In life, there are many things we take for granted especially if you're a bit well off than the others.  Increased spending power generally makes cost irrelevant for the can affords.  Little by little, such behavior leads to erosion of fundamental rights to commercial power brokers, often in negligible amounts but more costly in the long-term.  One of the good things that the economic downturn has made us realize is to re-examine costs and expenditures, research on alternatives and re-focus on the principles of 'value for money'.

For a country with a sober economy, like the Philippines, a peso saved can very well mean one life rescued from poverty.  Simply put, we cannot afford to be negligent and brush aside the fiduciary responsibility that all our actions have a magnified impact on the general population.  At its worst, we can surrender material possessions but even then, not personal freedom.

Costs and expenses aside, the way I see it, freedom allows us to be at our creative best.  It somehow unlocks the potential that we can do a lot better and living up to the most ideal of expectations of us.  WIthout it, is to put limits on what we can achieve.  In technology parlance, it limits ability to 'scale' (and not far behind comes the threat of lock-in).

I really wanted to experience what it is that makes Software Freedom Day worth celebrating that I purposefully tried attending both meets within Metro Manila.  Due to the limitations of my stay, I cannot very well compare each as to content and value of the talks and program but for the record, the one in UST, owing to a much better venue where all can comfortably participate, seems a notch higher in celebratory atmosphere than the one at NCC.

Impromptously (my coined word) asked to stand from the crowd on how G2iX feels whenever any of our open source solutions get chosen or used over other solutions- mostly proprietary, I blurted that for myself, "I feel proud that we can offer an alternative often overlooked by most companies - and that these solutions, belittled and scoffed-at, does open some eyes to surprise because G2iX can deliver!" (or something to that effect).

And to the organizers, sponsors and the presentors at both venues, I'd say that on this day, you all did deliver something and of greater value, too!

View some photos via our Flickr page - SFD2009.