The Cuban distribution, called Nova and apparently a Gentoo variant of
Linux, was introduce recently at the annual International Conference
on Communication and Technologies in Havana. The Cuban government says
it sees the Microsoft software it has been using, as a potential
threat, because the CIA and other U.S. agencies have access to secret
back door codes into the software. Also U.S. trade embargoes against
Cuba make it difficult for Cubans to obtain legal copies and updates
of Microsoft software. According to the Register last years conference
was attended by none other than Richard Stallman, who urged attendees
to adopt open source software.

Computers only became available for general sale to the Cuban public
last year. The dean of the School of Free Software at Cuba's
University of Information Sciences, Hector Rodriguez said that already
about 20 per cent of the computers in Cuba use Linux. He says "I would
like to think that in five years our country will have more than 50
per cent migrated (to Linux),".