Venezuela Embraces Linux and FOSS

Voline writes "In the past few years the Venezuelan government has pursued a policy of 'Open source whenever possible, propietary software only when necesary.' This article from Venezuelanalysis.com provides a good overview of recent efforts on this front. Pres Chávez sees FOSS as a way to save money, develop the domestic software industry, and to reduce dependence on foreign (mostly US) suppliers. One of Chávez's advisors, José Luis Rey, is the former president of the Venezuela Linux Users Group."

Comments

I smell...

[Anonymous Coward]

Better watch out, i smell an invasion coming.

Microsoft

[idolcrash]

How long until Microsoft sues them into submission?

Re:Microsoft

[Anonymous Coward]

Umm, sues them where? In Venezuelan courts? Ha!

Hello, world?

[bm17]

Anyone? Anyone?

Is there anyone from Venezuela who can tell us what's really going on over there? Is the government really switching to OSS, or is it just a ploy to get discounts from Microsoft? If the switch to OSS has already happened, is it a support nightmare like Microsoft would have us believe?

Re:Hello, world?

[Espectr0]

It's sad to tell you that i am here, are a member of VELUG, and don't know much. This article was posted 2 years ago (the one included to use OSS when we could), yet we used Windows inside the electoral machines sold by Smartmatic.

Some things i do know, is that the initial backer for this project was Felipe Perez Marti, which was the Minister of Science and Technology.

Appearing from nowhere, Microsoft gave the goverment a new deal, and seems we were back to "normal". The minister was let go a few months later than the original article, and it seems the project got stuck.

In our current regime, when someone screws up, he just gets another job in the goverment. We have had over 7 presidents of our oil industry, about 4 ministers of defense, and so on.

Now, the article does tell that the infocenters had Windows and now are using OSS, but is scarse on details.

Last november, even Stallman was here. A friend that saw him told it was funny to see him with a strange hat, saying in broken spanish "i am the minister of the church of Emacs". Priceless.

The article points that the former minister is still involved and also says that our oil industry will be switching to OSS. That will sure be interesting, as the software used there is the most expensive kind you can get, in any country. I won't believe it until i see it.

Re:Hello, world?

[bm17]

I won't believe it till I see it either.

Well, that is depressing, but thank you for the update.

Re:Hello, world?

[Clsid]

I'm from Venezuela and I'm on the VELUGs developer's list. I can tell you that there are quite a few developments in the server area in most government departments/ministries.

One cool thing that happened not so long ago, was one of their IT people posting questions to our mailing list asking stuff about PostgreSQL and PHP.

I think Linux has a lot of potential on the private sector, we just need more help from the BSA, so that they can bust pirated copies of Windows. When people start spending so much money in M$ software we'll see lots of linux specialists popping up in no time.

The real question is

[Dr. Spork]

Why isn't everyone else doing this? It just seems so obviously reasonable.

Re:The real question is

[colle]

Because some people just KNOW that free stuff can NEVER be as good as or better than stuff you pay for. Since it's free there must be hook somewhere!

Re:The real question is

[burns210]

1. Best tool for the job. Open or closed, BEST tool.
2. Support. Forums and mailing-lists do not (officially) count, enterprise-level support REQUIRES a phone number that can get a live trained tech to fix the problem.

Does Debian or Gentoo have that?

Re:The real question is

[Karora]

Well I don't know about Gentoo (although I doubt it's any different), but my company provides "a phone number that can get a live trained tech to fix the problem" for Debian users.

This is a service that we offer to our clients, and it works well. After all, we have full access to the source code, so why should we not be able to fix the problem? There are companies all over the world who happily provide this kind of service - what we do is not unusual.

So-called "enterprise-level" support in the Microsoft world still also has a lot to do with your effectiveness at searching google. I haven't personally come across an MS geek who has expected to automatically have problems solved by (e.g.) calling MS.

The point, for Venezuela, I guess is that the support can be a local call. The experts can be speaking the same language, with the same dialect, and still be experts. And the bottom line is that they will be paid at local rates, and the money won't be getting shipped out of the country.

Not much interest

[ballpoint]

in Venezuela, I suppose.
7 posts so far.

It's a shame, because VZ is one of South America's most interesting countries. I've traveled the country from Valencia to Parima, and it has a lot going for it. If you ever have the chance, go there. You won't be disappointed.

Re:Not much interest

[konstantinlevin]

You just like Venezuela cuz it's got S. America's hottest women.

Re:Not much interest

[Espectr0]

Why come to my country to visit the big cities? You have probably been in big cities yourself.

Venezuela's tourism resides in other landscapes. For example, we have the highest waterfall in the world, called Salto Angel (angel falls).

We have some beautiful beaches on Archipielago Los Roques, and tourists from all the world in Margarita Island.

We have every kind of soil and climate you can imagine. Climate is mostly hot, but you can visit Merida and Peak Bolivar (~5000 meters) for some cold snow. Or visit Guayana for some humid jungle (most people think the "rain forest" is located on Brazil, they are partially correct, since it is in Venezuela too)

Re:Not much interest

[ballpoint]

My primary travel interest is nature, so of course I've seen everything in between too (including Morrocoy, the Gran Sabana and both halves of Margarita).

I only missed the Andes and the llanos, but I'll be back someday. It's an amazing country, and extremely undertravelled.

BTW I didn't find the climate overly hot; at 30C it's really rather nice except when you have to do physical exercise. Try places like Phoenix, Cairo, Sevilla and parts of India for a really hot climate...

You are priviledged to live there - the only negatives are the lousy politics, the slums in Caracas (the result of an uneven wealth distribution) and the ever present sandflies - but maybe you can add more...

Re:Not much interest

[Espectr0]

You are priviledged to live there - the only negatives are the lousy politics, the slums in Caracas (the result of an uneven wealth distribution) and the ever present sandflies - but maybe you can add more...


Sure. Congress just approved a law that will put people in jail if they give bad input about how they see the goverment. The media is terrorized and the main news channel has changed most of its programming.

A law will be approved in congress soon, that contains some gems as this:

"It is OK to steal if you are hungry"

Nice privileges i have. The few we had, they are being taken.

Re:Not much interest

[ballpoint]

Too bad, a second Cuba in the making... Let's hope it doesn't take as long to change.

So Many Regimes to Change

[Anonymous Coward]

Another regime change trigger?

They are coding for free.

Maybe Linux Can Save Venezuela From Chavez...

[reallocate]

...which would be nice, seeing that he may believe more in free software than he does in a free society.

No freedom here!

[Soroths]

I am from Venezuela and I can tell you that this *dictator* does not believe in anything that has to do with freedom.... what else could you expect from a failed military whose only jump into popularity were two disastrous, bloody and failed coupes? And he calls the oppsition "coup plotters"..... hahahahahahaha!!!! Well, more on the linux front, I have no faith what so ever on the initiative, everything they've done has always had a "reason behind it", if you know what I mean... maybe it is getting more discounts from microsoft, as someone here already said, but that would raise the question "why?", since practically every single piece f software you can find here is pirated.... I can bet on it and cut my veins that if you walk into any public office of your choosing you will *not* find a single valid Windows and/or Office installation, so what's with the "saving money" part about? I believe it's more of an idealistic pose, unfortunately we're full of those here and it's trash, believe me! I mean, how can you interpret the "Muammar Gadaffi Human Rights Award"???? This ditator was awarded with it, and if that's not a pose then I don't know what wolrd we're living in!!! 'nuf said, so there!

Re:No freedom here!

[Anonymous Coward]

Half the population of Venezuela doesn't agree when you say that Chavez is a dictator, you know?

Some less subjective opinions, please??

Re:No freedom here!

[Soroths]

Yeah, whatever.... come live here and then we'll talk! Show me what "half the population" that is and we'll talk... remember that with a fraud and total control of the voting council and imigration anybody can win! Believe me, it's easy! (it's also very easy to support or criticize something from far away, just like leftist french who support the Cuban regime... right, they support and defend it while living in Paris, of course, but they don't have to stand that shit because they don't live in Cuba like the Cubans! They wouldn't be caught dead outside Paris! Just the same, it's very easy to support Chavez while living in the USA or something, enjoying our oil! And don't get me wrong, I'm not the anti American type at all --gotta love New York City!--, I just hate that attitude; want to defend Chavez? Come donw here and spend some time with his foot up your ass to see if you'll still like him!). In fact... "we'll talk"? I'm not wasting any more time at this... 'nuff said, so there!