ICTworks by Inveneo

The company with the motto "Do no evil" obviously is going to have difficulties when in the second quarter of 2010 the Google Android smartphones sales passed the iPhone in worldwide sales. The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle Corp. has sued Google Inc. for patent and copyright infringement, claiming the Android OS violates Oracle's Java copyrights. The suit makes it seem like Google's founder, former Sun chief technology officer, Eric Schmidt, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison are enemies. Oracle became the owner of the company that made Java, Sun, in January 2010. The Android Smartphone as well as hundreds of other electronic devices use Java.

Seeking for damages in Oracle lawsuit

The WSJ says the Oracle lawsuit wants "unspecific damages and an injunction against 'continued acts of infringement' by Google." Sun generally would authorize use of these licenses, which is why every person assumed Google was allowed to use free open-source Java licenses, although Google hasn't officially responded to the public. There was no official Oracle/Google deal that was announced. Android phone shipments would stop along with developers being barred from creating applications for Android OS if an injunction against Google is granted by the California court.

Protecting intellectual property

While Sun's business practices centered on a healthy respect for open-source software and free exchange of ideas, Oracle "takes a lot more care in terms of guarding its IP, and Java is one of the crown jewels of the Sun acquisition," tech analyst Ray Wang told the Journal. Keeping its IP may be significant to Oracle because, as PC World suggests, it is trying to keep away from the U.S. government because of tax evasion that's been happening. Whatever the case, the company that was once considered a rival to Microsoft – a position it has clearly lost to Google – is now looking for the court system to generate revenue.

Google is hosting developer and tech days across Africa with two exciting events, G-Uganda and G-Kenya, taking place early this September.

These web and mobile themed conferences will focus on Google’s developer and business technologies from Chrome Extensions and App Engine, to mobile and AdWords. Attendees will have the chance to explore Google’s open source technologies through a combination of tech talks, breakout sessions and codelabs run by engineers and business teams from across the globe.

G-Uganda will be held on September 1st - 2nd at the Speke Conference Centre just outside of Kampala. Closely on its heels, G-Kenya is running September 6th - 8th at Strathmore University in Nairobi.

More info at Google developer and tech days coming to Kenya and Uganda

The the University at Nsukka, Enugu, Ituku Ozalla, and Aba is partnering with pretty much every major IT company operating in Nigeria to bring Internet connectivity of 1-4mbps per 1000 students and staff, and create 10-400 Terabytes of local data storage for students and faculty.

As reported by Daily Sun:

Other features, according to Dr. Christian Bolu, project coordinator and Director of the Innovation Centre, UNN, include a packet based voice service (VoIP), use of open source software for teaching and learning in several key subjects, provision of laptop charging bays as well as hardware repair centre and use of dedicated power supply.

Google Inc is lead sponsor of the UNN Wireless Network Infrastructure project and has committed to provide a minimum 25megabytes per second (mbps) of international Internet bandwidth to the university over an initial three-year period. Google would also contribute US$40 000 for the last mile/local loop costs, another US$15 000 for consultancy and training to ensure optimal utilisation of the IT services as well as email and collaboration tools and guidance.

MTN Nigeria Communications would lay the fibre optic cables...Other contributors to the UNN Wireless Infrastructure Network project are Hewlett Packard and Cisco Systems. Project contractors are Business Connexion of South Africa, while network infrastructure would be provided by Xirrus Inc of USA and Wavion Technologies of Israel.

Hewlett Packard Inc is providing switches, servers and storage equipment at highly discounted education rates while also providing manpower support for training. Cisco Systems Inc would also assist the University of Nigeria with training in Cisco certification as well as developing the capacity of students and staff for entrepreneurship through the establishment of a model incubator company.

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I wonder if this huge investment will have the $4 million dollar annual impact of ICT at Kenyatta University?

Google is naturally excited about the voluntary formation of Google Technology User Groups across Africa - communities of software developers and Google users sharing ideas about improving their businesses with Google applications.

In a recent post, they now count ten chapters in eight countries including groups in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda and Senegal. While it might be harder to count how GTUG's impact Google's bottom line, I can count their impact on the African technology community.

Bye, bye LUG's, hello GTUG's

Do you remember going to a Linux User Group meeting and being inspired by the excitement and promise in the room? That's how I felt at the Linux Users Group of Accra meeting back in 2005. Like I was in the presence of Africa's future.

Now LUG's are dying off as their members find other passions and professions. This isn't a bad thing - often it means that Linux usage has transcended from a small club of users to the general ICT ecosystem and so LUG's succeeded. Their current incarnation? GTUG's.

Google has the buzz, the ubiquity, and most importantly, the open API's that are allowing developers and businesses to innovate with their technologies. It also helps that they have in-country presence in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. With that base, GTUG's are a natural progression and a welcomed sign of ecosystem maturity.

So what are you doing just sitting there? Join a GTUG today and do your part to continue code culture.

This Saturday, March 27th, the Nairobi Google Tools User Group is meeting at Nairobi Institute of Technology from 10:30am – 1:00pm.

The Nairobi GTUG holds regular meetings to keep you updated on Google technologies and how potential they can be for your Internet enabled application or even enterprise.

During the meetups, GTUG members share resources, skills & knowledge about Google technology & services, spreading dirty little tricks about Google's technologies, or simply chat with each other talking about all of Google's tools.

To stay updated, please join the mailing list at: http://groups.google.com/group/nairobigtug/

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