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Brazil: Free Software's Biggest and Best Friend

SÃO PAULO, Brazil, March 28 - Since taking office two years ago, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has turned Brazil into a tropical outpost of the free software movement.

Looking to save millions of dollars in royalties and licensing fees, Mr. da Silva has instructed government ministries and state-run companies to gradually switch from costly operating systems made by Microsoft and others to free operating systems, like Linux. On Mr. da Silva's watch, Brazil has also become the first country to require any company or research institute that receives government financing to develop software to license it as open-source, meaning the underlying software code must be free to all.

Now Brazil's government looks poised to take its free software campaign to the masses. And once again Microsoft may end up on the sidelines.

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New York Times article
(Sorry, the New York Times requires a login)

I know that Brazilian president "Lula" has been taking a kicking from many on the left for pursuing orthodox right-wing economic policies, but on software policies and bringing computerization to the poor his government is doing some great stuff!

He is upsetting Mr. Gate$ in a big way

[ 30 March 2005: Message edited by: radiorahim ]

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All he did was crib some Parti Quebecois ideas about technology and take them a step further. :-P

Still a good thing though.

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What PQ ideas? Links please?

I'm not aware of any major push towards open source software usage in Quebec.

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Venezuela's in there backing Free Software, as well. South America may end up largely powered by Linux.

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Yes I'm aware of that. What's interesting is that countries like Brazil, South Africa and China are really "driving" the move towards Linux and open source and bringing along other countries within their respective regions.

[ 31 March 2005: Message edited by: radiorahim ]

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the South American backers of free software are very much aware of the importance of freedom.

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That's also true in Africa. One of the things being struggled against is Windows software piracy ... which is quite rampant. If folks keep pirating Window$ stuff then it keeps them addicted and they don't develop software based on local needs.

Even in the home market here in North America alot of the "proprietary" software is pirated.

Raise your hands all those folks posting on this board who actually "paid" for their copy of M$ Office

[ 01 April 2005: Message edited by: radiorahim ]