Today is an important day for freedom. With Obama's winning of the Democratic presidential nomination, all indications are that freedom is coming. It's coming in the form of another economic stimulus check. Another economic stimulus check? So soon after the last one?
Yes, and here is how it may all unfold. One of Obama's first executive acts may be to standardize all Federal offices to OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice is free, robust, stable and more than sufficient for 99 percent of government work. If any particular government office requires Microsoft Office, they'll be able to purchase it -- after explaining in a few sentences why OpenOffice is insufficient for their needs.
What do you get when all Federal offices standardize on OpenOffice? The effect of this is a second economic stimulus check. You get increased productivity at lower cost. Scratch that. You get increased productivity at no-cost.
But far more than that, you put this nation and the world on the path towards accepting free software as wholly mainstream. Within a few months of the Federal government standardizing on OpenOffice, several large U.S. corporations will standardize on OpenOffice. School districts will soon follow. State governments, more often followers than leaders, will pull up the rear.
Brazil, a country with great foresight and leadership, has standardized free software in their schools. That means 100 million students in Brazil will have several years more experience using free software than students in the United States. In a competitive, flat world market, schools in the United States cannot afford to be left behind like that.
Our students will be using Windows while Brazilian students will be using Linux. We can't afford to be falling that far behind.
The new leadership coming to Washington has the difficult task of correcting some very serious mistakes made in the past. A small, but important, first step is to switch all Federal agencies to free software. When you make wise choices, you become known for your wisdom.
Our civilization has reached a digital tipping point. Old way of doing things are no longer acceptable. And so we say: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty we are free at last.
Rejoice.
Phil Shapiro
The blogger is an educator in the Washington DC-area. He can be reached at: philshapiroblogger@gmail.com
Obama isn't President-Elect yet.
Inside-the-beltway bloggers really need to get out more often.
Just remember it is easier to run a campaign that it is to govern. I doubt that the American people will want OpenOffice to be any president's priorities. Even if it is, the economic impact of training users to switch cannot be underestimated.
If you have ever been in Brazil, you would be aware the country is afficted with poverty that one would have to see to believe. The reason the government uses free software is simply economics. Obviously, economics is a couse you either failed to take or slept thru. Obama is another step in turning America into another Brazil, just another third world banana republic. You really should study the mans history, remember the evil men do lives long after them. If you want to vote for the enemy, great, don't cry after he is in office. I wouldn't vote for a muslim for dog catcher.
Olddave208 appears to have been living in a cave the past few months. He apparently doesn't know about Senator Obama's *20-year* membership in a Christian church and the flap over the comments of that church's Christian preacher.
So sorry, olddave208, your antipathy towards voting for a muslim has nothing to do with Sen. Obama.
JD, Sen. Clinton already threatened Iran or any other terrorist harboring nation with obliteration if they even thought of nuking Israel if she became Prez. Obama wouldn't even scold them! Of course, he considers them friends. We all know any Rebublican candidate would take appropriate action.
If 911 happens again, action must be taken that will deter any other idiot(s) from trying the same.
3000 people just didn't die for nothing, friend.
No, 3000 people didn't die for nothing, they were Bush's excuse to invade Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, and send 4000+ soldiers to their untimely deaths.
also, bush cut off the second biggest supply of oil in the world, and sent oil prices through the roof and squandered our economy to make his "friends" richer.
No, 3000 people didn't die for nothing, they were Bush's excuse to invade Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, and send 4000+ soldiers to their untimely deaths.
also, bush cut off the second biggest supply of oil in the world, and sent oil prices through the roof and squandered our economy to make his "friends" richer.
No, 3000 people didn't die for nothing, they were Bush's excuse to invade Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, and send 4000+ soldiers to their untimely deaths.
also, bush cut off the second biggest supply of oil in the world, and sent oil prices through the roof and squandered our economy to make his "friends" richer.
@Olddave208: if religion is your best argument against the uso of OppenOffice.org then I think you've run out of arguments...
i'm a hindu & i'd vote for obama, even if he were a muslim. learn to look at a person first, then decide if his religion will hinder his ability to govern
olddave208, I have been in Brazil for 24 years! I was born here and I can tell you that, more than a poor country, Brazil is, unfortunately, an inequal country. Free software here is one way to change the social inequality. Not only for "simply economics" reasons, but for giving people autonomy and freedom to change. I am happy most part of American People would vote in a Muslin or a Christian. And if you wnat to change: YES, YOU CAN!
To olddave208:
Dude, I guess you are way out of this world.
If you think Brazil is a crap place, ok, it is your sad opinion, but we, here from Brazil, are not so dumb and poor as many may think.
We have at least the option to choose what we want to use on our computers, no matter if it is free or paid. Too Bad you had to mess with my country, But I will do a thing with you, instead of curse and call you bad names, i will invite you to make a visit at my country. Yeah, come visit us here, and maybe, when you see things by yourself, you will change your mind about us, the poorish third wolrd brazilian people. Okay? =) (At least we are trying to grow in peace and helping the others as we can, not making WAR or trying stupid things.)
IF Obama wins or not, not my problem, Just don't come mess with others that have nothing to do with your own business, okay?
Peace