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Thawte Founder Launches Open Source Campaign

Posted by Hemos on from the pushing-for-acceptance dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Mark Shuttleworth ? , lauched a campaign to increase the use of open-source software in South Africa, according to the Sunday Times. The GO-open source campaign is aimed at households and small businesses. Shuttleworth founded Thawte Consulting in 1995 and subsequently sold it to Verisign for $575 Million."

3 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. Good publicity can't hurt by Inhibit · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Spending R18 million (if I knew what the "R" was I'd convert it) on open source advertising can't hurt. I'd think funding local open source outfits with startup capital and training would probably go farther though. All the pretty advertisements in the world aren't going to help you get your Fedora Desktop running correctly when there's a kernel bug.

    --
    You're reading Slashdot. Of course you like Linux and pc hardware
    1. RE: Good publicity can't hurt by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 4, Insightful
      All the pretty advertisements in the world aren't going to help you get your Fedora Desktop running correctly when there's a kernel bug.

      And, all the pretty desktops that run on Linux don't mean squat if the bean counters and other non-techie PHBs never considers evaluating them. I think this has to be done on both fronts, PR to people that control the purse strings at larger companies, and investment in developers that produce commercial class applications.

      --
      "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
  2. Re:Robber Baron Stikes Again by Twyford · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This has nothing to do with Verisign. Mark sold Thawte to Verisign and is using the money for better causes. The money that is being used for this initiative is Mark's and the partners involved, NOT Verisign. If you understood the situation in South Africa, which I do as a citizen, any new way to save money that could be put to use in a better way is something to look at.