Paris, just because...

2008 and they can now only finally get on line legally?

Wow....

Now there's no reason not to emigrate there in order to live under a less oppressive regime ! And while I'm there I shall plot with the Cubans to mount a military campaign to bring Democracy to the UK.

Re - fucking - sult.

North Korea's even more restricted... They had a mobile phone network for a while, but the government recalled every single handset and shut it down... Internet there is like hens teeth.

They could get online legally, that's what the "cyber-cafe" schemes are all about.

What this means is that they can now do that from their own home... though I don't think that would be viable 'till Chavez gives 'em the phat pipe; I think the entire island's bandwidth is something akin to an E3 link.

Cuba is just now going to allow consumer computers, but at the recent ISO shennanigans regarding MSOOXML they voted from the beginning to approve without comments.

If, at the time, consumer computers were not permitted in Cuba and MS systems are really only consumer items, then what were they doing even being members of the standards committee?

There is of course a "simple solution". Bill Gates could just BUY the island, lock, stoc, and barrel. Give him something to do in his "spare time" after he "retires" from Microsoft.

Pure charity work, if you ask me.

... until Phorm/Webwise was available to monitor internet users.

considering that I'm sure I remember Reading an article that a major us hotel chain had to barr some folks with Cuban links cos of that embargo, I'd be suprised if ms' software could be sold there without getting bill into a lot of trouble.

....just you wait for the new and unusual Cuban virus/spam writers to emerge and bring down the evil capitalist empires.

It will make Nigeria seem like Silicon Valley.

"There is of course a "simple solution". Bill Gates could just BUY the island, lock, stoc, and barrel. Give him something to do in his "spare time" after he "retires" from Microsoft."

He could also stake Role Model Citizens to Ease Cuba into the MainStream and Advise the MainStream on how to Handle Emerging Cubas with Access to Quantum and ITs Internet Technologies. Their use of Technology will not be Guided by how IT works only by what needs to be done for IT to work. They will QuITe naturally look to Find Source and easily Crack Codes that only harbour toxic information/unpleasant secrets and those Doors which Open with Beta Relevant Future Information. It is a QuITe Unique Life Changing Event for IT to Host and Server and Apply. Would that be a Human Decision to be made, and if so, what Human?

An Interesting Test Bed is Cuba. A people with only Imagination and/or Virtual Guidance to show them their View of the Wwwider Digital/Binary Mastered World ....... which we can Provide to them in an XXXXtraOrdinary Rendition/Doctored Signal/FutureVU ...... Virtual U.

BroadBand on the Run......... and Running Hot XXXXPatriot Drivers. Are you XXXXPerienced Maestros.

How likely do you think it is before IT starts to Think for You too and with U2?

Now there's a Leading Irish Question to Tempt Bono dDeeper into Imagination which is True.

so they can buy a pc but are not allowed to use toast? how the hell are these poor bastards supposed to create their own audio cd's? or backup their software?

roxio helpline anyone?......

Back in teh late 90's I worked on the design for a prepay mobile phone system for Cuba. Amongst the strange things about it was that everyone would get given credit fro the govt monthly towards the cost of calls in Pesos and could then top up in USD separately if they wanted. Of course USD were not official currency but the govt sponsored telco glossed over that fact. Things all went well until they discovered that the hardware we were intending to use was HP kit and at that stage it all fell over. Because HP were an american company. (dual core? no, Dual standards!)

Most of the restrictions on Cuba are due to the US blockade. Not only did this mean that US goods should not be exported to the Cuba, but also the US goverment dictated to the rest of the woprld they should not either, otherwise the US would not deal with many of those companies.

However, due to the fact that Canada and much of the new oil rich South American Sates have stuck up two fingers to the US, many people got around this.

And I'm sure the US will get lovey with Cuba, now they have found a massive oil field just offshore.

Of course the worst thing that could happen to Cuba is they let to much American "culture" in.

Business plan:

1) Open a PC shop in Havanna.

2) Over clock the processor. Modify the DVD drive to accept a slice of bread.

3) ????

4) Profit!