KDE Desktops For 52 Million Students In Brazil 201
An anonymous reader writes "Mauricio Piacentini writes about a deployment of systems running Linux and KDE in Brazil's schools; some 52 million students are to be served by this initiative. 'What is interesting about this project is that it not only provides infrastructure (computers and net connectivity) but also open content to students in public schools. The software installed on these systems is "Linux Educacional 2.0," a very clean Debian-based distribution, with KDE 3.5, KDE-Edu, KDE-Games, and some tools developed by the project.' The distro comes in Portuguese only at this time." quarterbuck notes that Linux is making other inroads in the BRIC economies (Brazil-Russia-India-China): India and China are getting a custom-designed Ubuntu laptop from Dell, and Russia is making their own Ubuntu laptop this year.
Excellent! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:wrong headline, wishful thinking (Score:5, Insightful)
I have always said Gov Open Source makes sense (Score:5, Insightful)
My reasoning is that, as a tax payer in say, Brazil. I know that part of my taxes are going into buying whatever I.T. infrastructure is needed for the government (and there are countries and states where the government is *the* most important economy).
Therefore, as a tax payer, I prefer my contribution to go to Open Source projects (say, for example Open Office), which I would be able to use, instead of having to pay the proprietary software (Microsoft Office in this case) and giving that money to other countries (to the USA in such case).
Governments should mandate that all the software that is used in the government must be Open Source. The money with which the software is being bought is the money of all the contributors, and is in their best benefit to put that money in open standards, but most importantly in technology that *they* will be able to use.
Unfortunately, strong forces at the top of the governments impede such thing (at least in my own country) where big corporations push governments with "discrete" bribes in order to make them adopt whatever closed technology they sell.
It seems that the countries that will adopt Open Source as common initiative are the ones where socialism is not seen as such as scary term, akin to communism. And even the word communism does not equate to "Russian soviet slaves". Unlike USA and other countries that are *very* influenced by Capitalism.
Re:Hardware? (Score:3, Insightful)
I wonder what is MS going to do about it? (Score:3, Insightful)
In any case, interesting times ahead. Pass the popcorn, thnk you.
Re:If this was not Linux or F/OSS (Score:1, Insightful)
It is in Brazil, not America, or a 2 bit dictator. Zero chance of back door deal. About the only WAY that it would happen is if MS offered to buy all the hardware as well. If MS does that, well, they are going to have a DIFFICULT time selling into other places because EVERYBODY will insist on the same deal.
Re:A major win for Open Source (Score:2, Insightful)
The director of the libraries I've working on, has been told that installing Linux will result in BSA audit. We did, nothing happened, obviously, but all the other libraries are still using Windows servers.
The thing to do there is to start dealing with Red Hat and then when that threat is made, passing it on to Red Hat. If you doubt they'll get anywhere with antitrust then I still doubt Novell would take kindly to MS pissing in their Wheaties that way and would be happy to create more European antitrust trouble for them.
You also tell whoever threatened you with the audit not to EVER approach you with that again and that they are to bring it straight to your attorney. Like any bully, they tend to blink when stood up to.
Re:KDE? (Score:1, Insightful)
cheers