Johannesburg - Computer giant IBM on Wednesday announced a challenge to Microsoft in Africa with a new open-standards software package for netbooks that would help Africa "bridge the digital divide."IBM said it was partnering with Canonical Ubuntu, the company of South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, to provide a "new, flexible personal computing software package for netbooks and other thin client devices."
Netbooks are small, low-cost, low-power notebook computers.
"This new package targets the rising popularity of low cost netbooks to make IBM's industrial-strength software affordable to new mass audiences in Africa," IBM said in a press release.
The software package, which runs on Canonical Ubuntu Linux operating system, is aimed primarily at businesses and organizations that cannot afford traditional PCs and proprietary software for all employees, IBM said.
Called the IBM Smart Work Client, it gives users of notebooks, netbooks and other mobile devices access to open-standards email, word processing, spreadsheets, communication, social networking and other software, IBM said.
By switching from Microsoft to Linux-based software, African governments could halve their IT licensing, administration and maintenance costs, freeing up money for disaster management, education and healthcare, IBM said further.
Shuttleworth, who is famous as South Africa's first space tourist, said the software package would further efforts to eliminate barriers to computer access for emerging markets.
IBM said the Smart Work Client would be available through IT service providers or directly to institutions, such as Uganda's Makerere University.
