<incom> NGOs in ICT4D need a serious paradigm shift

[Steve Cisler]

Like so many countries, Ecuador uses a lot of pirated
material including MS applications.  Microsoft Ecuador
worked with an NGO called Chasquinet and is providing
suites of software for very little money, and this has
eliminated a lot of the piracy in those groups.

What's interesting is that Chasquinet supports Linux
and open source apps. for other smaller non-profits
and telecenters for free, while others companies
charge a lot for open source support.  Chasquinet has
found that Microsoft's support is better and that's a
big reason people keep using the now 'legal' copies of
the software.

Of course some open source taliban oppose this
ecumenical approach and cry 'sell out', but it's a
very mixed world and it's very difficult to function
just using one approach.

An interesting side example is the CD manufacturing
plant in Ecuador where they make the blank discs and
press/publish products for MS, HP, non-profits, and
commercial pirates.  I had an interest tour of the
place, and they allowed me to video the factory. All
parties are welcome at this digital watering hole...

--- Peter Burgess <peterbnyc at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues
> 
> Some years ago I was involved in development
> planning in Namibia
> starting just a day or two after its independence.
> It was an exciting
> time with a lot of important issues in play.
> 
> Within weeks of independence several major
> institutions became the
> subject of "audit" by the international software
> piracy group ... an
> action that I found more than a little cynical.
> 
> At some level I have seen Bill Gates as a hero
> figure because he
> helped move computing into the personal space from
> IBM and corporate
> control, but the business model that eventually
> evolved for Microsoft
> is very sad. IT should be driving a lot of social
> good ... but more it
> merely drives corporate goals.
> 
> Not surprisingly I am now a user of Open Office
> applications ... and
> frustrated by the relatively few people who are
> using Open Office, and
> the need for me to export into MS Office formats ...
> and then further
> frustrated when these exports don't preserve the
> formatting I have
> taken considerable pains to get right in OO. Sadly,
> the formatting
> errors seem to be planned ... which does not
> surprise me, though it
> disappoints me.
> 
> It would send a good message to the corporate IT
> world and MS if NGOs
> would convert to Open Office in a big way. The
> functionality is not
> far off being 100% of MS and in some cases better
> ... and it is free.
> 
> Sincerely
> 
> Peter
> ____________
> Peter Burgess
> Tr-Ac-Net in New York  212 772 6918
> peterbnyc at gmail.com
> The Transparency and Accountability Network
> http://tr-ac-net.blogspot.com
> www,tr-ac-net.org
> _______________________________________________
> incom-l mailing list
> incom-l at incommunicado.info
> http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/incom-l
> 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com