Don,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] said:
> In a message dated 2/25/05 4:29:42 AM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> Or maybe inner-city Chicago...the
> Digital Divide is not an "African thing".
>
>Andy:
>Good point. Perhaps smaller gatherings around the world. Chicago has
>meaningful communities from virtually every African country, as well as
>immigrant
>groups from Europe, the middle east, the far east, etc. The headquarters of
>Rotary International. Lots of things to recommend taking this idea seriously.
>
>Don Samuelson
>Chicago
It was not Andy that the Digital Divide was not and "African Thing" and that
it should be held in inner-city Chicago, it was me in my original rant against
the so-called "report" that the Digital Divide was well underway of being
conquered because more and more people have access to telephones.
As probably all of the people on this list know and most understand, the
Digital Divide is a multi-faceted problem of huge proportions.
My latest laugh came from the article that "The U.N. will not bridge the
Digital Divide". The reporter was trying to do the right thing in saying that
the problem is too big just for the U.N. to mount large meetings once every
two or three years and try to correct the problem from a central source. In
particular it is impossible for the U.N. to solve the Digital Divide problem
if a large number of those people go to the meeting with a specific agenda
OTHER than solving the problem of Digital Divide.
I do not want to "pick on" the U.N. I have a lot of respect for a lot of the
people that work there. But I went to a "Digital Divide" conference session
that they had at a Linuxworld in New York City and all the invited speakers
could talk about was how to make the laws of Intellectual Property strong enough
so they could feel safe selling their very expensive (by the country's
standards) software and hardware into that country. Nothing about improving the
country's economic infrastructure so they might be able to AFFORD those
products.
The next year I sort of "grabbed" the conference and had the session talk about
the use of Free and Open Source Software in various projects where the
countries helped themselves. With a little guidance and a little training these
countries went in and formed their own "self-help" groups, and a "reverse
blight" started to happen.
Some countries need more help and guidance than others, but my feeling is that
if the Digital Divide is going to be solved, it has to be:
o a comprehensive plan that goes beyond hardware and software
- it has to include self-sustaining training
- it has to include local-language documentation
o a plan that allows people to help themselves
- it has to include easy cloning techniques
- it has to instill pride in the local populace
o a plan that allows the more powerful countries to see that they will
benefit from raising the rest of the world to their level
- we have to help these countries build economy as well as
simply help them with access to information
I have watched a small contingent of people take a small operating system from
almost zero usage to being a contender against a whole slew of proprietary
products. It was a ground-roots effort, with support coming more from
owner-participants than from large companies.
Your statement:
> Good point. Perhaps smaller gatherings around the world. Chicago has
> meaningful communities from virtually every African country, as well as
> immigrant groups from Europe, the middle east, the far east, etc. The
> headquarters of Rotary International. Lots of things to recommend taking
> this idea seriously.
is a step in the right direction.
I had a thought about approaching International Data Group, owners of the
worldwide Linuxworld Conferences and making a "Digital Divide" section of
each event, and I WILL do that. On the other hand, why limit it to them?
Why not approach Rotary International and other international groups and have
them make the Digital Divide at least visible on their list of things to do?
Make it a part of every one of their meetings.
Why not show these groups that bridging the Digital Divide in their own
areas will help them reach out to more people?
I am not a great believer in large groups doing large things. They might be
able to give guidance and generate some good ideas. To see what grassroots
efforts can do, however, take a look at www.sourceforge.net, with 97 thousand
projects and over 1,000,000 volunteers.
Perhaps Digital Divide needs what we in Linux call an "Uber Project" on
Sourceforge, with other little projects starting underneath in various areas,
so people can see them and exchange ideas, practical code examples and see
projects that worked.
That way the Cathedral of Digital Divide can benefit from the Bazaar of the
world's thinkers, even if they can not afford to go to Geneva.
md
--
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director Linux International(R)
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 80 Amherst St.
Voice: +1.603.672.4557 Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.li.org
Board Member: Uniforum Association, USENIX Association
(R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several countries.
(R)Linux International is a registered trademark in the USA used pursuant
to a license from Linux Mark Institute, authorized licensor of Linus
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countries.
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