Don Cameron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Paul Swider wrote:
neither I in Washington, DC, nor someone in a village in Africa has to
merely take what is given in terms of software function, we can make
what we need. This not only translates into better IT, it can also
translate into real jobs
This would be wonderful, but I do wonder how the person located in this
African village, with everything involved in terms of literacy, economy
etc., would determine exactly what is needed from the latest version of
Red Hat or Debian, let alone build it? - To begin with, who is compiling
these systems into African village dialects? Also, it's perhaps a sad
reality, but reality nonetheless that commercial software is that which
creates jobs - business culture drives commercial purchases, which in
Dear Don, Where are you writing this from? I myself live in a village,
Saligao, which I welcome you to visit anytime to see what is possible
from there.
Please also check out http://linuxinindia.pitas.com to see what others
are doing from a country like India. It's not implausible to think that,
if India can do it today, other areas of the Third World can do it
tomorrow.
Anyway, I feel we should not get too much caught up in the villages or
urban areas debate. The question is whether at all software can play a
role in a way that makes it accessible and affordable to the Third World
(or the Two-Thirds World), call it what you choose. GNU/Linux, Open
Source and Free Software definitely has immense potential.
Lastly, should we be unduly concerned if companies and corporations show
a disinclination to enter the GNU/Linux-FreeSoftware-OpenSource world?
Is it our assumption that all change, development and growth will flow
from what corporations do? In any case, the whole of GNU/Linux was built
almost wholly with volunteer support and involvement.
It would appear that we who are talking of development have a useful
lesson to learn from this approach.
In fact, our bytesforall.org project has been inspired in large measure
by the GNU/Linux approach. Two years old, 15 volunteers from six South
Asian countries, an ezine sent out via listservs that reaches
decisionmakers/IT professionals and the commonman, a whole lot of
enthusiasm generated about the potential of IT-for-development
(including a monthly column in one of India's most prestigious and
mainstream IT magazines)... all done without a single rupee or taka or
dollar spent, but through volunteer work.
A lot is possible... if only there's an open mind. FN
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
BYTESFORALL www.bytesforall.org * GNU-LINUX http://linuxinindia.pitas.com
Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] * SMS [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Saligao Goa India
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