PC Conectado
PC Conectado, or Computador para Todos, is a tax-free computer initiative launched by the Brazilian government, since 2003.
PCs available through the project are relatively low-end, but therefore are cheap enough to satisfy most of the population, at R$ 1200. Most PCs available have:
- 128 or 256 MB RAM
- A low end processor, usually a Celeron processor.
- 40 or 80 GB hard disk
- Linux, usually Insigne Linux, a Fedora based distribution fully compatible with software repositories.
The Brazilian government's decision to reject Microsoft's proprietary and limited version of MS Windows XP in favor of a full featured and free Linux operating system was widely reported in the US media and IT periodicals. This decision could be interpreted as a severe, humiliating and embarrassing rejection for Microsoft. The president of the Brazilian agency in charge of the governments technology initiatives, Sérgio Amadeu, unequivocally stated that he was against spending Brazilian tax-payers money on furthering Microsoft's monopoly:
An option providing cheap dial-up access to the Internet may be available soon, costing R$7. Also, a project to offer a popular broadband internet access, charging a monthly fee between 15 and 35 reais.