Cuba joins other Latin nations in shift toward open-source software

[Judi Lynn]

Cuba joins other Latin nations in shift toward open-source software
The Associated PressPublished: February 16, 2007

HAVANA: Cuba's communist government is trying to shake off the yoke of at least one capitalist empire — Microsoft Corp. — by joining with socialist Venezuela in converting its computers to open-source software.

Both governments say they are trying to wean state agencies from Microsoft's proprietary Windows to the open-source Linux operating system, which is developed by a global community of programmers who freely share their code.

"It's basically a problem of technological sovereignty, a problem of ideology," said Hector Rodriguez, who oversees a Cuban university department of 1,000 students dedicated to developing open-source programs.

Other countries have tried similar moves. China, Brazil and Norway have encouraged the development of Linux for a variety of reasons: Microsoft's near-monopoly over operating systems, the high cost of proprietary software and security problems.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/16/america/LA-GEN-Cuba-Software.php

[Mika]

1. Its about time!

Other countries have tried similar moves. China, Brazil and Norway have encouraged the development of Linux for a variety of reasons: Microsoft's near-monopoly over operating systems, the high cost of proprietary software ..

It makes sense for Cuba to make the move also.

[WePurrsevere]

2. kick n/t

:kick:

[Judi Lynn]

3. Cuba gripped by open source fever

Cuba gripped by open source fever
Tuesday, February 20 2007
by Silicon.com

The Cuban government is to migrate thousands of its computers to open source software, in a move that distances the communist nation from US-based Microsoft.

Several Cuban government ministers backed the move at a technology conference held late last week. Communications minister Ramiro Valdes gave a pro-open source opening keynote, while Richard Stallman, head of the Free Software Foundation, told the conference proprietary software is inherently insecure.
A Cuban academic, Hector Rodriguez, is supporting the migration to open source by heading up a development programme within one of the largest Cuban universities. Cuba's customs service has already migrated to Linux, while the ministries of culture, higher education and communications are planning to do so, Rodriguez told the conference.

But Rodriguez, quoted by the Associated Press, declined to say how long it would take for the Cuban government to migrate most of its systems to Linux. "It would be tough for me to say that we would migrate half the public administration in three years," he told the conference.

The number of Cuban open source users is growing fast, with around 3,000 in a country which struggles with outdated PCs and slow internet links.
(snip/...)

http://www.electricnews.net/frontpage/news-9916485.html

[Vidar]

4. Cuba avoids a million viruses.