developing nations

[trash]

the post by KingBahamut, located here 'Africa doesnt need Free Software': http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=78527

and other posts on the forum about ppp and modems in general made me wonder....

If the greater percentage of people/connections are still on dialup and it is safe to say that most developing countries will be too then why is Ubuntu not LOADED to the max with ppp/modem drivers and related tools?
I constantly see posts saying stuff like 'you need to download this tool or that tool', which others have responded with 'how do i download if i can't connect!?', isn't this kind of problematic for new users in developing nations?

Just curious as it seems very strange to me, or maybe it is just something that has been overlooked by the dev's?

[Goober]

Well, I have always assumed that Ubuntu was designed based on the theory that, in the future, maybe 10 years, everybody will have access to a computer and internet, probably satellite.

Also, Ubuntu does distribute free CDs . . . but you raise an excellent point. Fundamentally, Ubuntu is meant for Humans, and I guess the theory is that once it gains widespread use among developed nations, it will be used by undeveloped nations? I'm not sure, but your point is good and valid.

[BWF89]

If theres enough space left on the disc I think Ubuntu should contain drivers for as many modems as possible.

[trash]

i do think that modems and connectivity are equaly if not more important than a printer, scanner, digital cam or even a mouse, especially if we are talking about empowering people globally, so I do certainly think Ubuntu might need to re-examine the priority of modems... here i just tell people to go buy themselve a decent modem that is on the supported hardware list, but i don't see this being an option worldwide.

thanks, i'm glad other people see this as an issue.

[alred]

yup ... history has taught us that very oftenly the world at large is the one that keeps good things and good thoughts alive , improvments after many rethinking during "ground works" instead of improvizations which is a kind of diet-disoder , a slow death that will never ever reached that point of death , there will be a time-point when theres nothing to work on anymore hence the perpetual improvizations , the world at large might need to "fork" ...

[GeneralZod]

A lot of modems (WinModems in particular) have closed-source drivers, so Ubuntu cannot include them by default. I agree, though, that as many open-source modem drivers should be included as possible.

I'm more worried personally about the lack of a binary-diff capability, resulting in needlessly huge (and modem un-friendly) security updates - security updates are utterly essential (and will become more so as Ubuntu's installed base grows) and we should do as much as possible to encourage people to download them.

[waldorf]

I think the modem question is a critical one for Ubuntu's integrity.

I know many think that one should pick a distro based on technical merits only.

Nevertheless, I chose Ubuntu because it works but also because it is based on progressive ideas and has a spirit of social responsibility.

If the modem problem really means that it cannot be used in a meaningful way in the developing world then I think the motto "humanity to others" may be just words.

I understand that there are technical challenges but I would hope there is a way to address this.

[jdawdy]

I have thought a lot about this. I am at work in Tajikistan where we have a satellite internet connection. Without it, installing Ubuntu would be pointless for me. I could not get the add-on apps that I want, the multimedia codecs, etc etc. I was actually using dialup for a few weeks before our satellite connection was installed. It was 4.5Kbps...10 times slower than regular dialup.

It would be better if Ubuntu could ship more disks- the install as well as an applications disk, especially one with localization software, but that may not be financially viable. Perhaps a better solution is for NGOs to buy cheap disks and distribute them to local schools.