Date   : Tue, 04 Apr 2006 16:38:58 +0100
From   : Fragula <fragula@...>
Subject: Re: Programming (was Basic & BBC Basic)

Andy Armstrong wrote:
> On topic:
> 
> "South Africa agrees with my 'programming talent is everywhere' theory"
>  http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/03/29/141203
> 
Err.. At risk of  more petrol around the place... (And also at risk of
sounding like a pointedly moral person, which I'm probably not.)

Where does that put the morality of Open Source/Freeware vs
Proprietary/Expensive software?

Us affluent westerners freely exploiting said barefoot girl-child's
innate abilities, setting up our consultancies, running the
pay-to-waffle circuit, snapping at support contracts, or just using her
code as part of our business processes, while she is geting dragged out
of her mud hut, raped by the local militia, and a year later commits
suicide after being ostracised by her strictly religious family, and
watching her child die from malnutrition.

Have to fess up, that this is more complex than I can handle. Possibly
better to teach irrigation, drainage, sanitation, disease prevention.

As I tried to say to someone else earlier today though. Don't send (to a
small town in Zambia) a computer loaded with Encarta and Office, send
one loaded with Wikipedia and Open Office. The mail bounced for some
reason. Karma perhaps.

:-/

Cheers!

M.