In general, most of us do not relate to technology with the African continent. Many times we think that there everything is desert, camels and elephants and not for a second we might think that technology to which we are accustomed is there. The truth is that all this is a mistake, and more incredible as it may seem, to software and hardware last generation is present. What do you think if you provide the Windows Vista DVD at a cost of $ 3? or how about Windows XP for $ 1.50?. If you are wondering where you can get the software at those prices, the answer is "Computer Village, located in the Nigerian state of Lagos, this is a market located in Ikeja, the state capital, where one can find everything, talking software, whether it's a database administrator, going through editors pictures, to operating systems. There is software that you can not find there, his collection covers almost everything you can imagine.
Of course, this feast of low prices could not miss the Open Source, although it may seem a paradox, the open-source software also has a presence in this market prices ludicrously minimal. For example, Red Hat Linux, v10 which consists of 6 CDs cost between $ 5 and $ 7; How are you going to be an open-source software is more expensive than an owner? ¿RedHat double what it costs to Windows Vista?. Well it turns out that the sellers Nigerians down the price of software based on the number of disks that contain, not the kind of programs that are sold. In this way, the Linux distributions as Debian, Red Hat or SuSE easily triple the cost of Windows. Even for U.S. $ 2 you can get a CD of Ubuntu, which is completely free; even can be ordered for free from the Web. Despite the relative closeness of Nigeria with South Africa, it seems that the vendors are charging taxes for transportation.
The problem is that in Africa these days, there is only a very clear concept of what is the Software: Microsoft. It is no surprise that the movement of Open Source and other companies who no longer relegated to that continent. That's why people think that being the richest man in the world and for having made his fortune by selling software, Bill Gates sells the best applications of the world. Unfortunately there is no culture of free software in this part of the planet, and although South Africa has begun to show flashes, the rest of the continent is in a situation where Microsoft and Windows are the only options.
And believe me, this is not just happening in Africa, put another example. Here in Mexico, specifically in the capital, there is a "market" called Tepito, as well as electronic sell any quantity of pirated products, whether in MP3 music collections, or games for consoles last generation, everything is here It is not hard to find in Windows Vista DVD, entirely in Spanish by no more than $ 12 Mexican pesos (U.S. $ 1.10) or a CD with Windows XP for $ 8 pesos (U.S. $ 0.6). If someone asked about Linux, a safe derived September with many CDs or DVDs, but questioned whether the seller about what Linux is, at best, will get a response very brief and very useful for anything of what they believe is .
However, there is another place called "Plaza of the computer located in the historic center of Mexico City, where you can find everything, and to say everything I mean that no matter what type of software you're looking for, nor what platform you like, sure is there. Beginning with the most essential as Windows applications to lesser used as Final Cut Studio for Mac. All at a price of $ 70 pesos (U.S. $ 6). It should be noted that the "less serious" this situation is that in Mexico, free software is beginning to gain an important place, and there are already several movements that support the software released, so little time, I hope, the culture of software change a bit.
This whole post is a result of a one I found through digg where he recounts the situation in Nigeria, with which I began this article. As the situation in Mexico and is an addition to my own share as things stand in my country. How is your country?, Is there a culture of free software?
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:30 a.m.
here in Lima (Peru) prices are even lower, like this market, here is charged for the number of CDs or DVDs, the price recorded on CD (without having to import) is less than $ 1 per DVD and does not pass of $ 2, one can find everything, there are several buildings, each of several floors and basements, all packed with vendors of software and hardware
June 3rd, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Here we have something similar in Peru, also in the historical center, at the junction with wilson bolivia there are quite a few galleries that sell computer equipment and the famous pirate software, which typically costs $ 1 per cd, a little less than $ 2 per dvd, on the software it does not matter what type it is, how important is the amount of discs.
June 4th, 2007 at 3:33 a.m.
I called a lot of attention to the fact that at no point of reference to make your note that this is pirated software, therefore I imagine that for you the difference between free software and commercial software is whether you have to find the crack / key generator to use that program.
When you begin to pay licensing appreciate your business software, and of course a lot more free software.
Greetings of a pirate ... convert.
June 5th, 2007 at 4:16 a.m.
Very interesting article! Likewise we can not expect anything different on that theme, windows is windows, and we are against it or not, always to the "common people" is going to look like the best.
June 7th, 2007 at 2:36 a.m.
Like I live in Mexico and almost nobody knows Linux. I bought in Tepito and anime movies: DDDDDDD
Viva Ubuntu !!!!!!!!