Through my studies in computer science I have been made aware of FLOSS. For years I have been interested in computers and in how computers works “under the hood”. FLOSS has given me access to a lot of useful software which would otherwise be out of my reach. Having access to FLOSS has given me a great opportunity to learn about computers and programming. At the same time my Christian faith and my travels to counties poorer than mine, have given me an interest in developing countries. From this two interests it was not far for me to ask about FLOSS, and how FLOSS can benefit developing countries. By conducting my research as part of the HISP network I got an opportunity to conduct my research into FLOSS and developing countries, and at the same time I could actively contribute and become a better programmer.
Research into FLOSS and how FLOSS can benefit developing countries have caught relatively widespread interest in the last few years. I am not the first to ask this question. By basing my research on two concrete case studies I believe this research will create knowledge about FLOSS in the context of Ethiopia and in the context of HISP.