The Gates Foundation's primary purpose is to buy forgiveness on the cheap for Microsoft's wrongs and power, so it doesn't surprise me that its "gifts" would be designed to turn people into Microsoft customers. I would be astonished to see a Microsoft product which has a rose to redeem its thorns.
If it is truly the network that refuses to allow download of software, I can suggest possible ways around it. For instance, you could bring the software you want to install on CD-ROM. Or you could temporarily connect a laptop to the local ethernet and download software from it. There are plenty of users in Mexico of free software (software libre) who would be glad to try to help these people install Firefox, and they could even build it from source to make sure it is indeed entirely free. (The Firefox binaries available on the net are not free.) However, it may not be the network--it could be the system running on the machine that refuses to install the software. It would be a good thing to verify this for certain. If that is the case, they could replace the entire system. Microsoft Windows is user-subjugating software (software privativo), so for freedom's sake they should not be using it. The telecenters in Brazil run the free GNU/Linux operating system, and these telecenters can too. Volunteers from a local GNU/Linux User Group could get a free system running--perhaps booting from a "live CD", which avoids the need to change what's installed on the hard drive. I know people in the free software community in Mexico. Should I ask around for someone who might want to help? On 12/7/05, Augusta Molnar wrote: > I am writing from Oaxaca, Mexico where I am visiting communities in the > highlands. They have been beneficiaries of a very cool project financed > in part by the Gates foundation to install a wireless connection and a > set of computers for the schools. We are working on a network in the > Latin America region for communities for which we use by preference > FireFox as our browser. We suggested they try this browser as Explorer > was causing problems, and discovered to our surprise that the Gates > foundation "gift" comes with tags. > > The computer network does not allow any of the users of the donated > computers to install any software not owned by Microsoft, even any open > source software. The network within which the computers reside will not > allow any individual computers to download software to install, > ostensibly to prevent viruses and incompatible software from > jeopardizing the Microsoft system. ..snip... > Is this standard Gates foundation policies?????? Is this type of tag > allowed?? > > Interested to hear from those of you who are more knowledgeable on this > point. ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
