Akademy 2009
Project Participating in KDE: Hausa Language Translation Project
Speaker: Mustapha Abubakar
Software allows people to work with computers. Operating Software controls the hardware components and application software provide tools to facilitate and support the users' work. Most of the softwares in Nigeria are owned by private people or companies and users buy licenses to use the software.
This type of software is called proprietary (commercial) or closed source software since the user purchases a license (sometimes) for using the product. At present most of the people in the country that are in the IT related discipline doesn't heard the word free and open source software this includes students, academicians and some IT proffesionals.
Free and Open Source Software is built on the premise that better software is produced when everyone is allowed to modify and change the software. So, instead of selling user licenses, the product (source code) is distributed free of charge under several different licenses.
The presentation will discuss the challenges Nigerians are facing in trying to know and adopt free and open Source Software initiatives and reasons that organizations in the country (Nigeria) should adopt,participate and embrace the use of Free and Open Source Software initiatives.
Mustapha Abubakar
![[Mustapha Abubakar]](../photos/256.html)
Mustapha Abubakar is a senior database developer, programmer and also an author,who specializes on C# programming language and firebird relational database management system(Firebird RDBMS) where he wrote a book on Firebird relational database management system in 2008 for beginners (not published). He is a member of the Firebird foundation and working with the translation project of KDE Desktop Environment into HAUSA Language. Mustapha had the opportunity to participate in KDE Akademy in 2008.
Mustapha is the key organiser and founder of the first international conference on free and open source software in Nigeria (http://www.fossnigeria.org/) which took place ats bayero university Kano (http://www.buk.edu.ng) in collaboration with HUTSOFT Nigeria (http://www.hutsoftnigeria.com) with more than 500 participants.
