Back to IN THE NEWS

Sun Microsystems SA contributes to development of maths in Africa

Sun Donates Linux servers to AIMS initiative

Sun Microsystems SA has played an important role in the establishment of the
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) by donating four servers to
the organisation. Its partner, BreakPoint Solutions, has assembled and delivered
the machines.

AIMS is a joint initiative between the Universities of Stellenbosch, Western
Cape and Cape Town, supported by the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the UK, the University Paris-Sud in France as well as the South African Department of Science and Technology and the private sector.

The AIMS educational centre, launched in Muizenberg on 18 September 2003,
provides a teaching and research platform for advanced studies in pure and
applied mathematics, theoretical physics, astrophysics, and computer science.

Prof Chris Brink, Chairman of the Advisory Board of AIMS, says this joint
venture by higher education, government, and private sector will impact largely
on the development of scientific and technological capacity across the African
continent. It will, he says, have far reaching, long-term benefits for
sustainable economic growth and development in Africa.

According to Andre Muzerie, Sun Microsystems SA coastal accounts manager, the company has donated four Linux-based servers - two V65s and two V60s - which support the Institute's Web site, email and a host of other applications.

"It's common knowledge that there is a shortage of mathematical, technical and
engineering skills in Africa. By supporting AIMS, Sun hopes to play a part in
bridging the skills gap that exists between developing nations and developed
countries," he says.

In addition, Sun reseller Breakpoint Solutions has come on board to install and
configure the machines, donating its technical skills to help the organisation
get the most out of the hardware, says Muzerie.

Jan Groenewald, computer officer at AIMS, says the servers are ideally suited to
the goals of the organisation. "We want to use open source throughout at AIMS, so the Sun servers, which are running Debian Linux, fitted well with our
technology strategy," he says.

Groenewald explains that the organisation has elected for open source as it
found Windows operating system either pirated, or too expensive. "We have an
infrastructure of 50 PCs in addition to the servers, so licensing costs would be
exorbitant," he says.

With the servers providing a highly stable infrastructure, Groenewald says the
Institute can get on with training its students without having to pay attention
to technical problems.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - "The Network Is The Computer[tm]" - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com

Issued by : Citigate SA PR, (011) 804-4900
for : Sun Microsystems SA, (011) 256-6300

www.sun.com/rsa

Contact : Elise Roscoe, Sun Microsystems SA

Back to IN THE NEWS