spinynorman Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 (edited) The Linux Journal has a report from Adam Davidson of Minnesota Public Radio on Iraq's first Linux User Group. You could help by emailing a few URLs or offering to provide tech support or help in developing their website. Or you can mail them books, periodicals, and CDs. Or you can send them money, so they can fulfill their ambition to create Iraq's first Linux Center to demonstrate and train. They prefer Mandrake because it's easy to install and use and Arabbix, because it's a bootable CD, based on Knoppix, that's in Arabic. But they're open to suggestions. Apparently, trade sanctions still bar US residents from sending current distributions to Iraq... Edited December 21, 2003 by spinynorman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 Do we have any means of commuicating with the people forming the group? Do you have any contacts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted December 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 There are email addresses at linux-iraq.org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 (edited) I'm sort of suspicious of this because the name was registered just days after the combat started by someone in california. He could be an Iraqi living there but I find no real connection to Bagdad university as of yet. Don't meen to rain on your parade but I would personally wait for a little more info before sending anything more than a few linux disks. Sorry just read all their posts and it looks real. Just real small. Their having trouble finding a university that is willing to have classes in linux. Don't blame them though. I'm sure its just a priority thing. Those of us in the US can't help as of yet since we are not allowed to send any computers or software. Legal stuff i'd rather not start discussing. For those who can send harware and disks they could probably use anything that still works. Edited December 21, 2003 by Pzatch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest einamo Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 (edited) In a way, Iraq is a free country now and all sanctions has been lifted sometime ago. So if this LUG's genuine, it'd have direct contact (and URLs) in Iraq. Therefore, I tend to agree with Pzatch. OK, I asked a Iraqi friend who works with the American authority in Iraq to do anything he can to spread the Linux word. I'll also try to contact Iraqis here in EU and see what we can do. Edited December 21, 2003 by einamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 I think this is a potential hotbed of problems, which doesn't mean we shouldn't try. The population which have any knowledge of computers are equally unaware of copyright or licensing. They will doubtless find it hard to accept the new freedom of having to pay a lot of money for an operating system or programs. Given their lack of contact with the outside world they will fall into either anti-Western ideology or pro-Western ideology probably both of them based on incorrect facts. That is the anti-Western will gather there news and knowledge of the western world from one source and the pro-western from another. The pro-Western is likely to be greatly over inflated; well as much as the anti-Western. In other words it will come as enormous shock that software isn't free and copyright protected. When they encounter the Microsofts of this world they stand to be severely shocked in what they thought was a free and open western society. Quite how they react to this will probably be very complex. That is the western world is unlikely to live up to their expectations.... Perhaps linux can show that the western world can work together and can produce things for philanthopic reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted December 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 (edited) In a way, Iraq is a free country now and all sanctions has been lifted sometime ago. This letter to the US Department of Commerce from the Silicon Valley LUG dated 9 December 2003, explains how proprietary software has been exempted but open-source has not. See paras 9 & 10 ("It is important to note that proprietary..."). Edited December 21, 2003 by spinynorman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 (edited) it's nice. I've subscribed on the mailing list and see what I can do (without money nor time it will be difficult :( ) At least I think in EU we can send some stuff to Irak and I have some RTC modems, books, and CD that can be some interest. For the americans I think it would not be difficult to find some "relays" in europe to send things in Iraq. If one here want to send something, pm me, perhaps I can send it by my company [EDIT: i have to check first /EDIT]. But hey for now it seems it's a single person group and they need some time to organize. I hope we soon have some questions from Iraqis in this forum :) roland Edited December 22, 2003 by roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 (edited) How about a link to their site in our 'web links' page? A little more traffic for them can't hurt. Maybe they can link back to us eventually. I for one would like to have a few Iraqies posting here. It might counter some of that French input we have here. :P Edited December 22, 2003 by Pzatch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 I for one would like to have a few Iraqies posting here. It might counter some of that French input we have here. :P He he. I guess you mean on political discussion ? this forum really shows how nice free speech is. But lets be soft at the beginning: may be they don't know that it has to be taken with a grain of salt. I suggest we do that way: you play the bad guy, I play the nice guy ok ? :P roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 Ok! Ok! Then the next week we switch views. Really keep them guessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 No I can't play the bad guy: I'm too good for that Well for now it seems difficult to help. The poor Mr Ashraf Tariq and Mr Hasanen Nawfal are probably recieving huge amount of e-mails with tons of greeting and kind proposals: old Red Hats, old Computers and even one proposed medicine. One on the mailing list said they had been on CNN. is it true ? I guess it's going to be a little difficult for them now to deal with all that. I wish we can help but frankly I don't see how. roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 Too good to play the bad guy? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Your only fooling yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 I was too pessimistic. The mailing list don't go too fast and there is some interesting and serious post about outsourcing IT in Irak. Do you want me to post one or two here ? can I ? :unsure: roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzatch Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 I wouldn't mind at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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