BBC’s documentary… and software freedom By Fouad Riaz Bajwa writing from PAKISTAN • Is Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS) a make-do product for those who can’t afford better? Is it something suited for the ‘developing’ world alone? No, says Fouad Riaz Bajwa, a Pakistani FOSS advocate known as the “FOSS mullah” for his passionate commitment to the cause. He debates a recent two-part BBC documentary on FOSS, which he believes catches the bull by the tail. (Special thanks to Frederick [FN] Noronha for this bit!)
Ouch!
It has only been a few minutes since the telecase of the second and last episode of the BBC produced documentary titled “Code Breakers” on BBC World. The documentary attempts to
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Categories: Access to ICTs · Civil Society Participation · FOSS · FOSSFP · FSF · ICT for Development · IOSN · Software Piracy · United Nations · WSIS Implementation
I can still recall the first day at the Kram Expo Centre in Tunis last year during the World Summit on the Information Society 2006 as I was making preparations for exhibiting FOSSFP projects in the space allotted to me by UNDP when I was overwhelmed to see Sunil Abraham, Program Manager of the International Open Source Network in action as usual but this time he wasn’t alone like the last time he dropped in at the FOSSFP National Free and Open Source Software Awareness Campaign in Pakistan. He was leading a team of documentary camera men! I knew the very instant that our Open Source dude was up to something, and yes, he was covering FOSS related activities and interviewing
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Categories: Access to ICTs · Blogging · Civil Society Participation · Communication Rights · Events International · FOSS · FOSSFP · FSF · Freedom of Expression · ICT Policy · ICT for Development · IOSN · Personal · Science & Technology · Software · Software Piracy · United Nations · WSIS Implementation
Guess what, I was the first to know that the Government of Pakistan and Business Software Alliance were planning a massive crack down on software pirates and pirated software users. I was sitting in the Passenger Lounge of Lahore International Airport for my journey to Bangladesh in order to attend the APC Asia ICT Policy Meeting organized by Bytes For All and BFES. Getting bored, I just flipped my headphones and connected FM-100 on my mobile phone when I heard the words, we are going to crackdown on Software Piracy!!!! Thats where I quietly sat and heard the whole story and sent
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Categories: Access to ICTs · Censorship · Human Rights · ICT Policy · ICT for Development · Innovation · Intellectual Property · Internet Governance · Laws & Regulation · Local ICT Tactics · National ICT Strategies · Personal · Software · Software Piracy · Training & Education · United Nations · WSIS Implementation
