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John Barlow Pushes Open Source in Brazil
greysky writes "This story on Foxnews.com reports that as part of the larger World Social Forum, Barlow spoke on how open source software can help alleviate financial problems of developing countries: "Already, Brazil spends more in licensing fees on proprietary software than it spends on hunger"." NPR talks about how Brazil plans to switch 300,000 machines over.
In developing countries, licensing cost are astronomical compared to labor charges, so even if all the MS FUD were true for the US and Europe regarding TCO, it wouldn't be the case in developing countries since the cost of training and paying labor to do upkeep on the systems would be relatively low. I'm not saying I believe TCO is higher for linux, just that it would still be cheaper in developing countries.
Lessig noticed and the computer was quickly disconnected and replaced with a laptop running on open-source software.
They replaced the windows computer as soon as they discovered it. I wonder how long before that becomes common practice all over the world.
Now if you happen to agree with their viewpoint, and you magically happen to change your mind to whatever the White House is pushing that day even if it contradicts past talking points, well then you are an amazing coincidence housed in an independent-thinking brain. Or possibly the alternative is true: You too have been influenced by the Fox propaganda techniques.
Can anyone provide the numbers to back this up? Also, I would like to see about what the ratio is between the two.
I don't think this is information is true. Brazil has the largest program to adopt open source in world. Wired run an interesting story about this last November.
Sorry, this sig is beneath your current threshold
No, I'm not grousing about my rejected submission of the same story... much ;)
NPR's Morning Edition had a short story on this as well: Brazil Makes Move to Open Source Software. The audio has been posted, too. It's not a deep look at open source economics, but it does make the point about Microsoft's main concern of Brazil's actions lending credence to other governments following suit. BillG has requested a meeting with da Silva to discuss it (again... they met in 2002). And, it's nice to see the topic discussed in mainstream media.
Amateurs discuss tactics. Professionals discuss logistics.
Yeah, you're right, it's not as if he co-founded the EFF or has a fellowship at Harvard Law or anything like that.
hmm.
fnord.
In the 80s, Brazil went the route of not respecting any outside IP rights for software or hardware. I imagine that digging themselves out of that hole is part of the reason that they're paying so much now. It would be ironic if punitive licencing fees "until the pips squeek" now drive them to OSS alternatives.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Relax, take a deep breath ... Fox was merely reporting what was said at the conference not extolling the virtue of FOSS ... and DEFINITELY not endorsing the things said at the conference. If you will note, they did say "Activists at a leftist gathering ... " in their opening blurb.
... all is normal.
Breathe deeply, calm down
utter rubbish
In times past, Brazil has been very aggressive about becoming self-sufficient. I recall that about a couple of decades ago they were trying to develop a local computer industry by ignoring everyone else's ip. The link below has them breaking the patents on aids drugs. (Their free aids drug policy is astounding.) They intend to create a local generic drug industry.
1 7F -934E-330C59304CED.htm
Given Brazil's traditional dislike of paying license fees to foreigners, I am suprised that they are just now going to Linux.
english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7C52DC38-1D71-4
It doesn't, but that's beyond the point of this troll. He's a constant link-spamming troll, and his link points to some anti-chinese (racist, not just policy) propaganda. He posts the same link on almost every international politics-related story, usually talking about weaponization of space, torture, falun-gong, or tibet.
for Redhat Desktop Linux they are charging $13,500 (US) for '50 desktop entitlements'. That's $270 each. How does that represent a savings over Windows?
For Windows, that's the cost of buying the software, support comes at additional cost. For Redhat, you already have the software for free, that $13,500 is for support.
Brazil is changing all 300,000 of its federal government computers from Windows to open source software like Linux. Brazil's interest in different forms of software could be the beginning of a long term shift in the software market. That has Microsoft's founder Bill Gates wanting to talk to Brazil's president, Luiz Ignacio Lula de Silva. Alex Goldmark reports.
Choosing which software to buy may not seem like a scintillating topic. But, in Brazil, excitement is high about switching to Open Source software like Linux, the free operating system which users are free to copy, modify, and distribute as they wish. Brazil isn't just dropping Windows, but all proprietary software. They want access to the code of the software they buy, and to the information that it provides access to. This could spell trouble for Microsoft's business model, according to Georg Greve, president of the Free Software Foundation Europe, which promotes and coordinates open source software projects.
"Brazil certainly poses one of the largest threats to Microsoft there is right now." Greve took time away from a software reception to talk about the importance of Brazil's decision. "If people take that as an example as they are doing all over the world, people look to Brazil for this. Then, the whole monopoly could actually be in danger. So, for Microsoft, it is a pretty seminal thing to stop this now." Up to now, only 10 percent of the government computers are Windows-free, but proponents of Brazil's plan realize, that if Brazil follows through, and becomes the trendsetter it wants to be this could be the beginning of a critical shift in the software world for developing countries. At the World Social Forum hosted here in Brazil this week, John Perry Barlow, founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a cyberspace civil liberties group, commented on Bill Gates's moves at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"Where Bill Gates, who may be the most powerful man in the world, sought an audience with Lula. Why did he do that? Because he is afraid of Brazil. Why is he afraid of Brazil? Because the government has taken the initiative to move this country to open source code."
Across town, at a government sponsored event to promote open source software, Brazil's intentions were clear. [translated] "For Brazil, we don't have any interest in supporting proprietary solutions because we are decided on supporting companies that believe in open source models. Sergio Amadeu is the head of the Brazil Open Source Technology Institute. Next to President Lula, he is the final word on Brazil's software choices. [translated] "We are not against any specific companies. But, there are companies like Microsoft that want to fit the world into their business model. We defend open source because it is better for innovation, better for competition, better for security, and better for stability."
Microsoft representatives in Brazil were not available for an interview. In an e-mail, they said Gates and Lula met in Davos two years ago, and the two have many things to talk about, including bringing technology into impoverished communities, and promoting Brazilian industry. Open Source was not mentioned. Sergio Amadeu, however, was eager to talk about Brazil's open source ambitions. He has been in contact with Venezuela, Korea, India, and several African nations promoting his cause. And that is just what Microsoft is worried about.
For NPR, I'm Alex Goldmark, Porto Allegre, Brazil
--
transcribed by Thad Beier without permission
thad@hammerhead.com if you wish to complain
I love Mondays. On a Monday, anything is possible.
There isn't starvation in Brazil? Maybe they're not on the scale of Sudan, but there is definitely widespread hunger in the Northeast.
a 2. htm
The closest I can find to a stastic is at the bottom of this article:
http://www.globalaging.org/ruralaging/world/lul
It says that depending on who you ask, between 16 and 46 million (read the article for an explanation of the variation) out of a population of 171 million go hungry.
If you read Brazilian Portuguese, peruse http://www.fomezero.gov.br/ for more information about what Lula's government are trying to do about it.
Be seeing you.
scott
The budget for the fome-zero (zero-hunger) program of hunger erradication among porr families is R$1.68 billion (around US$630 million)
Source: Orçamento do programa Fome-zero (budget for the zero-hunger program)
http://www.camara.gov.br/internet/diret
its a official document from Camara dos Deputados (brazilian federal legislative house, deputy chamber)
The stimated value spent by the brazilian government (cites, states and federal government) is R$2 billions (around US$ 740 millions). that info is from the consulting firm 4Linux http://www.linuxplace.com.br/sqush_place/10589872
There is a specialized secretary for IT strategies (Secretaria de Logística e Tecnologia de Infraestrutura) that is collecting data to present "official" values expent with licences.
This country has many problems. Windows is the least important of them. Our problem is one of ideas.
...
You mean, you have problems with people who don't think like you?
All of the media (with Veja magazine as the sole exception)
Veja is a nice example of anti-government press at its best. You want Rush Limbaugh like opinions? Read Diogo Mainardi (for those not in Brazil, he's a opinion columnist who capitalizes in anti-left articles for this weekly magazine).
Our taxes are insanely high, but no one has the balls to suggest a radical tax cut
A radical tax cut for whom? People who don't care how much they spend on taxes? Or for the low-middle class? Are you aware that cutting taxes on the poor is always met with criticism, simply because it's labeled as populism, demagoguery? How is the government supposed to pay for the basic services it has to provide (and that you request vehemently and rightly) and also the payment of the country's interest debts, if the "correct" agenda is to cut taxes?
Also, are you aware that, according to IBGE, the tax load the country payed last year has decreased, mainly due to economic growth? I bet you didn't read it in Veja. That was on some "soviet nostalgic" piece, right?
World Social Forum? A disgusting bunch of hemp-smoking teenage commie fucktards.They can't bring any solution, because the shit they have in their heads is the cause of these problems.
It's interesting: we have a leftist president for two years now, and the left is already the "cause of these problems". Gee, it's like Brazil was rich as Switzerland two years ago, and some "commie fucktard" came and ruined everything you had. Not only you "forget" everything good happening right now, just for the sake of your argument, but also you need to shut up opinions different from yours, because "our problems is one of ideas". It's so nice to see prejudice exposed like this.
I don't know why I answered this, because you are obviously a teenage troll, but... well, today I have some spare time so there you have it.
I work for an State Legislature in the 3rd largest (economically) State of Brasil, Minas Gerais. We are switching (OpenOffice.org first, then Firefox...), slowly, but we are.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Here in Brazil Linux lacks some of its competitive advantages. It may be free, but so is Windows...
In most cities you can literaly go to a guy in a street corner and buy a pirated copy of Windows, Office or whatever for a few reais (or a music CD or DVD if you fancy it). Some times police make a big show of aprehending & destroying some CDs, but there has been no serious (i.e., consequential) crackdown AFAIK. Most people would consider the idea of paying $$$ for XP quite bizarre, so hardly anyone owns a legal copy. M$ makes money out of business & government. I dont think they expect to ever make money out of home users; but to have an installed base, legal or otherwise, is great for leveraging Windows to business ("Everyone uses it!").