Tech IT Easy

February 17, 2007

Hugo Chávez and Free Software

Filed under: CIO, Economics, Entertainment, Google, IBM, MNC, Microsoft, Networks, Public policy, Software, Video, media, open-source — Jeremy Fain @ 2:15 am

I love free software. I believe free software (disclaimer: the two terms free software and open source mixed on purpose in this article although I acknowledge the 2 philosophies are different, and yet complementaries - I might write a post about the differences between the 2 schools of thought quite soon) has a positive impact on:

  • innovation (anyone can contribute, so the brain pool is much larger than in any corporation)
  • shaping the remote collaborative work tools of tomorrow and intercultural communication (people from everywhere around the globe work on the same project, using the same tools, commenting their code and building a community)
  • piracy (instead of cracking a serial number, people will look for the equivalent free software)
  • training more software developers (indeed, software development tools are free so developers are more incentivised to at least try these tools)
  • the software industry in general as all industry players take this trend seriously, and either have built a strategy out of the free software trend (eg IBM promoting J2EE; and more genuinely, Sun, which has free software crypted in its DNA), or use it as a benchmark to improve their products (eg SugarCRM, Centric CRM or vTiger CRM vs. Oracle Siebel or SalesForce; Firefox or Opera vs. MSIE7; etc.). It also happens everyday that software developers contribute and delve into the code of an open source software hoping to come up with new ideas for the proprietary code of the company (s)he’s working for.

Anyways, as far as I see it, there are many articulate (ie based on FACTS) ways to support free software. What I can’t stand is people who claim things without any supporting fact. Why systematically oppose regular corporations patenting and licensing their work, and free software initiatives? Many private ventures make money out of the work of hundred thousands of unknown and unpaid developers, why would RedHat be less sort of evil than Oracle, Microsoft or Google? At least, Google, Microsoft and Oracle do pay (and pay well) their software developers for the good job they do everyday.

Anyways, although I love free software, I hate free assertions, speeches not grounded with facts. Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, was one of the last persons on Earth I would’ve wanted to go and have a beer with. Now that I watched that video, I really want to go for a beer with him to question him about what free software actually is. I’m sure the guy can’t even quote one piece of software or check his own e-mail (assuming he’s got one). The following speech is one of the dumbest I’ve ever heard. Enjoy!

5 Comments »

  1. It would also allow poor countries to use computers without abusing property rights as it is the case with drugs.
    Free softs can be used by all without any property rights issues and thus reduce the cost of software for poor countries, allowing their faster growth as economies based on services.

    Impact on Microsoft and other monopolists will be positive. Through them, all customers will benefit from innovation. Since the essential thing in (B to C) soft industry is the standard, the platform, the exhuberant number of free softs will end up incorporated in systems such as Msoft’s Windows. If they are not, i believe impact will be that strong, due to the lack of information/time of people to look for new softs.

    Comment by Alexandre Lucas — February 18, 2007 @ 12:01 pm

  2. Indeed a dumb speech… but what is sadder: to hear such words, or to be not surprised by his saying them?

    Comment by Emmanuel — February 19, 2007 @ 9:09 pm

  3. Alex> About poor countries, maybe…however, the developing world is where software piracy thrives most. People, even broke people, want to use the best software instead even when these aren’t free.

    Emmanuel> Ahah, you’re right. I would’ve been surprised had Hugo Chávez said something clever instead.

    Comment by Jeremy Fain — February 19, 2007 @ 9:22 pm

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