“Brazil’s government is urging its massive bureaucracy to use
free software like Linux on its computer systems in a cost-cutting
move that could cost Microsoft (MSFT) millions of dollars in lost
revenue.“The initiative seeks to reduce the cost of proprietary software
licenses the government needs to use programs like Microsoft’s
Windows operating system, which runs about 90 percent of the
world’s computers.“The government says it spends more than 100 million reais, or
about $34 million, a year on license payments, an amount deemed too
big for the cost-conscious, left-leaning administration of
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva…”