- KICTANet - KICTANet

Fwd: Urgent meeting of SC 34 Mirror Committee
by Dorcas Muthoni 26 Mar '08

26 Mar '08

*Attention: All those interested in attending the OOXML Technical Committee Meeting at KEBS tomorrow. *General Manager - Standards Development Division will address the meeting A call from KEBS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a result of the meeting held on 2008-03-19 on the final vote by Kenya on DIS 29500, and the mail I circulated on Thursday 2008-03-20, several issues have arisen which the KEBS management would like to clarify to members before transmitting the vote to ITTF. This message is therefore to invite you to a meeting tomorrow Thursday, 2008-03-27 at 0900 hrs at KEBS headquarters, where General Manager - Standards Development Division will make a few issues clear. Please arrange to attend.

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Fwd: Opportunity for Learning / IT Professional
by Patrick Mburu 26 Mar '08

26 Mar '08

Thank you for the responses coming through; I apologise to re-send the message on here, however, if you could fill out the attached form and re-send this to me, this would be highly appreciated; Kind Regards, Patrick ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Patrick Mburu <patrick.mburu(a)gmail.com> *To:* Kenya ICT Action Network - KICTANet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 25, 2008 6:35 PM *Subject:* Looming opportunity for Learning / IT Professional Dear Colleagues, There is an opportunity that is urgently required for those of us in the business of Learning + Development / E-Learning / IT Project Management arena; Unfortunately i am engaged in a similar activity and cannot take on the task; Do you know anyone who fits on the below profile? The assignment will be in Rome, Italy on a short term contract with one of the UN Bodies *Brief:* Project Management Experience with Training background, to work on Global Needs Assessment programme; Must have elearning content design / implementation experience and is familiar with Learning Management systems as this will be the platform that all of the above will be linked to. If you know of someone, please send CV's through to me; Thanks in advance. Patrick Mburu

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26 March 2008: The world's first Document Freedom Day
by Dorcas Muthoni 26 Mar '08

26 Mar '08

Today is Document Freedom Day: Roughly 200 teams from more than 60 countries worldwide are organising local activities to raise awareness for Document Freedom and Open Standards. In a world where records are increasingly kept in electronic form, Open Standards are crucial for valuable information to outlive the application in which it was initially generated. The question of Document Freedom has severe repercussions for freedom of choice, competition, markets and the sovereignty of countries and their governments. More can be found at: http://www.documentfreedom.org/Open_Standards -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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[Fwd: [AfriNIC-rpd] AfriNIC-8/AfNOG2008: Registration is now open]
by alice 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Dear all FYI -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [AfriNIC-rpd] AfriNIC-8/AfNOG2008: Registration is now open Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:37:30 +0200 From: radha(a)afrinic.net <radha(a)afrinic.net> Reply-To: AfriNIC Resource Policy Discussion List <rpd(a)afrinic.net> To: undisclosed-recipients:; [*Apologies for any duplicate mails*] Dear Colleagues, AfriNIC invites you to attend the 8th AfriNIC Open Policy Meeting which will be held in conjunction with AfNOG 2008 from 24 May to 06 June 2008 in Rabat, Morocco. AfriNIC Meetings are open to everyone and provide an excellent opportunity to take part in Internet policy discussions in the African region. Workshop and Meeting ----------------------- The Workshop and all Tutorials will be held at the EMI (Mohammadia Engineering Institute) from 24 May - 2 June 2008. All meetings from 3 - 6 June will be held at the Golden Tulip Farah Hotel. For more details, please see http://www.afrinic.net/meeting/afrinic-8/index.htm AfriNIC-8/AfNOG2008 Registration ----------------------------------- Online Meeting Registration is now open. Please visit: http://www.afrinic.net/meeting/afrinic-8/registration.htm AfriNIC fellowship --------------------- The fellowship programme is reserved for representatives from small organisations actively involved in Internet Operations or ICT Policies in their respective countries and the community and who can positively and actively contribute to IP address management awareness in the AfriNIC region of service. If you are interested in applying for an AfriNIC fellowship, please visit the fellowship section at http://www.afrinic.net/meeting/afrinic-8/index.htm The deadline for applications is 15 April, 2008. Sponsorship opportunities ---------------------------- Sponsoring an AfriNIC meeting will provide you with a range of opportunities to expose your organisation to the African Internet community. If your organisation is interested in participating in the sponsoring of AfriNIC-8, please visit the sponsorship section at http://www.afrinic.net/meeting/afrinic-8/index.htm Visa information ------------------- Some meeting attendees may require a visa to visit Morocco. For your invitation letter, please send the following details (name as on passport, passport no, date of issue and expiry, nationality) to invit-ltt(a)afrinic.net. Please feel free to contact our Meeting Team at meeting(a)afrinic.net for any query or assistance. We look forward to seeing you in Rabat. Regards, AfriNIC Meeting Team See you at AfriNIC-8, Rabat, Morocco, 31 May - 06 June, 2008 _______________________________________________ rpd mailing list rpd(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/rpd

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Looming opportunity for Learning / IT Professional
by Patrick Mburu 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Dear Colleagues, There is an opportunity that is urgently required for those of us in the business of Learning + Development / E-Learning / IT Project Management arena; Unfortunately i am engaged in a similar activity and cannot take on the task; Do you know anyone who fits on the below profile? The assignment will be in Rome, Italy on a short term contract with one of the UN Bodies *Brief:* Project Management Experience with Training background, to work on Global Needs Assessment programme; Must have elearning content design / implementation experience and is familiar with Learning Management systems as this will be the platform that all of the above will be linked to. If you know of someone, please send CV's through to me; Thanks in advance. Patrick Mburu

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ATTN: ICT BOARD MEMBER/S IN THIS LIST( SayNo to OOXML)
by Judy Okite 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Dear Colleagues, I have been deeply grieved by the silence that has surrounded,this matter...How do we talk about growth and development in ICT,if we do not talk about software? A few questions that I have for the Board and a response will be highly appreciated: 1.what steps have the ICT BOARD taken in regard to the matter,on the link below. http://www.noooxml.org/ having in mind that it is less than a week...to final decision 2.What is Kenya's,position? More voice to this reason http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080312151954507 Kind Regards, -- Judy Ann Okite, +254-721237507,+254-734252336 P.O. BOX 2228 00100, NAIROBI,KENYA. 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ' Martin Luther King, Jr.

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OOXML Meeting
by Dorcas Muthoni 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

*Date:* 27th March 2008 *Venue:* KEBS, Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road *Time:* 9.00am *Who can attend: *People concerned about the standard ( for or against, to understand) *Main events at the meeting: * The final position of Kenya with regard to the OOXML standard will be agreed. -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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Re: [kictanet] OOXML: Why Kenya Should Vote NO
by Dorcas Muthoni 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Thanks Eunice, Coming from the ICT Board, i believe it would be nice to share your comments with the list. On Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 3:59 PM, Eunice Mueni Kariuki < eunicekariuki(a)ict.go.ke> wrote: > This is excellent interms of educating the public on matters of ICT > especially those that affect thier daily ICT lives directly or indirectly. > I am sure many will agree with you and is indeed inline with the mandate of the ICT Board. > However, in the last topic (Why Kenya should say No) > - point no. 3 - I am not convinced that microsoft has what it takes to do > what you say they did. I am also not convinced that those responsible for > forming that committee would fall for this implied trick. Indeed it would be > sad and they should not be in office. > I will refer you to the committee to investigate its composition. KEBS should give you a list of the membership. It was an issue then and it is till now. > > On point no. 4, it would have been helpful if you provided details of > actual propriatory rights. > There is lots of information on this; A quick reference is http://www.noooxml.org/patents. Otherwise I am confused because your email implies that Microsoft also > compromised the ISO body to approve OOXML as a parallel standard! > I just stated things as they are. Its many times that Microsoft has been found to go about things in a skewed manner. A case in point is for example the signing of MOUs with government ministries in pursuit of their business interests. This already happened in Kenya with th Ministry of Education and i hope the ICT board will objectively look at this matter. Muthoni If this were the case then that body does not deserve that office > Just Keeping an open mind.. > > > Eunice > On Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 1:23 PM, Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > > *What is an Office Document Standard* > > > > A standard file format that would allow office documents such as > > spreadsheets and word processing files to be opened by applications from > > different vendors. > > > > *Why Open Standards > > > > *Creating an open office file format suggests that documents created in > > an application that supports that file format could be opened in other > > applications that support it as well. E.g. A document written using > > OpenOffice for example, could be opened in Ms Office without affecting the > > layout or formatting. > > > > With an open standard; > > > > - You can choose any operating system or application and still be > > able to read and edit all your old documents e.g. whether it is > > Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Unix. > > - You can collaborate with others regardless of which software > > they are using e.g. whether it is LotusNotes, OpenOffice, Ms > > Office, StarOffice, GoogleApps . > > - You can use any software of your choice to exchange documents > > within your organization, with your clients, partners, government and > > everyone else. > > > > The goal of an open standard is to free corporate data from proprietary > > file formats so they can be accessed for years to come no matter what office > > software a company or government is using. Companies and governments are > > currently saving data in proprietary file formats, such as those written in > > Microsoft's Office software (.doc, .xls, .ppt, and lately .docx, .xlsx, > > .pptx), and locking themselves into using that software indefinitely. > > > > A relative example is, we all develop our websites and expect to > > successfully access them using various browser software (Mozilla Firefox, > > Netscape, Safari, Internet Explorer etc). We successfully manage to do this > > because of HTML, XML and Browser open standardization. > > > > The same should happen for office documents and hence definition of open > > document standards. > > > > *What is ODF* > > > > ODF(OpenDocument Format) an ISO standard created with the aim to provide > > an open XML-based document file format for office applications to be used > > for documents containing text, spreadsheets, charts, and graphical elements. > > ODF is defined via an open and transparent process at OASIS ( The > > Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) > > and has been approved unanimously by the International Organization for > > Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission > > (IEC) as an international standard in May 2006. Instead of trying to > > reinvent the wheel ODF reuses established standards like HTML, SVG, XSL, > > SMIL, XLink, XForms, MathML, and Dublin Core. > > > > ODF leaves space for all present and future vendors do implement it and > > makes sure that end users won't suffer from any sort of vendor lock-in. In > > contrast to earlier used binary formats which were cryptic and difficult to > > process, ODF's use of XML makes accessing the document content simple. > > > > ODF guarantees long-term viability. The OASIS ODF TC, the OASIS ODF > > Adoption TC, and the ODF Alliance include members from Adobe, BBC, EDS, EMC, > > GNOME, Google, IBM, Intel, KDE, Novell, Oracle, Red Hat, Software AG and Sun > > Microsystems. Since June 2006 the ODF Alliance has already more than 300 > > members. > > > > *What is OOXML* > > > > A format proposed by Microsoft that comes closest to ODF in function, > > but it fails the test for an Open Standard in various ways, including an > > unclear legal status as well as inclusion of and reference to proprietary > > technologies. It has all signs of a vendor-specific format that only > > Microsoft will be able to implement completely. > > > > Microsoft, which dominates the office software market with its Office > > suite, is a member of OASIS and was fully aware of the technical > > committee that came up with ODF. However, they opted to make Ms Office 2007 heavily > > reliant on XML and also initiated a parallel technical committee to develop > > a standard file format the MS OOXML. > > > > Ms Office 2007 *does not* support ODF. What Microsoft has done is to > > push MS OOXML through a fast track process to have the standard certified by > > ISO. The standard is being reviewed by technical committees (TC) formed > > through national standards bodies. The TCs pass a vote through a ballot > > process. The ballot resolutions are then forwarded to ISO, if the outcome is > > greater support for MS OOXML, then the standard will be passed. > > > > > > *Why should we reject a proprietary standard like OOXML > > > > * > > > > 1. We live in a digital age where paper documents increasingly get > > replaced by electronic records. We may even see the day we no longer use > > paper and pen to keep records. In this situation long-term data becomes > > critical. This is especially the case for legal contracts and government > > documents which stay valid and relevant over decades, or even centuries. > > Just like there were many vendors supplying paper and pens through out the > > history, and not a single one, so do these formats and applications which > > are used to make them need to be vendor independent. That is the only > > guanrantee of long-term access to data, even if companies disappear, change > > their strategies or dramatically raise their prices. > > 2. The Kenyan technical committee (hosted by KEBS) reviewing the > > MS OOXML standard was inappropriately constituted and is highly imbalanced. > > Microsoft recommended business partners to this committee and the first vote > > returned a yes resolution because of this imbalance. On March 19th 2008, the > > committee passed an Abstain resolution which Microsoft is now strongly > > appealing against. > > 3. Further, the MS OOXML standard is defined in 6,000+ pages and > > with the fast track process, it is barely possible to review the standard > > comprehensively. This standard must be reviewed via the regular standard > > process. > > 4. MS OOXML is a proposed parallel standard without a > > justification. > > 5. *OOXML has patent issues* > > > > For all those with questions, feel free to ask. > > > > -- > > Muthoni > > > > My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ > > -------------------------------------------- > > Mahatma Gandhi once said:- > > > > First they ignore you, > > Then they laugh at you, > > Then they fight you, > > AND THEN YOU WIN!!! > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: eunicekariuki(a)ict.go.ke > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eunicekariuki%40ict.go… > > > > > > > -- > We have moved to CCK. > > Eunice Mueni Kariuki > Kenya ICT Board > Nairobi, Kenya > > alternative address. eunice.kariuki(a)hotmail.go.ke -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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OOXML: Why Kenya Should Vote NO
by Dorcas Muthoni 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

*What is an Office Document Standard* A standard file format that would allow office documents such as spreadsheets and word processing files to be opened by applications from different vendors. *Why Open Standards * Creating an open office file format suggests that documents created in an application that supports that file format could be opened in other applications that support it as well. E.g. A document written using OpenOffice for example, could be opened in Ms Office without affecting the layout or formatting. With an open standard; - You can choose any operating system or application and still be able to read and edit all your old documents e.g. whether it is Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Unix. - You can collaborate with others regardless of which software they are using e.g. whether it is LotusNotes, OpenOffice, Ms Office, StarOffice, GoogleApps . - You can use any software of your choice to exchange documents within your organization, with your clients, partners, government and everyone else. The goal of an open standard is to free corporate data from proprietary file formats so they can be accessed for years to come no matter what office software a company or government is using. Companies and governments are currently saving data in proprietary file formats, such as those written in Microsoft's Office software (.doc, .xls, .ppt, and lately .docx, .xlsx, .pptx), and locking themselves into using that software indefinitely. A relative example is, we all develop our websites and expect to successfully access them using various browser software (Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Safari, Internet Explorer etc). We successfully manage to do this because of HTML, XML and Browser open standardization. The same should happen for office documents and hence definition of open document standards. *What is ODF* ODF(OpenDocument Format) an ISO standard created with the aim to provide an open XML-based document file format for office applications to be used for documents containing text, spreadsheets, charts, and graphical elements. ODF is defined via an open and transparent process at OASIS ( The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) and has been approved unanimously by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as an international standard in May 2006. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel ODF reuses established standards like HTML, SVG, XSL, SMIL, XLink, XForms, MathML, and Dublin Core. ODF leaves space for all present and future vendors do implement it and makes sure that end users won't suffer from any sort of vendor lock-in. In contrast to earlier used binary formats which were cryptic and difficult to process, ODF's use of XML makes accessing the document content simple. ODF guarantees long-term viability. The OASIS ODF TC, the OASIS ODF Adoption TC, and the ODF Alliance include members from Adobe, BBC, EDS, EMC, GNOME, Google, IBM, Intel, KDE, Novell, Oracle, Red Hat, Software AG and Sun Microsystems. Since June 2006 the ODF Alliance has already more than 300 members. *What is OOXML* A format proposed by Microsoft that comes closest to ODF in function, but it fails the test for an Open Standard in various ways, including an unclear legal status as well as inclusion of and reference to proprietary technologies. It has all signs of a vendor-specific format that only Microsoft will be able to implement completely. Microsoft, which dominates the office software market with its Office suite, is a member of OASIS and was fully aware of the technical committee that came up with ODF. However, they opted to make Ms Office 2007 heavily reliant on XML and also initiated a parallel technical committee to develop a standard file format the MS OOXML. Ms Office 2007 *does not* support ODF. What Microsoft has done is to push MS OOXML through a fast track process to have the standard certified by ISO. The standard is being reviewed by technical committees (TC) formed through national standards bodies. The TCs pass a vote through a ballot process. The ballot resolutions are then forwarded to ISO, if the outcome is greater support for MS OOXML, then the standard will be passed. *Why should we reject a proprietary standard like OOXML * 1. We live in a digital age where paper documents increasingly get replaced by electronic records. We may even see the day we no longer use paper and pen to keep records. In this situation long-term data becomes critical. This is especially the case for legal contracts and government documents which stay valid and relevant over decades, or even centuries. Just like there were many vendors supplying paper and pens through out the history, and not a single one, so do these formats and applications which are used to make them need to be vendor independent. That is the only guanrantee of long-term access to data, even if companies disappear, change their strategies or dramatically raise their prices. 2. The Kenyan technical committee (hosted by KEBS) reviewing the MS OOXML standard was inappropriately constituted and is highly imbalanced. Microsoft recommended business partners to this committee and the first vote returned a yes resolution because of this imbalance. On March 19th 2008, the committee passed an Abstain resolution which Microsoft is now strongly appealing against. 3. Further, the MS OOXML standard is defined in 6,000+ pages and with the fast track process, it is barely possible to review the standard comprehensively. This standard must be reviewed via the regular standard process. 4. MS OOXML is a proposed parallel standard without a justification. 5. *OOXML has patent issues* For all those with questions, feel free to ask. -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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e-Learning Training opportunities
by Gakiria 25 Mar '08

25 Mar '08

Dear All, Attached is a call for nominations to inWEnt regional training courses on e-Learning organized by the Namibia Open Learning Network. Please circulate to your networks in East Africa. Regards Andrew

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