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Free software liberates Venezuela

The free software revolution comes to Venezuela

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Back to the present…

Everyone I had met from PDVSA appears completely committed at all levels to the basic idea of converting Venezuela’s oil resources into long-term and self-sustaining wealth for the nation as a whole. This is done in part through the development of a new economy, as planned for through Minep.

Capturing this wealth is viewed as an urgent matter because, even though Venezuela posses one of the largest known reserves of oil, they expect world oil production to begin declining and see this wealth as very temporary. Socorro Hernendez said PDVSA believes that nobody will “burn” oil (as for example in automobiles) in as little as 20 years. He also said they believe that, while oil will remain important to the multitude of other industries in which it is used, the price will settle to $5 a barrel, so now is not only the best, but also the last, chance to create something useful from this wealth.

Capturing oil wealth is viewed as an urgent matter because, even though Venezuela posses one of the largest known reserves of oil, they expect world oil production to begin declining and see this wealth as very temporary

Conatel Telecenter
Conatel Telecenter

Conatel and Conclusions

I flew from Maracaibo to Caracas on November 26th. Even in Venezuela’s revolutionary republic, custom officials are still custom officials, and airports are still like airports everywhere. Given the lack of revolutionary posters, pictures of Chavez, or military checkpoints promised by the state department, what is worth noting is the rather ordinary way society and most institutions operate in Venezuela.

One interesting program is run by Conatel, Venezuela’s telecom regulatory agency, which now runs a program to deploy telecenters into communities around the country. Conatel is a regulatory agency for the telephone and broadcast services in a manner akin to the FCC in the United States. However, in this instance, Contatel also runs a community telecenter project in order to bring computing and telephone resources directly to communities across the nation. There are other similar programs running in various Latin American nations today.

I actually saw the model Venezuelian telecenter at the Conatel building while I was in Caracas. A typical community telecenter comes with up to a dozen PC workstations, and a server. Connectivity is offered through a telecom carrier for both internet data and for voice. These systems entirely use free software, and each telecenter includes a staff of two people.

One of the people is trained to manage and teach how to use the computers and resources of the telecenter, and charged with maintaining the equipment. The second person is someone trained in the social needs of a given community. For example, for a telecenter that is deployed in an agricultural town, the second person would likely be someone who was educated in agriculture. In a mining town, it would likely be a miner.

Each telecenter desktop PC runs Debian GNU/Linux, and includes software for internet browsing, for performing routine work such as Open Office, and includes a camera along with GNOME Meeting for voice and video conferencing. The telecenters also have VOIP telephones that are made in China and that load an embedded Linux.

Many carriers in Venezuela offer direct H.323 connectivity for VOIP, and presumably, like Deutsch Telecom, more than likely use GNU GateKeeper to form their mesh network. The client workstations use GNOME Meeting, which is an H.323 client, and even the telephone instruments use H.323. No doubt, it would bring a tear to the eyes of Craig Southern, who heads the OpenH323 project, to know that there is a complete end-to-end national H.323 network in Venezuela, running the OpenH323 project stack, from the national carrier down to the individual telephone instruments.

I believe telecenters are or will be the public libraries of the new millennium. Unfortunately, most existing libraries elsewhere in the world today, while often they include computers, don’t understand how they should be used. For example, many libraries in the U.S. have computers, but they are really only used for web browsing, and come “attached” with nutty politicians more deeply concerned about library patrons potentially reading about sex rather than about the laws that require library content to be filtered for this reason.

I believe telecenters are or will be the public libraries of the new millennium

All these things began with the oil worker lockout. Rather than bringing down the government of Hugo Chavez, by working together with foreign interests to directly sabotage the country’s most vital industry, the wealthy elite of Venezuela radicalized the oil workers in a way that no other action could. The workers of PDVSA are now fully committed to creating the new economy, and will remain so regardless of who is in power. When the rich of Venezuela ponder who it was that made Venezuela become a revolutionary nation, they shouldn’t look at President Chavez, who may not have even been thinking of this at the time, and certainly had no means to accomplish it if he had; instead, they should look in the mirror.

When the rich of Venezuela ponder who it was that made Venezuela become a revolutionary nation they should look in the mirror

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Biography

David Sugar: David Sugar is an active maintainer for a number of packages that are part of the GNU project, including GNU Bayonne. He has served as the voluntary chairman of the FSF’s DotGNU steering committee, as a founder and CTO for Open Source Telecomm Corporation, and currently owns and operates Tycho Softworks.

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Comments from the old system

Submitted by admin on Thu, 2006-03-30 14:41.

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From: Hp
Url:
Date: 2006-01-17
Subject: About something in the page 3

Hello, I believe that you did not understand well what they meant to you, in the 2003 sabotage went to our oil industry [1], thanks

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez#2002:_Coup_and_worker_strike

pd:

in a personal thought, the ministry of science and tech (cnti)

has to watch more close this migration process, they are taking too slow and given permission to other goverment dep to dont obbey the free software lineament.

From: gbob
Url:
Date: 2006-02-08
Subject: Typical

I started reading this article because I thought it would have mostly technical info, but then I got to the "co-operative" section. Communism again - sigh.

It's really too bad that people still try this failed method over and over and over... It really ruined this article for me. This was abut the free software revolution, not the people's republic revolution. How is communism about freedom?

From: Mike
Url:
Date: 2006-02-09
Subject: Down Hill Slide

I also started out reading with high hopes. I am a UNIX admin with a strong desire to see Linux and free software in general succeed. I also used to live in Venezuela.

Once the article started telling us how great communism is, the article was on the downhill slide. Venezuela itself is on a slippery slope as well. While I in no way condone corruption, capitalism and freedom is what makes great nations great.

I believe that software should be shared and given away because we are good people and just want to be nice, not because we have some moral obligation. I also believe that people have the right to make a buck or two from their work.

It is very good to see the Venezuelan people being educated and if nothing else, at least some good is coming from this mad man named Chavez.

One last point - I have no doubt that Hugo Chavez wants the very best for his people and that he has good intentions for them. However, I think he is a power hungry individual with a healthy dose of paranoia.

From: Dave Guard (SUBSCRIBER!)
Url: this one
Date: 2006-02-10
Subject: No communism here?!?!

Hi,

There is no mention of communism in this article.

The article talks about how great it is that the government of Venezeula is implementing free software. Whether the goverment there is faulted in other ways really bares no relation to this fact.

Even if someone is wrong most of the time, it doesn't mean the things they do right are any less right.

It is fantastic that free software provides an affordable, secure, stable and sustainable way to run the country and educate its people. And it will mean they don't have to fork out their hard earned money to MS through the purchase of licenses. They will also no longer be restricted by MS's formats, patents, licenses, range of products... etc. Nor will they need to continuously upgrade software (to stay supported), hardware (to keep up with the software) or virus protection.

I also think it is fantastic that their oil industry is now in the hands of the people rather than a few wealthy exploiters who were/are in cahoots with a variety of powerful, unsavoury types who mainly happen to reside in the US.

This sets a great example for the rest of the world.

From: Victor
Url:
Date: 2006-02-08
Subject: Congratulations

This is a very good article, telling people what a government is doing to make things better, with a vision other than "Psycho revolutionary making another dictatorship in latin america", whitch is what rich people from that country and "foreign governments" interested in what is under the ground there tries to tell to everybody worldwide.

It could be a nice example to other nations if doesn't occur any type of sabotage.

Thank you for the article!

From: Venezolano
Url:
Date: 2006-02-09
Subject: Free software don't mean free people

Free software revolution is good

But in Venezuela the cost is our fredoom. Most of the managament of the Chavez goverment are military. Would you like that your country were ruled for a bunch of the soldiers. I don't think soo

This guys, before Chevez goberment was the most conservative military in south America, and now, "they're the new socialism"

When they are generals? and when the are captains or mayor their fight againts the guerila at the 60's and 70's.

For me the cost of Linux is the higest cost ever pay.

From: Joao Da Silva
Url:
Date: 2006-02-09
Subject: Chavez support for FLOSS is terrible!

(Edited for swear words by Tony Mobily)

We *don't* need Chavez to support FLOSS, thank you very much. Chavez is a man that comes from the ranks of the military, who undermines freedom of speech and who is downright demagogical and hypocritical. How can you guys be so enamored of Free Software that you don't even take into consideration supporting an undemocratic character like him?

Now, I've seen *that* movie (government support of FLOSS) before. I've seen in Brazil. NOTHING HAPPENED, except deployment of some FLOSS workstations, much to the financial happiness of system administrators that had contacts with Labor Party members in the government. Yeah, I saw people quit their jobs and make GOOD money...******* liars...Just read the press: Lula's leftist government is awash in corruption and ethical violations scandals! ****! DO YOU EVEN READ ABOUT THE COUNTRIES YOU VISIT ?!!! (PS: Oh, let me just add that I have *first hand* experience here, i.e., I KNOW THE PEOPLE I'M TALKING ABOUT).

Name *one* important project that got support from the Brazilian government (please don't name the Mono *Visual Basic* (!!!) compiler, or little tiny Lua - I said *important*, as in "kernel", "OpenOffice", etc).

Venezuela is *way* worst than Brazil when it comes to tecnhology and academics. Brazil is a ******* powerhouse. Venezuela is a "Banana Republic", except the banana is black and liquid. Let's see what the Great Chavez will do for the Linux kernel. Let's see how much *money* he throws into practical projects, how much $support$ he pitches in for OpenOffice, GNU, BSDs, etc. Sorry, I think this is just talk, and talk is cheap.

This is a load of bullcrap that will result in *nothing*. These people have not the discipline and the stamina for the kind of effort that is required. When it comes to FLOSS, Venezuela will be Brazil all over again, except much, much worse. That boat will sink...you bet on it!

Characterizing FLOSS with this leftist shit is the worst thing that could happen in terms of our image. FLOSS is not communism, FLOSS is 21st century new economy, and Chavez can't even grasp 20th century economics, much less complex issues like FLOSS.

We will see...Let's see if we get *loads* of kernel patches from Venezuelan projects...Did we see any of that from Brazil ? Nah, it's the United States that keeps rowing the boat...These are the facts.

From: Tony Mobily (SUBSCRIBER!)
Url: http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com
Date: 2006-02-10
Subject: A couple of points...

Hello,

I don't know enough about politics to write an informed comment. I believe only very, very few people can indeed write informed comments.

I don't know much about the MONO VB project. However, I would like to remind you of two things:

* Free Software is not just Linux. It's not even just GNU/Linux. If everybody only worked on the kernel, and JUST the kernel, free software would not be as widespread.

* You write "Nah, it's the United States that keeps rowing the boat". Is it? Do you know that Samba is an Australian project, develped in Camberra? Do they not "row the boat" as well? Do a bit of research: a _lot_ of crucial free software is not made in the US. Alan Cox (who's played a MAJOR role in the kernel) is English. I guess he was "rowing" too, while writing code.

This is what I know. I don't know much about politics, and therefore I won't make comments.

I wish more people followed my example.

Merc.

From: cybermalandro
Url:
Date: 2006-02-10
Subject: Thanks for the article

David,

I am a Venezuela living in the U.S. I am not with or against Chavez. I just happened to have moved here about 18 years a go. I do want to make a comment. Thanks to your article I dig more the idea of Open Source Software. It is really inpiring. I wish more Open Source Software leaders would write this type of articles because in the end the idea of OSS is to share knowledge and not let anyone behind, we all benefit from knowledge.

Your article has inspire me to help more the Open Source Community in whatever I can. I appreciate the time you took to write this and the time you took to help out the people of Venezuela.

From: Alfredomarquezp
Url:
Date: 2006-02-14
Subject: I canŽt believe somebody wrote this

ItŽs incredible sad to see how somebody write this without any idea about what itŽs really happening in my country.

I have used and developed OSS for 15 years and I can tell you that this article is an insult to the intelligence of those who know about software and to those who are really proud of using Open Source as part of our choices to develop software.

How can you say that the problem in PDVSA was due to the use of any kind of software ? and let me tell you, because I know that very well: there was not any Microsoft software in the core businesss of PDVSA, Microsoft software is not ready for that league yet.

Additionally, spend some seconds to think about this:

If some workers in your company (whatever it would be) quit and you find yourself alone with no idea about how to operate a piece of hardware and software and there is not any contingency plan, any documentation about how to operate anything. Do you really think that the problem is in the SOFTWARE MODEL ??????? ItŽs as crazy as it sounds.

Did somebody really believe that if the software is open source, you can solve the problem by reviewing millions of lines of code in order to know how to operate an oil refinery ???? PLEASE !!!!!! itŽs not a matter of using UNIX or Linux or Windows or whatever you want. ItŽs a matter of doing the things well when you deploy and manage a project of this size.

I love Open Source software but these kind of articles are the worst thing for our communities. I have seen some guys facing discussions with weak arguments like those in this article and I see why in Venezuela we were not CONVINCED about the use of Open source and we have to be FORCED to use it by law. IŽve seen some people proud about this. IŽM NOT.

ItŽs crazy to see how in the name of the Open Source Software some people are talking about freedom forcing the companies to use just one choice by law instead of the value and benefits of the open source software itself, talking about "SOBERANIA" destroying thousands of venezuelean companies who developed and distribute software and services for the public sector in Venezuela.

Additionaly to this, you can see the public sector companies completely out of focus thinking on crazy migration processes, expending at least two years for migrations(theoretically), expending money and energy to do the same they do today instead of being better and more efficient.

I really hope you take some time to think about this and donŽt keep damaging the image of the open source software by saying things like those in this article

Alfredom

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Don't like revolutions? Tough. Bite IT.

Submitted by Anonymous visitor on Sun, 2007-01-21 21:44.

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What a bunch of libertarian whiners. Even when the bolivarians bend over backwards to give you chumps every chance possible to adapt, you just bite the hand that's being extended. Typical selfish petit-bourgeois... Too bad for you Big Brother in the U.S. can't back your selfish asses up this time.

When the day comes that you have to make the Big Choices you won't be able to dodge -- remember that you had all the lead-time and support you needed. Not that this would register with ideologically-blinkered types like yourselves.

Did I say you were a bunch of over-privileged whiners?

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Alfredomarquezp is right

Submitted by Anonymous visitor on Mon, 2007-02-19 04:48.

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Alfredomarquezp is right about one of the arguments being weak: the IT sabotage clearly could still have happened even if they had been using open source software. However, the idea that the Venezuelan government is _wrong_ to save money by switching to open source since this will hurt companies that sell software to the government is ridiculous, especially if you have any shred of libertarian principles (is this what free capitalism means? the right to make money by securing gov't contracts?). The long-term benefits to the country of switching to Linux and open source software would far outweigh any short-term pain.

As for the part about the change being "forced" (and remember, private companies and citizens are still free to fork over to micro$oft to their hearts' content), anyone who's worked in a large institution (in the U.S. or anywhere) knows that O.S. and software changes are _always_ forced, in the sense that they're decided at an institutional level and aren't up to each individual's free choice. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's the universal norm, not some horrible new thing you can blame on Hugo Chavez.

As for the politics, I like to think we techies - to the extent that we care - should be capable of seeking out real information and applying the same kind of intelligent analysis that we apply to our work, instead of going in for dogmatic knee-jerk diatribes or taking media reports as fact (we know how wrong they get it about technology - why think they're any better when it comes to latin america?). Anyway, that's all I wanted to say.



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