Yesterday, my student here in Saigon installed Ubuntu Linux on his laptop. At first he was a little nervous but with some coaching, he was able to install the Ubuntu distribution from the LiveCD himself. He just needed help partitioning but once he got past that, Ubuntu took over. I am quite impressed with both my student and Ubuntu 🙂 I always say, start from the “Bottom-Up” when promoting Linux and Open Source Software in Vietnam…
(My student installed Ubuntu Linux on his laptop)
(Successful install of Ubuntu Linux 🙂 )
Congratulations! It’s wonderful what you’re doing for these students in Vietnam. I’m a Linux guys too, let me know if there’s anything I can help.
Go Linux!
I am particularly happy with the recent news of Intel and AMD opening up graphics and wireless chipset specifications. I also also looking forward to getting my hands on the new laptop coming from Asus: The Eee PC.
http://www.eeeuser.com/
And then the OpenMoko phone. And SCO lost. It’s good times for Linux!
@AT: Sure, thanks. You guys can keep the Ubuntu and openSUSE Vietnamese languages Wikis up to date. That could help out a lot for the kids here 🙂
@Tracy: That Eee PC is quite tiny. I think tiny laptops and tablets will be popular here in Saigon due to the rise of laptop thefts from motorbikes. I just put my Nokia N800 tablet in my motorbike no worries 🙂
Then you are going to be interested in this:
http://foss-bridge.org/
FOSS Bridge “EU-Vietnam” organizes dedicated matchmaking and twinning for your FOSS-company, which brings you together with selected small to medium-sized IT-enterprises (SMEs) from Vietnam. •••
http://www.linux.com/feature/119284
FOSS Bridge pairs companies in EU and Vietnam
Free and open source software (FOSS) is well-known for promoting new development methods. Now, a European nonprofit organization known as FOSS Bridge hopes that FOSS can be equally innovative in promoting cooperation between companies and in fostering investment in developing nations. The organization is currently working to help pair European and Vietnamese companies for joint development and business ventures.
http://www.asia-oss.org/march2004/hanoi_presentation/mp_oss_v.html
Decision by the Prime Minister
Approving the Master Plan “Applying and Developing Open Source Software
in Vietnam for the 2004-2008 period”
Take care!
The Master Plan was pretty much nullified when Bill Gate’s came to Vietnam promoting Window’s software. You see open source in SMEs here and in large corporations as well but mostly, users use Window’s products when nobody is looking. It does not matter if OpenOffice.org is installed on desktops, users here will just have the IT staff install MS Office instead.
I heard about the FOSS Bridge but have not seen much action from this NGO as of yet. Please correct me if I am wrong 🙂
I don’t know directly about FOSS Bridge, I’m sorry. ;-(
Do you know that you can ask Ubuntu CDs for free?
See https://shipit.ubuntu.com/
I got 300 of them some time ago 😉
http://flickr.com/photos/phauly/28820405/in/set-649686/
An interesting project is also the Freedom Toaster
http://www.freedomtoaster.org/
I don’t know in Vietnam but in Italy when you offer a CD for free, people approach you 😉
then you can explain about the importance of freedom in software, and also how Ubuntu Linux is immune to viruses (!) (and also the rest if you have time). If just 1 out of 15 people check Ubunut and speak about it to at least one other person, you are already starting a revolution 😉
Hi Paolo:
I really enjoyed that article but can see many problems posed by it. I will post a blog entry on it later this week. I know about the German fund but had no idea it was part of the FOSS Bridge.
In Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh Computer Association is using the term “Open Source Technology” instead of FOSS, FLOSS or OSS. For obvious political reasons, the word ‘Freedom’ in this country has a different meaning. I personally like OST myself since it avoids the debate many guys seem to face.
The Saigon Linux Group Mirror offers Ubuntu. If anyone asks me, I can get them a copy of the CD at no cost though we are fans of openSUSE and Sabayon/Gentoo Linux.
I’ll read your post then. I subscribed to your RSS 😉
I agree that speaking of OST instead of freedom avoids a lot of debates. And it is very interesting the fact that “freedom” has a different meaning, I guess Stallman is seen as a revolutionary more in some countries than in others, interesting.
Ok, I wait your next post. Read you soon 😉
I agree with Stallman that we really should try to use the word Free whenever possible (perhaps not possible in VN and that needs to change also but that is a different issue) because the Free Software community that built GNU, Linux, etc. will not exist if we all think only in terms of open source and not in terms of freedom for the user. The Internet used to be a very different place before the great flood of ’96 when everyone and their mom got on the Internet and totally destroyed the values of the old Internet culture and left us with spam and viruses and top posting email clients. I hope the same thing does not happen to Linux.
I agree that the important thing is freedom and not openness. The important term is GNU and not linux. Well, in fact, my domain is GNUband.org 😉
But I understand that in some countries speaking of freedom introduces other issues and difficulties.
By the way, I just found this article: I don’t usually search for articles about Vietnam and Free Software so this is a strange coincidence.
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=56853
Una delegación del Gobierno de Vietnam visita Extremadura para conocer su modelo de software libre