Free Software in the State

Awareness for Free Software usage in the State

Because public information is our digital heritage

We must make sure that it remains well

Mgter. Carlos Brys

Computer Science Department
Faculty of Economics Sciences
Universidad Nacional de Misiones
Argentina
brys@fce.unam.edu.ar
 Table of Contents

The State

Paradigms
Computer Paradigms

Technological Dependence

Free Software

Reasons for the State to

adopt the Free Software

2
 The State

What is the State ?

The State is a set of individuals who join
together to satisfy their needs.

It is a community of mutual assistance,

in which men are complemented
to satisfy their needs.
Plato
427 b.C. - 327 b.C

The state is the set of institutions who possesses the

authority and power to establish rules,
govern a society, having internal and external sovereignty
on a given territory.

3
 Let's talk about Paradigms

What is a Paradigm?
Some definitions:

 It's a model to follow  Accepted Facts

 Beliefs  Values

 Game's Rules  Vision of Reality

4
 Paradigms

"The way we see things

is the source of how we think
and the way we act ...

These assumptions
give rise to our attitudes
and our behavior ...
and our relations with others”.

Stephen Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

5
 Paradigms

The paradigm serves as a

physiological filter,
as a colour filter before
our eyes that allows us
to see the reality,
but in the colour that we choose

The rules
of the new paradigm are
completely invisible
for those which still are
subscribing to the
old paradigm 6
 Paradigms

A paradigm explains the world where we live

and can predict its behaviour
7
 Paradigms

“When in the middle of a paradigm, it is difficult to

imagine any other”
Adam Smith
(Powers of the Mind)

“It's easier to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice”

Albert Einstein

The circus elephants are held only

with a stick in the ground.

While the elephant may go when he like,

it does not, because when was small he
has "learnt" the paradigm that while the
stick is on the ground, he can't left

The Chained Elephant 8

 Paradigms
Paradigm Blindness and Paralysis
Joel Barker

An example: Who invented the quartz watch?

Those Swiss! (but is manufactured in Japan)

Common expressions of blindness paradigm:

“Things aren't made this way”

“It wont work”
“That's impossible”
“If you have my years of experience, you would know that you are
wrong”
“We always made it this way. We're not going to change now!”
“I do not want!”

9
 Computer Paradigms

Today, the collective awareness thinks that ...

Those who do not have computer skills,

will be illiterate in XXI Century

Computers are very important,

let's teach computing in schools and universities

Computer skills are … know how to use Windows,

Word, Excel, Power Point, also …
Internet and email

Migrate to Free Software requires so much effort and

money. It is preferable to continue using privative software

If companies give us computer labs, we can't be so fool not

to accept, for the sake of education

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 Computer Paradigms

However ...

Unrestricted access to knowledge will reduce

the digital divide and empower the Information Society

Computer science is very important,

let's teach computer science in schools and universities

Let's begin to teach to use software"tools" for information

management, instead of teach using “brands" of commercial
products

Free Software is more cost effective and productive.

In the end, the benefits of using it will always be greater

Privative products that we teach to use our students are not

free, and then can hardly acquire this products to study with
them
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 Technological Dependence

If the institution uses a computer application and is not free

to contract with respect to additions and corrections of the
system, there is a technological dependece in which the
supplier is able to dictate terms unilaterally,
terms and prices.

A particularly insidious way of this technology dependence

is through the way they are stored data.

If the program uses a open storage format,

then you can be sure that in the future may
continue decoding the information.

If, by contrast, if the data is stored in a secret

format the user is trapped in a particular supplier, the
only it can offer some guarantee of access.

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 Technological Dependence

For as regards
to Information Technologies
the State is a sovereign and independent

We need:

That the Software used may be Free

That Standards used must be Open

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 What is Free Software?

Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute,

study, change and improve the software.
More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the
software:

A program is free software if you have all of these freedoms:

The freedom to run the program, for any purpose

The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your
needs

The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor

The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements

(and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole
community benefits
Definition of Free Software: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

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 Free Software in the State

Benefits of using Free Software in the State

Technological independence

Compatibility

Interoperability

Long-term universal access

Preservation of Digital Heritage

Equality and non-discrimination

Freedom of choice

Information Security

Opportunity for local growth and development

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 Free Software in the State

“The global waste

in using proprietary software

is more than $1 trillion annually”

Michael Tiemann
VP of RedHat and head of the Open Source Initiative

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 Free Software in the State

Let's do some counts....

A privative A privative
Operating System Office Suite
costs costs

US$ 70 to US$ 200 US$ 95 to US$ 170

The license cost * to use an Operating

System more an Office Suite

is US$ 165 to US$ 370 per each computer

* Users pays for a license to "use" the software

Users not acquire ownership of the product

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 Free Software in the State

In the majority of National Constitutions,

inescapable State obligations are:

Ensuring the welfare of the people

Protect Health

Promote Education

Provide Security

Then, How the spending of State

in licensing of privative software
on its obligations to the people impacts them?

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 Free Software in the State

If a State spends US$ 165 to US$ 370

of public money on privative software licenses,
for a single computer ....

Will stop buying 60 to 130 reading books

And from 600 to 1300 children

will lose the opportunity to
learn to read

19
 Free Software in the State

If a State spends US$ 165 to US$ 370

of public money on privative software licenses,
for a single computer ....

Will stop buying

44 to 88 gallons of fuel

And they no longer make

1030 to 2310 Miles
of urban patrolling

20
 Free Software in the State

If a State spends US$ 165 to US$ 370

of public money on privative software licenses,
for a single computer ....

Will stop buying

415 to 925 doses
of meningitis vaccine

And from 415 to 925 children

will lose the opportunity to
be immunized

21
 Free Software in the State

If a State spends US$ 165 to US$ 370

of public money on privative software licenses,
for a single computer ....

Will stop buying

156 to 350 gallons
of milk

And they lose the opportunity

to provide 2,950 to 6,000
portions
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 Free Software in the State

In the current paradigm ...

The spend of public money on licenses of

privative software, when there are free alternatives,
can be channeled toward to most urgent
population needs

Condone or encourage illegal copying and use of

software that is protected by copyrights law
is a crime

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 Free Software in the State

Governments that already moving

in the adoption of Free Software philosophy

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China,

Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, England, France,
Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Norway, Nigeria,
Perú, República Dominicana, Russia, Spain,
South Africa, Sweden, Venezuela ...

Even the U.N. recommended to use

Free Software to member countries

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 Awareness for using
Free Software in the State

There is a
New Paradigm
possible:

is Free

is Open

is Legal

is Socially Acceptable

is Politically Correct

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 For the Awareness
of using

Free Software in the State

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