I remember reporting this a few months ago and it comes as great news to hear the initial project that looked so good on paper is indeed materializing.

If he is to make good on his promise to improve life for the tens of millions of Brazilians who live in dire poverty, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva knows that one key challenge is to bridge a massive technology gap. And if that means shunning Microsoft Corp. software in South America's largest country, then so be it.

the digital divide is not so much of a problem as it used to be in the industrial nations but the the digital divide is one of the major problems in poorer countries. people not having access to technology puts them at a big disadvantage.