Free Linux Software Bridges Brazil's Digital Divide

Fifty million Brazilian students will have Christmas in July when software Santa slips down the chimney to give them a free ticket on the information highway.

With Microsoft software licenses costing up to 1000 percent more in Brazil than in the US, the ProInfo program launched by the government of president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reduces dependence on costly foreign software just as the sugar ethanol program for cars reduces dependence on expensive foreign oil. The program, administered through the national education secretariat. provides free operating systems, backbone and educational content employing Linux, Debian and KD3 freeware.

At a time when new media evangelists are pushing Twitter as an in-school learning tool for young children, Brazil is building a strong education technology infrastructure that puts more emphasis on what kids learn in school than what they wear to school. In a low wage manufacturing economy like Brazil where moving from the working class to the middle class remains a struggle, working parents who do more with less can be confident that computer literacy is now a basic element of public education. The governments of China, India and Russia, all major trading partners of Brazil, are relying more on freeware to offset the credit crunch caused by the economic crisis.

ProInfo is a test case for just how much space growing G 20 economies will allow globalism to have within the framework of their national interests. Brazil, the world's largest Roman Catholic country, elects a new president next year and providing kids with free access to a digital future adds value to the social contract between the individual and state, the foundation of the nation's democracy. Participation of the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro in the project is consistent with Rerum Novarum, the Papal encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII over a century ago that supports efforts to improve education and living standards of the poor and working families.

A decade ago free software wasn't a priority for Brazil because the Internet was new, the government was struggling with the Latin debt crisis and PCs were affordable only to the wealthy. Then in one of those moments that streams away from historians, Brazil gained a modicum of countervailing power, dealing with the global pharmaceutical oligopoly in response to the AIDS pandemic.

President Fernando Enrique Cardoso of the neoconservative Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) supported the nation's large gay community by announcing that he would authorize Brazilian drug manufacturers to produce and distribute inexpensive generic versions of AIDS drugs without paying licensing fees if the global pharmaceutical manufacturers refused to bring their prices down. The pharmaceutical manufacturers backed down, creating an opening for Lula to make expensive imported software and Internet access for everyone issues in his successful 2002 presidential campaign.

According to the World Bank, Brazil's average per capita income when Lula took office was $3460 and there were fewer than 26 million Internet users. Today, per capita income has increased to $5910 and more than 67.4 million Brazilians now use the internet at home, work or through public access.

In the US, where Microsoft is currently headquartered, average per capita income is $44,700, nearly ten times that of Brazil. And while Microsoft sales in Brazil increased 50% last reporting year, the company still holds the Bill Gates view that nations advocating free software are a threat to open markets and the capitalist system. Prior to retiring, Gates attempted to reach out to Lula hoping that a private meeting between the two at the World Economic Forum in Davos would move the steelworker turned politician to accommodate Microsoft. According to a BBC report, the meeting, while scheduled, never happened.

It's not surprising then, that in yet another sign of the Obama administration outsourcing US diplomacy, the Carter Center online trip report for ex-president Jimmy Carter's recent visit to Brazil included meetings with Lula and three former presidents with "information laws" a key component of the agenda.

Microsoft developed a robust market in Brazil because its software is bundled with PC packages offered by major retailers operating under oligopoly market conditions. But Pro Info and free online help from Brazil's large Linux community is causing that to change.

Surf over to Wal-Mart's slick Brazilian website and you'll find more Linux desktops and laptops being offered for less than PCs running Vista. At Casas Bahia, Brazil's favorite mall anchor store, Linux PC packages are the better buy. Ponto Frio, Carrefour, Magazines Luiza and even the snazzy French chain Fnac are selling Linux PCs at lower prices because there is no costly licensing fee to pass through to the consumer. With global retailers more open to marketing strategies that favor price over value Brazil's freeware strategy could serve as a model for those nations seeking to grow beyond the pathology of underdevelopment.

Comments

[ConradMazian]

Michael Tiemann of the Open Source Initiative recently visited Brazil, and wrote about his experience:

http://opensource.org/node/445

To quote the most important part of his article:

"On the alarm front, I heard specific confirmation of a storyline I've been following, which is that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is basically telling governments: if you want contributi­ons/invest­ments from us, then you'll give Microsoft cabinet-level access to inform policy, and you'll use Microsoft products. For example, donations to educational initiatives require installing and teaching Microsoft products. It is similar to another story line reported by Roy Shestowitz. My informant told me that she was fortunately able to point out to the President that this was against Brazil's sovereignty and interest, and is one of the reasons that President Lula came to FISL, to show is support for the freedoms that "software livre" (aka free software, aka open source) mean to Brazil."

If this is true, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation should loose it's charitable status, since it's operating as a business.

[canbyte]

If you want something to run an old or small computer, or something to fix a Windows problem, try Puppy Linux. Runs from a CD and is only about 100mb. System is complete with mail, browser, spreadsheet, drawing, writing, viewing, etc.

http://www.puppylinux.com/download/index.html

[fedupwiththis]

I'm writing this on a machine running a variant of Debian Linux. I can attest to its reliability and great support. Linux isn't just for geeks any longer. If you use your computer for communicating on the internet, writing reports and presentations, watching or editing video/photos and don't spend most of your time playing horribly violent games, there is no need for anything else. How many of you are also using Linux at this time?

[OneTop]

I have been using Linux [Fedora and others] for quite a few years now. Linux is exclusive on all my personal machines and I have nothing but praise for it .

[RevSpaminator]

I use Linux on everything I own. Even my phone runs Linux.

Call me a fanboy if you must, but as far as I'm concerned it is the year 2009. There is absolutely no reason to endure a computer system that is as unstable or unsecure as any version of Windows.

To be fair though, if there were good horribly violent video games that were open source, I'm sure I'd play them every now and then. :)

[baseballmom]

Just bought my first Linux computer (Ubuntu on a netbook) for my high school kid to use for in-class notetaking. It has every feature he needs, including OpenOffice, and was $350. The best thing is that this manufacturer (System76) only sells Linux-based computers and Microsoft does not get any royalties.

(My last 6 computers were Macs.)

[CSDofNM]

I too am writing this on a Linux box, openSuSE 11.1, AMD quad processor running at 3.3 Ghz, Nvidia GTX 385 graphics. I need all that horsepower to run my games, Call of Duty, Battlefield 2, etc. I use Cedega and Crossover to run the PC games, plus I run Windows as a task under VMware. I've been using Linux for years, RedHat, Knoppix, etc., which I still use for certain purposes, but my home box is openSuSE. I do spend my time playing horribly violent games (sometimes, nazis must die). Next to my box is a Windows XP box, which I still use for some graphics applications (like Bryce and Poser), not because I couldn't set them up, but just because I'm too lazy. I have a Vista MCE out in the front room that is refusing to record TV programs like it should, so it's probably going to become a MythTV box (as soon as I stop feeling lazy). Wife has a laptop and Desktop running XP, son has a World or Warcraft machine that may get converted when I find the time, and of course, I have a dual boot openSuSE / XP laptop, that is much more useful since 11.1 and Network Manager figured out making Linux understand wireless (from GUI, if you have to do it from command line, it aint ready for primetime yet). So yes, my Linux is ready for primetime, and will be eating into Microsoft's market share.

[OneTop]

Go Linux

[BitJam]

TYPO: KD3 => KDE.

Also "freeware" should be "Free and open source software". This is a non-trivial difference. The word freeware means free as in free beer, but "Free and open source software" means free as in free speech.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_Libre

[RevSpaminator]

Not that there is any problem with free beer. If you know someone who is an open source programmer, odds are they would agree and appreciate any free beer you want to send their way. :)

[Hokhmah]

You are correct about freeware meaning "free and open source software" as in free speech. The problem is that until there is one "global passport" and no more nation-states- "free speech" culturally and politically is defined by te First Amendment to the US Constitution, which is owned by the United States of America. Then what happens? You get into a real values conundrum with this. As for the beer. The first one always tastes good. Can you taste the next one after that? And what about the "hops oil" the Ballantine (Freylinghausen family) Beer developed in the US way back in the Dutch Schultz era to add taste.

[RevSpaminator]

Open Source Software has many more advantages than its price. It is open, so anyone who wants to contribute can. It typically can't be owned by any one person, so no one can take the voluntary efforts of others and force people to buy them. It has many options and promotes people coming up with their own solutions or enhancing something for their own needs and sharing those enhancements with others. And somehow the whole process can result in software that is functionally better and more secure than anything Bill could ever produce in Redmond.

The only threat to "global capitalism" here is Microsoft's global monopoly. There is nothing wrong, immoral or anti-capitalist about a group of individuals collaborating and sharing their efforts to produce something to benefit the common good. I'm sorry to hear that Bill G. feels like he is still fighting the hobbyists at the Home Brew Computer Club. Apparently the evil wasn't the stealing of his original work but was more about not needing to buy his second rate products.

[Hoelder]

I can't enjoy this enough! It is not only Brazil. It is also the Europeans and the fact that Linux distribution are many and many are from Europe. Since Microsoft has evolved from innovation to bullying it is no wonder why people are fed up or just get a less expensive solution. In the Philippines a copy of Windows costs more than on workers' salary. With shenanigans like Vista and 7 which is hardly faster than Vista, XP is still the best choice. As a matter of fact Microsoft offers a version of XP as virtual machine within 7 to fend off driver issues. Again, lots of money for next to nothing. Linux has already a driver for USB 3. Windows has your hardware on a strangle hold, because you can only do what Microsoft's restrictive OS allows you to do. No innovation, no performance no Microsoft.

[RevSpaminator]

Aside from a version of BASIC for the ALTAIR, what innovation has ever come from Microsoft? Everything they are has been a lame me-too knockoff of something created by someone else.

[Gib]

Innovation? What about the dancing paperclip?

[iamvalid]

But, but, but, there was Windows ME, Microsoft Bob, and who could ever forget VISTA. I'm still waiting for MS to replace my Vista package, which came on my laptop, with Windows 7.

I have run various Linux, and BSD distributions alongside Windows since the late 90's. To this day even mighty Apple uses a derivative of free BSD, they are just a little quiet about it. Go Linux, Go Hurd, and Go FOSS.

[Dameocrat]

Good to see. You can definitely see linux numbers are pushing up in the sitemeters.