Inter Press Service
05/25/08 4:00 AM PT
Cuba's widespread adoption of free software has been slow going.
Although the country announced its intention to switch over to open
source software three years ago, so far only its customs service has
adopted GNU/Linux on all of its computers.
After years of deliberation, the University of Havana has finally
decided to switch over to free software on its network of computers,
virtually all of which currently use Windows operating systems.
The plan, which was approved by the University Council, envisages the
intensive training of professors and computer personnel this year,
followed in 2009 by the broad installation of the GNU/Linux operating
system, which uses the Linux Verio brings something extra to Linux:
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"It's a plan for the long term," said Yudivin Almeida, a professor in
the mathematics and computer science department of the University of
Havana. "It's an attempt to minimize conflict and avoid abrupt changes,
such as removing Windows and installing Linux."
Multiple Stages
In fact, the changeover strategy is made up of several stages, from
installing specific programs such as the browser Mozilla Firefox to
replace the widely used Internet Explorer, which began Jan. 5, to
training operators to use OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office, until
patented software is finally dropped.
According to U.S. software developer and activist Richard Stallman, the
founder of the free software movement and the creator of the General
Public License, a free program must comply with four 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 others; and the freedom to improve the program
and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community
benefits.
Almeida said it was logical to start with those who teach computer
science and computer laboratory staff, "because they are the most
resistant to change." Students, in contrast, have to accept the contents
of each subject as laid down in the course plan. "Computer course
curriculums need to be revised, as at present they are mostly taught
using Windows," said Almeida, who coordinates the Free Software and
Linux User Group at the University of Havana, where several departments
are changing their course plans after the changeover to free software
was approved.
"When free software has been installed on all of the university's
computers, it will make no sense to teach using anything else," he
concluded.
A Drawn-Out Shift
Cuba announced its intention to switch over to free software in May
2005, beginning with the government's central administration offices.
However, so far only the customs service has adopted GNU/Linux on all of
its computers.
A national working group was formed to promote the shift, including
representatives of the ministries of education, justice, the interior,
higher education and the armed forces, as well as the customs service,
the Office for Computerizing Cuban Society, the Computer Sciences
University, the University of Havana and the Jose A. Echeverria Institute.
"The national group makes suggestions, but there is no legislation to
enforce the changeover," Almeida said.
On April 10, he posted on his personal Web site a decree by Ecuadorean
President Rafael Correa concerning a shift to free software in that
country's central public administration offices.
The purpose of the move is to "attain sovereignty and technological
autonomy," as recommended by the Ibero-American Charter on Electronic
Government, approved by the Ninth Ibero-American Conference of Ministers
for Public Administration and State Reform, held in Chile in June 2007.
Winning acceptance of free software has not been easy at the University
of Havana, where courses of study in social sciences and other subjects
take precedence over the new information and communication technologies,
the 27-year-old Almeida said.
"University professors have been the most reluctant to change, because
they have become proficient in the use of certain patented software
instruments," said Almeida, who has a degree in computer science.
According to Almeida, those who oppose the change claim that free
software is of lower quality than commercial programs such as Windows,
an argument that is often hard to settle, while they overlook other
aspects such as technological sovereignty.
Taking a Step Forward
The overwhelming majority of the approximately 380,000 computers in Cuba
run on illegal copies of the Windows operating system and use pirated
versions of programs, for which no license fees are paid, because of the
four-decade U.S. embargo against the island.
According to a survey on access to selected information and
communication services carried out by the state National Statistics
Office, 33 percent of Cubans over 6 used a computer at least once during
2007.
The study found that computers were most frequently used in post offices
and centers called "Youth Computer and Electronics Clubs," which were
organized by the Young Communist League to spread knowledge of new
technology. Computer access in the home only accounted for 5.2 percent
of the total.
In Almeida's view, free software would end the University of Havana's
dependence on programs for which unaffordable sums in license fees would
become payable if relations with Washington become normalized in future.
In addition, it would promote the socialization of knowledge, one of the
basic goals of higher education in Cuba.
"This issue had been discussed for a long time without any decision
being reached," Almeida said. "The start of the plan is quite a
significant step forward."
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