Cuba’s Own Operating System Nova OS

As many of you are now aware Cuba has come out with its own operating system based on a Linux variant called Gentoo. This Gentoo is more popular among the more technically skilled users. The operating system has been in development since 2007 and has recently been released to the public.

First I would like to make the point that this is the new operating system for home PCs in Cuba, proof that the right wing claims of PC ownership in Cuba is illegal are untrue. It’s been a long standing lie the bourgeois propagandists have been spouting about Cuba. If the right wing was so sure those Cuban citizens were being deprived of PCs then they would stop blocking shipments of donated PCs to Cuba like they did in July of this year in Texas.

According to Computerworld.com:

“It is a source-based distribution, meaning that the Gentoo operating system is downloaded and compiled on each individual computer. That can offer performance benefits for enthusiasts, though it may be complicated for less technical users.”

The Venezuelan government has already been moving its ministries off of Windows and opting for Linux and open-source software. It’s also been reported that they are creating a state-owned computer manufacturing firm that will produce “Bolivarian Computers” running Linux.

Capitalist China is already running its own government-supported version of Linux called Red Flag.

Creating this operating system was good move. So far Cuba has Windows like most of the world does. But there is an inherent danger using a corporate owned system like Windows. There’s a risk that malicious code would be written in to damage the computer systems in Cuba. No doubt intended to disrupt Cuban systems and then go into the media claiming Cuban social systems don’t work. Its a tactic they’ve used since the beginning of the embargo. Deliberately create shortage and then criticize Cuba for having shortages.

The Cuban people are right to want to have their own operating system to keep information safe… and not to have it sabotaged by state terrorism coming from the US.

Hector Rodriguez, dean of the School of Free Software at Cuba’s University of Information Sciences said: “I would like to think that in five years our country will have more than 50 percent migrated (to Linux).”

For those interested there is a three minute demo of the system on YouTube.
Click the link