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The Association for Progressive Communications - Internet and ICTs for Social
Justice and Development
Free Software
Developers tell us about their favourite ActionApps-based site and
the benefits for them of using APC's free software MONTEVIDEO,
Uruguay, -- *Oliver Zielke of Web Networks, Canada on AttavikApps, a
derivation of ActionApps which allows the Inuit to publish online in
their own language. *Jaime Torres of Peru on SIA an agrarian system
for Peruvian farmers developed by CEPES in Lima *Sarah
Escandor-Tomas on the *Voting Campaign for the Presidential
Elections Centre for Migrant Advocacy* developed by WomensHub,
Philippines. * And more! Audio interviews now ready to listen to.
- 04/15/2005 More
Free software camp in Asia brought together non-profits and
grassroots hackers BANGALORE, India, -- In late January, India's
technology mecca Bangalore became the venue for an international
'camp' intended to promote free and open source software (FOSS)
among civil society. Asia Source, as the 'tech camp' is called, was
held from January 28 to February 4, 2005 and "hopes to bring
together over a hundred people from 20 countries to increase the use
and awareness of FOSS amongst the non-profit sector in South and
South East Asia." - 01/28/2005 More
World Social Forum: Open Systems for Open Politics LONDON, UK, --
The World Social Forum has open information systems in place to go
with an open political ethos. All of about 1,000 computers at the
forum are using free software. The official website has been
developed for the first time in 'php,' an open source language. A
new translation system is also a free software tool. The Forum is
hosted in Brazil, a nation whose government at the first phase of
the World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva in 2003,
strongly opposed intellectual property on software, and succeeded in
getting this omitted from the final resolution. - 01/26/2005 More >>
NGOs, searching long for alternatives, find flavour in
alt.software GOA, India, -- For an sector that talks of
alternatives, the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or
voluntary sector stays surprisingly aloof from one
significant alternative that has really worked -- free
software. But there are stirrings to bridge this huge chasm.
In end-January, India's technology mecca Bangalore is to be
the venue for an international, APC-supported 'camp' meant
to promote FLOSS among the NGO sector. - 01/22/2005 More >>
Progressive programmers from across the APC and beyond
gather in South Africa MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, -- Progressive
technology organisations all over the world met in Cape Town
to discuss the future of the free content management system
- ActionApps. ActionApps is a software that makes websites
easier to manage and more dynamic and facilitates the
creation of portal sites, improving the visibility of civil
society information. Almost 40 developers from as far
afield as Egypt, Cambodia, Spain, Peru and the Philippines
debated future plans, sustainability, documentation needs
and a new online campaigning action kit for activists which
will come to life in 2005. - 11/26/2004 More >>
Training on free and open source software for NGOs
MANILA, Philippines, -- The Foundation for Media
Alternatives (FMA), together with key free and open source
software (FOSS) advocates in the country organized a
training-workshop for Philippine non-government
organizations (NGOs). Held on 28-29 October 2004 and
attended by 30 participants from 18 organizations, the
learning activity sought to impart not only with the
necessary skills and knowledge of FOSS but more importantly,
to provide the trainees with the confidence in using
FOSS-based applications. - 11/24/2004 More >>
Resistance in Hungary to EU proposals on software patenting
BUDAPEST, Hungary, -- A crowd of about four hundred turned
out to demonstrate against proposed European software
patents legislation. It was the first "geeky", free-software
related demonstration in Hungary said APC member Green
Spider, organised by groups not typically used to leaving
their computer screens to get their voices heard. -
09/30/2004 More >>
The Zitt Geeks - Young Nigerians turn to computing to
improve their job prospects BAYANLOCO, Nigeria, -- The
Fantsuam Foundation provides refurbished computers to civil
society organisations and partners, runs computer training
centres and offers the only internet connection for hundreds
of miles around in rural Nigeria. All this in Kafanchan
State where electricity is often unavailable and innovators
power their computers using car batteries. The Foundation*s
work is supported by a home-grown corps of ICT youth
volunteers, the Zitt Geeks. The Geeks are already free
software devotees and they are the first participants in
Fantsuam*s business incubator which provides training,
mentoring and funding to enable enterprising youths to
become self-employed. - 08/30/2004 More >>
Hands-on workshop on free software targets women technicians
from Southern Africa JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, -- From
6-10 September 2004 in Johannesburg, South Africa, APC
member Women'sNet hosted a southern Africa-wide workshop to
build awareness of and demonstrate the potential use of free
and open source software (FOSS) in the non-profit sector,
and women's organisations specifically. - 08/30/2004 More >>
Cambodians have access to Khmer-language email software for
the first time PHNOM PEN, Cambodia, -- Until now, a native
Cambodian has needed to be able to read in a foreign
language to be able to send email in Cambodia. Software was
not available in Khmer. But APC's member organisation in
Cambodia, the Open Forum, is changing that. The KhmerOS
portal, set up earlier this year to bring together
previously isolated developers is starting out by providing
Khmer translations of well-known free applications such as
the powerful e-mail application, Thunderbird. Thunderbird
was ready for use after just two months - sixty days earlier
than expected! The Open Forum has sent APC the report on
their advances in the first half of 2004.
- 07/30/2004 More >>
Free and open source software sweeps US non-profit tech
conference PHILADELPHIA, USA, -- Looking around at the
recent Non-Profit Technology Enterprise Network conference
in Philadelphia, it would have been easy to think that free
and open source software is sweeping the non-profit world.
With an attendance of over 700 people, this year's NTEN
event featured a full track of six workshops on free and
open source software (FOSS) topics - almost all of which
were packed. - 04/28/2004 More >>
Tea and internet security advice come in the same cup at
recent Hungarian green meeting BUDAPEST, Hungary, -- Once
again, at the Annual Meeting of Hungarian Green Non-profits
(OT2004) APC member Green Spider offered herbal teas and
sound internet access, training and advice to participants.
Raising awareness of environmental contamination and in
support of free software, Green Spider collected up
visitors' old CD-roms and exchanged them for new GNU/Linux
CDs. - 04/28/2004 More >>
Choosing open source software: Decision-making materials for
civil society organisations MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, -- Free and
open source software (FOSS) holds a great deal of potential
for civil society organisations. The most obvious benefit of
FOSS is that it is often free to use or low-cost. However,
it also offers more including -crucially- better security.
Ddid you know that if your computer uses the GNU/Linux
operating system you don't have to use anti-virus software?
No more days or data lost recovering from the latest
virus...
The materials available in the MultiMedia Toolkit's latest
unit on FOSS provide an introduction to FOSS, tackling
questions like 'what is open source?' and 'how will it
benefit my organisation?' They also include practical advice
on how to review open source software packages and select
the right ones for your organisation. - 03/29/2004 More >>
APC ActionApps is one of the top 10 open source tools for
e-Activism MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, -- APC*s free content
management system designed specifically for progressive
organisations to publish news automatically and share
content at the click of a button has been nominated one of
the best open source software tools that can be used by
activists to spread the message and promote interaction by
e-newsletters, forums, blogs, and online petitions.
Compiled by Dan Bashaw and Mike Gifford in an article for
the Democracies Online Newswire APC ActionApps came out tops
along with other well-known applications like PostNuke,
Twiki and WebCards. - 02/07/2004 More >>
New intellectual property law forces Cambodians to start
developing their own Khmer-language software PHNOM PENH,
Cambodia, -- *We envision, in 2007, a country where
Cambodians can learn and use computers in their own
language, a country that does not have to change to a new
language in order to use computers!* say the activists
behind the new KhmerOS initiative. Until now, computer use
in Cambodia has been mostly in English, and mostly using
unlicensed copies of Microsoft Windows products. However, a
new Cambodian intellectual property law means that a user
will have to purchase a license for each copy of software
sold by companies such as Microsoft and that*s unaffordable
for most Cambodian computer users. This new portal
coordinated by APC member, Open Forum of Cambodia, gets
together some previously isolated developers and is starting
out by providing Khmer translations of well-known free
software programmes such as Mozilla (the powerful web
browser and mail programme). But the eventual goal is to
create a full applications package under GNU/Linux, "which
has 90% of all applications which 100% of all users need".
Find out more about the motivation behind KhmerOS. -
02/04/2004 More >>
Farmers and local government in rural Peru use free APC
software LIMA, Peru, -- CEPES, one of APC's newest members,
has trained participants in a rural-urban information
service to set up a portal and exchange agricultural
information from six telecentres in a remote area of the
northern Peruvian sierras. A replication of the course is
being organised for staff at the Peruvian Ministry of
Agriculture's offices in the same region. The technology of
choice is APC's free software, APC ActionApps. - 01/29/2004
More >>
Idlelo - First African Conference on Digital Commons Cape
Town, South Africa, -- The conference addressed the
challenges and opportunities of the creation and use of free
/ open source software and open content and their
development potential for Africa. The conference had both
strategic and practical objectives, as it sought to bring
together participants from government, education, business
and civil society together with the developer community. -
01/16/2004 More >>
Making it easier to build online information communities
using APC*s free software: APC ActionApps MONTVIDEO,
Uruguay, -- APC ActionApps allows anyone to publish online
without knowing any programming or learning specialised
software. It*s a content management system design
specifically for progressive organisations. And because it
is being developed and adopted all over the world APC
ActionApps software is available in English, Spanish, Czech,
Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Japanese and German. Find out
more about the ActionApps! - 01/05/2004 More >>
*Free Software and Digital Inclusion*, a new book published
in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, -- Two of the directors of
APC member in Rio de Janeiro, RITS, are co-authors of *Free
Software and Digital Inclusion* which was published in
Brazil in August. *The book is an interesting project,* says
RITS information coordinator, Graciela Baroni Selaimen, *and
it*s part of a larger much larger digital inclusion
initiative by the Sao Paulo e-government which is setting up
community telecentres in marginal and often violent
neighbourhoods throughout the city.* RITS is administering
the telecentres and providing training in the use of free
software. Visit RITS. - 09/15/2003 More
Foundation for Africa: Action plan for the next three years
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, -- The Free Software and Open
Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA) in conjunction with
APC has completed an action plan for 2003-2005 and a
briefing on the state of FOSS in Africa. - 07/02/2003 More
>>
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