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Rwanda: Kinyarwanda Computing, is It Real Or Fiction?
,----[ Quote ]
| Category B (between US $200,000 and US $500,000)." The Operating Systems
| considered by NICI-2010 are Linux and Microsoft Windows.
|
| Office Productivity Tools considered are: Linux FireFox Web Browser,
| Microsoft Internet Explorer, Linux OpenOffice and Microsoft Office.
|
| Electronic Tools Company (E-Tools) has been working on translation of Linux
| Operating Systems and OpenOffice Productivity Tools since the beginning of
| 2005.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft became interested in converting Windows to Kinyarwanda after
| witnessing the interest generated by Linux in Kinyarwanda.
|
| [...]
|
| 2. What was accomplished?
|
| E-Tools has released an initial version of Linux translation at Rwanda Expo
| 2006 and won the overall Expo 2006 Award.
`----
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805160284.html
Also from Africa:
Fedora 9 makes Linux easy
,----[ Quote ]
| Six months after the release of Fedora 8, version 9 of the Linux operating
| system has been released. Fedora, the Red Hat-backed Linux version, is an
| easy to use system that makes even first-time Linux users feel at home.
`----
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/3819.html
Yesterday:
Kenya: How Software War Will Hurt Consumers
,----[ Quote ]
| Rather than buy Microsoft software or pay royalty fees to the company, most
| cyber-cafes around the country are choosing to instal free, open source
| software.
|
| This follows the start of an aggressive campaign by the software giant in
| October last year, which targeted cyber-cafes that are illegally using its
| software and denying it the right to benefit from many years of research.
`----
http://allafrica.com/stories/200805150945.html
Recent:
Linux cutting software costs in Kenya
,----[ Quote ]
| Entrepreneurs in Kenya are putting Linux to work to cut costs and maximise
| profits as they look for new ways to bring computing to users.One of these
| entrepreneurs is Patrick Mathenge, CEO of Mullard Electronic Limited, a firm
| trading in hardware and software from its Mombasa Road offices. The company
| is distributing Linux software that can turn a single computer into up to 10
| workstations.
`----
http://www.tectonic.co.za/?p=2392
Kenya: Copyright Board Takes Piracy War to Cyber Cafes
,----[ Quote ]
| Cyber café operators within Nairobi are torn between legalising their
| Microsoft software operating system, shifting to Open Source Code or closing
| shop all together following the crack down on illegal software.
|
| [...]
|
| According to Mr Kasani, the software will manage all aspects of cyber café
| billing such as Internet time, printing, items, accounts, discounts, the
| programme will be across platform , it will be possible to run it on both
| Linux and Windows computers connected on the same cyber works.
`----
http://allafrica.com/stories/200711262040.html
Microsoft Denies Threatening to Withdraw Funding
,----[ Quote ]
| However, the denial was a contradiction to comments by Bitange Ndemo,
| permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, who
| said that Microsoft may have made comments regarding funding, though not
| directly or in writing.
|
| "They may have said something to that effect though not directly and not in
| writing. Microsoft cannot threaten us. In any case, our policy is very clear,
| we encourage people to use open-source software and those who want to use
| proprietary software are at liberty to do so" Ndemo said.
|
| There was heated debate in Kenya's technology sector before the decision to
| abstain. The decision was made by a 12-member committee. Some experts felt
| that the committee was comprised of a majority of Microsoft partners.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/144898/microsoft_denies_threatening_to_withdraw_funding.html
SA's open source acceleration
,----[ Quote ]
| Beveridge says while many people think only of the Linux operating system
| when they talk about open source software, its scope is much deeper than
| that. The ambit of open source extends from the open document format ODF -
| that describes exactly how information is stored and formatted - to
| applications such as OpenOffice (a competitor of Microsoft Office) to the
| desktop and server versions of the Linux operating system, to name but a few.
|
| Another misconception surrounding the technology is that it's free. And while
| most of it doesn't have licence fees attached to it, users pay for the
| application's service and support. That's why it's gaining popularity with
| developing countries, because it encourages the development of indigenous
| technology companies.
`----
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/3690.html
Government, NGOs 'turning to Linux'
,----[ Quote ]
| "It's extremely easy - basically anyone can install Linux now."
|
| Organisations such as the Shuttleworth Foundation, which help provide
| computers to underprivileged schools, use Linux instead of Windows to cut
| costs.
`----
http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?from=rss_IOLTechHome&iSectionId=2883&iArticleId=4366559
South Africa adopts ODF as a national standard
,----[ Quote ]
| The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) on Friday approved the Open
| Document Format (ODF) as an official national South African standard. The
| adoption of ODF by South Africa opens the way for the businesses and
| government to adopt ODF more widely in their processes.
`----
http://www.tectonic.co.za/?p=2365
Related:
Africa: 'Microsoft is Imperialistic' Says Open Source Advocates
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corporation's products have been locked out of the
| on-going World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi Kenya.
|
| With over 300 computers provided for participants and the press,
| organizers of the WSF have preferred to provide open source
| software products and blocked all Microsoft related products for
| the forum's usage and its related activities.
|
| [...]
|
| Activists at the forum also believe that since Microsoft is a
| corporate brand from the United States of America, a country
| they believe has intentions of maintaining the status quo of
| a unipolar world over which it is above international law and
| the UN, the brand should be locked out.
|
| [...]
|
| "The open source movement is providing Linux, a robust free
| software. Everybody owns it and it can be shared. And this
| is what WSF is all about - a free society, a movement
| fighting for ownership of free resources" he adds.
`----
http://allafrica.com/stories/200701230831.html
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