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Russia Mandates Free Software For Public Schools

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the in-soviet-russia-joke-makes-you dept.

Glyn Moody writes "After running some successful pilots, the Russian government has decided to make open source the standard for all schools. If a school doesn't want to use the free software supplied by the government, it has to buy commercial licenses using its own funds. What's the betting Microsoft starts slashing its prices in Russia?"

4 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Is it "free" or is it "open source"? by GuloGulo · · Score: 5, Informative

    The confusion between these two types of software is not trivial.

    According to TFA, it is being mandated that "free" software be used, and open source isn't even mentioned (in the translated article, I don't speak russian, sorry).

    "By the end of 2009, all school computers will be installed package of free software (PSPO). This is how transfers Prime-TASS, today announced Minister of Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Igor Shchyogolev at the plenary session Information Society and the modern technologies of information in the international exhibition InfoCom-2008."

    "The Minister also noted that by 2010 it is expected that the number of computers in schools will reach a million. According to Schegoleva, after three years of school will be able to make a choice: pay royalties to use software products, buying them at their own expense, or go to the domestic free software."

    Nothing in there about "open source" submitter, so which is it?

    --
    "The government grants you rights, not the other way around."-- beav007. Yes, these people really exist...
    1. Re:Is it "free" or is it "open source"? by shvytejimas · · Score: 5, Informative

      The automated translation did not distinguish the exact meaning of "free" in that sentence. The word used in the russian article was "svobodnovo", which means free as in liberty. Free as in beer would have been "bezplatnovo" - literally "payless".

  2. Ponosov's Case by ringm000 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponosov's_Case

  3. Yes, Linux is more expensive then Top100 pro by Xelgen · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yep, it should be hard to believe for lot of ppl here, but for a lot of places (excluding only multimillion cities) in ex Soviet countries, this is the case. There is no broadband unlimited internet tariffs. 1 Mb of download, can cost up to 0.10$. Downloading will take couple of days .iso of a CD, and more then a week for DVD image. And a CD/DVD with Vista/Full Adobe Creative Suite/Full MS Office pro/3D Max/whatever will cost about 4-5$ at any CD/DVD shop, which can be found on every single step. Now tell me, which options whould you prefer? Downloading an iso of CD for 50-60$ during a week, + another 20-30$ for additional packages, drivers, codecs, whatever.. Or buying let's say 2 DVD's for 10$ in 10 minutes, one with "All windows + office" (Several versions of windows + several versions of office, + antiviruses, system utilites, daily soft), and second "All computer graphics" with (All Adobe applciations for graphics, video, web-design, +3d max, maya, corel draw, image viewers, video players, etc..). So which one? :) That is the main reason why it's so hard to push open source in here. P.S. It's hard to find a fresh Linux distro in CD shops, and even if you can find not 2 years old, the price is the same.