I’ve been working lately on trying to spread interest in Linux throughout the kingdom. It’s not an uphill battle as most people I talk with are ready for a life without constant threat of computer viruses. People are also keen on running Linux on their older hardware.
I’ve only a few distros available in country, and am seeking to add several more flavors. Does anyone have the time or ability to download a bunch of Linux distributions and send them on a DVD this way?
Currently installed here is Linux Mint v11. We have both 32 and 64 bit versions here. We also have older Suse circa 2005, and Ubuntu 10.4 32 bit. Anything anyone wants to offer will be great.
Work continues as it always does, two steps forward one step back. I’m becoming increasingly aware of the impending departure from this lovely country within the next year. This means all my time and effort needs to be driven into making my projects sustainable. I’m trying desperately to get the teachers at the primary school more confident in their abilities, so this way the XO laptops continue to be used to their maximum capacity. I’m also pulling more and more IT savvy Swazis into the “Swaziland Computer Society.” This is the organization my counterpart and I have been trying to create just to network with more people in-country that are interested in computers. So far so good we have connected with about 6 people so far. Sounds small but considering every IT technician here is an island unto themselves, it’s a big step.
Other work is being done to move forward with a survey on acceptance or interest in Linux. This will likely end up being a more formalized survey than I originally anticipated but it may be good to get a feel for the current penetration, and the basic knowledge regarding an alternative to Windows.
Once results of that and other projects become available I will remember to share them here. In the meantime if you are interested in computers please check out the group either on Facebook or on GoogleGroups.
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