A manifest to expand the colective awareness on the use of Free Software in the State and the Public Administrations

1. 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

2. Table of Contents
The State
Paradigms
Computer Paradigms
Technological Dependence
Free Software
Reasons for the State to
adopt the Free Software
2

3. 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.
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4. 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

5. Paradigms
quot;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

6. 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

7. Paradigms
A paradigm explains the world where we live
and can predict its behaviour
7

8. 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 quot;learntquot; the paradigm that while the
stick is on the ground, he can't left
The Chained Elephant 8

9. 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

10. 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
10

11. 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 softwarequot;toolsquot; for information
management, instead of teach using “brandsquot; 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
11

12. 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.
12

13. 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
13

14. 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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15. 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
15

16. Free Software in the State
“The global waste
in using proprietary software
is more than $1 trillion annually”
Michael Tiemann
VP of RedHat and head of the Open Source Initiative
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17. Free Software in the State
Let's do some counts....
A privative A privative
Operating System Office Suite
costs costs
US$ 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 quot;usequot; the software
Users not acquire ownership of the product
17

18. 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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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 60 to 130 reading books
And from 600 to 1300 children
will lose the opportunity to
learn to read
19

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
44 to 88 gallons of fuel
And they no longer make
1030 to 2310 Miles
of urban patrolling
20

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
415 to 925 doses
of meningitis vaccine
And from 415 to 925 children
will lose the opportunity to
be immunized
21

22. 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
22

23. 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
23

24. 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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25. 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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26. For the Awareness
of using
Free Software in the State
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