Brazilian Government Continues Push For Free Software

Seeing how I'm hosting the slashdotters meetup tomorrow, I spent a few hours reading up on the news while on the bus to and from work. This caught my attention.

Brazilian Government Continues Push For Free Software. The comments say it all, here some of the best bits


Most of us here have long known the realities of TCO and Microsoft. The only big cost with free software is in retraining staff. And retraining can be done for free – give a hungry man a can of food and he'll find a way to open it.

I guess with all the economic trouble in South America of late, governments such as that of Brazil are being forced to recognise that reality. Microsoft can probably no longer buy their way into Government contracts with 'discounts' and whatever other tactics they might use.


Farming out developement of other software has got to be cheaper than paying M$ obscene liscensing fees. Furthermore, when you hire contractors, you can get a solution which fits better than an out of the package software-suite. At the beginning, they may have to send some of that work overseas, but they will probably find local talent pretty quickly.


Seriously, lets see 'PAY LICENSES' or 'FEED PEOPLE'

Ok the argument is not always about feeding the people. Paying license fees is not what third world countries want to do. I mention this as a start because it will shift to other things other than software, eg Drugs Patents, Copyrights, etc. The West better be paying attention, because people like the RIAA say, “Why do you need bread when you can eat cake!”

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Sitting on a bus listening to bible bashers

Oh my goodness me, what on earth is going on? I'm sitting on my bus 354 in london writing this blog. And there are two bible bashers on the bus talking to people (obviously around my age). Guess where there from? America – ohio.

Ok I just spoke to them, engaged in convosation found out there from the church of the latter day saints? and she gave me a card which has a url on saying mormon.org, before they got off the bus at beckenham junc.
We argued about religon and the need to spread the word. I explain we are not a bible basher country and that they need to give it a break for a bit. I'm not on form due to staying up very late watching matrix 2 again and I've had no breakfast – ugh. Can't you tell?
Anyway I made some quite unique comments about religon and was starting to explain the difference between that and faith before they had to go.
She wanted to come around my house and talk longer about this and left her name and landline phone number on the card. Now I'm starting to think a night with dave, me and sarah could be interesting but ulimately a waste of all of our time. There are more important things to think about at the moment for me at least. And it would be wrong of me to poke fun of other peoples faith???

I use faith but you know i mean.

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The state we’re in

A great show, the kind of show you wouldnt see in america. BBC's best new comedy – The state we're in it is on BBC Three, Tuesdays at 11.30pm and is repeated throughout the week.

The State We're In – where news and comedy collide. As the world keeps turning, the news keeps rolling and the politicians keep spinning, we'll keep bringing you stuff you won't read anywhere else on the BBC News site.

wondering if channel 4's new political comedy can beat this? channel4's gash
– Armando Iannucci's new project – a political comedy show timed to coincide with the local elections and airing every weeknight from Monday 28th April to Thursday May 1st.

Written and filmed on the day, Gash is intended to be as topical as it possible. The show will try to compress 24 hours into 24 minutes of talk, jokes, bits, VT footage, more jokes, blindingly well-informed opinion, jokes, utter lack of balance, jokes and Armando Iannucci.

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