Wizards of OS

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Wizards of OS (Wizards of Operating Systems, or "WOS") was a conference series held in Berlin, based on concept of Volker Grassmuck and organised in cooperation with Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung.

Its topics were the cultural and political potentials of free software, software technology, digital networks and media, and more generally information freedom and open cooperation in the creation and proliferation of knowledge. The interdisciplinary conference was a platform of exchange between, chiefly, scientists, engineers, social researchers, scholars from the humanities, artists and activists.

The name is a word play on Wizard of Oz. The acronym OS stands for operating system (not open source).

The first Wizards of OS conference took place in 1999, the third conference in 2004 had the topic "The Future of the Digital Commons" and featured, among others, the launch of the German translation of the Creative Commons licenses. The Wizards of OS 4 - Information Freedom Rules took place from 14 to 16 September 2006.

Edition Date Site
Wizards of OS 1: Open Sources and Free Software 16-17 July 1999 Haus der Kulturen der Welt, [1]
Wizards of OS 2: Open Cultures and Free Knowledge 11-13 October 2001 Haus der Kulturen der Welt
Wizards of OS 3: The Future of the Digital Commons 10-12 June 2004 Berliner Congress Centrum
Wizards of OS 4: Information Freedom Rules 14-16 September 2006 Columbiahalle and Columbiaclub
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