Impi, Africa’s first Linux Desktop
Nov 26, 2003
The world of computers is about choice, and so are the programmes that run PC. Some come with the PC leaving you no choice; others you get free. It is your choice. Now that choice just grew with Impi Linux, Africa's own Linux distribution
By Vincent Mugaba
The world of computers is about choice, and so are the programmes that run on your computer –– you choose which one. Some come with the computer leaving you no choice, and others you get free from the Internet and other sources. It is your choice.
Now, in comes Linux.
No other computer-operating system expresses the freedom to choose like Linux. From Mandrake, SuSe to Red Hat, it is about choice, and now that choice just widened.
Africa has given birth to her own Linux distribution, Impi Linux, free for all at the Linux website.
It was not an easy birth. Two years and two false births, Impi Linux was finally born to South Africa’s Gauteng Linux Users Group, www.glug.org.za.
Impi is the Zulu word for ‘a group of warriors’ and Impi Linux is one with a host of proven open source software.
There is also a site called OpenOffice that is freely available from www.openoffice.org. OpenOffice has word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software, and can open and save files in existing Microsoft Office formats, along with its own file formats.
Impi also has a South Africa’s open source financial application called Cubit.
The current release of Cubit matches the functionality of a proprietary application such as Accpac –– the financial guys must get the trend.
Like other open source programmes, Cubit is free. It can also be downloaded from www.cubit.co.za. What is this about Impi Linux when there are a host of Linuxes around, you may wonder?
“Most developers in the “first world†countries have no idea of the conditions on our continent. Waiting around for a foreign developer or company to give us something that we need, merely echoes the legacy of colonialism. We need to dispose of that mindset,†said Ross Addis in an e-mail interview.
“Impi Linux proves that Africans are capable of being self-determined in the digital world,†he also said. Addis, technology consultant at MIP Holdings, is chairman of the Gauteng Linux User Group that gave birth to Impi Linux.
He said Impi is as good as any other Linux system, even better. Impi comes with the Linux tradition of stability and being less prone to virus attacks.
“Sure a few [viruses] have been written, but they haven’t really made any impact. Linux systems are normally more secure that other OSes and because of the diverse nature of the distributions, desktop interfaces and packages, it would be very difficult for a virus to infect all Linux systems,†Addis added.
Another unique feature of Impi Linux is that it will eventually have translations of South Africa’s 11 official languages.
But Ugandans and other Africans should not lose hope. Impi Linux is about choice.
Get a free download from www.impi.org.za and modify it to suit you.
So, is there hope for a version in Luganda or Swahili?
“Of course. We will also be looking at adding the various African languages,†he said.
“Where possible, we will try to involve the local academic and IT communities in implementing their language in Impi Linux,†Addis also said.
And that is the spirit of open source software development –– a community of developers working for the good of all.
Francis Viviers was the primary creator of Impi, but several other people and companies have been instrumental in giving Africa her first Linux distribution.
Impi Linux can be run on live CD, so you can carry it around. It fact, it is advisable, unless you own a PC. If you are a programmer or simply want to learn more about software development, this is a better way to showcase your talent, and extend your knowledge in an open source software project.
And now, the freedom of choice is with Impi Linux –– go to www.impi.org.za, for more information about Impi Linux.
The world of computers is about choice, and so are the programmes that run on your computer –– you choose which one. Some come with the computer leaving you no choice, and others you get free from the Internet and other sources. It is your choice.
Now, in comes Linux.
No other computer-operating system expresses the freedom to choose like Linux. From Mandrake, SuSe to Red Hat, it is about choice, and now that choice just widened.
Africa has given birth to her own Linux distribution, Impi Linux, free for all at the Linux website.
It was not an easy birth. Two years and two false births, Impi Linux was finally born to South Africa’s Gauteng Linux Users Group, www.glug.org.za.
Impi is the Zulu word for ‘a group of warriors’ and Impi Linux is one with a host of proven open source software.
There is also a site called OpenOffice that is freely available from www.openoffice.org. OpenOffice has word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software, and can open and save files in existing Microsoft Office formats, along with its own file formats.
Impi also has a South Africa’s open source financial application called Cubit.
The current release of Cubit matches the functionality of a proprietary application such as Accpac –– the financial guys must get the trend.
Like other open source programmes, Cubit is free. It can also be downloaded from www.cubit.co.za. What is this about Impi Linux when there are a host of Linuxes around, you may wonder?
“Most developers in the “first world†countries have no idea of the conditions on our continent. Waiting around for a foreign developer or company to give us something that we need, merely echoes the legacy of colonialism. We need to dispose of that mindset,†said Ross Addis in an e-mail interview.
“Impi Linux proves that Africans are capable of being self-determined in the digital world,†he also said. Addis, technology consultant at MIP Holdings, is chairman of the Gauteng Linux User Group that gave birth to Impi Linux.
He said Impi is as good as any other Linux system, even better. Impi comes with the Linux tradition of stability and being less prone to virus attacks.
“Sure a few [viruses] have been written, but they haven’t really made any impact. Linux systems are normally more secure that other OSes and because of the diverse nature of the distributions, desktop interfaces and packages, it would be very difficult for a virus to infect all Linux systems,†Addis added.
Another unique feature of Impi Linux is that it will eventually have translations of South Africa’s 11 official languages.
But Ugandans and other Africans should not lose hope. Impi Linux is about choice.
Get a free download from www.impi.org.za and modify it to suit you.
So, is there hope for a version in Luganda or Swahili?
“Of course. We will also be looking at adding the various African languages,†he said.
“Where possible, we will try to involve the local academic and IT communities in implementing their language in Impi Linux,†Addis also said.
And that is the spirit of open source software development –– a community of developers working for the good of all.
Francis Viviers was the primary creator of Impi, but several other people and companies have been instrumental in giving Africa her first Linux distribution.
Impi Linux can be run on live CD, so you can carry it around. It fact, it is advisable, unless you own a PC. If you are a programmer or simply want to learn more about software development, this is a better way to showcase your talent, and extend your knowledge in an open source software project.
And now, the freedom of choice is with Impi Linux –– go to www.impi.org.za, for more information about Impi Linux.