In Russia Open-Source Software Gets Official Support from Authorities

The position of the Russian government has been clear for some time now: it is no good for Russian citizens to study and work using commercial Western software (developed and supplied mostly by Microsoft). Quite a number of arguments support the open-source trend, including the high prices that send many users to download pirated software and the threat of developing our advanced technologies in various scientific fields working on Windows-powered computers which does not feel particularly safe.

This last argument may sounded paranoid yet it is definitely an interesting trend when you see a government actually supporting free alternatives officially. There have been failed attempts to actually do something to turn the trend into reality but they were never a success. Yet today we see yet another example that seem to be more reasonable.

The thing is that authorities of one of the Russian regions now offer Linux for download from their own website. The operating system is also accompanied by various additional applications that should make a user more comfortable in his or her switching to the open-source software.

The thing is that in Russia not everyone enjoys unlimited internet at all so you have to pay for every file you download - and the larger the file, the more expensive it will be for you. This is viewed as one of the limitations that prevent mass users from downloading open-source software and at least comparing it to commercial software to make an informed decision as a result.

And this is the problem solved by this particular move: the authorities that now provide the files for download right from their own servers have made access to such files free or at least much less expensive for the subscribers of the local ISPs so yet another barrier that prevented adoption of free software here has been removed.

I have not heard of any similar plans in other regions of the country but given that it is our president’s official position to support open-source products, I think that other regions will follow soon so Linux will be more accessible to many pretty soon.

I don’t believe this measure will really make many users migrate from their pirated Microsoft operating systems to Linux - after all, it takes more to fall in love with one’s operating system than the fact that it is officially free. But now that we see the governmental position supported with real actions, I think further measures will follow and who knows, one day we could see Microsoft losing its monopoly in Russia.

Via (in Russian)