[ Thanks to Wire Lunghabo James for
this article. ]
It’s January 1997, and cuddled in a dingy bar within the
precincts of Wandegeya’s (a Kampala city suburb) famous “Bermuda
Triangle,” each one hugging his favorite beer, Free and Open Source
Software (FOSS) enthusiasts are busy chatting away the day’s
experiences. This used to be the daily routine for the dozen or so
pioneer Ugandan FOSS practitioners.
So passionate would the meetings be that at the end of each
session, a spiritual renewal would be felt by all present–only
this time it wouldn’t the Holy Spirit but the FOSS Spirit. On one
occasion, the gathering narrowly survived a bomb grenade that was
hurled in the neighborhood.
Today, FOSS has made decent inroads into the educational,
government, and corporate sectors of the Ugandan economy. Talking
about Linux no longer elicits the “I don’t know what you are
saying” attitude. In most cases, you are usually faced with
well-prepared scripts of why FOSS is not yet ready for use; a sign
that knowledge about it is growing.
From February 25-27 2005, the East African Centre for Open
Source Software (EACOSS) in
conjunction with the Uganda
Institute of Communication Technology and the International
Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) ran the first-ever Open Source
Software Weekend in Uganda.
The event had a power-packed programme structured well enough to
cater for all the categories of people in society.
The weekend kicked off on Friday the 25th of February with a
well-attended half-day manager’s workshop on FOSS. Many of the
decision makers present were simply amazed at what FOSS currently
has to offer and subsequently revised their “Linux is like DOS”
attitudes. During the same workshop, SchoolNet Uganda, a local NGO
that spreads ICT use in schools won the first-ever award to
recognise FOSS integration initiatives in Uganda. This award shall
be given out annually with an aim of advancing FOSS in the
country.
Friday afternoon had a workshop aimed at techies. So packed was
the venue that extra seating space had to be obtained. Presenters
came from all IT circles and there was a good representation of the
pioneer and young-blood FOSS enthusiasts. Interesting though, was
the high number of FOSS newcomers that made it for this session.
They seemed to possess a thirst that only FOSS knowledge could
quench.
Saturday was devoted to training sessions for both the end users
and technical personnel. By mid-morning, all training classes had
been booked beyond capacity. This further created a challenge due
to the low number of available instructors to meet the needs of the
army of trainees that had turned up. The ratio of students per PC
was 3:1 despite locking out others. Attendees were so overwhelmed
by the knowledge gained that they expressed willingness to take on
the training courses offered by EACOSS.
Sunday, a day that I respect for being a God-preserved day, came
along in style with another overwhelming turn out of people who
wanted their personal computers and laptops installed with Linux.
Students and techies dominated the day and the training was
interactive through a hands-on approach; questions and answers;
plus open debates. CDs with FOSS packages that had been prepared
beforehand sold like hotcakes on this last day.
The close of the event that had been planned for 6 p.m. Sunday
evening took place at 8 p.m. due to pressure from the enthusiastic
public.
What a sunny weekend it was in the life of FOSS in Uganda. We
have really come a long way.
Wire Lunghabo James
Lunghabo@linuxsolutions.co.ug