Changing Mindsets How do you change a whole country's perception - For the Educated Lots
(Fouad Bajwa, Independent Discussion, 19-03-2009) "How much will a Ubuntu Linux CD cost in Pakistan", this student of University of Jamshoro asks me via SMS after a session of exchanging introductory messages, "My friend gave me your number when I asked about that where can I acquire an original CD for an operating system?" she clarifies. She further inquires, "Where can I get a free Ubuntu CD?" to which I reply, "The CD is free to order, will be land mailed to you for free, you can use it for free and after you have benefited from it, pass it on to your friends because it takes around 2-3 weeks to be delivered!" I continue to share, " and it's pretty simple to order, you can visit http://shipit.ubuntu.com, register a free user account and order a server or desktop Linux Operating System Free Ubuntu CD!". After four years today, nearly half a million Ubuntu Linux CDs have been distributed for free either by http://shipit.ubuntu.com or by volunteers in Pakistan. I know about more than a hundred thousand CDs distributed by Ubuntu volunteers, friends and myself. This is the current scenario of an environment of local demand for adoption and use of Free and Open Source Software FOSS in Pakistan. I used Ubuntu Linux for the first time before taking up the responsibility for evolving its community and the ecosystem for generating a demand and supply system, when I wanted to something other than my copy of Windows Xp. I had trouble with it, it was too slow after all that I had to test and with every new development environment, I would delete this system file or that. My friends on the network could knock over my machine for fun and the bugs were climbing up my brains every day in and out! I was in search for freedom, I was looking for my freedom of choice! I had used Linux before at work and now I wanted to use it again as a solace to my operating system troubles. I respected Intellectual Property being a Computer & IT Professional (I am both a undergrad and graduate in both CS and IT). My peers had educated me to respect other peers' intellectual assets and to encourage others to respect mine. But, we lived in a false and artificial economy where everyone would wag their tails to the current trend! Y2K then was a big thing but we lacked lots of important software in the local market. We resorted to downloading free software from the Internet and exchanged information with peers all over the world using the web. We had to find a solution to the problem before the so called lights blacked out. Out of knowledge, we downloaded a lot of FOSS technologies and platforms. In the years to follow, I would adopt PHP-MySQL-Linux-MySQL (LAMP) to solve my web needs, earn my bread & butter as well as complete research contracts online. I was to learn to use various other technologies and platforms without the word Windows in them. It was fun, I could run my FOSS solutions on Windows too. The somehow bonded for some reason to be differentiated valued later on. I wanted to share these findings with other people. I did so during my service in the govt. When I left the govt. I brought it to the academic sector and civil society. I grew an affiliation with like minded people and FOSS users all over the world and got a visit to see the amazing things they were doing with their solutions in their countries, both developed and under developed. I thought for a moment, to share the spirit for mutual respect of intellectual property with my local friends and others in my city. I tried to remove bugs from my research work using Ubuntu Linux, today, thousands of my countrymen continue to do so from Karachi to Quetta to Peshawar to Islamabad and of course, in Lahore, I thought you would figure that out already. >From I its now about you, us and we. We are a community, we work for eachother's continued benefit. We want to help eachother keep away from stealing other people's property, prosper with open and inclusive technology, grow together as a nation. You know about Ubuntu Linux, your family members, your friends and colleagues know about Linux in general, everyone that has installed software on their or someone's computer knows about Linux or even FOSS or Free Software. I can relate to this mindset as a result of evident change. I feel happy that the FOSS platform developed by the old community members of the Debian Linux Distribution and thousands of others under the umbrella of www.Ubuntu.com and www.Launchpad.net is used so much or people know about it to a large extent in the Government, Academia, Civil Society and Private Sectors has reached this level due to our volunteers and people who use it for learning, fun, research, work or business find it useful. We have visited your offices, we have written stories and case studies about you. We have shared with the world that you are an aspiring and inspiring nation. You are open to intellectual change. You are free to experiment and adopt. Thank you Pakistan for sharing the freedoms of Free and Open Source Software FOSS and by the way don't forget to continue sharing it with your friends and neighbors! Bravo to the students of the University of Jamshoro in Sindh, Pakistan! Bravo to all of you, that has atleast thought about Linux or FOSS! Welcome to Freedom of Choice, congratulations for accepting change! That's quite a large number of people! Bravo to all the FOSS and Linux Users and Volunteers -- Regards. -------------------------- Fouad Bajwa @skBajwa Answering all your technology questions http://www.askbajwa.com http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to digitaldivide-requ...@digitaldivide.net with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.