Linux in Brazil: Brazilian Government Will Update Its Tax-Exempt Linux Computers Initiative

“A nice idea turned into a pirated software magnet? Users were
replacing their pre-installed Linux with unlicensed Windows copies,
and some of the reasons for these defections were addressed by
today’s announcement. But there are many other
open issues still waiting for an answer.

“Computador para Todos is a government project that offers
special tax exemptions and lines of credit for popular (low end)
computer makers in Brazil, as long as the computers are sold with
Linux and an array of 26 pre-installed free software common
applications, like a word processor, an e-mail client and other
apps surely found in most Linux distros. The tax exemption is only
valid if the PC is sold for less than R$ 1200 (about US$ 550),
retail…”

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