ICTworks by Inveneo

There are hundreds of free software applications available available online, some more useful than others, but all are available free of charge if you are willing to put in the work to hunt them down and wade through the installers. Not always a trivial task.

I was in a situation this week where I needed to very quickly create a Windows XP image from scratch, and the image needed to have several free software packages installed. I was considering the large amount of time and web searching required to install each of these applications individually when a co-worker suggested I use Ninite.

I was not familiar with Ninite so I looked into it and ended up using it to install the majority of the required applications for the image. I highly recommend this tool as it was a huge time and sanity saver!

Ninite is a free tool that allows you to automatically install multiple popular software applications with the click of a button. On their homepage you are presented with a list of software, you simply browse through the available software, choose the ones you need, and when finished you can ‘Get Installer’ which results in a custom installer being built specifically for you based on your choices. You can download and run this installer on any machine and it will automatically install each of the applications without any further input required.

Each of the applications is installed in the background while you continue to work or even step away from the computer for a cup of coffee. When the Ninite finishes running, it presents you with a succinct list of which applications were installed successfully, and which ones could not be installed for compatibility/versioning reasons. That’s it, done!

This is a fantastic tool for three reasons:

1. It's a huge time saver. Rather than downloading and clicking through the installers for each application individually, you download one installer and it runs in the background without any user input required.
2. It saves you from inadvertently installing extra ‘add-on’ software (toolbars, widgets, etc) that often come tacked-on to freeware installers and usually end up bogging down your system.
3. The Ninite folks have done a great job of dredging through the hundreds of free software packages available and have come up with a great list of stable, highly useable, and popular software. If you don’t know what you need or want, there’s a good chance they have it.

Ninite is available for both Windows (XP, Vista, and 7) and Linux. It is free to use for personal use, no sign up is required. There is a Pro version available for a monthly fee with a few other bells and whistles but I found that the free version was perfect for what I was trying to accomplish.

I’m always looking for the next great productivity enhancer and this is it. Check it out. Good luck and enjoy!

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As part of FOSS Advocacy in West Africa and Beyond - (FOSSWAY), Worlali Senyo recently captured key findings in a comparison of Proprietary Software (PS) and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) usage in Ghana. Below is a summary of his findings.

Most people use Proprietary Software

The study showed that in the desktop environment Windows OS dominated by as much as 84.7% whiles Linux OS constituted 11.9% followed by 3.4% for Unix OS of respondents. It was observed that the reason for Windows OS dominating is because desktop computers bought came with Windows OS pre-installed. Other reasons where attributed to the ease of use and availability of applications, and technical support.

Yet these are not always legal Windows licenses. There is a worrying trend of wide use of pirated PS, especially Microsoft Windows and Windows based applications. In actual fact some users in Ghana think that all software can be downloaded and shared for free.

Differences in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

The study asked respondent to rank key setup-cost factors (software licenses, hardware, technical support, and training for staff) on a scale from 1 (least) to 5 (most) and it emerged that hardware cost contributed significantly to overall set-up cost ranking 4 for PS and 3 for FOSS. Software licenses where less significant in their contribution to set-up cost for FOSS ranking 2 compared to PS which ranked 4.

On technical support FOSS was ranked 3 whiles PS ranked 4. Finally, Training was ranked 3 for both PS and FOSS. Although the study did not include specific questions on piracy, the research team gathered that software piracy was high especially amongst individual users.

Challenges to FOSS use

The major challenge the study identified was the absence of any FOSS policy in Ghana and the existing procurement policy does not clearly stipulate terms for procuring software. It is interesting to note that in the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) a software is defined as "something you buy a license for" which basically saying means we do not consider FOSS.

Users still have the perception that FOSS solutions are complex to use. Another dominant challenge cited in the study is the lack of support for FOSS solutions. Others include compatibility, too frequent updates and too many OS types.

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The Free and Open Source Software Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA) in cooperation with InWEnt Capacity Building International, Germany, invites to participate in a Linux administration Training of Trainers (LToT1) workshop in Nairobi, Kenya as well as in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This course prepares participants for Linux Professional Institute (LPI) certification Level 1 as well as to become Linux trainers in their own right. After the training, the trainers will sit for examination to be certified as Level 1 Linux professionals. LPI is a distribution and vendor-neutral standard for evaluating the competency of Linux professionals

Participants will receive intensive training on LPIC-1, and will also commit to book and sit the exams at the end of the training. They will also receive pedagogical training and how to effectively train others in the subject, as well as training materials that will be developed under the project.

Apply Today!

The 1st Regional Training of Trainers in Nairobi, Kenya will take place from 1st - 12th November 2010 (following an online learning phase from 4-29 October). It is part of the ict@innovation programme which aims at building capacities for African small and medium ICT enterprises to do business with Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).

The 2nd regional training of trainers will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and will take place between 14th and 25th February 2011, following an online e-learning phase between January 10, and February 4, 2011. The application deadline for the 2nd ToT is November 15, 2010.

We seek professionals and institutions, who have firm plans to make trainings on FOSS Certification a part of their regular business and/or teaching activities or upgrade existing certification efforts. Successful applicants will convincingly demonstrate how they plan to carry out at least three trainings on the subject in their own country during 2011-12, and make LPI Certification training a permanent part of their business and/or teaching activities in the future.

Why become an LPIC trainer?

A major barrier against adoption and deployment of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of human resources with FOSS skills. This programme aims to address the problem by qualifying trainers, so that these trainers in turn will be able to multiply their expertise for a self-sustaining development of FOSS human resources.

The training of trainers is offered to institutions with a strong commitment to introduce the knowledge of Linux to their staff members and communities. This should be done by implementing trainings by the LPI 1 certified representatives within three months after this programme.

Google is naturally excited about the voluntary formation of Google Technology User Groups across Africa - communities of software developers and Google users sharing ideas about improving their businesses with Google applications.

In a recent post, they now count ten chapters in eight countries including groups in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda and Senegal. While it might be harder to count how GTUG's impact Google's bottom line, I can count their impact on the African technology community.

Bye, bye LUG's, hello GTUG's

Do you remember going to a Linux User Group meeting and being inspired by the excitement and promise in the room? That's how I felt at the Linux Users Group of Accra meeting back in 2005. Like I was in the presence of Africa's future.

Now LUG's are dying off as their members find other passions and professions. This isn't a bad thing - often it means that Linux usage has transcended from a small club of users to the general ICT ecosystem and so LUG's succeeded. Their current incarnation? GTUG's.

Google has the buzz, the ubiquity, and most importantly, the open API's that are allowing developers and businesses to innovate with their technologies. It also helps that they have in-country presence in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. With that base, GTUG's are a natural progression and a welcomed sign of ecosystem maturity.

So what are you doing just sitting there? Join a GTUG today and do your part to continue code culture.

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In a recent Economist Article, I heard for the first time about gOS, an operating system claiming to be "the most beautiful and easiest to use Linux operating system on the market."

The author experienced gOS during volunteer work he did refurbishing computers for kids.  He praised gOS for its child-friendliness, its clean interface, and it's blazing fast 9 second startup time.  He even says he "has kept a copy of this clever Linux distribution (gOS 3.1 Gadgets is the latest version) on one of his office machines to remind him of what, with luck, the future could look like."

Strong praise, and the screenshots look pretty...has anyone spent much time with gOS?  I'm curious to hear whether others agree or disagree with this assessment.