Nicaragua: Open Source Software in Public Institutions · Global Voices
GV Contributor

“Territorio Liberado”, or Freed Land is an expression born in the 1970s to mark the end of the dictatorship or government of Anatasio Somoza in a particular city or region. These days, local Linux and Open Source groups are talking now about a new kind of freedom: the freedom to create and develop their own software and technologies, without restrictive licences or inhibitive costs.
The blogger LEOGG has been working with public institutions to take full advantage of these technologies in order to make them more efficient. In his post “Nicaragua Libre” (Free Nicaragua), LEOGG  explains how they helped Jalapa, a rural town near the border of Honduras in the north of the country how to develop and use Linux-based software.
There are two interesting projects that involves Ubuntu there. The first one being the digitalization of thousands of public records using Ubuntu Hardy and XSane. There are 15 computers devoted exclusively to this task.
The other project involves 12 cashier booths with Ubuntu and a custom-made software for receiving and making payments.
In addition, as a first phase of the Migration Project, about 50 desktop computers are being migrated to Ubuntu right now in different departments.
The coolest thing about all this, is that the government office asked us for help, and as a consequence, three of our team members are now full-time employees, giving Ubuntu support to their users.
Photos by LEOGG and used under a Creative Commons license. For more pictures please visit his blog.
The “comuNIdad” (that's how they call themselves) does not focus on rural or government groups only. LEOGG explains in the next post that they are “going mainstream“
Canal 2, Nicaragua’s biggest television network, is going to broadcast a weekly technology show every Tuesday, starting July 15.
The producers of this new show are… yes, you guessed it! …our local LUG (Linux User Group)
The LUG for Nicaragua coordinates linux users from many distributions and disciplines, including developers for Ubuntu, SUSE, Mandriva, and other flavors. Their common website is Linux.org.ni.
You can find more news and insights into the work of this groups in their Press Archive.