Koumbit.org - Montreal, Quebec, Canada - L'autonomisation technologique par l'innovation collective

Last Friday, in a friendly atmosphere complete with free snacks, drinks, beer, and pizza, Koumbit welcomed participants to the first ever Drupal 7 code sprint in Montreal. In all, some ten Koumbit workers and almost twenty additional individuals and representatives of other local Drupal shops were present to collaborate on the development, translation, and documentation of the next version of Drupal. We hope the success of this event will encourage other companies to set aside a day in their office to host other code sprints, in Montreal and elsewhere.

On Friday, February 26th we will be hosting FACIL, an advocacy organisation that promotes software freedom and open formats, for our next 5@7. FACIL will be filling us in on the initiatives underway to promote the adoption of Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS): the status of FLOSS within the government of Quebec, ACTA, tou.tv. Please join us for a stimulating and fun discussion about making inroads for free software in traditionally closed-source environments.

The last "5 à 7" was yet another inspiring and exciting event for all involved. We got to meet members of the Media Co-op, an innovative and alternative model to the flagging, advertising-funded mass media that has lost relevance for so many of us. Koumbit was born from the Indymedia movement and so it was especially exciting for us to explore potential partnerships with an organisation that many of us see as the next generation in participatory and independent journalism.

We have invited members of the Media Co-op to come fill us in on how they've used the web, and particularly Drupal, to coordinate the production of an alternative independent news source. We'll also get a glimpse at the reasons behind the ongoing resistance to the 2010 Olympic Games. Please join us for a very special Koumbit Happy Hour on Friday, February 5th, to meet the Co-op and talk about the Olympics.

Update: Koumbit has gotten in touch with several associations and individuals within the Montreal Haitian community in order to discuss the way in which our organisation could assist the victims of the recent quakes. Following these exchanges, we have decided to postpone our meeting on this theme, which we originally planned for January 29th. This delay will allow us to better coordinate with the different concerned parties. We'll let you know the new date as soon as it has been set.

The conservative government, supported by the liberal opposition, is presently working hard to pass two laws which greatly expand telephone and electronic surveillance. Bills C-46 and C-47 are amendments to the Criminal Code and Criminal Records Act, respectively. While they are presented as criminal legislation they contain provisions of profound concern to Koumbit, as an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The conservative government, supported by the liberal opposition, is presently working hard to pass two laws which greatly expand telephone and electronic surveillance. Bills C-46 and C-47 are amendments to the Criminal Code and Criminal Records Act, respectively. While they are presented as criminal legislation they contain provisions of profound concern to Koumbit, as an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The new format

A while ago Koumbit adopted a new format in which we invite organisations to give presentations in the context of our monthly "5 à 7". This has worked out really well and they have been great. In addition to being a fun learning experience for all involved, they help confirm and build relationships.
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The new format

A while ago Koumbit adopted a new format in which we invite organisations to give presentations in the context of our monthly "5 à 7". This has worked out really well and they have been great. In addition to being a fun learning experience for all involved, they help confirm and build relationships.
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Dear members, clients, and friends,

As winter and holiday season approaches Koumbit will be closing it's doors to allow our employees and freelancers time to enjoy with their families, friends, and the great outdoors! To allow our dedicated developers time to get away from their screens our offices will be closed from December 25th, 2009 till January 4th, 2010.