Open source for africa

This week Tectonic kindly alerted me to the way in which open source is helping people less fortunate than the Silicone Valley millionaires. Or is that billionaires?

Linux Africa distributors have come up with a way to help provide Internet connections and software access which will reduce basic access costs for people in Africa. The idea is that a single software or Internet connection can be used for up to 10 PCs.

CEO of Mullard Electronic Limited Patrick Mathenge (which is a big part of the entrepreneurship of the project in Kenya) says they offer two different systems. The first is a Desktop Multiplier, which is suitable for normal office and general use and a Discover station for public computing. The Discover option allows administrators to control access and user accounts, as is generally how things work in any public lab.

I have felt for a long time that the most effective way to bring technological advancement and development to poorer (particularly African) countries is through cell phones. I thought that because ownership of cell phones is far more prevalent in Africa than ownership of PCs, it would make more sense to focus on optimizing mobile technology for the masses. This Linux venture in Kenya made me re-think that.

Through this initiative, open source developers are finding ways to increase the effectiveness of accessibility where money for software is limited. So even though the software might not be open source, the concept of increased, cheaper distribution also carries the heart of the open source movement. Altruism.