This article, written by a former foreign aid worker, addresses
the issues surrounding bringing technology to developing nations as
its starting point and moves on to discuss the specific usefulness
of Linux in these instances. The author’s decidedly lucid about the
perils of promoting technology for its own sake. For people who’ve
ever wondered what the story was behind vim’s “:help uganda”
command, there’s something interesting, too. The related story at
the bottom (“Visit to Kibale”) has more from vim’s author, too.
“Beyond the software itself, though, it is the culture
of Linux and Open Source communities that provides the model for
meaningful outcomes. This is the culture of sharing and
empowerment, of the thousands of Linux users’ groups throughout the
world, of the Linux Documentation Project and the general
willingness of one user to selflessly help another. Participating
as a Linux user is all about developing crucial skills and passing
them on. Often users’ groups hold regular installation clinics,
giving new users personal, one-on-one support from an enthusiastic
peer. And these users’ groups are often active in other community
projects, such as helping schools install servers and network
connectivity, while transferring the skills necessary to maintain
them. Each of these connections is essentially more human than
technical, linking people together more than their machines, and
can lead anywhere. Each of these personal connections sows the
seeds of others, and the spread of the Linux bloom is now reaching
to every corner of the earth. For example, even though the use of
internet technology in Guinea is nascent, Linux certainly preceded
my own arrival here. One finds Linux books in French in bookstores
and Guineans eager to learn more about this “true” operating
system.”