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Nairobi Software Freedom Day Event Report
by Dorcas Muthoni 20 Sep '05

20 Sep '05

The 10th of September 2005 was designated by advocates of free and open-source software (FOSS) the Software Freedom Day. Every year on that day, campaigns are held across the world to sensitize people about the benefits and availability of open-source software. Although the concept is an initiative of the nonprofit company Software Freedom International, it's actualized by grassroots free software advocates. This year celebrations were held in over 50 countries across the globe. In Kenya, the day was marked by a career workshop to apprise high school girls of the careers and opportunities available in the information technology industry. The event was organized by the Kenyan chapter of LinuxChix Africa with the hope of encouraging more young women to pursue degrees and careers in computing at large, with the ultimate goal of narrowing the gender gap in the industry. Although the objective of Software freedom day is to promote promote public awareness and use of free and open source software, it'd would have been illogical to single mindedly pursue it when many Kenyans are still unfamiliar with Information Technology. In light of the unique circumstances in Kenya, LinuxChix Kenya has opted for a two pronged strategy that involves enlightening the public about Information technology, and informing those already familiar with it about the benefits of free and open source software. Due to limited resources the group undertook to concentrate on the former by holding a career workshop for High school girls, which fits into our objective to demystify what a career in technology is all about, and convey some of our enthusiasm for computing to young girls so we can attract and recruit them to the field. We also aim to provide them with role models, and mentors and hands-on experiences so that they can develop a vision of what a career in computing will be like. If they can see their future, they can realize their future. The workshop, held at The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, was attended by over 200 people, ranging from high school students to luminaries in the IT industry. Keynote Speakers included Jackline Bitutu of Wananchi Online, Naomi Muta of UUNET, Eva Kimani of Celtel Kenya, Edgar Okioga of AfricaDotNet, Nancy Macharia of The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. The decision to invite more women than men as keynote speakers was a deliberate attempt to expose the girls to successful female executives, role models and to provide them with the opportunity to hear about their experiences climbing the corporate ladder. Speakers shared their backgrounds, experiences and lessons they've learned through their careers and education about the importance of knowing one's self, setting goals, looking toward the future and learning as much as they can to make informed decisions for themselves. Jackline Bitutu emphasized the insignificance of background to the pursuit of a career in computing. She related how in spite of her background as a teacher she'd been able to work her way from the bottom up through the ranks. She stressed that life long learning and hardwork are the precursors to success in the industry. Naomi Muta discussed her own experience in overcoming career obstacles in one of keynote speeches. She spoke of the importance of knowing what one prefers and standing by it, of the need to pursue excellence, not to please others but to fulfill personal goals. She encouraged the girls to believe in themselves and work hard. Eva Kimani told the girls of the diversity of opportunities in computing. She talked about the process of system development and highlighted the career opportunities inherent in it. Opportunities for System analysis, project management, database development, and programming among others. She pointed out the importance of being at ease with technology, and advised the girls to actively court technology however insignificant. She also advised them to share knowledge and help each other in order to better themselves. Her presentation was followed by that of Edgar Okioga who spoke of his academic background in engineering, subsequent start as a civil engineer and change to information technology. He impressed it upon the girls that information technology was the way of the future, that no matter what field one chose computing aptitude would be indispensable. “Therefore,” he went on, “no matter what career one chooses, it is imperative that one is familiar with information technology.” He counseled them to work start not work hard. He spoke of the importance of communities, their role in facilitating knowledge sharing, and in promoting personal excellence; and gave LinuxChix Africa as an example of a women computing community whose focus is free and open source software. Next was a presentation by Nancy Macharia who spoke about Computing courses offered at Universities. She informed the girls that the skills discussed by previous were within reach; they could be attained by pursuing computing degrees offered at various Institutions in the Country. She talked about the need for girls to aspire to excellence and emphasized its life long nature. Her presentation was preceded by project demonstration by Patience Mwasi a recent graduate from University of Nairobi. The demonstration was intended to show students what programming entails and what can be achieved through it. Patience exhibited a project that she'd developed, using FOSS, to aid biologists analyse the results of a study of the similarities and differences between the human brain and that of a baboon. Her presentation was done so simply and naturally that it must have inspired many a student to believe that they too could undertake it. That was followed by a presentation on System administration by Dorcas Muthoni, LinuxChix Africa co-founder, filling in for Pauline Ndauti of Swift Global who although scheduled to speak was unable to make it to the event. She talked about workstations, servers and networks, their nature, role in facilitating resource sharing, and described system administration as the process of ensuring a reliable, efficient, and consistently available network that allows for seamless sharing. After a lunch break of an hour and a half, the workshop proceeded with questions from the girls, which were addressed by panelists. To ensure that more people benefit from the questions raised, we will post them and the relevant responses on the LinuxChix Africa site (www.africalinuxchix.org) The subject of free and open source software was further discussed by Joy, the events master of ceremonies, who spoke passionately about the what free and open source software is, the importance of alternatives to proprietary software, and how they can benefit young people and society as a whole. At the end of the event Ubuntu LiveCDs, generously donated by Software Freedom International, were handed out to the students. Dorcas Muthoni did a live demonstration of how the students can use them. She explained that LiveCDs run without any need for installation and do not in anyway affect existing computer settings; all the computer user needs to do is put the CD into the CD drive and reboot the PC. To return to the installed settings, the user need only eject the LiveCD and reboot. The Girls were enthralled by the games available on Ubuntu, and its ease of use. They were enthused by the what they'd learned and were anxious for more information. They were provided with LinuxChix Kenya contact information for future consultations. The girls were encouraged to make copies of the CDS share them and what they'd learned with others who couldn't come to the event. They were advised to set up computing clubs, which would be supported by LinuxChix Kenya, in order to nurture their interest. Many girls said that they'd been edified about computing and had been motivated to pursue a related degree by the workshop. The event was altogether a resounding success, although only time can the extent of its actual impact. It was an eye opener in respect of the dearth of computing information that is almost endemic in schools. For this reason LinuxChix Kenya intends to hold many similar events in order to help fill the information gap. Sponsors 1. Kenya Information Network Center (KENIC) 2. Catalysing Access to ICT in Africa (CATIA), Kenya Coordinating Office 3. AfricaDotNet 4. Africa Center for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT) 5. Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) 6. Software Freedom International 7. Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANET) Kind regards, Dorcas Muthoni LinuxChix Africa

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Brazil's Statement On Internet Governance to the WSIS Prepcom III
by Dorcas Muthoni 20 Sep '05

20 Sep '05

========== Brazilian Statement On Internet Governance to the WSIS Prepcom III Geneva, September 20th, 2005 Thank you Mr. Chairman, On Internet Governance three words tend to come to our mind: “Lack of Legitimacy”. Despite the success in ensuring high availability and great stability to the operation of the network, the current structure for global governance of the Internet presents significant limitations and a clear lack of legitimacy. In what concerns Internet Governance, in our digital world, only one nation decides on behalf of us all. How those in favor of this power concentration explain this awkward situation? The most common one is the well known 1984 George Orwell type of mantra, which says: “If it is not broken, do not fix it”. Even if we agree that there is nothing to be fixed – which is not the case for Brazil – this indoctrination argument makes no sense. It makes no sense for a simple reason: we are not debating industrial mass production through assembly lines; we are trying to build a democratic, transparent and multilateral decision making process in our digital world. In order to see things from another perspective, Brazil proposes a new mantra based on an often quoted Stein's Law, a principle enunciated by the late Herbert Stein, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Nixon administration: "Things that can't go on forever, don't." Mr. Chairman, the WGIG Report calls our attention to a number of issues related to Internet Governance that cannot go on forever. Allow me to quote a few of them: a) On administration of the root zone files and system, the unilateral control by one Government, as well as the lack of formal relationship with root server operators. b) On Interconnection costs, an uneven distribution of cost and an absence of an appropriate and effective global Internet governance mechanism to resolve the issue. c) On Internet security, a lack of multilateral mechanisms to ensure network stability and security of Internet infrastructure services and applications and a lack of efficient tools and mechanisms to be used by countries to prevent and prosecute crimes committed in other jurisdictions using technological means that might be located within or outside the territory where the crime caused the negative effect. d) On Spam, no unified, coordinated approach. e) In what concerns participation in global policy development, there are significant barriers to multi-stakeholder participation in governance mechanisms. There is often a lack of transparency, openness and participatory processes. f) On Allocation of domain names, there is a need for further development of policies and procedures for generic top-level domain names (gTLDs). g) On IP addressing, concerns over allocation policies for IP addresses. h) In what concerns Freedom of expression, restrictions on freedom of expression. i) In relation to Consumer rights, there is a lack of global standards for consumer rights over the Internet. The recent case of triple X domain name is a good example of lack of accountability. Mr. Chairman, we cannot ignore reality; neither should we expect magic solutions. The WGIG Report proposes a number of ways out of this dilemma. The first one is the creation of a Global Forum – a place of dialog and decision, with all stakeholders. Let me stress the world “decision” – otherwise it will be seen as nothing but a kindergarten. The second proposal is the creation of a Global Public Policy Oversight Function System. Three of the four models proposed by the WGIG report are worth being implemented. In this regard, Brazil is of the opinion that the WGIG’s report shall be a base for our work here at Prepcom III. It’s a good and sound step forward. In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, Brazil supports a new organization model for Internet Governance. One that is democratic, transparent and multilateral, as we all have already agreed upon in the Declaration of Principles, at the Geneva Summit, two years ago. Current policies on Internet Governance are unsustainable. We can't go on like this indefinitely. And things that can't go on forever, don't. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. _______________________________________________ incom-l mailing list incom-l(a)incommunicado.info http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/incom-l

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Hackers target net call systems
by Alex Gakuru 19 Sep '05

19 Sep '05

VOIP enthusiasts note: BBC News "Malicious hackers are turning their attention to the technology behind net phone calls, says a report." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4259554.stm

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Fw: [Apc-wsis] Papers for WSIS
by alice＠apc.org 19 Sep '05

19 Sep '05

Hi All Attached is a paper on Interconnection charges commissioned by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) written by Mike Jensen. "He argues for a competitive environment .. but with the regulatory process intervening to encourage open access approaches to infrastructure.. e.g. by making it compulsory for dark fibre to be made available and for unbundling of local loop. Also for 'cost-based' interconnection rates". Other APC papers for WSIS http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/3352.html (english) and http://www.choike.org/nuevo/informes/3277.html (spanish) Alice Wanjira National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org wanjira(a)cck.go.ke http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws

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RE: Invitation to side event at Prepcom3, Geneva
by Wainaina Mungai 19 Sep '05

19 Sep '05

Dear all, This event will now be on Wednesday 21st (not Tuesday, 20th). Kindly plan to attend and actively participate. Regards, Wainaina -----Original Message----- From: bounce-kiplist-cl-117112(a)lyris.idrc.ca [mailto:bounce-kiplist-cl-117112@lyris.idrc.ca] On Behalf Of Wainaina Mungai Sent: 16 September 2005 12:35 To: KIPlist Cc: kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke Subject: Invitation to side event at Prepcom3, Geneva Importance: High To all those who will be at Prepcom3 in Geneva next week: You are invited to a presentation on "Information Society and Sustainable Development: Next Generation Policy Intersections" in Room XXII on Tuesday, 20th September from 2pm to 4pm. The event is organised by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). I will be making a presentation on "Using ICT for Poverty Reduction and Environmental Protection in Kenya" (The m-Vironment Approach) which is part of a book by young researchers from developing countries. Apart from policy recommendations, the study also explores the emerging use of mobile telephony for environmental protection in Kenya. Other countries involved in the study are Costa Rica, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, India and the Philippines. Regards, Wainaina --- Submitted by: Wainaina Mungai - One World <wainaina.mungai(a)oneworld.net> 2005-09-16 05:31:53 EDT4 (Please reply to original submitter for private communication) --- You are currently subscribed to kiplist-cl as: [wainaina.mungai(a)oneworld.net] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-kiplist-cl-117112D(a)lyris.idrc.ca

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Fwd: Re: [IIEP] Norway - leading the way ...
by Florence Etta 19 Sep '05

19 Sep '05

FYI if interested. > >Subject: [IIEP] eNorway 2009 - the digital leap > >The eNorway-plan from 2005 until 2009 is published: > >http://www.odin.dep.no/filarkiv/254956/eNorway_2009.pdf > >Headlines: > >The plan stipulate these objectives for standardization and open source: > > >· Within 2009 all new ICT- and information systems in the public sector >shall >use open standards. > >· Within 2006 a set of management/administrative standards for data and >document exchange should be established > >· Within 2006 all operations in the public sector should have introduced >plans >for how they will use open standards, service oriented architecture and >open >source. > >· Within 2008 all data and document exchange in the public sector shall >satisfy the management/administrative standards. > >· Within 2008 all public forms shall be built on a common interface. > >- Knut

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Tomorrow's Meeting
by Dorcas Muthoni 18 Sep '05

18 Sep '05

Dear all, There has been a suggestion that the KICTANET meeting scheduled for tomorrow (16th September 2005) be postponed to the first Friday of next month (7th October 2005). Kindly note the change of date. Time will be communicated on a later date. Kind regards, Dorcas Muthoni LinuxChix Africa

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Invitation to side event at Prepcom3, Geneva
by Wainaina Mungai 16 Sep '05

16 Sep '05

To all those who will be at Prepcom3 in Geneva next week: You are invited to a presentation on "Information Society and Sustainable Development: Next Generation Policy Intersections" in Room XXII on Tuesday, 20th September from 2pm to 4pm. The event is organised by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). I will be making a presentation on "Using ICT for Poverty Reduction and Environmental Protection in Kenya" (The m-Vironment Approach) which is part of a book by young researchers from developing countries. Apart from policy recommendations, the study also explores the emerging use of mobile telephony for environmental protection in Kenya. Other countries involved in the study are Costa Rica, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, India and the Philippines. Regards, Wainaina

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FW: International Workshop on African Research and Education Networking
by Alex Gakuru 16 Sep '05

16 Sep '05

FYI, This message is part of a forward from The Internet SOCiety (ISOC) mail list below. I hope the info is useful to someone out there. Thanks, Alex Gakuru ----- Original Message ----- > Please find below some information about the 'International Workshop on African Research and Education Networking' and ISOC's involvement in it. ISOC's involvement in the International Workshop on African Research & Education Networking In conjunction with the WSIS prepcom III in Geneva in September, CERN together with ITU and the United Nations University (UNU) is holding a three day International Workshop on African Research & Education Networking in close cooperation with DANTE, IDRC, IEEAF, Internet2, ISOC, RENATER, TERENA and UNESCO. ISOC is supporting a number of individuals from various African research institutes to attend the workshop in Geneva. ISOC is also actively contributing to the agenda of the workshop: Fred Baker, the chairman of the ISOC Board of Trustees, will be chairing a working group on Technical issues related to "Developing practical recommendations & Roadmap". ISOC has further invited Pierre Dandjinou, chairman of AfriNIC and Adiel Akplogan, CEO of AfriNIC to report about "Internet capacity building in Africa: the growing roles of AfriNIC and AfNOG". Pierre Dandjinou is also involved in the session dedicated to Funding. In addition to that, among the speakers there are a number of ISOC members, e.g. Mouhamet Diop, Alain Aina, Pierre Ouedraogo to name just a few. The purpose of the Geneva workshop is to facilitate scientific and medical collaborations with Africa by Enhancing Research and Education Network Connectivity to and within Africa but also bringing in additional European and International experience and actors, namely: European governments and European Union representatives, and International organizations such as ICTP, ISOC, TWAS, UNESCO, WHO. The workshop will be hold on 25 - 27 September at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. More information about the workshop can be found at http://cern.ch/event-africa-networking _______________________________________________ Chapter-delegates mailing list Chapter-delegates(a)elists.isoc.org http://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/chapter-delegates

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Re: [Kictanet] Tomorrow's Meeting
by mwangati＠doctors.ispkenya.com 15 Sep '05

15 Sep '05

Dear all, Tomorrow afternoon would have been best for me as I will be away on October 7th. However, I will send a representative should you need to change the date October. Kindly confirm by tomorrow morning, Maureen Original Message: ----------------- From: alice(a)apc.org Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 16:22:24 +0300 To: kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Tomorrow's Meeting Hi All could we please have more people responding to the proposed changes re; our meeting. Is tomorrow afternoon good for everyone or should we postpone to 7th October? Some of us will be meeting over the weekend and coming week to finalise on some of the activities proposed as well as the budgets. thanks alice ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Gakuru" <gakuru(a)mail.co.ke> To: "Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet" <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 4:14 PM Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Tomorrow's Meeting > Dorcas, > Would it not have been good if the suggestion had been discussed/agreed > via > list? > Cancelled on the meeting eve and the re-scheduling logistics! > Alex > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dorcas Muthoni" <dmuthoni(a)kenet.or.ke> > To: "Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet" <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> > Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 3:29 PM > Subject: [Kictanet] Tomorrow's Meeting > > >> Dear all, >> >> There has been a suggestion that the KICTANET meeting scheduled for >> tomorrow (16th September 2005) be postponed to the first Friday of next >> month (7th October 2005). >> >> Kindly note the change of date. Time will be communicated on a later >> date. >> >> Kind regards, >> Dorcas Muthoni >> LinuxChix Africa >> > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > > >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .

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