Evans,
The lack of focus on problem solving by the
Open Source community is the biggest problem
actually. The Open Source community is by itself
fragmented and lacking in a uniform voice. For
example. If today the government said that they
would be using only Open Source Operating
Systems, you will get caught up in the classic
desktop linux argument (Ubuntu vs Debian vs
Redhat vs FreeBSD - KDE vs GNOME vs XFCE vs
Unity etc). The user does not care.
Unfortunately.
I am a proponent of Open Source software (in
Africa especially because of cost more than
anything else), the problem is that the Open
Source community has not gone out to create
ecosystems that the likes of Microsoft have to
make it easier to use their produce. Workshops
should be conducted in Universities for say
PostgreSQL to increase the size of the
ecosystem, people are caught up with the
philosophy and not the praxis.
I don't agree with the hostility towards
commercial software, it has it's benefits.
Mostly, someone you can shoot if things go
wrong.
On Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 10:23 AM, Evans Ikua
<ikua.evans@gmail.com>
wrote:
Conrad, this
debate will not end any time soon and you
can be sure its important. I am sure you
would know how much money Microsoft alone
mints in Kenya. With the threat of loss of
market share, we do expect them to
continue feeding us with half truths about
what is important. I know what is
important for me, and I also speak for the
person who does not understand the issues,
nor care about what software is running
their solutions. Because I know something
that they dont.
You dont want us to believe that
proprietary software has better value than
open source, do you? What value? I have no
doubt that all platforms must co-exist, at
least to a certain extent. But it would be
better to face the facts as they are as
opposed to peddling cheap lies about
security and vulnerabilities. I for one
always have a problem with the Government
using my tax money to buy closed source
software, while at the same time spending
the meagre forex resources that we have to
fatten the wallets of developers in
Redmond and Germany. The bargain here is
that we are left with proprietary formats
that tie us to companies that are not
guaranteed to last the next 20 years,
leave a lone 100 years.
Did you know that Americans can't sell
anything to (or visit) Cuba because of
sanctions? What hapens if Mitt Romney (God
Forbid) wakes up one morning and decides
he does not like Kenya, and therefore we
can't do business with the US? Or are we
stuck with "good behaviour" so that we
don't land in bad books with anyone, so
that we can guarantee to run our economy
with other people's technology? Where is
the freedom there?
The freedom that we refer to is not price,
but the freedom to control how our
software works, without having to depend
on a handful of companies that control the
source code, and if and when we can get
bug fixes, so long as we behave ourselves.
For individuals, its a matter of personal
choice. But for our government, its a
matter of freedom, foreign exchange, and
developing local capacities. So its good
that our government is finally getting the
message, though unfortunately there is
going to be some losers.
Evans Ikua
On Sun, Sep
16, 2012 at 11:32 PM, Rad!
<conradakunga@gmail.com>
wrote:
These debates of open/closed
source are pointless and juvenile,
especially coming from veterans in
the industry.
Mwananchi does nor know nor
care how things run, provided
they a) Work and b) solve his
problems.
Can we at least get to that
point before having these
spurious arguments. Our police
stations use counter books for
records. Marriage registries use
typewriters and box files. The
city council and lands
ministries are festooned with
box files and papers.
And we are here on ivory
towers arguing over open vs
closed source leaving
fundamentals unaddressed!
Pragmatic people have no need
to resort to extremism. Just as
there is room on roads for
Mercedes S Class and Toyota Vitz
I'm pretty sure there is room
for Open and Closed Source
software.
As for the issue of cost - I
encourage folks to look at it
from an economics perspective.
Cost and value are very
different things.
On Sunday, September 16,
2012, Mark Mwangi wrote:
All
I see is opportunity. Am
not anti Microsoft or any
closed source software
company. Painting open
source software as
insecure, unsupportable
and almost unhygienic is
not being realistic in my
opinion.
The reason
there aren't many linux
folk is because there is
no demand for them. If
the govt decided that
everything on their
systems (or at
least most) would be
foss then thats where
the talent will
gravitate. It starts
with a stance though.
On Sun, Sep 16,
2012 at 10:29 PM,
Agosta Liko
<agostal@gmail.com>
wrote:
issue is Open Source
is free but very few
people know linux or
mysql as well as the
closed guys who know
aix and oracel very
well.
IT does not matter,
all that matters is
how well one can
support whatever
they are deploying
....
Given that
Kenya is not
the first
country to
make such a
move, I see no
reason for M$
to spell doom,
really.
Kenya can
learn and
borrow from
those
countries. I
am sure M$
knows that
there are
countries
already fully
on FOSS.
--
Best regards,
Odhiambo
WASHINGTON,
Nairobi,KE
+254733744121/+254722743223
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _
I can't hear
you -- I'm
using the
scrambler.
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--
----------------------------------------------------
Kind Regards,
Evans Ikua,
lanetconsulting.com,
lpi-eastafrica.org,
ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
Skype: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831
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