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PCLinuxOnline/HispaLinux: The Brazilian Public Sector to Choose Free Software

"Rio de Janeiro, 2 June (EFE) The Brazilian government plans to migrate from Windows to Linux 80% of all computers in state institutions and state-owned businesses, informed the daily newspaper 'Valor.' This will be a gradual migration, that will begin with a pilot project in one ministry and which will be completed over a period of three years, according to official sources cited by the financial daily.

"The goal of the migration is to save money by finding alternatives to expensive proprietary licenses. Highlighting the gradual phase-in approach that the Brazilian government has adopted, Sergio Amadeu de Silveira, the president of the National Institute of Information Technology, stated that 'We are not just going to do a hasty migration.' He proceeded to say that 'our main concern is the security and the trust of our citizens. The biggest resistance to any change comes from the existing cultural inertia...'"

Complete Story

Original Story (in Spanish)

Stanco: Opinion on Brazil Making Open Source Mandatory in Government

By Tony Stanco
Founding Director
The Center of Open Source & Government

According to the report [linked above], Brazil is making Open Source mandatory for 80% of all computers in state institutions and businesses, setting up a "Chamber for the Implementation of Software Libre."

While I think that Open Source in government is a good thing and have been working towards that goal for many years, making it mandatory is an industrial policy that may not succeed, which will hurt Open Source in the long run.

It is much better for governments to set up a real level playing field in procurement policy and then let the market decide on merit. If a product can't make it in the market without government mandates, then history has shown that it won't make it with government mandates either. Brazil would have been better off to have a policy to buy the best software for its technical needs, whether it is Open Source or proprietary. In my opinion, Open Source would succeed on the merits in most cases without the market distortions that government preference programs cause. Ironically, if Brazil buys Open Source just because it is Open Source rather than the best product, their citizens will likely suffer long term.

If governments want to create a culture of Open Source in their country to create an indigenous software industry (a noble goal), they are much better off working in the area of Education Policy, rather than Procurement Policy. To use a sports metaphor, Procurement Policy should be a race where the best win, so it needs to be a scrupulously fair competition for all. Whereas Education Policy is the practice and training exercises for the big race. Using Procurement Policy for Open Source, ensures that Open Source wins because they "knee cap" the competition, a morally unsatisfying "win." Using Education Policy for Open Source ensures that Open Source wins because it produces the best developers and software product.

Brazil should reconsider its strategy.

Related Stories:
Brazilian Citizen Petitions President-elect for Free Software(Dec 14, 2002)
SiliconValley.com/AP: Brazil attacks digital divide with $300 Volkscomputer(Mar 03, 2001)
LinuxMall.com: Mi OS Es su OS: Linux Invades Latin America(Apr 19, 2000)

Index Mode   |   Flat Mode   |   Thread Mode   |   Thread Flat     Talkback(s) Name  and Date   Stanco's Opinion    horne Jun 13, 2003, 16:16:09     Good gd!    David McGuire Jun 13, 2003, 16:18:24     Brazil did the right thing    Wanderley Jun 13, 2003, 16:49:35     The Correct Path    Sam Jun 13, 2003, 17:04:05     False Prophet    David Sugar Jun 13, 2003, 18:11:27     Re: Good gd!    petre Jun 13, 2003, 18:21:44     Open Source in the Brazilian Gov't    Marius Jun 13, 2003, 18:29:11     Industrial policy    Rufus Polson Jun 13, 2003, 18:32:49     Level Playing Fields?    Harlan Jun 13, 2003, 18:43:13     Good lord!    Dave Jun 13, 2003, 20:00:52     Pro-market, market-knows-all bias    IntnsRed Jun 13, 2003, 20:32:00     So wrong Stanco!    emk Jun 13, 2003, 20:55:27     Re: Level Playing Fields?    jck Jun 13, 2003, 21:11:21     Response to Talkbacks    Tony Stanco Jun 13, 2003, 23:20:19     re: So wrong Stanco!    Pafipe Jun 13, 2003, 23:24:59     Fooling some of the people some of the time    Abe Jun 13, 2003, 23:33:03     Stanco: Opinion on Brazil Ma...    Charles Hixson Jun 14, 2003, 04:36:20     Sheer common sense    Mario Miyojim Jun 14, 2003, 09:45:19     This is competition    Mikel Kirk Jun 14, 2003, 20:35:48     It's about saving money    Dan Jun 14, 2003, 21:54:43     Defamation of Tony Stanco    Tony Stanco Jun 14, 2003, 22:20:45     Re: Response to Talkbacks    emk Jun 14, 2003, 23:14:30     Nowhere does it say mandatory    Mark Jun 15, 2003, 08:13:28     Why Brazil does the right thing...    Simon Jones Jun 15, 2003, 11:31:33     mandatory open source in brazil    j kazor Jun 15, 2003, 15:28:36     Public Trust    overshoot Jun 15, 2003, 16:27:00     Re: Defamation of Tony Stanco    SM Jun 15, 2003, 22:10:05     Undue Pressure from Govt    Alok Jun 16, 2003, 14:01:37     Re: Undue Pressure from Govt -- huh?    Wakeup Wakeup Jun 16, 2003, 20:11:59     Undue Pressure from Govt _ strawman    anthony Jun 16, 2003, 20:37:33     Brazil and FLOSS    Deivy Aug 21, 2003, 01:45:55     Free Software in Brazil    Marcus Jan 30, 2004, 17:59:36     OSS mandatory or MS Windows mandatory    Daniele Jul 10, 2004, 11:02:11     Home | Search Talkbacks | Customize View    Top of Page   Enter your comments below: * Your Name: * Your Email Address: * Subject: CC: [will also send this talkback to an E-Mail address] * Comments: Tags allowed:<I>,<B> and <U>. See our talkback-policy for more about talkback content. Fields marked with * are required!