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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)
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
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.
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
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.