Does major development of FLOSSE start from Brazil? - FLOSSE Posse
15-April-2005
In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has instructed government ministries and state-run companies to gradually switch from proprietary Microsoft operating systems to free operating systems, like Linux. Government funded software projects need to release results as FLOSS.
Does major development of FLOSSE start from Brazil? - FLOSSE Posse:
NYT features an article titled Brazil: Free Software’s Biggest and Best Friend. I think it’s no surprise that the strongest development of FLOSS in education is about to come from Brazil or any other less developed country. Educational sector all around the world is struggling for resources. There are major budget cuts even here in Finland.
Education is not the best sector to make money out of software. For example in Brazil, only 19 percent of public schools have computers. The core reason for an educational institution to exist is to make sure that teaching continues and learners have a place to study. If a budget cut is prepared, developing ICT is one of the first to suffer from the hit.
Mission | Ourmedia
15-April-2005
The Ourmedia project was started by members of the creative and technology communities in the summer of 2004. Our major partners in this effort are the prestigious Internet Archive, Bryght, Creative Commons and Broadband Mechanics. All share with us a vision that compelling grassroots works — now scattered across the Web or hidden away on laptops and closed networks — deserve a wider audience.
Mission | Ourmedia:
reate. Share. Get noticed. That's what Ourmedia is about.
Ourmedia is a global community and learning center where you can gain visibility for your works of personal media. We'll host your media forever — for free.
Video blogs, photo albums, home movies, podcasting, digital art, documentary journalism, home-brew political ads, music videos, audio interviews, digital storytelling, children's tales, Flash animations, student films, mash-ups — all kinds of digital works have begun to flourish as the Internet rises up alongside big media as a place where we’ll gather to inform, entertain and astound each other.
Open source is better - official
27-April-2005
Becta, the Government's lead agency for ICT in education, is set to release a new report which will say that schools could save significant sums by switching to open source software, eGov monitor can report.
The landmark report will show that OSS can be implemented successfully in schools and present documented examples of cost savings from its use.
Open Source Makes School Breakthrough
By eGov monitor Newsdesk Published Monday, 25 April, 2005 - 13:33
Tend not to post these to this blog - normally put then on the SIG Open Source Software site - but I think this is significant.
"Forthcoming government report to pave way for greater OSS use in UK schools
Becta, the Government's lead agency for ICT in education, is set to release a new report which will say that schools could save significant sums by switching to open source software, eGov monitor can report.
The landmark report will show that OSS can be implemented successfully in schools and present documented examples of cost savings from its use.
Becta's report, based on a study of 15 schools, will state that open source office products have been demonstrated to offer schools a cost-effective alternative to proprietary software.
Among the key findings will be that primary and secondary schools using OSS substantially reduced the total cost of ownership per PC. Support costs - typically accounting for more than half a PC's total cost - showed
the biggest reduction.
