[Dewayne-Net] The Code Breakers - A BBC World Documentary on Free/Open Source Software and Development

[Dewayne Hendricks]

[Note:  For those of you who don't get the BBC, this documentary will
most likely be available soon on your friendly, neighborhood
Darknet.  DLH]

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COMING SOON!

"The Code Breakers"
A BBC World Documentary on Free/Open Source Software and Development

http://www.apdip.net/news/fossdoc

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==

The famous digital divide is getting wider. A two-part documentary, "The
Code Breakers," to be aired on BBC World starting 10 May 2006 examines
whether free/open source software (FOSS) might be the bridge?

FOSS contains 'source code' that can be used, copied, studied,
modified and
redistributed without restriction. It has been around for over 20
years but
most PC owners are not aware that the Internet search engines and many
computer applications run on FOSS.

"It's not that FOSS has had a bad press, it has had no press because
there
is no company that 'owns' it," says executive producer Robert Lamb.
"But we
found that in the computer industry and among the afficionados, it is
well
known and its virtues well understood."

The crew of the independent producers who made the film went to nearly a
dozen countries around the world to see how the adoption of FOSS
presents
opportunities for industry and capacity development, software piracy
reduction, and localization and customization for diverse cultural and
development needs.

Stories from "The Code Breakers" include computer and Internet access
for
school children in Africa, reaching the poor in Brazil, tortoise
breeding
programmes in the Galapagos, connecting villages in Spain, and disaster
management in Sri Lanka. The documentary also includes interviews
from key
figures around the world.

Intel, IBM, Sun and Microsoft all seem to agree that FOSS is a welcome
presence in computer software.

According to Jonathan Murray of Microsoft "The Open Source community
stimulates innovation in software, it's something that frankly we
feel very
good about and it's something that we absolutely see as being a
partnership
with Microsoft."

BBC World will air the two-part documentary at the following times:

Episode One

Wednesday 10 May 19:30 GMT
Thursday 11 May 09:30 GMT
Friday 12 May 16:30 GMT
Monday 15 May 01:30 and 07:30 GMT

Episode Two

Wednesday 17 May 19:30 GMT
Thursday 18 May 09:30 GMT
Friday 19 May 16:30 GMT
Monday 22 May 01:30 and 07:30 GMT

For local times, please lookup your country in the TV Listings on BBC
World's website
http://www.bbcworld.com/content/template_tvlistings.asp?pageid=668.

The International Open Source Network (IOSN), UNDP Asia-Pacific
Development
Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP), International Development Research
Centre of Canada and UNESCO have participated in the production of this
documentary.

Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>

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