ASCII (squat)
Encyclopedia
The Amsterdam Subversive Center for Information Interchange (ASCII) was a squat
ted communication laboratory in the Dutch city of Amsterdam
. The first incarnation was formed in 1999 and based at the Herengracht. The lab then moved to the following locations: Jodenbreestraat
, Kinkerstraat, Kostverlorenkade, Wibautstraat and Javastraat (52°21′49"N 4°56′3"E).
ASCII became legalised when it moved into Jodenbreestraat 24 in January 2000, alongside the radical bookshop Fort van Sjakoo, but started squatting again when faced with a 900% rent increase.
The original aim was to provide a free internet
work space for activists and squatters and to promote Open Source
operating systems such as Linux
and free software programs such as OpenOffice.org
and Mozilla
. Members of the collective scavenged and rebuilt computers from trash. In 2005, ASCII was involved with a plan to set up free community wireless internet access across Amsterdam. In 2006 Javastraat was evicted and the group declared a shift towards being a hacklab rather than having a physical space.
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
ted communication laboratory in the Dutch city of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The first incarnation was formed in 1999 and based at the Herengracht. The lab then moved to the following locations: Jodenbreestraat
Jodenbreestraat
The Jodenbreestraat is a street in the centre of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The street runs from the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates to the Mr. Visserplein traffic circle...
, Kinkerstraat, Kostverlorenkade, Wibautstraat and Javastraat (52°21′49"N 4°56′3"E).
ASCII became legalised when it moved into Jodenbreestraat 24 in January 2000, alongside the radical bookshop Fort van Sjakoo, but started squatting again when faced with a 900% rent increase.
The original aim was to provide a free internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
work space for activists and squatters and to promote Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
operating systems such as Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and free software programs such as OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
and Mozilla
Mozilla
Mozilla is a term used in a number of ways in relation to the Mozilla.org project and the Mozilla Foundation, their defunct commercial predecessor Netscape Communications Corporation, and their related application software....
. Members of the collective scavenged and rebuilt computers from trash. In 2005, ASCII was involved with a plan to set up free community wireless internet access across Amsterdam. In 2006 Javastraat was evicted and the group declared a shift towards being a hacklab rather than having a physical space.