What a load of horsescheise. Jeez, this Kroker chap certainly knows a lot about the topic. Not. Maybe doing some reseach would help...
 
Linux has been cracking along in the Middle East for years, in private and government sectors.  Below are some examples... they're IBM centric, because I was working for IBM's agency at the time these were released, so I happen to know about them. There's a bunch more, though, from any number of Linux solutions companies, as well as the globals (Oracle, IBM, etc) including a number of initiatives by national governments as well as large corporates. This one's quite funny..
 
"Tux goes to Egypt" is about a Linux "installfest" in Cairo... about 1000 people rocked up, when the organisers were hoping for 150-200.
 
But just slap "linux" into the ameinfo search, and it will come back with LOADS of hits. And this is just from AMEinfo, which is essentially a pool of corporate press releases. Check out ITP.net (Mideast equivalent of SA's ITWeb (itweb.co.za) or UK's The Register (theregister.co.uk)) for more.
 
* Government of Bahrain - http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/29783.html - building it's national e-gov infrastructure on Linux.
* Funky little story -- company called Zahid Tractors (Saudi disty of cars, tractors and industrial machinery) tossed out Windows for Linux http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/25913.html
 
IBM (which has quite a big software develoment centre in Cairo) has done a lot of work to Arabise Linux -- developed various libraries and then released them to the ME Linux communty...
("IBM today announced the availability of Arabic support in core elements of Linux, the world's most famous open source operating system...." ... www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/20052.html)
 
~R
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 3:07 PM
Subject: lug_: Linux in the Middle East, Some Practical Tips

http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/40984.html
"'Linux has been slow to take-off in the Middle East but since about March this year we have seen a lot of interest all of a sudden,' says Christian Kroker, Managing Director of Enigmatis, a Dubai Internet City based Linux specialist which moved to the region from its South African home last autumn.

"'Around the world the adoption of Linux has been led by government, and not the private sector. For example, the Munich City Council recently moved 30,000 desktop PCs on to Linux despite the offer of a free alternative from Microsoft. They simply wanted Linux.......

**************** *****************************
Kiggundu Mukasa # Computer Network Consultancy###
KYM-NET LTD. # Intranets & Internet Solutions#
Plot 80 Kanjokya Street
P.O. Box 24284 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256 77 972255
+256 71 221141
Fax: +256 31 262122
*****************************************************************

Reply via email to