Schools to use free software after Microsoft trial
A Russian minister yesterday promised to provide the country’s schools with free open-source software after a headmaster was sued for illegally using Microsoft Windows, ITAR-TASS news agency reported.
“By the end of 2009 the package of free software will be installed on all school computers as an alternative to commercial operating systems,” ITAR-TASS quoted Telecommunications Minister Leonid Reiman as saying.
The software, based on the open-source Linux standard, whose source code is available free of charge to programmers, was developed last year by a Russian company, Reiman said.
Last year, a Russian headmaster was fined 200 dollars for illegally installing Microsoft Windows on his school’s computers in the country’s first prosecution for usage of pirated goods.
Alexander Ponosov, had faced a maximum of five years in prison and the case drew nationwide media attention, with Russian officials often stepping up to defend the headmaster.
Asked about the case at a press conference last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said: “Catching someone just because he bought a computer and threatening him with prison — that’s crap.”
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