Does open source make sense in Africa ???

[Darth Garth]

Saw this blog posting from a Ubuntu user in Addis Ababa

Does it make fiscal sense for people in the developing world to move to open source? Andrew observes that many pirated, cracked software packages are for sale in Addis at very attractive prices - Adobe’s Creative Suite for 80 birr (about $9) rather than the $1100 it would cost on Amazon. But it’s not just the cost that matters:

So the Ethiopian computer user can choose between paying nothing for an open source graphics package like The Gimp, or saving up 80 Birr to buy Photoshop CS2.

For 80 birr s/he gets to learn how to use the most popular graphics package on earth - a skill that could land him/her a job with one of the high-paying NGOs or UN organisations scattered across Addis. (Most of these international organisations have IT departments that limit their branch offices to a list of authorised software, almost all of it from Microsoft). Or for nothing, s/he gets to use a package that is very cool and opensource, but totally obscure.

I know which way I would go.

http://www.meskelsquare.com/archives/2006/06/ubuntu_the_diff.html

 

[RichardP]

so Stealing a car to learn to drive justifies the theft... as now the thief can get a job as a taxi driver? so the theft has uplifted the economy, and that justifies it. a REALLY screwed up theory.

 

[supersunbird]

Equating something tangible and not easily copyable with something intangible and easily copyable is a really screwed up theory

 

[Darth Garth]

So why should Adobe then charge poor Africans the same price as they charge rich Westerners ???.

Even Microsoft realized the stupidity of this and the piracy of and released Windows XP Starter Edition minus some trimmings for the developing world.

The same goes for legit DVD's (no special features or widescreen edition) being sold in China at far below prices that what you pay at the Virgin Megastore.

Surely you should price your goods so that it is affordable for your consumers esp goods with no tangible value such as software ???.