[eccr] In need of information about the developing countries and the use of software

Dear readers, 

my name is Dennis Heuer and I am a german social scientist who is
involved in the free source community around the linux operating system.
My interest in social sciences and information technology always was
interdisciplinary, so I begann to work on the question what linux and
the free source community could offer to developing countries. That is
why I founded an organization to work on exclusively this problem. The
organization is called "organized communication" and can be found on
internet at the address: http://orgc.org. 

The organization is in its early stage and no project has been started.
At the moment I am seeking for information to get a founded overall
picture of the problem. Free source in developing countries is often
discussed in the linux community but seldom from the non-technical view.
Too, the community does focus too much on stability, price, and office
products. Software for schools, project- and teamwork, or cultural
differences to be considered etc. is mainly out of focus. This is why I
contact you. Please, maybe you can help me on my way to find the right
basement for my work. And maybe I can help you getting your opinions
heard in the free source community because I will hold a speech on
LinuxTag, the greatest Linux Fair in Europe, taking place in Germany at
the beginning of June (see: http://www.linuxtag.org, english pages
available). 

There are several objects that I would like to know about. They are too
many to sum up here. In this email I just want to reduce my questions to
three main points: 

- I do not focus on business. My aim is to support the work of
non-governmental organizations and (gov.) local initiatives. I could not
find many case studies being done on that topic. How is the need for
software in team- and project work inside of (international)
organizations? How important is work and communication over internet for
those organizations? What are the experiences with information
technology in small local initiatives or in schools? Do you know
resources that answer these questions? 

- Are you able to give a global picture where in the developing world
the use of computers is a topic? This question is twofold. First, the
use of computer equipment has a different relevance in different
countries. Second, the size of organizations and initiatives or the
social level, the gender may play a role. 

- Can you give me contact addresses of organizations, institutes or
programmes that focus on similar problems? 

Thank you very much, 

Dennis Heuer 


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