform desktop environment

BOSTON, Mass.   February 18, 2003  The fourth annual GNOME User and
Developer European Conference (GUADEC), will bring developers, GNOME
Foundation leaders and individual, business and government GNOME users to
Dublin, Ireland June 16-18, 2003.  The conference is a unique forum for
highlighting the capabilities and direction of GNOME, the user environment
for desktops, networked servers and portable Internet devices.  GUADEC will
also feature meaningful discussions of the future direction of GNOME
development.  GUADEC 2003 will feature a comprehensive set of tutorials that
will benefit IT leaders, developers and deployers of GNOME.

GUADEC has quadrupled in attendance over the past three years, drawing
GNOME developers, industry, government and education IT leaders and GNOME
enthusiasts from every corner of the world, said Timothy Ney, GNOME
Foundation executive director.  GUADEC is a unique event that brings the
people who are creating GNOME together to discuss and demonstrate their work
and to build roadmaps for future development.  Pair these developers with IT
leaders from every sector and you get the electric environment that is
GUADEC.

GUADEC is being held June 16-18, 2003 at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
The program will boast a stellar lineup of speakers, from GNOME leaders to
IT industry movers and shakers. Additional information on GUADEC can be
found at www.guadec.org.

GUADEC is an opportunity to bring developers, who have worked with one
another virtually for months and/or years, together in one place.  Miguel
de Icaza, president of the GNOME Foundation and CTO and co-founder, Ximian,
Inc. said. It gives us a chance to meet with the very people who are
deploying GNOME.  GUADEC gives us a chance to discuss the future of GNOME
and set the overall strategy and direction of GNOME for the next year.

About GNOME
GNOME is a free software project that provides a complete, easy to use
desktop for a variety of operating systems, including GNU/Linux (more
commonly known as Linux), BSD, Solaris , Operating Environment, HP-UX,
Unix, BSD and Apples Darwin.  The GNOME desktop is used by millions of
people around the world.  More than 700 computer developers, including over
100 full-time, paid developers, contribute their time and effort to the
project.

About GUADEC
The GNOME User and Developer Europe Conference (GUADEC) is an annual
gathering of GNOME developers, enthusiasts and individual, business,
education and government users worldwide.  It provides a forum for members
of the GNOME project to showcase their work and to discuss the future of
GNOME development.  Housed in a different European country each year, GUADEC
is a catalyst for the future development and direction of GNOME.


About the GNOME Foundation
Comprised of hundreds of volunteer developers and industry-leading
companies, the GNOME Foundation is an organization committed to supporting
the advancement of GNOME. The Foundation provides organizational, financial
and legal support to the GNOME project and helps determine its vision and
roadmap. GNOME is an entirely free user environment for desktops, networked
servers and portable Internet devices.  The modern architecture and design
of GNOME includes a technically advanced application development platform
and a powerful end-user desktop environment.  Major leading software
industry and computer manufacturers support the GNOME development effort,
which is led by a worldwide community of volunteers.  More information on
GNOME is available at www.gnome.org.
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