Archive for July 1st, 2009

Pirate Linux

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

To say Brazil has a problem with piracy would be an understatement. With one exception (that I’ll get to) I haven’t seen a single legal movie, album or piece of software for sale since arriving here. Mostly the bootlegs are sold by shady-looking street vendors, but you can also pick up a copy of Windows or Office at a newsstand for 10 reals (about 5 USD).

Avast! Thar be pirates!

Avast! Thar be pirates!

However, yesterday, I noticed one street vendor selling the first non-pirated piece of software I’ve seen:

Kurumin Linux

Yes, that is a shady, bootleg-looking copy of Kurumin Linux. I bought it, mostly for the novelty factor, and as a souvenir. But also on the theory that I was supporting free software in some minor way (although probably more directly supporting shady street vendors).
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