[Fsf-friends] African Free Software on a firm footing... (Tectonic)

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

TECTONIC NEWS
Tracking the shifts in technology
www.tectonic.co.za
27 February, 2006

AFRICAN FREE SOFTWARE ON A FIRM FOOTING
-----------------------------------------

This week's newsletter is a little late because I have just returned
from a few fantastic days in Nairobi, Kenya. I was there for the
FOSSFA Idlelo2 conference which was a great opportunity to gauge how
the free software movement on the continent has fared over the past
two years since Idlelo1 in Cape Town. (Read more at
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=892&s=news) 

The good news is that African free software looks to be in robust
health and it was heartening to see the links being developed between
groups around the continent, in particular those with West Africa.

As with any continental movement there are challenges of course - of
language, experience and expections - but on the whole the trip well
worth the time and an encouraging precursor to what we can expect
over the coming year. 

Here's to a good African free software year, 
Alastair
 
------------

SITA TENDER WINNERS NAMED
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=884&s=news
Eight companies have been selected to be the suppliers of open source
software and support services to the government and the State IT
Agency over the next three years. News of the winners of potentially
South Africa's most lucrative open source deal ends months of
nail-biting for tenderers involved.

FREE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS DO IT TO LEARN NEW SKILLS
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=883&s=news
Despite an increase in the number of corporates involved in the
development of free and open source software applications, the
majority of FOSS code is still being developed by individuals and the
vast majority of these do it primarily to learn new skills. Rishab
Ghosh of Maastricht University said this during the opening of the
Idlelo 2 conference in Nairobi, Kenya this morning.

SHUTTLEWORTH URGES TELECOMS REFORM
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=888&s=news
Entrepreneur and Ubuntu Linux founder Mark Shuttleworth yesterday hit
out at the African telecoms sector saying the existing monopolies in
the sector were not able to deliver effective and affordable
bandwidth to the continent. He urged national regulators to unbundle
their wired networks and develop competitive strategies to improve
broadband access to Africans.

SA TAX MAN EYES DESKTOP LINUX
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=882&s=news
The South African Revenue Service has issued a tender for a proof of
concept Linux desktop solution for the tax-collecting government
department with a R355 billion ($58 billion) revenue. While SARS
admits that the challenges of moving to Linux on the desktop are
numerous, a successful proof of concept could see 14 000 desktops
running Windows migrated to Linux.

FOSSFA RATIFIES CONSTITUTION, ELECTS COUNCIL
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=887&s=news
The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa last night
formally adopt its constitution and elected a new council to take the
organisation forward for the next to years.

========================================
TECTONIC SURVEY 2006: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AND WIN
----------------------------------------------------
What do you think of Tectonic? What are you interested in? What do
you want to see us write about? Now it is your turn to tell us by
taking part in the Tectonic 2006 reader survey.
(www.tectonic.co.za/survey/)
All we need is five minutes of you time and in return we'll enter
your name into a draw for a box of Linux goodies kindly sponsored by
Obsidian Systems. There are also a handful of Tectonic Magazine
subscriptions up for grabs.
========================================

UBUNTU GOES SMALL
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=889&s=news
The family of operating systems based on the Ubuntu platform
continues to expand – this time to the ever-growing embedded
world of small, light devices like PDAs and Internet tablets. A new
Ubuntu project, Embedded Ubuntu, hopes to bring Ubuntu down to size.

LENOVO BRAND LAUNCHES IN SA
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=890&s=news
Lenovo South Africa launched its products officially on Friday, with
desktops and laptops that look distinctly non-IBM. The new company is
hoping to capture a slice of the lucrative home user and SME markets
with its 3000 series, while the Think brand continues to play in the
corporate arena.

PROJECT HIGGINS FOR USER-CENTRIC ID MANAGEMENT
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=891&s=news
IBM, Novell and Parity Communications today announced that they are
contributing code to an open source initiative -- code-named 'Project
Higgins' -- that will spawn a new generation of security software,
giving people more control over their personal online identity
information. Project Higgins builds upon a concept developed by
Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

FREE SOFTWARE MOVEMENT HEADS FOR NAIROBI
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=878&s=news
Free software developers and advocates from across the African
continent will be heading for Nairobi in Kenya this week as they
gather for the second Free Sofware and Open Source Foundation for
Africa conference. Keynote speakers during the opening day of the
conference will include Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth as well
representatives of Google.

INNOVATION HUB HOSTS OSS SHOWCASE
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=881&s=news
1 April is the date set for an open source event to be held at the
Innovation Hub near Pretoria. The event will include LPI
certification exams, guest speakers and an open source technology
showcase.

OPINION
-----------------------------------------------------
THE STATE OF AFRICAN FREE SOFTWARE
Alastair Otter
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=892&s=news
A trip to Nairobi, cocktails with Microsoft, and a conference room
full of African free software advocates. Alastair Otter checks in
with the growing African free and open source movement to see how
things are going.

IN BRIEF
-----------------------------------------------------
PANDA SECURES DESKTOP LINUX
http://www.tectonic.co.za/viewatw.php?sel=885&s=news
REDHAT'S ANSWER TO NOVELL'S EYE CANDY
http://www.tectonic.co.za/viewatw.php?sel=886&s=news

----------------------------------------
Contact Tectonic:
Editor
Alastair Otter
alastair at tectonic.co.za
083-267-7657
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