FOSS in developing countries
p2p news / p2pnet: Starting today, Code Breakers, a two-part documentary on how poor countries use FOSS (free/open source software) for development, is to be aired on BBC World TV.
"It’s not that FOSS has had a bad press, it has had no press because there is no company that ‘owns’ it," says executive producer Robert Lamb, quoted on the UNDP (Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme ) site.
"But we found that in the computer industry and among the afficionados, it is well known and its virtues well understood."
Indie producers went to nearly a dozen countries to see how the adoption of FOSS presents opportunities for industry and capacity development, software piracy reduction, and localization and customization for diverse cultural and development needs, says the UNDP post, going on:
"Stories from ‘The Code Breakers’ include computer and Internet access for school children in Africa, reaching the poor in Brazil, tortoise breeding programmes in the Galapagos, connecting villages in Spain, and disaster management in Sri Lanka. The documentary also includes interviews from key figures around the world."
Broadcast times:
Episode One
Wednesday 10 May 19:30 GMT
Thursday 11 May 09:30 GMT
Friday 12 May 16:30 GMT
Monday 15 May 01:30 and 07:30 GMT
Episode Two
Wednesday 17 May 19:30 GMT
Thursday 18 May 09:30 GMT
Friday 19 May 16:30 GMT
Monday 22 May 01:30 and 07:30 GMT
For local times, the tv listings on the BBC World site.
Also See:
site – The Code Breakers – a BBC World Documentary on FOSS and Development, May 9, 2006
