El software libre ahorró a Brasil 225 millones de dólares en el 2010
Personally, I think that the number cited is incorrect. A lot more was not only saved but implicitly invested. Free software is not, in my estimation, about saving money; it's not cheap software or "free" software, as in licensed no-fee software that's given away as a kind of loss-leader.
Rather, free and open source software (Foss) is a strategic investment that is aimed at not only providing the applications people want so as to continue with their habits but also to provide them with the tools that allow them to go beyond those habits and create something new--and valuable. That is, locally, regionally valuable, not just sentimentally or affectionately valuable but something of value that can be exchanged in the recognized market for money. You know, commodities, things.
I mean to say: it's not about cheap alternatives. It's not about altruism. It's about creating new markets where new things are bought and sold; and it's about emerging economies gaining a foothold on grounds other than natural resources or indentured servitude (extracted materials, cheap labour). Foss is crucial because it enables regions to optimize local education and other intellectual resources in making valuable commodities.
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