SA could be at forefront of open source movement

ITWeb reports that Shuttleworth hopes the conference will lay the groundwork for a national strategy and pave the way for open source software in SA. He commented that SA could be at the forefront of the open source movement, where government is leading the way in terms of support and commitment. This, he said, was typical of developing countries, where open source was driven by state support, as opposed to developed countries, where open source was mainly supported by the private sector. The window of opportunity for open source in SA was open, Shuttleworth said, but he warned that this may only be for a short time. He pointed out that he would like to see collaboration between SA and countries like Australia, which has successfully rolled out open source in its healthcare sector. SA could then roll-out similar strategies in the rest of Africa, becoming a bridge between developed and developing countries. Full ITWeb report

Meanwhile, an organisation to promote open-source software is being set up in Soweto after the first open-source workshop was held there last week. Business Day reports that the event attracted computer enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who run their own computer businesses. Proponents of open-source software believe it is an essential part of closing the digital divide, as its users can freely adapt existing programs and use them without any licence frees. But that message was not reaching people in the underprivileged communities it was most likely to help. A second satellite centre will open in the i-Community centre sponsored by Hewlett-Packard in Mokgalakwena in Limpopo. They will be funded by the UN Development Programme to take open source to areas of Africa where it has not yet had an effect. Full Business Day report