Web2ForDev Conference

I'm currently at the Web2ForDev conference in Rome, Italy, sponsored by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and many other organizations, including the International Fund for Agriculture Development, one of our clients. It's great to see how the development (as in developing countries, not software development) is using technology to empower the poor to help themselves.

 

 

The main session hall.

 

One of the major themes is market access and information. In the U.S. we're used to open access to information; the fact that we can easily get up to the minute (or less) quotes on securities is something we take for granted -- in Liferay's world, I remember thinking, a Stocks portlet? Big deal, everyone has that! But that's not the case in, say, crop markets in rural developing areas. Something as simple as knowing the prevailing prices of corn or wheat can help farmers maximize their profits and adjust their production to meet market demand with their supply.

 

That's the power of information. Part of what we're trying to do with Liferay is make it easier for information to get out to the right people -- whether that means farmers or the sales team of a major financial services company.

 

The other major factor that comes into consideration with this audience is performance. Not blazingly fast Flash-based interfaces on the latest servers, but being able to access a website using an unreliable 9600 baud dial up connection. The disadvantages for the developing world are not only in the areas of reliable water, power and food supplies, or basic health care; the broadband connections we enjoy in the developed world are also a luxury taken for granted.

 

I'll be presenting tomorrow afternoon about the connection between open source, the evolving web ("Web 2.0") and the development community. All three have been about participation - enabling people to move beyond passive consumption to active contribution and community building.

 

 

 

Streets of Rome.

 

 

FAO headquarters has a a great view of Rome. Here, the road leading from Circo Massimo to Colosseo.

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hey anyone do the packaging and deployment of liferay? i developed one site using liferay5.2.1 and now i handovering the site to end user. how i do that? is there any was to package the entire site or deployment?