[ubuntu-my] Speech By Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad At The Inaugural Launch Of OSDC.my And Open Source Industry Global Linkage At Berjaya Times Square Monday, 1 June, 2009

Harisfazillah Jamel linuxmalaysia at gmail.com
Sun Apr 22 12:14:14 UTC 2012


It is an embarrassment. I was among those who suggested Linux open
source years ago. I had almost forgotten about it

http://pinterest.com/pin/249035054364968691/

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Speech By Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad At The Inaugural Launch Of
OSDC.my And Open Source Industry Global Linkage At Berjaya Times
Square Monday, 1 June, 2009

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Archive in Facebook. OSDC.my Discussion Group In Facebook.

http://portal.mosc.my/osdc-my-mailing-list-information

and https://www.facebook.com/groups/osdcmalaysia

Speech By Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad At The Inaugural Launch Of
OSDC.my And Open Source Industry Global Linkage At Berjaya Times
Square Monday, 1 June, 2009

https://www.facebook.com/groups/osdcmalaysia/doc/295831823828588/

Pictures

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.85203478545.85004.80292283545

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Origin

http://library.perdana.org.my/Speech_dmm/speech/2009/DMM20090601.pdf

SPEECH BY

TUN DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD

AT THE INAUGURAL LAUNCH OF OSDC.MY

AND OPEN SOUCE INDUSTRY GLOBAL LINKAGE

AT BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE

MONDAY, 1 JUNE, 2009

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 1.         Firstly I would like to thank OSDC.my for inviting me to
this dinner and also to talk on a subject about which I cannot claim
to know much.

 2.         I am 84 years of age, too old to learn new things.  It is
an embarrassment.  I was among those who suggested Linux open source
years ago.  I had almost forgotten about it.  And now you tell me you
have an Open Source Development Club here in Malaysia.  I read your
brief Charter on OSDC.my.  I must admit I can hardly understand it.

 3.         You talk in an entirely new language which I have
difficulty in understanding.  This is made worse by the frequent use
of acronyms which I always fail to remember what they represent.

 4.         I am amazed at the use of such words and terms like Foxie,
Ubuntu, GNU, Perl, Ruby, Phyton, Fedora and many others, which are
the names of animals, precious stones and clothing – it goes to show
that technology creators can be whimsical and relate to the mundane
and the ordinary.  How else can a sophisticated thing like a computer
be called Apple.  Then you have search engines called Yahoo and
Google.

 5.         But the speed of progress in the information age is
mind-boggling if we take for example the development of the telephone.
 The cellular phone which initially was to be a replacement for a
limited range radio phone is today a computer, a calculator, a TV and
Internet receiver and dispatcher, a camera and about everything else
that we can imagine an electronic equipment can do.  Its range now
covers the whole globe, and the sound is fantastically clear.  It once
saved a man’s life from a tiger attack because he could call for help
with his versatile cellular phone.  I would have been eaten by the
tiger because I don’t carry my cellular.  I depend on my staff.

 6.         The knowledge that we can access through the computer are
limitless.  It is said that we can study for a post graduate degree
simply by owning a computer.  Though not computer-savvy I have found
the computer invaluable for verifying historical facts and data about
almost any event that had taken place centuries ago or yesterday.

 7.         But like all things available to men, knowledge and its
acquisition can be for evil as much as for the good.  The blogs for
example can be used to demonize people, scare and frighten them and
create panic.  The SMS can be used for similar purposes.

 8.         But we know how useful they can be for making the truth
known and for individuals to air their views and feelings freely.

 9.         I was told by some people a long time ago that when we use
the Internet, whatever you do or write would be recorded in some far
away place.  There is no secrecy.  Since the Government was using the
Internet a lot, it was frightening to think that some foreign persons
would know all our so-called confidential records and correspondence.

 10.       Being naïve I suggested that we develop our own operating
system.  I think a lot of savvy Government staff tried hard but got
nowhere.   There apparently is no bypassing the Internet.

 11.       Then some started talking about Linux, about open source.
This opened up a lot of mind-boggling use of the computer.  Seems that
everyone can develop software etc. etc.

 12.       At that stage I gave up.

 13.       Now you are telling me about the Global Open Source
development Club.  I do not think I am qualified to be a member.

 14.       Still I appreciate the expertise and the knowledge that
comes with it.

 15.       I was in Korea a few days back and I was amazed at this
one-time hermit nation which has made use of modern technology to
achieve what I would call wonders which changed its image completely.
Korea has the biggest percentage of people who are computer savvy.
They have trained a huge member of IT engineers so that Samsung, a
name we have only recently become familiar with is now technologically
as advanced as Sony Corporation.

 16.       Under the Look East policy we have a number of young
Malaysians studying engineering in Korea.  One of them had recently
topped the class despite having to listen to lectures in Korean but
read textbooks in English.

 17.       Japan’s development was very fast but the Koreans are
faster.  Japan started its modernization during the Meiji Period more
than 100 years ago.  Korea started to modernize only after World War
II.  For the Koreans Japan is the benchmark.  They want to hit the
benchmark, even go beyond it to become the benchmark for the world.  I
think we can use Korea as a benchmark.

 18.       I have always believed that we can do what others can do.
When I asked the girl who topped the class, she had a simple answer
for me.  “Malaysia Boleh” she said.

 19.       So we can. We can do what the Koreans or the Japanese can
do.  All we need really is determination and the willingness to learn
and do things repeatedly until we master them.  If we fail the first
time we must try again, and again and again.  Believe me in the end
you will succeed.

 20.       I may not be computer savvy but I believe the sum total of
my knowledge today is far more than what it was before the Internet,
Yahoo and Google.

 21.       I bought an Encyclopedia Britannica computer disc.  How
silly.  Yahoo and Google can give me more information than the
Encyclopedias.  And accessing the info is easier also.  Truly nobody
should plead ignorance about anything now as you can get to know
things via the computer.

 22.       So my congratulation to the OSDC.my.  Keep on enlarging
your circle and all your knowledge and ideas for the open source.
Malaysia cannot but benefit from it.


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Archive

http://osdc.harisfazillah.info/2012/04/speech-by-tun-dr-mahathir-bin-mohamad.html

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Harisfazillah Jamel
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