[discuss] The Code Breakers: F/OSS as the Bridge over the Digital Divide?

[Richard Houston]

Hi all,

With regards to Even's statements I find the below link to be promising.
This is a big step for the UN and even with MS's free licenses, is that
not an oxymoron, it is still a benefit to use OSS in developing
countries.

Excerpt:

"The United Nations has recommended its members use open source software,
particularly in areas related to health, education and international
commerce, UN inspector Dominique Ouredrago said during a speech at the II
international open source conference in Spain.

According to Ouredrago, in two of its reports the UN considers open source
as the most appropriate vehicle for the development of its members.

In Latin America, countries such as Brazil and Venezuela are in the
process of migrating all their applications in public entities from
proprietary software to open source, while in Peru the local government is
discussing a law to promote its use in the public sector.

In the Argentine private sector, nearly half of local companies with over
1,000 employees use some type of open source application, while 18% of the
companies not using Linux are planning on migrating to open source in the
future."


http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/20/1389065.htm




+------------------------------------+
Best regards,
-Richard Houston
-R.L.H.  Consulting
-E-Mail  rhouston at rlhc.net
-WWW     http://www.rlhc.net
-Blog    http://www.rlhc.net/blog/


> wmat wrote:
>
>> "For years Microsoft has dominated the world of computing, but its
>> software is beyond the reach of many in the developing nations. This
>> 2-part series investigates that the poorest countries are now changing
>>  tack and using Free/Open Source Software (FOSS)."
>>
>> All information and times can be found here:
>> http://www.apdip.net/news/fossdoc
>>
>
>
> Thanks for the link.
>
>
> It's good to see the Bangkok office of the UNDP involved in this. In my
> time at LPI I found that the UNDP (and the UN in general) was hamstrung by
> a major contract with Microsoft
> (http://news.com.com/2100-1011-5146305.html). In return for MS donating
> a tons of free licenses (in countries where people couldn't afford them
> anyway, so they'd either pirate or use FOSS), open source was (and may
> still be) a dirty word within the organization. Certainly at the head
> offices in New York and Geneva, open source is officially a curiosity at
>  best.
>
> The APDIP office (which I visited twice when it was in Kuala Lumpur) was
>  a refreshing counter-movement inside the organization. Its very
> existence gives hope that the UN had not totally succumbed to the lure of
> the MS money and knows the development potential of open source.
>
> There is a source-of-pride Canadian connection to all of this. The APDIP
>  established the International Open Source Network
> (http://www.iosn.net/), whose major source of funding is the Canadian
> International Development Research Centre. Yes, that means your
> foreign-aid tax dollars are going to support the promotion of open source
> in the developing world.
>
> Indeed, it is possible to take advantage of that generosity even within
> Canada. The IOSN has created a number of FOSS primers and other free
> documentation that can be part of any campaign to introduce and/or teach
> FOSS concepts to newcomers: http://www.iosn.net/foss-primers
>
>
> - Evan
>
>
> PS: It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft tries to squirm into the
> picture. In the rich world it fights open source with all its energy, in
> this documentary it's apparently quoted as having embraced open source.
> Hmm....
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>
>
>


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