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Another Country Abandons
Windows for Linux
Douglas Chick
 In
another blow to Microsoft, after last weeks announcement from China to
standardize its country to Linux, Brazil has also followed suit. In a
surprising, or not so surprising announcement by Brazil’s top technology
officer, Brazil has decided to abandon Microsoft Windows and replace it with
Linux and Samba. This is mostly due to the Brazilian President promise to
close the technology gap for the poor. By adopting the open source
technology, the country can use resources that would otherwise be given to
Microsoft, and turn it into a means of helping the poor learn computers. Is
this just one more nail in the coffin for Microsoft, or fate doing what many
people say the government failed to do and punish Microsoft for the sins of
their past?
Microsoft is lobbying the Brazilian government trying to stop this
from being mandated into law, as I’m sure they probably are in every
country. All of this after
China made a similar announcement that it also would adopt the open source
operating system. Linux servers are one thing, but desktops Microsoft isn't
going to stand for. China is the fastest computer market in the world. This
news must have been a devastating blow for Microsoft’s marketing
department.
With respect to Linux, I don’t see Microsoft closing shop yet.
Microsoft represents too much money for too many people. I’m sure every
politician as well as corporate leader owns Microsoft. The moment a country
threatens the stocks of a U.S. corporation, Congress is all over them with
higher tariffs, reassessing annual loans and military support.
So don’t start celebrating, or mourning yet. (Depending on which side of
the operating system fence you reside. Personally I don't have a side, but
do believe that unless Congress outlaws the use of Linux, time is against
Microsoft.) What goes on behind closed doors is completely different than
what is used as propaganda to the people.
I heard the creator of Kaaza say that you can't stop technology, and if
people are given the choice between free software or having to purchase it;
free software will win every time. After all, isn't that what Microsoft did
to Netscape when it gave IE away for free? The biggest question on my mind
is; look what Microsoft did in terms of stomping the competition when it
didn't have to. So what will it do out of desperation?
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