Mornign all, For those of you who don't subscribe to the fridge RSS feed, I found this in my inbox this morning:
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/820 =.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.= iDart, or the intelligent Dispensing of Antiretroviral Treatment, is a pharmacy system written in Java that is used at antiretroviral (ARV) pharmacies. Initiated in 2004 as a partnership between Cell-Life and the Desmond Tutu HIV foundation, iDart is in use as five different locations around South Africa aiding in the treatment of over 8,500 HIV+ patients. Cell-Life announced that it has created an iDart-in-a-box system which was originally implemented and distributed as software for Microsoft Windows. Due to issues with reliability and security, Cell-Life has decided instead to do a complete system utilizing Ubuntu Linux. The iDart-in-a-box includes a mid-range PC, a Zebra label printer, an HP DeskJet report printer, barcode scanner, a UPS and a GSM modem. The cost for this system lies within the hardware as there are no software licensing costs, and one of these systems can be purchased for approximately R10,000 (1,350 US$) Cell-Life plans to further its commitment to supplying community health clinics with systems that work, all of the time, and with Ubuntu =.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.= I think the key phrase here is "[the] iDart-in-a-box system which was originally implemented and distributed as software for Microsoft Windows. Due to issues with reliability and security, Cell-Life has decided instead to do a complete system utilizing Ubuntu Linux." Surely this is a real-life example that the linux community as a whole can hold up and say "this is making a huge difference to people's lives - and look, the FUD from microsoft about TCO and costs is absolute rubbish!" Please blog this, link to it, Digg it, what ever you can - this is a real marketing opportunity - it should be on the BBC/ the register if it isn't already[1] M. [1] Who's responsible for getting this out to the press anyway? is there anyone, or is it up to the community? -- Matthew Macdonald-Wallace [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodies?" -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
