Venuzuela's Oil + Social Change + Open-Source

Christmas Tree
Picture originally uploaded and taken by focalplane.

This article from World Changing really captures how technology and social change becoming even more inseparable. In the case of Venezuela, this article gives an example of how the state-owned oil company's Microsoft-based computer system was sabatoged - only to be saved by local hackers who were able to break in and restore the settings. AFter that, Venezuela decided against the use of systems with proprietary code (Microsoft) and mandated a switch to systems that run only on open-source programs.

This is a very forward looking action that we should keep an eye on - for Venezuela is really saying that dependence on US codes-programs-closed systems further enables their dependency on USA, which therefore renders government agencies and public institutions vulnerable to cyber attacks. Hmmm I wonder who sabatoged the Microsoft programs that run their oil systems? Cough CIA cough America

Below is the article link and abstract:

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: A Revolution Saved By Hackers:

A Revolution Saved By Hackers | Jamais Cascio

Leapfrog Nations - Emerging Technology in the New Developing World see all posts in this category
In an ideal world, the first country to wholly embrace free/libre/open source software (FLOSS) as a tool for economic and social change would be one that also embraced entirely free/open political discourse. Sadly, we don't live in an ideal world, and the spearhead of an open source revolution may well be Venezuela under Hugo Chavez. We posted last month about Venezuela's law requiring government agencies to transition to FLOSS over a two year period. Now GNU software engineer David Sugar, in a report for Technology & Change, provides more details about Venezuela's adoption of open source technology -- as well as why Chavez owes his continued office to computer hackers.

The appeal of FLOSS to developing nations is clear and simple: the software can be legally acquired free of cost; the lack of pro