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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.
I thought that in some developing countries that the financial burden of software licensing wasn't an issue at all...
Come and help me pay off my mortgage - small donations preferable! http://www.paymymortgage.com.au
"Already, Brazil spends more in licensing fees on proprietary software than it spends on hunger"."
A point most modern countries should take note of. When licensing fees make up such a large part of your operating budget, it seems foolish to simply accept it and continue with business and not look for other options.
I'd prefer my country spending a little bit less on licensing fees and a little more on it's people.
Of course, without the newest version of Office, I suppose they couldn't make neato graphs to justify the latest software licenses expenditures.
-Teiresias
Here's a hint; the first sign you are an idiot is when _you_ start to tell people what _they_ think, according to the little mental boxes _you_ have fitted them into, and that _you_ have defined characteristics for.
By the way, just how long is Barlow going to coast on co-writing some Grateful Dead lyrics forty years ago? Isn't there a statute of limitations or something?
"Already, Brazil spends more in licensing fees on proprietary software than it spends on hunger".
Can anyone provide the numbers to back this up? Also, I would like to see about what the ratio is between the two.
Fly me to the moon Let me sing among those stars Let me see what spring is like On jupiter and mars
All the social forum's 800 computers are running on open-source software, but the loosely organized event ran into an embarrassing glitch Saturday when two big screens betrayed the fact that the computer was running on Windows, with the operating system's toolbar visible at the bottom of the screens. Lessig noticed and the computer was quickly disconnected and replaced with a laptop running on open-source software.
If only all proprietary software "problems" could be solved just by disconnecting...
http://stoploudness.org/
It usually isn't if you are at home, but businesses do have to pay for their licenses, or they may be charged with tax evasion, and that is a serious offence even here in Brazil.
That being said, I have some expericence in setting up networks for my former college (federal institution, here the best colleges are the public ones, usually) and they *really* don't give a flying shit about using warezed copies of Windows in their labs, and no one ever has complained/charged/arrested/whatever.
Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
You run a government agency in Brasil.
You use your budget to:
A. Pay a team of OSS programmers for IT support and in the meantime create jobs and promote domestic-grown-owned-designed and controlled IT resources.
B. Pay for comercial software licenses and thus cut jobs and have the Brasilian tax-payer money go to some trans-national company and meanwhile turn your back on domestic-grown-own-designed IT resources.
MS will shove enough free or discounted mackerel down your throat so you don't learn how to fish and remain somewhat hungry.
- these are not the droids you are looking for -
"The activists in Brazil are generally united in their oppositon to what many call unbridled capitalism and the policies of the Bush administration." - Something said so often that it's practically a mantra of WSF activists is that they oppose unbridled capitalism (or capitalism, period), and imperialism. It's funny how the US corporate media chokes on printing that word, even when describing what someone else says, and changes it something vague like "the policies of the Bush administration". They won't even print the word when they're reporting on what activists say, it's like the BBC using an actor for Gerry Adams voice. I mean, go to Google News and search for the word imperialism - the first hit is a paleo-conservative web site, the second hit is a communist web site, then a South Korean site talking about Japanese WWII imperialism, then Al-Jazeera. It is one of those words commissars, I mean, editors, excise, even when they're just reporting about what someone said. The thing that gets me is not only do the mainstream corporate media not use the word, they won't even report when others use the word. Fox takes it to the point of ridiculousness, but it's not much different with NBC and so forth (owned by GE, which makes billions as a military contractor by the way).
I do think he put it best when he said that the best social program is a booming economy.
The idea that the government can accomplish any good by spending money on a nebulous problem like "hunger" is foolish at best. Work on improving the economy and hunger will take care of itself. As for Brazil, they really, really need to work on establishing a viable middle class. The situation right now looks like a validation of marxist idiot-ology.
Lee
Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
All, more or less. Look at how all of those channels let the White House get away with things that had Clinton done it the Republicans would have howled about endlessly. All those channels follow White House talking points. The White House calls Iraqis fighting American troops "insurgents"? Then so do CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC. All of those channels are owned by conservative corporate entities.
What makes Fox news so unique is the nakedness with which it uses its propaganda techniques. Those other channels use them too, but they are more subtle. With Fox it's as plain as can be.
How exactly does shipping money to Redmond, WA help Brazil's economy?
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso