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http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20050926191316526 Peru has passed its law
encouraging procurement of Free Software by the government. Please note that
the law is about Free Software, not Open Source, as opposed to proprietary
software, distinguished by license. Here's an English
translation published by the Asociación Peruana de Software Libre, and here is
the law itself [PDF]. Technically, it's not official until it is published in
the official Peruvian daily newspaper, but that is pretty much certain at this
point. Note that the version Slashdot links to on OSI is not, I don't think,
the final version. It's a useful translation, but be aware that certain
articles in that beta version are not in the final version. The law defines free
software and proprietary software by means of the licenses, as per my own
translation: 1. Free Software: is
software whose license guarantees the following:
unrestricted use of the program for your own use; unrestricted right
to study the code and figure out how the program works; to
make and distribute copies of the program; to modify the program
and freely distribute the modifications under the same free
conditions as the original program. 2. Proprietary
software: is software whose license does not permit you to do any
or all of the things listed in the above definition. As you can see from the
flavor, so reminiscent of the freedoms guaranteed under the GPL, the stress is
on free as in freedom. Here it is in Spanish, from
the law: Software libre: Es
aquel cuya licencia de uso garantiza las facultades de: - Uso
irrestricto propósito; -
Inspección exhaustiva de los mecanismos de funcionamiento copias distribución libre
tanto de las alteraciones programa resultante,
bajo estas mismas condiciones. 2. Software
propietario: Es aquel cuya licencia de uso no permite ninguna o
alguna de las facultades previstas en la definición anterior. And here is the translation
from the Asociación Puruana de Software Libre: 1. Free Software
That which licence garantees the following things: - Unlimited
use of the program for any purpose; Inspection of the
working mechanisms of the program; Free distribution of
copies of the software, Modification of the program and free
distribution both in the new program, as on the old one, under the
same conditions. 2. Propietary
software. It is that which license does not permit all of any of the
faculties defined above. Regards. Cell #: 92-333-4661290 Ubuntu-Pakistan URL: www.ubuntu-pk.org |