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Linux Advocacy in Ethiopia: A Traveller's Journal
Jutta Horstmann writes "At the Horn of Africa, little is known about Open Source. To change this, Jan Muehlig and Jutta Horstmann (relevantive AG, authors of last year's Linux Usability Report) set out to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Read their traveller's journal and get more information on Linux and Open Source in Ethiopia at relevantive.de/ethiopia." Their travel report is the most interesting section.
Not sure Open Source is terribly high on the list of priorities for a country like Ethiopia, but the concepts involved - such as the value of sharing exceeding the value of the material shared - are certainly important ones and would go a long way to combat the dangers of corruption and greed.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Forget open source; what about Open Plumbing?
"Skill shows through where genius wears thin." -Wittgenstein || Religion: uniting aviation and architecture.
hmm i think that spreading linux/oss to other countries, particularly poverty stricken ones, is very important. it allows them to get software that they might otherwise be unable to afford. HOWEVER, im pretty sure that the hiarchy of needs comes into play here. that is, i dont think that most of these people could care less if you gave them a new decked out 'nix box or not. why? because they have to worry about stuff like food, clothing, shelter, and safety. satisfy those and THEN maybe these people will start to care about sharing of information...
Matt
You have 1 Moderator Point! Use it or lose it! Is that a threat? -vapid
There is no expressed or implied Linux trolling in this post. However, the obstacles facing anyone trying to bring Linux to Ethiopia are huge. My father taught me to fish where I knew there was fish. To me this is a project a decade too soon, clearly iceboxes to Eskimos.
Oddly though, I think Eskimos do need refrigerators to keep foods at an even temperature :P
Harpo Tunnel Syndrome--my wrist feels funny.
You end poverty by making the economy better, and you do that by making the country less dependant on foriegn aid and more able to participate as an equal in world trade. To that end, technology is highly relevant. You can't fix the problem by trying to first fix poverty and then second trying to improve the technology. If you don't work on the technology, you'll never fix the poverty. As far as why open source is important - it's important because it allows the people of the country to participate as equals in the development of the technology instead of just as consumers of the technology.
Look to the model India used to launch itself onto the world stage and become a real force to be reckoned with. When adapting technology from overseas, it would always opt for trying to buy the right to use the technology behind a product, rather than just buy the rights to use the end-product. It's still got poverty, but it's a lot better off than it once was, because its sucessive governments since independance have frequently pursued a policy of metaphorically wanting to be taught to fish, instead of just being given fish.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
The information economy requires infrastructure, access and education. How is Ethiopia ever going to move beyond a "non-developing" status if the technology gap just grows and grows?
A vibrant information economy in Ethiopia can only be a good thing. Greater access to computers and more local programmers can help stir economic growth. Economic growth means higher salaries which means more money for food.
There is not yet a single post here which does NOT say something along the lines of "who cares about software, these people need to eat/drink/quit starving to death". Screw your thinking caps on, people.
I'd like to remind everyone that legitimate copies of Windows and Office cost real money, in addition to money that must be spent on the HARDWARE used to educate Ethiopian IT students.
Cutting proprietary software out of the equation means IT workers in developing countries can spend LESS money on software and MORE money on hardware, which increases the availability of hands-on learning tools for these people.
It's valuable to the doctors who often have trouble accessing the most up-to-date information within their field. It's valuable for education to help students quickly and easily access information that also happens to be up-to-date. Those who use and understand technology often dominate (and in many cases, oppress) those who don't use and understand technology.
Teach a people to fish...
// file: mice.h
#include "frickin_lasers.h"
My old vice-principal from High School (like, 13 years ago) is from Nigeria. He visits regularly. He lamented the fact that everyone seems to think everyone in Ethiopia is dying of starvation and suffers from famine. The reality is, yes, there are areas of Ethiopia that are hard hit with famine and starvation. However, the vast majority of the population lives in what we'd call "modern cities". They may not have the same living standards that Americans do (who does? We're the land of the obese), but they make do and some make better.
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
You can't really see a US sponsored team going to Africa without peddling chriatianity and Windows, can you?
Just for the record, child poverty in the US is close to 25%. Yet the government does other things than just fight porverty.
Not every resource on Earth is spent trying to cure cancer and solve poverty. Lots of resources are spent making designer clothes, perfums, etc. Humanity does lots of things and it's the sum (or actually the process) that's good.
Besides, out of hundreds of thousands (or more) of people wordwide helping Ethiopia, 2 are trying to bring Linux and related computer skills. So it seems to be acceptable to me and about where it should be.
As someone else pointed out, Ethiopian's have been Christian a lot longer than the English. The country is predomintly Eastern Orthodox Christian and has been since the fall of the Roman Empire. My family was stationed there during the early sixties when I was very young and my parents have a lot of Eastern Orthodox Ethiopian friends still to this day.
Most Ethiopians are very brand conscious, and no one will buy a computer in Ethiopia if it does not come with MS Office. And every corner you see a computer training schools that has introductory courses for Word/Excel/Access for like 10 - 20 dollars that span a few months.
We tried selling Compaq computers a few years ago, and failed. Now our supplies are limited to the UN, OAU and Embassies.
And besides local assemblers sell a computer most of it based on SIS chipset/motherboards for about Birr 4000 about 450 dollars including a 14" monitor. And these come with all sorts of software including Win XP, MS Office,etc.