The exciting side of free software is that anybody can jump in andhelp. This is, in a way, what we did when we created Free SoftwareMagazine - and this is what many others around the world are doing, withsoftware projects and informational web sites.

Ryan Bagueros recently contacted me about his new project, Northxsouth.com, and asked me to spreadthe word. The site covers news related to the free software movement in Latin American and is writtenby people involved with migrating government computer systems to opensource software in Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Ryan wrote to me: “In the last decade, a new type of Latin Americanleader has emerged that defies the stereotypes of the ‘banana republic’ despots who ruledthe region for much of the 20th century. With roots in progressive,democratic movements, these new leaders bring with them a value setwhich favors openness and serving the public good over the desires of asmall, corporate elite. This leadership has taken bold moves to changetheir government’s relationship to large, multinational corporations.”

Ryan continued: “In the technology sector, this has taken the form ofa dramatic shift to open source and free software. In Brazil and Venezuela, the use ofproprietary software for public sector systems has been replaced with asweeping switch to free software. news.northxsouth.com is participatingin this historical moment as well as reporting about it on the website.”

Welcome Northxsouth.com!