CAMAGUEY, Cuba, Mar 28 (acn) The Latin American Festival of Open Source Software Installation (FLISOL 2011) will take place in the eastern Cuban province of Camaguey on April 9 focusing on the search for alternatives in the face of U.S. restrictions to prevent Cuba from accessing computer products.The vice manager of the National Software Company (DESOFT) in the province of Camaguey, Gustavo Sanchez, told ACN that this event will take place in that territory under the auspices of DESOFT and the Community Computers Clubs.">CAMAGUEY, Cuba, Mar 28 (acn) The Latin American Festival of Open Source Software Installation (FLISOL 2011) will take place in the eastern Cuban province of Camaguey on April 9 focusing on the search for alternatives in the face of U.S. restrictions to prevent Cuba from accessing computer products.The vice manager of the National Software Company (DESOFT) in the province of Camaguey, Gustavo Sanchez, told ACN that this event will take place in that territory under the auspices of DESOFT and the Community Computers Clubs.">

Cuba Headlines

Cuba News, Breaking News, Articles and Daily Information

Cuba to Host Latin American Festival on Open Source Software

CAMAGUEY, Cuba, Mar 28 (acn) The Latin American Festival of Open Source Software Installation (FLISOL 2011) will take place in the eastern Cuban province of Camaguey on April 9 focusing on the search for alternatives in the face of U.S. restrictions to prevent Cuba from accessing computer products.

The vice manager of the National Software Company (DESOFT) in the province of Camaguey, Gustavo Sanchez, told ACN that this event will take place in that territory under the auspices of DESOFT and the Community Computers Clubs.

He added that universities and other institutions will also be involved in the rest of the country.

David Padron, an engineer with DESOFT, said that the almost 50-year-old U.S. blockade of the Caribbean nation prevents Cuba from making direct business with companies that export these kind of products.

“That’s why Cuban specialists promote the use of Linux and other open source systems,” he noted.

He added that proprietary software entails economic responsibilities since it began to be commercialized in the 1970s with the consolidation of companies such as IBM, Apple and Microsoft. He pointed out that open source software allows the study of source codes and their modification.

For Richard Stallman, main promoter of the GNU Operating System and the Free Software Foundation, proprietary software imply electronic dependence and colonization while open source software promotes solidarity and cooperation.

Speaking to Bohemia magazine during a visit to Cuba in 2007, Stallman said that open source software respects private property but it also defends the right to reproduce and share programming tools and languages.

FLISOL has been taking place annually in Latin America and it facilitates the installation of open source software in the users’ personal computers. It also promotes participatory workshops and lectures by specialists in the field.

Related News

Comments