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Open Source, Open World
New submitter Ian Grant writes "This article takes a brief look at open source software in Brazil and how it's transforming tech use in South America: Bringing free software to Brazil, however, is not just a matter of copying North American practices. The idea of free software has also been substantially transformed through contact with Brazilian politics. In the United States, the open source software community has long had libertarian leanings, which have only strengthened over time. The core tenet of free software, after all, is giving the users freedom to do what they want. ... And when free software was finally embraced by business, many members of the movement welcomed it as a validation of their ideas. The business-friendly side of free software is easily visible in Brazil, too. Many Brazilian companies, for example, use Linux. At the forum in Porto Alegre, commercial free software was well represented by large foreign companies, many of which appeared to be there primarily for recruiting. Yet the forum also showcased another side of Brazil’s place in the world of free software — a key meeting place of free software and leftist politics. "
An article about open software with no source? Oh, the irony!
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
There is a growing left wing in South America but there is also a deeply established and quite violent right wing. For example many Priests and Nuns as well as other Christian workers have been murdered in South America as Christianity is considered a radical, left wing doctrine there. The rich and powerful seek to maintain their positions and any movement that is felt to be a threat to the power of the right wing tends to let lose the butchers. If they see open source as some sort of socialist or communist tainted notion then violent conflicts will surely follow. Even the idea of sharing with others may offend some of the old, stuffed shirt, aristocrats. I can not bring myself to scream kill a right winger for Jesus but I do come close to it.
Agreed and whole countries get some of their population wired with DSL, fiber etc. only now I guess, or 4G/3G and microwave. Linux and open source software rely on broadband to install software, for development and collaboration, and cheap 24/7 servers on VMs are useful for project sites, repos, even screen sessions so you can stay on IRC channels.
Open source relies on reliable power and bandwith infrastructure, moreso than Windows XP laptops and desktops.
It's only very recently getting started on cell phones, with Firefox OS. Cheap hardware with security and feature updates, no need for a google or microsoft or apple account, no-bullshit freedom, you'll just make compatible web apps and run or develop the server side stuff yourself, hosted at home or in a datacenter.
I think open source will be well useful and welcome in Brazil, Chile, Equator, Venezuala and other places.
Each and every one of us uses free software...open source software... etc etc for any number of reasons. Putting labels on things and writing articles like this only serve to dumb people down.
I've programmed professionally in both the USA as an American in the 90's, and in Brazil for about 6 years until I started doing remote contracting for US companies. I contributed modestly to open source in both countries.
In Brazil it was pretty eye opening to see how the programming market is pretty much 90% paid by the government in one form or another. Truly private companies are few, even fewer are smaller startups. In the USA I didn't even know anyone employed by the government as a programmer - I guess because I didn't live in Virginia or Maryland (Pentagon and NSA). And in Brazil for white collar work, its jobs for life as its mostly impossible to get fired - there's very little turn over.
I mention this because while I worked with Brazilian programmers that were often great - I suspect because in Brazil you mostly need a degree for a job so the bar is higher - but its about as far from USA style libertarian culture as you can get. One quick example: There is a 60% VAT on imported computers and anything electronic, in effect about double the USA retail price on Chinese imports. There would be a revolution in most world countries if that was tried there.
Brazil has greatness in many ways - its where I live happily. But there is nothing libertarian about it currently or trending that way. I say that as someone who often votes and supports USA libertarian candidates.
Win-anything is crap. Winprinters, winmodems, winscanners should be labeled "loseprinters" "losemodems" and "losescaners" for truth-in-labeling
Even connected to Windows systems, they're crap.
The solution to the win- problem: don't buy crap.
--
BMO
Linux and dialup has been getting worse and worse though it probably depends on distribution. I have a Ubuntu install, it doesn't even come with a dialup client besides good old pon and poff and even pon is broken. I've setup dialup on various Linux dists since Slackware 2 so do know a bit. On Ubuntu, the dialup group is broken. Pon seems to work, the chat script runs correctly, papsecrets is correct but it doesn't connect to PPP except when first booted it does it automatically. Then of course there is the /dev hell. Not only does /dev frequently change but plug in the USB serial port and what device is it? (sttyUSB0). Plug in the USRRobotic USB modem and what device is it? I can't even remember though it was only last week when I used dmesg to figure it out.
VXdial and the Gnome dialer also don't work worth a shit anymore.
This is probably due to all the developers having long moved away from dial-up as well as the majority of users.
Then as others mention, install a package and it wants to pull in a 100 MBs of dependencies. The system continuously complains about updates that need installing and such.
The days of Linux and dial-up seem to be over so I'm typing this from OS/2 ver 4.5 where my USB modem works fine if I leave it plugged in, I have a developer trying to fix the unplugging breakage, I have a decent dialer that does NAT so I can be the gateway for the rest of the household. The only positive about Linux is it is better then Win7 at sharing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism