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MIT Urges Brazilian Government to Use Linux
sebFlyte writes "MIT's Media Lab has written to the Brazillian government (who is looking into a method to get its citizens cheap, high quality PCs) and has urged them to use Linux. From the article: 'Free software is far better on the dimensions of cost, power and quality...if the source code is proprietary, it is hidden from the general population. This robs them of a tremendous source for learning.'"
I know you're just kidding, but Half-Life 2 does run on Linux too. :)
Don't call me a cowboy, and don't tell me to slow down!
I think you are right, but this is a different initiative:
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and several ministers may decide as early as this week whether free software or a simplified version of Microsoft's Windows will be installed on computers for a new effort called PC Conectado, or the Connected PC. The effort aims to sell up to one million computers, with costs partially subsidised by the government, to lower-middle-income Brazilians this year.
One man's Funny is another man's Offtopic.
The Brazilian Government is doing this to do the Digital Inclusion that the citizens need, only fews people here in Brazil has access to a computer and Internet connection.
Bill Gates tryed to do a meeting with our president Lula but by the way it don't happened.
http://www.michel.eti.br
Also the Brazilian Government has done a Migration Guide to Free Software that is widely used on another public projects here in Brazil.
http://www.michel.eti.br
No kidding. That's always been the least compeeling linux argument for me (and I say this as a user) - it is NOT possible for even a college trained programmer to go in and start playing with even a small OSS project.
Then why was the Brazilian kid Marcelo Tossatti, not even gone to college yet at the time, elected by Linus Torvalds as maintainer of the freakin' LINUX KERNEL (2.4.x)?
The openness doesn't hurt, so if doesn't benefit you, don't whine about it.
Just because your grandma can't figure out how to use a mouse yet, You souldn't transfer that to a population of dispriviledged people that are eager to learn new skills to they can get a better job and maybe feed themselves and their family properly. And learning how to program with Linux will certainly land those people a better job than learning how to use MS Word. It's really all about motivation when you get down to it.
At the same time that there are millions of unemployed brazilian workers, the industries are in desperate need of trained professionals, and that's why Linux computers for the masses are a Good Thing.
Because I am a big fan of it, I would like to take a moment to plug MIT's OpenCourseWare, where you have access to MIT's entire course catalog, including assignments, videos, and other materials. Want to learn Japanese? Go for it. Or perhaps Electromagnetic Fields, Forces, and Motion is more to your liking. Have at thee.
MIT has shown their dedication to an open academic atmosphere and the benefits for the public of easy access to knowledge. Their endorsement of free software here is completely consistent with their previous actions.
Good for them.
It depends on your definition of "poor". And in this case, poor doesn't means "miserable", "starving" an etc. Brasil isn't Biafra, or Ethiope.
For example, by brazilian standarts I'm midlle-class... But by First-World standarts I'm poor, with a U$700/month income.
Mind that the cost of life here is way cheaper than in US or Europe. So the basic stuff is very affordable, like food and clothing.
But computers are expensive, and most families can't afford one for their kids. So the governament is tryng to equal the chances of poor kids that otherwise would't have access to a computer.
If your fixes are actually useful, then they will be accepted.
If an update comes out that already has a version of your fix, then you have no problem updating, because your fix becomes unecessary.
Yes, computer are expensive here, and many people can't afford one. But everybody that can afford one of those can also afford downloading a free software from the net. I don't know any official data about the majority of the population, but I belive them have computers just at work.
The maing goal of using FOSS ont this project is to keep the price low, while satisfying the FOSS adepts that are a big part of the government people
I really didn't RTFA, but this MIT professor is just reinforcing the governemnt oppinion that was stablished a long time ago ad only M$ think that will change. Bazilian government started several years ago to make the change to FOSS. Anyway, it is good to reinforce that.
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