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Brazil Mandates Shift to Free Software
truthsearch writes "LinuxToday is reporting news and a response about Brazil making Open Source mandatory for 80% of all computers in state institutions and businesses, setting up a 'Chamber for the Implementation of Software Libre.'" This is a big win for Linux, but is making it mandatory going too far? It would seem wiser to support a solution that favors the best tool for the job, which may not always be an open source product.
This is a big win even for Windows based software, such as OpenOffice and other desktop OSS software. And what about OSS server based software? That too.
If closed-source software is prohibited, there's no way for companies to buy their way into Brazil.
"It would seem wiser to support a solution that favors the best tool for the job"
That's very true, but only when you don't have mega-corporations and monopolies leveraging assets other than software (donating computer hardware, donating to social programs, etc).
While I personally believe in "the best tool for the job", governments are far more vulnerable to outside pressure than businesses.
Just a reminder of what just happened in Munich, Germany: while trying to convince public administration to choose Windows, Microsoft dramatically reduced its prices. So, if you're a big company or a public entity, the sole announcement that you consider the Linux alternative can save you a couple of million dollars. Not considering OSS alternatives will cost you or your taxpayers millions of dollars.
That's why competition is so good.
We should mandate free software for government not because "it's the best widget for the woozle problem," but because it's _public_.
The government shouldn't be subsidizing some _private_ interest if there is a public alternative.
Yes, in an ideal world, everyone has choice.
We should all realize, though, that often the power to choose is wasteful, and unnecessary. What do I mean?
Do you know how much time, effort, and money gets wasted having some government committee trying to decide what software to use for something? How many factors are involved? And we're talking latin america here, don't forget bribes.
The choice to use free software is not the same as the "choice" to use Windows. Free software encompasses a whole range of things; somteimes, an edict like this is what it TAKES To change things.
Canada switched to the metric system in a very short time. How? It was forced on everyone. Once you accept it, it's EASY. Yet we still have people in the US with silly studies saying how it would take 100 years for the US to switch, the logistics, yadda yadda. Guess what, if it was actually decreed that you HAD to switch, you would find a way, it wouldn't be anywhere near as disruptive as everyone says, and so on.
The same happened with the switch to the Euro.. tons of people had studies and reports shownig how switching was going to be a HUGE disaster, how it wouldn't work. Guess what, it went rather well.
Given what government does, I'm sure they can fit whatever applications absolutely cannot be replaced by free alternatives in the 20% non-free they are allowed.
What I'm saying is, in practice, sometimes removing choice is the ONLY way to force a real shift in how things are done. I mean, people have had a choice all along, and the pressures involved caused them to chose proprietary things.
...when the right tool for the job can't be found then it will be sought by this gov't. That is excellent news, as it builds the open source pool of software, and pays (hopefully local brazilian) open source software writers for their effort.
KS
On the other hand, all features in the world is no substitute for having control over the software you use for the vittal functions of your country.
In my country (.SE), for the sake of democrasy, government functions, documents and decissions are, when not specifically mandated by national security, required to be available to the public for review.
The same should hold true for the software functions used in the government, if they affect the descissions or the order in which they are made, and must in all cases hold true for the fileformats used.
Everything else would not be democratic.
--The knowledge that you are an idiot, is what distinguishes you from one.
Do you know anything about statistics?? This is your statistic shows the gross amount used on military while you should compare on a per capita basis.
General: budget / population = military spending per capita
US: $399.1e9 / 2.8e8 = $1425
Brazil: 10.5e9 / 1.8e8 = $58
(Israel: 9.4e9 / 6e6 = $1566)
Now thats what we call perspective.
Population numbers are gathered from the cia world factbook avaiable at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Look a monkey!
Furthermore, the first baker has shown many other expert bakers on similar tours, and they were all impressed. You have no particular reason to trust any of them, but a conspiracy on that scale is quite hard to believe. Also, the tours are open to anyone -- with no check on how much baking the guest knows or how he may be disposed toward the baker.
Now if you add in (special to Brazil's case) that the second baker is a member of a rival clan (USA) which has a history of underhanded dealings (Chile, Nicaragua, Columbia), you might not be willing to eat the second bakers bread after all!
In summary, the fact that you have checked something is best, but the fact that you can check it counts for a lot.
Sig:Why copyright isn't a fundamental human right
"rm, no. You're wrong. Since any government is not one monolithic entity but is in fact made up of multiple agencies, making a decision like this at the top level effectively takes away choice from the individual agencies."
:(
I think government should work as any corporation an standardize on something that cut costs that are ultimatelly subsided by us (brazilian taxpayers). The idea to standardize on free software, is a win-win solution. If we let individuals choose, they would prefer to use M$ office instead of OpenOffice just because theyÂre lazy and donÂt want any change.
But to move all apps to free software wonÂt be as easy as change clerical workers desktop computers.
I know that some agencies like Federal Revenue and Customs and Social Securuty have very large and complex systems that depend on M$ and that can not be changed without hurdle. If the government really intends it will need to change the mindset of many agencies and despite of all technical persons goodwill, it would be a daughting task.
HereÂs a link to brazilian e-governement projects.
Google translation
Brazil is a large poor country and should uses all itÂs resources in favor of people who needs education, a good health care system and much more. Buyng M$ licenses is a luxury we canÂt afford..