A gem from the past that may be a bit relevant to this discussion.

http://www.catb.org/esr/halloween/halloween1.html


On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 5:31 PM, <ashok+skunkworks@parliaments.info> wrote:
I am surprised by the short memories people have.

These fairy tales have been played out before, over and over again :

"Nepad e-Schools initiative to cover 600,000 schools in Africa in partnership with among others, Microsoft" (from 2003 !)


But shooting numbers into the air ("600,000") sure works well for publicity ....



On 10 June 2013 12:11, John Karanja <mauxdatabase@gmail.com> wrote:
"Prove to me that it is more advanced than the concept of Jails in FreeBSD and I will believe everything you say after that."

Concepts of Jails appears to be a concept.... <-- No pun intended ;-)

However what I was specifically referring too when I said advanced is...

that Microsoft has taken relatively complex technologies like virtual machine hosting, software development platforms/frameworks e.t.c and hosted them on an simple to use, easily accessible/usable, readily deployable cloud service that any average IT technician/newbie can use.

This has so to speak created an opportunity for start-ups, schools and SME to focus on their core activities of  improving traction, teaching and trading respectively.

In my view this is why Microsoft is most suitable because the simplified user experience and existing business model which makes it sustainable for our use locally.


On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 11:30 AM, Martin Chiteri <martin.chiteri@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi, 


On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 11:15 AM, John Karanja <mauxdatabase@gmail.com> wrote:
Hmmmmm interesting debate.

I think linking up with Microsoft was the best option with the most immediate benefits for Kenya.

Think about all those people who have acquired both technical and enterprise skills from reselling and utilizing Microsoft products over the years.

Android for me is too open and creates no jobs absolutely. Apple too closed, expensive and focuses too much on leisure activities which are not essential at the moment for most of Ke.

Microsoft is making a big shift for the Enterprise space with their new Software, Gadgets and Cloud services.


Hmmmmmmmm!!!(???) 
Just spent a weekend playing with the Windows Virtualization platforms and I assure its much more advanced then anything else out there.

Prove to me that it is more advanced than the concept of Jails in FreeBSD and I will believe everything you say after that.




At the same time, I would like to acknowledge that Microsoft is known to carry out quite advanced research. They have the cash to hire some of the smartest men and women on the planet. *Never* under-estimate the power of money.

Martin.
 
Don't believe the hype!!! about Open source!!!

Lastly Microsoft is piloting Whitespaces technology right here in Kenya, a key ingredient for the laptop and school labs programs particularly in rural areas where Safaricom and Airtel 3G doesn't reach.

However GOK should ensure that Microsoft assembles its gadgets here and uses Kenyan companies for technical support as it does with its other existing products as part of the deal.





On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 10:45 AM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Colleagues,

There is an ongoing discussion on KICTANET, ISOC Kenya and Skunkworks list this week, we hope to collect all this input in a structured manner and present it to the Government as a position paper for the community, i urge all of us to contribute to the discussion so that the new Cabinet Secretary and his Principle Secretary can have document to work with from the community. Strathmore has offered to host a Stakeholders forum for the same to be debated.

Best Regards


On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 9:53 AM, ANTONY NDUNG'U <tmndungu@gmail.com> wrote:
Is there a Policy Document on what the computer for schools project is about? The training to be offered etc.


On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 3:53 PM, Francis Njenga <korefn@gmail.com> wrote:
Exposure to technology is critical to the information age.
Yes, there are bad sides too but should we fail to adapt and acquire this advantage
well remain the dumping site.
There is a lost argument here that using Linux would make us... smarter or less prone
to succumbing to a disease of buying windows licenses.... I submit that solutions remain so
whether proprietary or Open-sourced.

Should the open-source community wish to have more sway, I propose offering
LOCAL and COMPETITIVE alternatives. Going open-source and having to deal with unity's
decisions, out-of-country licenses from big corporations(RED-HAT, Oracle-JAVA anyone) and all
 does not change our condition.


My point: Less talk and more FOSS activity(projects not talks) would be better.


On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 2:48 PM, Ken Yanski <skunkazi@gmail.com> wrote:


On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 9:00 AM, Peter Karunyu <pkarunyu@gmail.com> wrote:
@Evans, you are sufficiently high in the FOSS food chain such that if you whisper, a lot more people will listen.

All those who a pro-FOSS, please let us lend @Evans our contacts in the circles that matter, starting with bitange@jambo.co.ke


On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 8:29 AM, geoffrey gitagia <ggitagia@gmail.com> wrote:

+1 for Mr Gitau

On Jun 5, 2013 7:23 AM, "John Gitau" <jgitau@gmail.com> wrote:
Maybe he foss should now stand up to be counted. How about foss trains teachers and offers to save the government money by running android, Linux etc .

My issue here is he foss community here tends to be be talk/ workshop driven. Mic

Sent from my msoft guys in the meantime have partners everywhere ready to execute. Their livelihood and future earnings depend on this. I'd this were chess I'd say Microsoft checked you. Your move foss ! But if your move is to rant I expect a very quick endgame 

I say take some action, make noise where it matters educate the president present your options ....
Jgitau

On Jun 5, 2013, at 6:07, Bernard Mwagiru <bmwagiru@gmail.com> wrote:

RE:If Microsoft is donating that software, please tell me what problem....

The first dose of the dope
<snip>
Microsoft is set to earn billions of shillings from supply of software for the free laptop plan after it signed a deal with President Uhuru Kenyatta to support the school-based computer idea.
</snip>

Second dose
<snip>
Microsoft will supply the software at discounted rates to support the project,” Bitange Ndemo,
</snip>

The annual dose "for the rest of your life"
<snip>
Microsoft is expected earn to annual fees from each computer that will be attached with its software, which is expected to run into hundreds of millions based on analyst’s estimation
</snip>

./bernard

On Jun 4, 2013 10:56 PM, "Conrad Akunga" <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote:
@Evans - there is no need to politicize this matter.

If Microsoft is donating that software, please tell me what problem you have with that. Zero cost to the taxpayer. Lots of options. I'm very sure you are aware there is plenty of Open Source software for windows.

I said virtualization is a good thing. I refuse to subscribe to the view that I am free to choose as long as my choice is the same as yours. Kids being exposed to Windows, Linux, Unix, MacOS is a good thing. 
 
In fact, there is nothing stopping anyone from formatting the machines and installing an OS of this choice. Windows is not like a building. It can be removed instantaneously.
 
There is nothing wrong with commercial companies capitalizing on opportunities. How come nobody complains when Huawei, Nokia, General Motors, Siemens etc set up shop here to scratch our itches? Let us be practical. Not everyone must be an NGO. Making money is not unethical!

It is also disingenuous to attribute children dying in hospitals  to Office Licenses.

Bill Gates's riches are not relevant to this discussion. Why didn't you mention Mark Shuttleworth, Sergey Brin, Larry Page et al as well? They're billionaire off open source software. Why are they saints? 

Guys. Let us not lose the forest for the trees. What software (or lack thereof) is a non issue compared to the larger problem of the sustainability of the laptop program as a whole. 

If there is no power it doesn't matter what OS the software boots into! 

 
—


On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 7:09 PM, Evans Ikua <ikua.evans@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow, I saw that one coming a long time ago.

@Bogi, MS will be happy to give free or subsidized OS on the laptops. I wish we can get the details here. Butt remember that Proprietary software is like dope. The first dose may be free, but its the second one that you pay for. And you pay dearly. For the rest of your life, till the dependency kills you. So MS is just happy to get the kids hooked and to get even closer to the Government so that they can continue reaping the licenses windfall, as a valued partner.

@Conrad, this is not a technical issue. It is a commercial and a strategic issue. MS is very sharp to exploit the commercial and strategic opportunity that this deal presents. Unfortunately the people advising the president have no clue what this means to the country. Either this or they are have sold their motherland to the interests of the global multinationals. At the same time, I wonder which virtualization you are referring to when we are still spending millions of dollars paying for Windows and MS Office licenses, while our children die in hospitals that don't have enough money to buy fuel for their generators.

Do we really believe that MS is here to help us? Really? So they have produced the richest man in the world by helping poor third world countries?





On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 4:42 PM, Bogi Benga <bogibenda@gmail.com> wrote:
But Microsoft is only a software company. What exactly does this deal entail. Free OS?



On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 2:58 PM, Conrad Akunga <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote:
As usual, every technical discussion eventually degenerates into needless open vs closed source fighting.

In this era of virtualization this is a non-issue! 
 
 
—


On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 3:54 PM, Peter Karunyu <pkarunyu@gmail.com> wrote:

@Kivuva, in as much as I would love to go into hypersleep in a space craft auto piloted by an open source implementation, I think our young generation needs to be exposes to ANY computing platform, whether windows, linux, unix, etc. This will help break the initial fear of computing, and lay the foundations and open up the future.

Of course, if I was asked, I would say that if the young generation was exposed to Linux, they would be better skilled in future than if they were exposed to Windows, but that point is moot because...

If you consider our government as a young corporate, then the decision to go Microsoft will make logical, corporatey-sense.

IMHO, the reason Brazil, Germany, China and the other governments are heavy into open source is because they know better, which our government, does not, all factors considered.



On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 3:33 PM, Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com> wrote:
So Microsoft will ensure our young generation don't grow on the mature and robust Open Source platform. As an economy, we will suffer more with licen$e$ and chasing the ever evolving Window$.

Can the local FOSSFA liaison persons Evans Ikua and  Bonface Witaba see to it that FOSS interested is looked after?

Regards


--
______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva
twitter.com/lordmwesh

_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



--
Regards,
Peter Karunyu
-------------------


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



--
----------------------------------------------------
Kind Regards,
Evans Ikua,
lanetconsulting.com,
lpi-eastafrica.org,
ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
Skype: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke
_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke

_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke

_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



--
Regards,
Peter Karunyu
-------------------

_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



--
Kore Francis Njenga
Running and Walking are only breaths apart.

_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



--
Barrack O. Otieno
+254-20-2498789
Skype: barrack.otieno

_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke


_______________________________________________
skunkworks mailing list
skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke
------------
List info, subscribe/unsubscribe
http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks
------------

Skunkworks Rules
http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94
------------
Other services @ http://my.co.ke



--
http://keyboardinterrupt.blogspot.com