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From: Daniel Taghioff (Daniel.Taghioff@btinternet.com)
Date: Thu Apr 12 2001 - 12:13:16 EDT

  • Next message: Tanya Hines: "Re: Content and Locally Relevant Applications"

    Dear Members of the DIGOPP Working Group,

    My name is Daniel Taghioff and I am studying Geography and Development
    Studies at SOAS in London. I am specialising in the role of ICTs in
    Development.

    I would like to support what Julian Hopkins[***See below] said about Open
    Source capacity building and add to it:

    Not only is the creation of new applications via open source a priority,
    but Vikas Nath pointed out in a discussion with me that the collation of
    existing useful open source software solutions is a must. This would
    provide a rich resource of free software for development purposes and
    prevent the reinvention of the wheel.

    The same also holds true for success stories in using IT in development.
    Best practise case studies should be written up in a format that makes them
    useful as training materials, allowing others to benefit fully from
    positive experiences. Therefore, a standard should be developed for
    documenting these types of projects.

    Finally it should be remembered that the political aspects of empowerment
    via self organisation that can follow on from the successful implementation
    of ICTs cut across sectoral lines, meaning that unions, co-operative
    movements, development organisations, local grassroots organisations etc...
    All have valuable experiences to share, in terms of the uses of appropriate
    Information Technology in facilitating local scale organisation.

      I believe that the G8 should promote the sharing of this type of
    information amongst civil society groups, alongside open source capacity
    building.

    This would take ICTs beyond being "technical solutions" to specific
    problems, towards being a means for building up a broad based civil society
    movement capable of providing social capital to support the market and a
    democracy enhancing counter weight to the state. It might also give
    southern civil society a stronger voice in international development debates.

    Daniel Taghioff:
    email: clear.english@bigfoot.com

    [***Moderators' Note: In a message posted on March 30, 2001, Julian Hopkins
    wrote:

    >"... I would like to suggest that the development of 'open
    > source' software should be a G8 key priority.
    > For example, by setting up training programmes for the use and development
    > of Linux applications by specialists within different countries, there is a
    > good possibility of the production of locally adapted software at a lesser
    > cost. This reduces the initial cost of purchasing (licensed) software and
    > also reduces servicing costs.
    > Perhaps research into alternatives to Linux would be just as productive.
    > The challenge for the industrialised countries here is to accept that the
    > spread of such software will affect the profits of an extremely profitable
    > IT sector....".
      ***]

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