One last article on Venezuela

President Chavez is switching all public administration IT to free software operating systems, such as Linux.

Chavez added that the decision follows the principle of "national scientific independence, so that we do not depend on privately owned software. If knowledge does not have owners, then intellectual property is a trap set by neo-liberalism."

Venezuelanalysis article

When I was in Caracas last April, I was struck by the number of internet cafes. I am hard pressed to find them on my travels throughout the United States, but in Caracas they were plentiful, even in the poor barrios. Part of Chavez' social and educational mission has been to provide internet access to all communities. This strikes me as a potentially brilliant move that could eventually place Venezuela at the forefront of "the information age". If his goal is to educate the population and provide them with virtually unlimited information access through the internet without being caught in a Microsoft stranglehold, and if knowledge is truly power, they will be set up to potentially become a world power. Lots of interesting things going on in Venezuela.