Egypt's LUG Will Use Linux To Train Schoolchildren

kbahey writes "The Information and Communication Technology for Development in the Arab World (Arab Dev) has teamed up with Egypt's LUG to provide training for school children in upper Egypt with training on FOSS and GNU/Linux. As you may recall, a while back Slashdot interviewed Egypt's LUG. Here are the questions and here are the answers."

Comments

Re:This is great news

[bwd234]

In the USSR, LINUX had YOU!

Re:This is great news

[AresTheImpaler]

Oh come on.. the parent poster was being sarcasting (and funny). Give him a break.
Some real news would be: Egypt's LUG Will Use Windows To Train Schoolchildren

Barrier removed

[amran]

The main barrier for average users wanting to move over from Windows to Linux is that they have used Windows forever, and are so used to it that they find a change uncomfortable, and would just rather continue using what they are familiar with.
But teaching children how to use Linux really removes this barrier, since it allows them to become familiar with how it works, the genral look-and-feel of the desktop, etc.
Bravo Egypt LUG.

Re:Barrier removed

[lachlan76]

It's easier when you've learned to use a CLI.
I started out on a DOS box (can't remember what sort, it was 9 years ago). I'm 14 now, moved a couple of my computers to Linux a few months ago, when I got hold of some RH8 CDs (I have 56k, but use 33k modem, since my 56k is a Winmodem, bad for stability), had no immediate problems.

The reason people have problems is that they don't like using the keyboard. Teach kids to use a keyboard, and they can do anything. Don't and they can't.

Always good, if only for choice

[kbahey]

Something like this is always good, if only to give students more choices. They should not be indoctrinated in a monoculture from the start.

Microsoft has been playing tough in many countries including Egypt.

Initially, Microsoft looked the other way when there was piracy. People still pirate software there, but for personal use, and not in businesses.

As part of playing tough, there has been an Intellectual Property Police for about 8 years now. They can check business for Windows licenses, and confiscate computers and/or issue fines. They can even drag you to court as well, with all the legal costs and headaches that this entails.

So, for people to know that there is a viable alternative that works in the local language, and is totally free, powerful, and open can only be a good thing.

Discussion

[MadFarmAnimalz]

H'lo there. I'm from EGLUG, and I just stumbled across this discussion.

Yes, we're teaming up with ArabDev, and the latest word is we have people lobbying the GUC (German University in Cairo) to gt behind the effort. This is critical, since we don't yet have that much people hours. Volunteers, remember?

Hit our site; there's a DELUGE of initiatives. Off the top of my head, we've presented at an FOSS conference run by the Journalists' Syndicate (i.e. the movement is hitting bigtime), we've been contacted by the biggest public library in Cairo to assist in migrating the systems there to FOSS (any suggestions? Please help out; post on our forum - we need all the help we can get). There's the ongoing linux classes we're teaching (weekly, booked solid well into November), etc.

How can you help? Participate. Suggest. Interact. Criticise (but be gentle please).

You want more concrete ways you can help out? Okay. Here:

1. If you're Egyptian or know Egyptians, we have a promotional e-mail draft up here. Spread it around. We need the exposure.
2. If you know people who would be willing to discuss sponsorship (Mandrake? Suse? SCO?) please take the initiative. We'd love to know, and we are unusually hard up for resources.
3. IF you know someone at IBM (not in Egypt), please have them contact us. IBM Egypt does not get it and are actively hampering our efforts. I can provide a full writeup if someone needs it. If IBM Egypt could wrap their minds around EGLUG being an asset and not some sort of usurper, they could be a big boost.
4. Know CSS? We need help there too; I know this seems minor, but there are issues with readability on our site and no one really has all that much time.
5. Good with graphics? We need artwork for phaeronix, an LFS-based distro we want to get behind and disseminate to appeal to nationalistic streaks (I'm a marketer at heart). Contact me if you can help out with this.
6. Developer? Please help with phaeronix. Contact me :)
7. And as ever, Al Sawy Cultural Center are our biggest friends in Cairo. It is a young cultural center in downtown Cairo where we hold linux classes for free, and the proprietor (Mr. Al Sawy) Just Gets It(tm). They're letting us show Revolution OS on the big screen next week. Wouldn't hurt if you dropped them a line saying thanks on our behalf.

Alternatively, use your imagination. :)

kbahey, thanks for keeping an eye on us and helping with exposure. Hope to see you in EGLUG sometime.

Re:Discussion

[kbahey]

Hello Youssef I forwarded this link to Alaa yesterday after the story got accepted.

we've been contacted by the biggest public library in Cairo to assist in migrating the systems there to FOSS (any suggestions?

There has been some discussions on library computers using Linux on Ask Slashdot. Cannot find it now, but if you dig hard you may find it. However, computer use in libraries in North America may be different than back in Egypt. The questions focused on computers used for library visitors to browse the net, send email, and even play games, ...etc. I think what you are looking for is the internal system of the library keeping track of books.

You may want to submit a new Ask Slashdot with specific questions. Say it is from EGLUG, and what exactly is required. I am sure some with experience will answer you.

3. IF you know someone at IBM (not in Egypt), please have them contact us. IBM Egypt does not get it and are actively hampering our efforts. I can provide a full writeup if someone needs it. If IBM Egypt could wrap their minds around EGLUG being an asset and not some sort of usurper, they could be a big boost.

I know someone in IBM Canada, and asked him to dig up some contacts for Linux within IBM. However, don't be too hopeful, the way corporations work is that they will delegate a question received from Country A to staff at Country B (or headquarters) back to the staff at Country A! So you will be back to square one. Perhaps you need to rebuild the bridges, find some local contacts that can get you past the obstacle person(s) you are facing.

5. Good with graphics? We need artwork for phaeronix, an LFS-based distro we want to get behind and disseminate to appeal to nationalistic streaks (I'm a marketer at heart). Contact me if you can help out with this. 6. Developer? Please help with phaeronix. Contact me :)

I have to question this. Why not a pan-Arab distro (I think there are one or two projects in the past that tried this). This makes the effort more worthwile, and the market bigger. You can then take that and slap some Pyramid logo, and ta3meyah punch line, and call it Egyptix or something.

kbahey, thanks for keeping an eye on us and helping with exposure. Hope to see you in EGLUG sometime.

No problem. I have not been to Egypt in years, and even so, I avoid the hustle and bustle, and heat, of Cairo. But you interviewed my brother about using FOSS in small business. I gave Alaa the lead.