Executive Summary

Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team has mainly one mission, to distribute the knowledge about GNU/ Ubuntu Linux around Jordan, by any possible means, such as training, installation festivals, educating and/or advocating.

GNU/Linux is part of a bigger movement called the Free Software (a.k.a Open Source), which is in short to have the power to use the software for any purpose, to modify it to fit your specific needs, and redistribute it to share the benefit with others.

FLOSS (Free Libra Open Source Software) as a philosophy and as a strategic decision is adopted by many individuals, companies, enterprises, and governments. For example Google, Yahoo, Youtube, and Facebook are some of the big names on the Internet who are using FLOSS in over 70% of their websites. Oracle has created the “Unbreakable Linux”, where the customer gets Oracle database and Java on top of GNU/Linux. NSA (National Security Agency) has created the SELinux (Security Enhanced Linux) which they challenged people from around the world to break. And finally NASA used FLOSS in their latest trip to mars. Germany, North Korea, Brazil, and the state of California are some of the governmental bodies that are adopting FLOSS in their governments and schools.

Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team ambition is to have Jordan Free (as in freedom) from the technology dependency on others and become a producer instead of consumer or just an assembly line.

Advantages Of Adapting FLOSS in Jordan

Adopting FLOSS in Jordan gives it the following advantages:

• Information technology freedom and independence.
• Flexibility, with the existence of source code and software developers anything can be done with minimum cost.
• Security, GNU/Linux is Unix-Like operating system, which is famous for its security, and with the source code availability highly qualified software engineers and developers can audit the software to ensure that it is free from anything that could harm the businesses and leak confidential information.
• Reliability, GNU/Linux is server-based, that means it was built to be placed on servers, with that design in mind, the software designers, engineers and developers took care of every detail to ensure 100% reliability and dependability.
• All of that for free (free of charge).

Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team helps into distributing the knowledge, and helps whoever wants to help into distributing the FLOSS, around the country, with expertise that cannot be valued freely.

Our Vision

Its not to make Jordan propitiatory software free, as a matter of fact and being practical this cannot happen, companies and institutes might need to buy software that doesn't have a good replacement for it on FLOSS, but at least to minimize the dependency on such type of software to make it 5% instead of 95% will be healthy for the economy and for the country's direction towards being an IT reference in the Middle East. Mainly we want to free as much as possible all the sectors (public, private, etc ...) from the closed software, open the market for more competition and help the growth of the country and people.

Market Analysis

Jordan, is a 3rd world country that is suffering from poverty and lack of natural resources, yet is rich with talented young people who are eager to hit the market and be productive. Jordan is rich with minds that are eager to learn, if directed properly, and those are the future makers.

Despite the fact that Jordan is facing many economical difficulties and debts, still all the money is wasted on importing almost everything in the country, which makes it a consuming country from the first class, and increases the burden on the government and therefore on the people.

Jordan is trying to become one of the IT references in the Middle East, but what the government is missing here is that being an assembly line or a re-distributer of others products and software, doesn't generate money for the country, since the big cut of the cost goes to the product's owner, while the assembler, customizer, or redistributer gets a very small piece of the cake.

After entering the WTO and applying the rules of intellectual property, Jordan has spent during the last years millions of JDs buying propitiatory software, such as Oracle DB, Microsoft products (Windows, Office, Exchange, ISA server, etc ...), SunOS and many others, all of these softwares are needed and are great, but Jordan with all the debts it has, is just increasing the burden and depending on AIDS from different 1st world countries, while Jordan doesn't need the aid of anyone, just the belief in its people.

FLOSS is the solution for Jordan, as it was the solution for Brazil, North Korea and the European Union, FLOSS software offers Jordan the chance of becoming a producer and a money generator through its people by adopting FLOSS.

Economical Advantages of adopting FLOSS

Advantages of adopting FLOSS from economical point of view:

• Minimum TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), with FLOSS the initial cost of getting the software equals zero,and if setup correctly the servers can run flawlessly for years.
• Training and producing FLOSS experts and exporting expertise to different Middle East countries which also lacks experts in this area.
• Local support from the previously trained people.
• No vendor Lock-in, any institution, company or organization, is not locked to one vendor or support company, FLOSS opens the doors for competing on delivering the best service whether in support, customization and/or modification.
• One thing is removed from the import list (consuming) and added to the export list (producing). and to keep the country's money inside it (at least in that part ), which will help into using that money for other sectors like energy and electricity.
• Using FLOSS, means that Jordan will not have to update, change or remove software packages because the vendor just said that.
• Using Closed software or propitiatory software means that if the vendor is out of market or for any reason stopped supporting the software that it used to provide, institutes and companies will have a disaster that all that spent money is now worthless and now they need to look for something else, while with FLOSS, the software continues to live as long as the community needs it, whether the community is local or international, it will stay.
• Exposure to others work and experiences not only the interface of the software, but the code that built that software increases the knowledge of our IT students and helps into making them real software developers not only software users.
• Helps into making the PC available to any person, by eliminating the price of software, which is now might go over the price of hardware itself.
• Simplest thing, being exposed to FLOSS, gives you a good winning card to use against any vendor to show it that you have other options.

Market in Jordan is thriving for a solution that doesn't add more debts on it, that increases the competition and increases the potentiality of making Jordan the number one country in the Middle East who offers the best yet the cheapest software solutions, Jordan is still young in the IT international market and can make a strong impact by adopting the FLOSS on the national level.

Competition Analysis

FLOSS doesn't compete with anyone except us, we are the real competitors against adopting FLOSS software, for different reasons:

• Ignorance of the fact that there are other solutions.
• Being used to one thing and being conservatives and not wanting to change.
• FUD, Fear Uncertainty and Doubt, makes most decision makers unable to take the decision to adopt FLOSS.
• The opposite propaganda, that is made by propitiatory software campaign that makes us more attached to that software and ignoring its flaws, bugs and issues.
• The false massages that is send from propitiatory software companies, that FLOSS is made by armatures and is not suitable for real life business.
• Students are attached to what they learn in the universities, which makes the impact of professors and teachers crucial into helping students understand FLOSS
• Strategic relationship that his majesty King Abdullah made with Microsoft makes the ability for FLOSS software to penetrate the market very minimum.
• The confusion made on the word FREE, which makes people think that FREE means free of charge, which is partially correct, while FREE was meant to be free as in freedom, which included the free of charge in its way.
• The confusion that the word FREE introduced that made people think that they cannot generate money from it, since they cannot sell the software, while on the contrary, FLOSS has generated lots of money for different companies, by providing support, creating services for that software, or creating software packages on top of FLOSS.
• FLOSS, since it is based on the community, doesn't have marketing and sales department to show its advantages and hide its disadvantages, as propitiatory software companies does, they market the Graphical User Interface and hide the security issues that makes it vulnerable for viruses and crackers. FLOSS is marketed by the community to help the community, so as much FLOSS adoption happen as much the FLOSS will be adopted.

Strategy

Since Ubuntu Jordan can only help JPO and cannot work under its umbrella, we can help in the following:

• Preparing Flayer that is given with every machine.
• Preparing a user manual in Arabic to help the new users.
• Being referenced as a volunteer community, not the official support center for JPO, who can help any of those users in their problems.
• Train some JPO staff on Linux and FLOSS.
• Prepare a Linux laboratory for the JPO to use and learn on it.
• CAN WE DO MORE

Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team will need in return for its services, the following:

• take 50% of the Flayers to distribute it to its own channels
• To take 50% of the prepared user manuals

• The training session(s) to be sponsored by JPO but not dedicated to JPO staff, which means any of the Ubuntu Jordan members are welcomed to attend the training.

• For the prepared laboratory, JPO has to sponsor two installation festivals with at least 500 JDs worth each, which is going to be beneficial for JPO themselves since some of the people who bought their machines will attend such an event.
• CAN WE GET MORE

All expertise from the Ubuntu Jordan, which worths thousands of Jordanian Dinars,is going to be offered for free for JPO to get the previously mentioned points, otherwise, JPO has to pay consultation and training services for individuals from the Ubuntu Jordan or any other place they want.

The Management

Ubuntu Jordan is led by a group of core people, who will change from time to another, due to its voluntarily architecture, nevertheless there will be always someone to contact, for now the group contains some of the finest people such as:

• Jad/Hakam Madi: Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team Leader.

• Khamis Siksek: Organization and Methodologies Manager in Mecca.com, with FLOSS experience over 8 years.

The management team as it appears from previously stated names and expertise, spans different sections, levels of expertise, IT specialists, non IT people, enthusiasm and wisdom, all have one goal, which is to help the country in general and the people in specific to adopt FLOSS.

Financials and Sponsors

We are a non-profit group, so we will never benefit anyone financially in a direct way, though companies and institutes can benefit by making Ads and presence in Ubuntu Jordan events and booths.

Being a volunteer group of people, there is no direct cost on any one sponsors the group, no salaries or social security needed to be paid on behalf of the group members, though sponsors are welcome to spend money on helping us in many different ways such as:

• Printing brochures and Flayers.
• Copying CDs of FLOSS software or Linux distribution.
• Giving us a place to meet, organize technical sessions, give training courses, perform installation festivals or just to socialize.

• Buying, loaning or renting hardware for different Ubuntu Jordan activities.

• Acquiring a booth for Ubuntu Jordan in national or International IT events such as MITS and GITEX.

• PLEASE ADD MORE IF ANY

The sponsor will get in returns

• A presence for it in every Linux event by putting an Ad.
• A point of sale for the sponsor to market its products and services.

• Being mentioned, acknowledged, and referenced by the Ubuntu Jordan group and given the priority over other competitors who provides the same service.

• A link and/or Logo on every printed brochure or Flayer.

• A link and/or Logo on the Ubuntu Jordan website.

• PLEASE ADD MORE IF ANY

Copyright

(c) 2008 Khamis Siksek. Edited by Jad Madi

Permission

is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".