Is open source a good thing?

It seems the silver bullet for closing the digital divide is open source.
Is that what UNCTAD wants us to think?

The issue is a good deal more complex. The UNCTAD expert meeting held last year has a lot to contribute, and it is backed by real experts on the subject, but the problems start when people from outside the field begin debating it and spreading confusion.

Open source is no holy grail. I even think it could turn out to be dangerous for developing nations.
Most likely the divide will stay the same or grow because of open source.

Why do I think this?

The big winners from open source are IBM, Oracle, and now SUN.

If software is free, what incentive is there to build a software industry in developing countries?

Most of the valuable open source projects are developed in Europe and the USA. Nothing has changed in how technological knowledge is distributed, with or without OSS.

I am going to keep discussing this, because it worries me that OSS is being “sold” as a way to narrow the divide. I don’t believe it, and I hope my opinion is heard by the people who make decisions and by the Latin American community.