Software Freedom Day
20 Jul
This year South Africa will also be participating in the new and more comprehensive Software Freedom Day, which is a public Open Source and Free Software advocacy campaign. Our local efforts will be organised through the Software Freedom Day - South Africa site. So far, the Schools' Linux Users' Group is planning another installfest at the MTN Sciencentre, and the East Rand Linux Users' Group is planning something big at the East Rand Mall. I'll be speaking at 2nd Open Source Software Africa Conference, so I'll be in the Johannesburg area - I'll try to report back from whatever happens there.
Building a Linux industry
23 Jun
We had a lively debate on the Schools' Linux Users' Group mailing list about how SLUG and The Shuttleworth Foundation should build a sustainable Linux industry in South Africa - specifically whether providing our volunteer and donated services to schools for free. Here was my take on the situation.
Ten schools in one day
16 Jun
The Schools' Linux Users' Group reached their target of installing over 210 computers using exclusively Open Source software computer labs in ten schools in the Western Cape area. The progress was monitored live on P4 104.9FM radio, broadcasting from Duneside Primary School. The Shuttleworth Foundation, as usual, organised the PCs and provided project management (and played gopher for the groups).
LCB cleanup
07 Jun
Spent Saturday morning with the SLUG folks cleaning up their Computer Bank for the over 200 PCs that are going to be tested for the upcoming 10-schools-in-one-day event. While we were there, we managed to ship the first 20 of those PCs to the first school. Chatting to Hilton Theunissen, we figured that SLUG and The Shuttleworth Foundation will very soon have put 1000 computers running Linux into schools in the Western Cape.
Tonight I went to the organising meeting for SLUG's installation of ten schools on Youth Day (June 16th). Anyone wanting to help put Linux and Open Source software on over 200 computers in schools in the Western Cape, please consider volunteering!