Ubuntu is a word in some African language that means “Humanity to Others”.
It is also the name of the distribution of Linux that I use.
It was created by a South African guy who got rich on the internet boom, and he is working hard to get African countries who have the means to build computer labs to use it.
Anyway, here is a brief article on what he thinks about Africa using open source, and what Microsoft has to say in response.
http://tech.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1200011.php/Millionaire_cosmonaut_takes_on_Microsoft
My favorite line, and what sums up my ideals about using open source to promote African countries growing to be economically competative on the world stage is:
Nhlanhla Mabaso, manager of the Open Source Center at South Africa’s government-sponsored Meraka technology institute, says open source is about using Africa’s scant resources wisely, and about systems designed for Africans by Africans.
‘We missed the industrial age, now we are in the information age and we don’t want to miss that too,’ Mabaso told Reuters.