Open Technologist

Grameen Foundation Statistics – Microfinance

On Blog Action Day I blogged about how the Grameen Foundation is using open source software to assist there needs to rid the world of poverty. I just finished Jeff Howe's book Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business and he provides further statistics about the Grameen Bank: The concept of micro-lending started 1976 with a loan of  $27 to 42 villagers The Grameen Bank was started 7 years later The Grameen Bank became self-sustainable by 1995 67% of...

People Participation in Mass Collaboration Projects

One of the most prominent examples of mass collaboration is Wikipedia. According to Alexa, Wikipedia is the 8th most visited website in the world. Playing a role in Wikipedia's high ranking is the up-to-date information provided by the community of contributors. The contributors provide the  content and ultimately what why visitors turn to Wikipedia for knowledge. Therefore, the importance of having a community of willing contributors is essential to the livelihood of any mass collaboration...

Linux History- Where it all started

In 1991, Linus Torvalds decided to share code that he had created for an operating system which would later become known as Linux, in the hope of getting feedback from others on how he could improve it. I came across the original email that Linus sent and was amazed by the modesty : Hello everybody out there using minix - I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to...

Crowdsourcing Example – Ushahidi

Ushahidi ("testimony'' in Swahili") is a platform that users crowdsourcing to gather information during a time of crisis. Anybody can submit information during a crisis via mobile phone, email or the website which will then be mapped and a timeline provided. It was initially started to map reports about the violence in Kenya after the election in 2008. The platform which is open source is being built and will cater for plug-ins and extensions so that it can be customised for different needs...

South African IEC Website Blocks Open Source Users

I decided to have a look at the South African Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) website to see where you could register for the upcoming elections. Instead I was presented with the following message: It seems their website only allows Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer users. So that means no Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Linux or Mac...

Symbian and Nokia Go Open Source

In June 2008 Nokia bought out its partners in Symbian (mobile operating system) for $410 million and have decided to forfeit the $300 million in licensing revenue by going open source. Nokia have started the non-profit Symbian Foundation with around 40 companies joining and plan to release Symbian for free in the first half of 2009. According to CEO Nigel Clifford they are hoping that the money that companies would normally spend on licences would now be spent to innovate on Symbian and is...

Tackling Poverty With Open Source Software – Blog Action Day

The theme for Blog Action Day is poverty and the Grameen Foundation is an organisation making use of technology to enable the poor to create a world without poverty. The Mifos Initiative program is using open source software to create a service model that increases access to technology for microfinance institutions, allowing them to reach the worlds poor. Microfinance is a program whereby poor people are granted small loans (less than $200) to start and sustain small business like the Villiage...

Architecture for Humanity’s Open Architecture Network

Architecture for Humanity is a charitable organisation that aims to produce architectural solutions to aid humanitarian crisis and communities in need. The Open Architecture Network developed by  Architecture for Humanity, is an online community whose goal is to improve the living conditions of people living in informal settlements and assist those with shelter after a disaster. The network allows designers to: Share ideas, designs and plan Review designs by others Collaborate with all...

Innovation in the age of Mass Collaboration

Mass Collaboration occurs when large numbers of people work on a single project. The book Wikinomics highlites how technology and in particular the Internet is fueling mass collaboration and changing the way organisations are finding ways to solve problems. Mass Collaboration encourages all those involved in the business process  to share information and ideas. An increasing number of organisations have realised the benefits and for some it is becoming a major factor in corporate...