Submitted by A new initiative by the Brazillian government will see low cost KDE based computers on sale throughout the country from next week. The Computers for All scheme will bring “cheap and accessible” computers following a recent law cutting taxes and encouraging affordable financing for low income buyers of computers preinstalled with Free Software operating systems. Several companies are involved in the scheme with most using KDE desktops.
These are pretty great news and (speaking for myself) I welcome the Brazillian governments decision to go with KDE. I am glad to see how KDE is able to impress people with astonishing great technology, clean implementation, easy of use and great integration. The powerful applications around KDE makes it a pleasure to use.
The news is incorrect, the government is not in favor of KDE, the iniciative is for free software operating systems that means everything that’s free it can even be a Unix (freebsd).
So the person who wrote the article is a KDE lover and made the news only favorable to KDE which in fact is for everyone (XFCE, enlighment, etc.).
Please search for the facts before posting news.
Case closed.
Sorry, just kidding, not trolling
I laud the initiative, but I wonder if public money couldn’t be invested in better ways.
Like what? Many things are important, and keeping the population’s skills up to date (or as up to date as possible) is important to guarantee oportunities beyond being a clerk or a maid.
Like what? Many things are important, and keeping the population’s skills up to date (or as up to date as possible) is important to guarantee oportunities beyond being a clerk or a maid.
Well instead of the government subsidising goods that end up at the middle-classes, they could provide better schooling opportunities in the slums perhaps?
The tax and loan benefits from the program will benefit any computer maker that applies to it; the companies can use any operating system (and desktop environment) on the computer, as long as it’s Free (as in livre). Being Free is the only software-related requirement of the project.
Obviously GNU/Linux is the standard choice here; the desktop environment depends mostly on the distribution chosen, and each company can pick one (or make their own).
KDE is not the default because there is no default.
in 5 months time, they will be changing over to GNOME after they’ve received feedback from the public.
in 5 months time, they will be changing over to GNOME after they’ve received feedback from the public.
Well… You’re just trolling… but anyway… They don’t care what DE is used… Actually, the important thing is the “cheap” part… Of course it has to be useful, but as long it has a browser, e-mail program, and an office suite… it’s enough. As long the stats about adoption are good enough, it’s all good for the campaign in the next elections…
…and as said just some comments ago… As long it’s free/livre software, it can apply to this initiative. (the initiative for free cybercafe-like places in poor areas actually uses Gnome desktop… so; as long it’s free/livre software, it’s good enough!)
Edited 2005-11-08 21:29
i must say – back in the kde 1.x days – when a bunch of hackers and enthusiasts got togeteh to make things liek KDe .. did they ever think their work would help humanity than many of the half-baked government schemes to alleviate poverty and provide more opportunities for all.
it’s “LIBRE”
actually, it’s called “software livre” in Brazil… the same as it’s called “free software” in english speaking countries…
“Libre” is a term used in these countries (actually, it’s commonly used, but the main reason is…) to avoid confusion with “free” word meaning both “free as in beer” AND “free as in freedom”; as “libre” means only “free as in freedom”… it’s not a english-native word, but helps to avoid the confusion. (‘free as in beer’ would be called “grátis/gratuito” in Brazil…)
In Brazil, it’s free/libre software is commonly referred as “software livre”, by the government, by vendors… well, by pretty much everyone in involved.
[you probably know it looking at your IP address, but it’s a good information for everyone else too…]
Then the project is predestinold to the failure… Can it be that the Positivo makes a good marketing to try save the project, but I very remember well the last project of the popular computer that the Brazilian government would go to launch… The solution to we have cheap computers in Brazil is only one: importing from Paraguay. Only contraband… And the brazilians don’t understand Linux too…
~ Michael Vinícius de Oliveira ~
Edited 2005-11-09 00:29
Well… even if it’s the only ‘common’ way… still important for the people to have programs like that. The main importance of the program is about taxes in these computers and better ways to pay for it (divided in 24-36 payments)… The problem about the marketing is, the computers still not really accessible for pour people, so it becomes a normal cheap (but still easier to buy) making Linux propaganda…
…the best solution would be making the Linux distribution on these computers more like Internet Appliances boxes. Something REALLY easy to use internet, write and manage documents and some multimedia. Then it would become accessible enough for pour people how don’t know how to use a computer and they can actually use it and start to learn more advanced things too.
…still, it’s sad most of benefits are political… but anyway we still need programs like that, as for most of people, contrabanded/gray market computers still not an option (isn’t easy to buy as these ones).
Uhm, the first comment used to be +3 and is now -1 ? What the hell is going on here ? Even in the other KDE article +4 comments got moderated down to -3 in seconds.
Why the swab from Insigne to Mandriva? Weird.
Knowing Brazil (and Portugal), I can say this is just another feed-the-fat-cats program. A few government well-connected people will get the benefits (perhaps they will even give away the computers to themselves) and nothing will come out of it except waste of money.
Not to speak of the obvious problem of a government dumping goods on the economy and taking the place of legitimate private enterprise. Do you think that there are really urgent reasons why Brazil’s poor need computers so the government has to step in, to balance some kind of grievous social inequality?
Do you think that there are really urgent reasons why Brazil’s poor need computers so the government has to step in, to balance some kind of grievous social inequality?
It’s a way to combat the kind of misery that we see here and now (because of media and riots) in France of near countries….
…It doesn’t mean these computers or the initiative are all-good… it’s really doesn’t!
But the general idea of the initiative is very good (I hope it could be better, but right now it’s a way to make the importance of Linux and libre software solutions more important so they can fully replace proprietary software in these cases… well, for a short answer, it’s a political initiative… =] )
Would you GNOME people please stop trolling in a KDE threat ?
aham, as a a Brazilian i found the news source to be completely incorrect. What’s really going on around here are low-cost (if you understand by low cost something like U$1500) that should be available to the poor people (hell no). They don’t come with KDE, they come with Windows Starter Edition, since Microsoft pulled it’s strings with the government (initially linux was the intention).
Oh and u can get a 30% cheaper computer than the goverment, in totally legit ways, around the market.
Shame on OSNews for not checking it’s sources.
They’re simultaneous initiatives. There’s the computer with the Starter Edition and there’s this “popular” computers from Positivo that has some support too.
…You’ll probably find other vendors selling other configurations (hardware and software) with some support too (as long the target is a “popular” computer.)