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Open Source Makes Waves In Africa

Posted by simoniker on from the both-good-and-hope dept.

smarquard writes "Open source has arrived in Africa in a big way. Idlelo: First African Conference on the Digital Commons, in almost-the-southern-tip-of-Africa Cape Town from 11-15 Jan 04, has attracted a strong lineup of African OSS advocates, as well as international OSS and IPR figures like Richard Stallman (FSF), Loic Dachary (FSF France), Rishab Ghosh (Infonomics), Wendy Seltzer (EFF) and Dimo Calovski (UNCTAD). Could this be the turning point for a continent that least needs to be locked into paying inflated license fees to US corporations ? The conference is co-hosted by African OSS lobby group FOSSFA and the University of the Western Cape."

17 comments

  1. Should be a great conference by khanyisa · · Score: 2, Interesting

    We're presenting stuff on what makes open source projects mature, and on open source from a translator's perspective ... looking forward to hear all the other presenters too ...
    If you've never been to Cape Town and live in the rest of the world, it's a great place to visit and this conference will give you a fresh perspective on Open Source in the developing world...

    1. Re:Should be a great conference by Domini · · Score: 1

      Yup, and combine it with the 46664 concert... it'l rock!

      PS: Do you live in Cape Town?

  2. boa-constructor is african too. by Domini · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Another project from (South) Africa.

    But who cares where stuff is from? OSS have lifted social/political and financial boundaries, and suddently there is good software from all over the world.

    The tone of this article is patronizing and irrelevant.

    1. Re:boa-constructor is african too. by mrkurt · · Score: 1

      You're totally right-- it doesn't really matter where the software comes from, as long as it works.
      I am using boa-constructor right now on a demonstration project for Python. I am impressed with how it helps to speed up the development process-- I think it's the Python IDE of choice. It will help me get away from Visual Basic!

      --
      Always look on the briight side of life! (whistle, whistle)
  3. flogging the dead horse, but anyway... by ciaran_o_riordan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hi,
    At the moment I'm working to set up a Free Software organisation in my country. I, and others, have put a lot of work into it, looking around at other orgs to see how the goods ones are run, etc. One strange thing I've noticed is that in my search, I've found 14 active Free Software orgs in Europe, but not one active OpenSource group.

    And now we have this article. The people that have decided to make the effort to turn up such as Stallman, and Loic Dachary are called "OSS advocates". Both are very clear that they do Free Software.

    The two terms refer to the same set of licenses (pretty much), but they represent different movements. Freedom isn't a dirty word, and Richard and Loic are representatives of the Free Software movement. Both are busting their asses to give freedom to computer users. A bit of accurate recognition would be good.

    --
    Expert in software patents or patent law? Contribute to the ESP wiki!
    1. Re:flogging the dead horse, but anyway... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I respect them for this, but I think people should have the freedom to call them what they want too.

      People know what they are and what they do, and calling them by their preffered designation does not change that.

    2. Re:flogging the dead horse, but anyway... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Stallman started the Free Software movement. 14 years later some industry types started the OpenSource movement with the aim of re-branding Free Software under their new sssh-don't-talk-about-freedom banner.

      Freedom of speech is great, but saying that Bush is a member of the Green Party is still a lie.

    3. Re:flogging the dead horse, but anyway... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      14 years later some industry types started the OpenSource movement with the aim of re-branding Free Software under their new sssh-don't-talk-about-freedom banner.

      You mean industry types like Linus Thorvalds? Linux isn't free you know - it's open. Copyright is held by the individual authors and they are free to make money distributing their bits of code under non-GPL licenses.

      Anyway you've got it backwards. Stallman wants S/W to be free as in beer. Open source is free as in freedom, but not necessarily as in beer.

  4. Re:where stuff comes from by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It does matter where it comes from if you're paying for it.

    If you're a developing country (like South Africa, whose government spends several billion Rands every year buying software licenses, 80% from the US), perhaps you're better off spending that money in your own country, or at least your own continent.

  5. Yay! I live in cape town by 010011101_(thats+me) · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Its about time something cool happened here!
    By the way open source has in fact been here for a while,I dont have all the links on hand but ,heres one,google can probably turn up others
    Contrary to what you may think cape town and SA in general has a thriving PC population and even frequent LAN games(100+ games in CT every month or so) despite fairly poor hardware support (I dont even know where to buy apple macs around here (no big loss)) ,a weak currency(which has has improved massively lately though) and least I forget really shocking ISP services.
    Our local monopoly offers the following : outrageous installation (about R4000 or about $615) including modem and monthly fees (R1200 or about $185) and a ridiculous cap of 3 gigs per month ,but I'll try not to go off into a rant about that...
    However most PC users arent even aware that there are alternatives to windows and I have yet to meet anyone who runs Linux at home!

    --
    (A)bort, (R)etry, (P)retend this never happened...
  6. Re:where stuff comes from by Domini · · Score: 1

    Still it does not matter... if it originated in ZA or elsewhere, it would still be free.

    ZA's goverment is already commited to Open Source, as are many other institutions. It's mainly large unwieldly conglomerates like Banks who have a foot in either country who waste money by getting into bed with Microsoft.