It has been 66 years since the first computer arrived in Brazil, specifically in the state of São Paulo. Unfortunately, there have been few moments when our country's technological innovation has done its homework and changed its investments, bets, and strategies in this crucial field of innovation. The most significant of these moments, which fueled a very fruitful era in our country, was the encouragement of national hardware and software production throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, driven by fiscal incentives and state laws such as the Software Laws (Law nº 7.646/87) and the Informatics Law (Law nº 8.248/91). Together with the Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC) and major companies, especially banks, this period in the 1990s, amid economic liberalization, brought about a very productive time for the production of national computers and software. Companies like Itautec, Microtec, Microsiga (later Totvs - which also acquired other companies) emerged, universities produced large-scale experimental software (many of which are still used today in fields such as meteorology and telecommunications) - all 100% Brazilian. Furthermore, major national companies made significant strides in digitalization.
From the 2000s onwards, things started to change. The internet made access to software and hardware/components more globalized, and incentive laws were set aside. We lost intellectual and market competitiveness. American companies invaded the national scene with so-called off-the-shelf software, and while corporations benefited from this, it harmed the experimental vein that was developing in our country - which now presents itself as a paradox. Today, the scenario is one of widespread adoption of American products, from off-the-shelf software to components, cloud services, and even the logic and processes of software development. Universities struggle with limited incentives to make investments in a landscape dominated by Machine Learning, which requires expensive cloud and/or computational services, as well as investment in faculty for continuous and cutting-edge research.
It is high time we change this perspective, and there is a possible strategy that involves the adoption and promotion of open-source software, aiming for cooperation. Even American companies are already betting on this turnaround.
Major companies like Twitter (excluding all the turmoil initiated by Musk) have already exposed their code and are adopting open tools for their subscriptions' payment systems - for example.
Obviously, any company that adopts open-source software aims to profit, and regulations allow for that. However, they also understand that creating a community for code reuse and evolution together is much more efficient, scalable, and creative, as code improvements are quickly incorporated into the software that consumes them - not to mention the ability to anticipate problem resolution. This requires a paradigm shift: Investment in personnel. The open-source culture is not like commercial software where you pay for consultancy (which is also costly), and within two months, the software is ready to use. Instead, it requires individuals who think about the evolutionary ecosystem, observe the company's needs, but also have a community-oriented mindset, understanding what can be leveraged or built in collaboration with other companies. It's worth every penny 🤑!
This initial investment is expensive, but it brings exponential benefits for innovation. The timing is opportune now: these new unsupervised learning technologies require minimal code and a lot of data reuse, public and private APIs, and no-code or low-code software. Brazilian developers who are currently directly employed by startups and national and international corporations could potentially be better integrated into a community-oriented and strategically open-source context, aiming for inclusivity within the community. This would drive the development of national, open software aligned with Brazil's interests. The creation of San Pedro Valley in Belo Horizonte was an important initiative for collaboration, but it remained limited to the founders and managers, failing to extend that spirit of mutual construction to engineering, design, and software development methodologies. What a pity.
There are successful cases that we can adopt as inspiration, and an example of a country that is a reference in the use of open-source software is South Korea. The South Korean government has taken a proactive approach to promote the use of free software and create space for collaboration. A notable initiative is the Open Source Software Promotion Act , enacted in 2004. The main goal of this law is to increase the competitiveness of South Korea's software industry and encourage the adoption of open-source software in both the public and private sectors. It establishes guidelines for the use, development, and distribution of open-source software, as well as the promotion of education and training related to it. Additionally, the Korea Software & Content Agency - KOCCA has played a crucial role in promoting and supporting open-source software. KOCCA provides funding and technical support for open-source software projects, organizes competitions and events for developers, and maintains an online platform for sharing open-source software. Pretty cool, right?
Examples exist, and it is crucial for Brazil to regain its trajectory of technological innovation and promote the development of national software as a strategy for emancipation. Have you ever heard of digital colonialism? Drawing inspiration from the approach taken by South Korea can be a viable and promising strategy, but not only that. It requires a joint effort from the government, companies, universities, and the developer community. The Brazilian government has the power to create laws and programs that incentivize the use of free software, promoting the competitiveness of the national industry and stimulating the adoption of open-source code in both the public and private sectors. Furthermore, it is essential to invest in education and training related to open-source software, ensuring the formation of skilled professionals in this field. Here, companies play an important role: investing in R&D. CIOs, we count on you!
Especially for large corporations: they have the financial power to lead this paradigm shift by adopting open-source software and encouraging the creation of developer communities. By exposing their code (sounds absurd, right?) and using open tools, they can not only profit but also benefit from reusability. This generates trust in the market and operational efficiency. No more expensive consultations and software! Universities play a crucial role in training professionals and conducting scientific research. It is essential that they receive incentives and investments to conduct research in cutting-edge areas such as ML and Deep Learning, as well as in semiconductor manufacturing, leveraging the opportunities offered by open-source software. There is hope that the new government will resume investments that were frozen by its ultra-neoliberal predecessor who took office in 2018.
It is also necessary to foster a culture of collaboration and mutual construction among Brazilian developers, even if it requires a cultural shift. Initiatives like San Pedro Valley in Belo Horizonte can be expanded, providing spaces for knowledge and experience exchange, not only among founders but also among engineers, designers, and professionals from various fields related to software development. It is important to disseminate this mindset of cooperation, encouraging active community participation as a political statement that brings financial benefits to our people.
With an open and collaborative approach, Brazil can revitalize its software industry, drive innovation, and create solutions tailored to the needs of our region - and gain prominence in Latin America. The change in perspective requires investment, but the benefits for innovation and technological development will be exponential. It's time to build bridges, open public and private spaces for community participation, and mobilize the various actors involved in this scenario, aiming for a future of national and open software. Let's do it together! 🚀