Paw Prints: Writings of the maddog

I work with free software for many reasons, but sometimes I get wrapped up in the things that I do, and lose sight of the most important reasons why I work in this field....until I get a letter like the one below.

A few weeks ago I was in Columbia's first "Campus Party", a combination LAN party, conference, technology showcase and idea exchange, and while there I was shown a series of projects that were being developed by some students from the SENA group of colleges and Universities in Columbia. I commented on some of those projects, and used one of their systems in running a small "contest" during my talk.

I think it significant that the SENA students wanted the opportunity to tell people that young Colombians can write good software and that those same young Colombians were not "violent people". The first is something that I find repeated time and time again as I go around the world visiting countries. I even find it in the United States as I visit various pockets of the country not recognized for programming skills. But I run into the second issue less often, usually when I visit countries like Israel, or Russia, or China. So I am giving the young Colombian programmers that opportunity, and I am giving you the opportunity to write to this student, Mr. JAIME ALONSO PIAMBA IBARRA <jaime.piamba AT hotmail.com>, in case you or your event wishes to take him up on this opportunity to better know young Colombian programmers.

I also think it significant that these students are creating a new company out of Free Software using the work they had done at the University, creating the opportunity for them to make a living building on their work, and the work of others. This is the essence of Free Software, and I wish them luck.

Warmest regards,

Jon "maddog" Hall

===========================================================================================================

Mr Jon,

[It] is a pleasure to greet you and wishing that all things are good.

As you will recall, we met on Campus party Colombia a few weeks ago, I am a Sena student, I´ll graduate in few months and I´ve formed the company Multinet with other classmates. Meeting you has been very important in our professional and personal experience.

I am glad to inform you due to the projects presented at the event and the recognition that you kindly made us, we have received many opportunities, which we want to share with you.

For example, the Sena´s newspaper and the radio station interviewed us and also the regional newscast. About business, it has been very pleasant the receptivity that these solutions with free software have had on companies. Next Tuesday we will meet with managers of major chain drugstores in the country, to give a demonstration. They are very interested in implementing our product CallServer (Asterisk development).

In Sena formally we have established a research group in free software and we have received the approval for this initiative, which will have national coverage in Sena. Just next week we will be moving around Valle del Cauca, our state, to visit 7 SENA´s branches to talk about our projects with free software.

We also got approval to make SENATIC, a national congress on ICT for SENA Students, the event that I told you in which you will honor us with your presence (date is pending, maybe for February 09).

We would like to participate in other free software events worldwide, for example the OLF Ohio Linux Festival or others that you recommend to us, to show what Colombian young entrepreneurs are doing with free software, to show that Colombian young are not violent people, to show we´re creative workers.

We also thank you for all professional or business contacts that you can offer us, because we see that our products are solutions that can be applied globally and we are ready to make that goal a reality.

Finally reiterate you our admiration and gratitude, also you can count with us for any event, in addition, here in Colombia you have in us new unconditional friends.

Most of us, are living in Cali(300km from Bogota-Half our by plane), second city of country and capital of Valle del Cauca. I live in Florida, a town very close to Cali (20km).

Attached are photos of remembrance.

Thank you-Sincerely.