Practical Insights on Software Development

Stop Reinventing the Flat Tire with Custom Software Development

Stop Reinventing the Flat Tire with Custom Software Development

Published on: Jul 10 2015 by Guest Writer - 9 Comments
News flash: most nonprofits are terrible at software development, open-sourcing is not a sustainability plan, and constantly re-inventing the wheel is a poor way...
Respect Myanmar’s Ethnic Diversity: Use Unicode Fonts Online

Respect Myanmar’s Ethnic Diversity: Use Unicode Fonts Online

Published on: Sep 15 2014 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Burmese is the dominant language of Myanmar, but its had a long and winding journey in the digital realm, and now there is a tension between two competing systems...
10 Theses on Power and Efficacy of ICT4D Indulgences

10 Theses on Power and Efficacy of ICT4D Indulgences

Published on: Dec 06 2013 by Karl Brown - Comments Off on 10 Theses on Power and Efficacy of ICT4D Indulgences
I am Karl Brown, Associate Director of applied technology at the Rockefeller Foundation, and at the recent Mobiles! convening, I gave a brief talk where I highlighted...
7 Ways We Can Scale ICT4D Pilotitis

7 Ways We Can Scale ICT4D Pilotitis

Published on: Oct 09 2013 by Wayan Vota - 8 Comments
One overarching theme from the recent Mobiles! Conference was the need to get past pilotitis – the too many small projects that never scale, dying the day...
Inveneo’s Network Management Software Now Available as Open Source!

Inveneo’s Network Management Software Now Available as Open Source!

Published on: Aug 07 2013 by Aaron Mason - 1 Comment
Setting up a network generally means configuring a router, a UPS, maybe a NAS appliance and a few access points… Just a few pieces of equipment to serve hundreds...
Why is the Quality of Kenyan Apps Going Down?

Why is the Quality of Kenyan Apps Going Down?

Published on: Jun 10 2013 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
I am Kennedy Kachwanya and I think the quality of the apps being created has gone down. Recently I attended Microsoft Imagine Cup competition and I left the...
Two Reasons Why Software as a Service Is a Bad Business Model

Two Reasons Why Software as a Service Is a Bad Business Model

Published on: Jun 07 2013 by Wayan Vota - 12 Comments
Looking around the tech world and you would think Software as a Service (SaaS) is a godsend. All the cool Google services (search, GMail, Docs) are SaaS and the...
Will the Ubuntu Phone Rock the African Software Development Market?

Will the Ubuntu Phone Rock the African Software Development Market?

Published on: Apr 03 2013 by Aaron Mason - 1 Comment
You’re undoubtedly familiar with Ubuntu. An open source OS powerhouse, some argue that Ubuntu has the potential to take a sizable bite out of the cost of deploying...
Africans Should be Developing for Smartphones, Not USSD or Feature Phones

Africans Should be Developing for Smartphones, Not USSD or Feature Phones

Published on: Jun 13 2012 by Wayan Vota - 14 Comments
Recently, TechCrunch made the bold prediction that in five years’ time, most sub-Saharan Africans will have smartphones. At first I thought this just more mobile...
83% of all PC Software in East Africa is Pirated: Does it Matter?

83% of all PC Software in East Africa is Pirated: Does it Matter?

Published on: Nov 23 2011 by Wayan Vota - 20 Comments
In the global market for personal computers, 2010 was a watershed year. For the first time PC shipments to emerging economies outpaced those mature markets, 174...