[GNUe]Just back from Trinidad

[David Sugar]

Incidently, I have just returned from speaking at the FLOS conference in 
Trinidad.  For those who may have missed this recent trip, I was invited to 
Trinidad to speak about GNU Alexandria 
(http://www.gnu.org/software/alexandria/lsm2003/index.html), which basically 
applies GNU Bayonne as one means to deliver e-government services for the 
blind.

I also had some very useful discussions with their National Library and 
"Information System" Authority (NALIS) about the potential for deploying free 
software to enable accessibility for the blind, both in terms of GNU 
Alexandria, and in regard to setting up special pc's at all their branches 
using Blinux and similar "Linux for the Blind" distributions and tools.  I 
have the impression that the leadership in "NALIS" do understand the mission 
of their library system is to provide access to the largest ammount of 
material to the broadest possible population on an equal basis.  In addition 
to the possibility of doing a GNU Alexandria pilot program in Trinidad at 
some point in the future, we may look at replicating such services through 
UNESCO to other similarly positioned nations in the world.

I think Robin Miller has an overall excellant summation of this conference on 
newsforge.  I think there is more about it on the LinuxJournal site as well.