This page brings together quotes and statements from various people that have attended or facilitatored Source Events. There is probably no better way to get a feeling for what these Camps are all about, than reading through the list.

If you have been to a Source Camp, please add your voice!

Summer Source:

Ian Lawrence from Brazil

"Without SummerSource I would not be implementing a shift to OSS software. It was only after talking with the participants of the camp and actually having 'hands on' experience that I felt confident enough in my own abilities to install and maintain the software. More important, however, was actually having confidence in the software itself and in the community which supports it. I gained this as a direct result of the camp and it has made a lasting impression on me and I hope it will too on the people I am working with here."

Eugeniy Lobanov, Belarus

"The most important for me was the knowledge about F/OSS using and implementation, because before the camp we practically didnt have relevant information about implementation of F/OSS solutions for NGOs and some other stakeholders. Also, it was extremely important to receive a professional overview of existing F/OSS solutions and a comparison of F/OSS to licensed software. After the camp we switched 2 of our computers to the Knoppix operating system. And we decided to start a project devoted to the promotion of F/OSS among NGOs in Belarus"

Tomas Krag, head of the Danish NGO wire.less.dk

"I learned a lot about the needs of NGO's from around the world, and even more about the key issues that make Free Software and Open standards so important everywhere in the world. In a sense, the inspiration to take one more step away from running a company and towards starting an NGO for real, came from the Summer Source camp."

Jeffrey Starin

" Woodstock in a server room. And like that electrifying event in the summer of 1969, the Summer Source Camp for NGOs 2003 may very well be remembered as a turning point, a spark that successfully ignited the imaginations of both the unconventional, high-IQ open-source software developers and their activist implementer counterparts.... the Tactical Tech collective deserve kudos for taking thorny and politically charged agendas and artfully weaving them into a collective learning experience for all."

Linux Magazine

"The bazaar, was designed to bring implementers and developers together for discussion, brainstorming, alliance building and visioning. Lying on rugs, drinking Turkish tea, participants exchanged Open Source ideas, projects and visions, trading in currencies of creativity and learning... As the camp came to an end, a new era of close cooperation between NGOs and the free and Open Source community had just begun"

Africa Source 1

Slashdot.org

"Africa Source was a mixture of structured and semi-structured discussions with loads of good 'ole hacking thrown in to boot. With workshops ranging from i18n to wireless hacks to running a MOSIX cluster, there were plenty of hands-on sessions for folks to attend. The first ever Kiswahili spell checker was developed and released during the conference, a testament to the activity of those involved"

Andy Wingo on his blog

"... wonderful to meet other hackers of the continent, and especially seeing quality home grown hackers working on home-grown solutions"

Kwindla Kramer for ONLamp.com

"Tomorrow we have sessions on translating and localizing software, on gender issues, and on business strategies. A long block of time in the afternoon is set aside for free-form, peer-to-peer, "skill-shares" on such topics as using public-key cryptography, building F/OSS applications around SMS and other cellular phone technologies, tips on tuning large databases, and many others."

Asia Source

Ethan Zuckerman for worldchanging.com

"In a thatched roof pavillion ten kilometers from downtown Bangalore, a hundred geeks are clustered around laptops. There are a few American and European faces, but most of the geeks are from Asia: Indians, Philipinos, Burmese, Thai. While some are editing video, most are wrestling with installations of Ubuntu Linux. At intervals, they break off to play ping pong, shoot some hoops, or play a little cricket, before retiring to the onsite vegetarian dining hall."

Click here for the full article.

Africa Source 2

Janet Haven on her blog

"You wouldn't normally expect to learn about open source software, organizational technology needs, or the finer points of information strategies for advocacy groups while sitting on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. Nor would you normally hope to bring 140 people from all over Africa to Ssese Island, a spot known for its natural beauty, curving white beaches, warm afternoons, and slow pace of life, and expect them to remain excited about those topics for seven days running.

But it happened, and this, in a nutshell, is the magic of the Source Camp series that the Tactical Technology Collective has led over the past three years."

Read the whole article on Janet's blog

Gunner interviewed for newsforge.com

"First, I believe we succeeded in strengthening the social network of FOSS practitioners in Africa. This is essential for building FOSS
capacity in Africa; participants now have relationships and contact
information for those who can help them to move forward in their
migration to FOSS technologies.

Second, more than 120 participants left AS II with practical, hands-on experience and know-how about migrating NGOs and schools to FOSS. These skills include assessment, planning, deployment, configuration, training, and support. We look forward to watching them collaborate on the mailing lists, and to hearing their success stories and reflections both online and when next we convene.

Read the whole article on newsforge.com

Evelyn on her blog

"Africa Source II was a spectacular event that has ever happened in my life. It was amazing meeting so many people willing to share out knowledge with others at absolutely no cost. One of the biggest inspiration for me in Africa Source II was making friends and networking with lots of people, 'the geeks'. I was a techie volunteer and i was among the guys who set up and managed the network at the source camp."

Becky Faith for Pambazuka News

"Women from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and Egypt got together to discuss how they might advocate for open source amongst women. Mentoring for school-age girls to get them to consider information technology as a career was seen as a top priority. The openness of the FOSS community was seen as a great opportunity for learning and participation by women."