Fsf-friends January 2004

fsf-friends@gnu.org.in

42 participants
97 discussions

A few bugs
by Krishna Pagadala 10 Jan '04

10 Jan '04

In the poster http://fsf.org.in/graphics/FSFIndiaPoster.pdf I think the www address and physical address given is wrong. Also please check the ph# and email also. Free Software Foundation India V.N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd, Mumbai 400 088. India t: +91 22 25567711 (200). f: +91 22 25566803 e: fsfindia(a)gnu.org.in. w: www.fsfindia.org At the end of the poster it says "And the right to explore how similar freedoms can be attained and shared in all branches of gnowledge." The last word is knowledge. Thanks Krishna __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus

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Putting Linux reliability to the test
by Soundara Rajan N.S 10 Jan '04

10 Jan '04

Putting Linux reliability to the test This article documents the test results and analysis of the Linux kernel and other core OS components, including everything from libraries and device drivers to file systems and networking, all under some fairly adverse conditions, and over lengthy durations. The IBM Linux Technology Center has just finished this comprehensive testing over a period of more than three months. http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/01/05/1958209 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Posted by N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - a leading English Newsdaily, published from Bangalore, India, and Knowledge networker ...connecting people to people and people to knowledge

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Free(dom) Software?
by Krishna Pagadala 09 Jan '04

09 Jan '04

Thanks Seth for introducing "free source" term, I will use it where appropriate, and also try and talk to people about "free software", but I might be forced to use "freedom software" depending on context. We'll see. Krishna Seth Johnson wrote: you should use the term "free software" to describe and identify what you're talking about and where you're coming from in a way that just says how it should naturally be. "Free source" strongly implies free as in freedom. saying "free" about "source" rather than "compiled binary" takes away any confusion that lets it sound like it means "free as in beer." __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus

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Invitation to free-gis mailing list
by Sajith VK 09 Jan '04

09 Jan '04

Hi, GIS is one of the promising applications for geospatical data analysis. If properly used it can create a good impact in our planning process and decision making. In India, several institutes have tried to use GIS software for their work. They have mostly used proprierity software. Developing countries like india cannot afford proprietary software especially for such purposes. Because of the very high cost of the software, we cannot even think about using the power of GIS for local level applications like decentralised planning. The biggest tragedy of using proprietary software is in the education sector. The commonly used GIS applications are not affordable for our students and educational institutes. As a result, we don't have sufficient trained man power in GIS. At the same time, a number of free software packages are available for the same purpose. Many of them are equal or better in quality when compared to their proprietary counterparts. One such package, GRASS (Geographical Resource Analysis Support System) has been around for several decades and is one of the most powerful GIS packages. Good documentation is available, and the GRASS community offers good help through its discussion groups. (A good news- IISc Banglore, has a mirror site for GRASS). Thuban is one of the best GIS viewers and Mapserver is the best webmapping tool available. A number of applications like geotools, qgis, gpsman, ossim etc. are also available as Free Software. We need to spread the news that all this software does exist and need to help our people to use them. We also need to contribute back to the community, as far as we can. For all this, we need a place to discuss the issues we face, and to find solutions together. Free-gis(a)iitcgpk.org is meant for this. Please join the list if you are interested in using GIS applications and spreading the word of freedom. Please go to http://iitcgpk.org/mailman/listinfo/free-gis_iitcgpk.org to join the list. -- Sajith VK <sajithvk(a)hotpop.com>

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Real World Linux launches business portal
by Soundara Rajan N.S 09 Jan '04

09 Jan '04

Real World Linux launches business portal Real World Linux Inc. has launched the Real World Linux Biz Portal of specific interest to management and technology professionals. Linux and Open Source users, vendors and advocates will have access to industry information and interactive learning opportunities describing the latest and most effective applications. It includes reference sections, including a calendar of events, list of industry organizations, informative book reviews and white papers and breaking industry news reporting on the most recent developments in the Linux and open-source community. http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/01/08/1823205 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Posted by N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - a leading English Newsdaily, published from Bangalore, India, Knowledge networker ...connecting people to people and people to knowledge

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FSF India T Shirts
by Arun M 09 Jan '04

09 Jan '04

Hi friends, GNU T shirts are available in two designs. 1. Black Tshirts with design http://www.gnu.org.in/graphics/woc.png 2. White Tshirt with the design http://www.gnu.org.in/graphics/FM.png design comes in the back side. Small GNU head printed on the front side. Reply off list if you would have them. regards, arun.

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Twenty years of free software: What now? By RMS
by Senthil_OR＠Dell.com 08 Jan '04

08 Jan '04

Twenty years of free software: What now? By Richard Stallman Special to ZDNet January 6, 2004, 8:12 AM PT URL: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-5135756.html COMMENTARY--It was twenty years ago on Monday that I quit my job at MIT to begin developing a free software operating system, GNU. While we have never released a complete GNU system suitable for production use, a variant of the GNU system is now used by tens of millions of people who mostly are not aware it is such. Free software does not mean "gratis"; it means that users are free to run the program, study the source code, change it, and redistribute it either with or without changes, either gratis or for a fee. My hope was that a free operating system would open a path to escape forever from the system of subjugation which is proprietary software. I had experienced the ugliness of the way of life that non-free software imposes on its users, and I was determined to escape and give others a way to escape. Non-free software carries with it an antisocial system that prohibits cooperation and community. You are typically unable to see the source code; you cannot tell what nasty tricks, or what foolish bugs, it might contain. If you don't like it, you are helpless to change it. Worst of all, you are forbidden to share it with anyone else. To prohibit sharing software is to cut the bonds of society. Today we have a large community of users who run GNU, Linux and other free software. Thousands of people would like to extend this, and have adopted the goal of convincing more computer users to "use free software". But what does it mean to "use free software"? Does that mean escaping from proprietary software, or merely installing free programs alongside it? Are we aiming to lead people to freedom, or just introduce them to our work? In other words, are we working for freedom, or have we replaced that goal with the shallow goal of popularity? It's easy to get in the habit of overlooking this distinction, because in many common situations it makes no difference. When you're trying to convince a person to try a free program, or to install the GNU/Linux operating system, either goal would lead to the same practical conduct. However, in other situations the two goals inspire very different actions. For instance, what should we say when the non-free Invidious video driver, the non-free Prophecy database, or the non-free Indonesia language interpreter and libraries, is released in a version that runs on GNU/Linux? Should we thank the developers for this "support" for our system, or should we regard this non-free program like any other--as an attractive nuisance, a temptation to accept bondage, a problem to be solved? If you take as your goal the increased popularity of certain free software, if you seek to convince more people to use some free programs some of the time, you might think those non-free program are helpful contributions to that goal. It is hard to dispute the claim that their availability helps make GNU/Linux more popular. If the widespread use of GNU or Linux is the ultimate goal of our community, we should logically applaud all applications that run on it, whether free or not. But if our goal is freedom, that changes everything. Users cannot be free while using a non-free program. To free the citizens of cyberspace, we have to replace those non-free programs, not accept them. They are not contributions to our community, they are temptations to settle for continuing non-freedom. There are two common motivations to develop a free program. One is that there is no program to do the job. Unfortunately, accepting the use of a non-free program eliminates that motivation. The other is the will to be free, which motivates people to write free replacements for non-free programs. In cases like these, that motive is the only one that can do the job. Simply by using a new and unfinished free replacement, before it technically compares with the non-free model, you can help encourage the free developers to persevere until it becomes superior. Those non-free programs are not trivial. Developing free replacements for them will be a big job; it may take years. The work may need the help of future hackers, young people today, people yet to be inspired to join the work on free software. What can we do today to help convince other people, in the future, to maintain the necessary determination and persistence to finish this work? The most effective way to strengthen our community for the future is to spread understanding of the value of freedom--to teach more people to recognize the moral unacceptability of non-free software. People who value freedom are, in the long term, its best and essential defense. Copyright 2004 Richard Stallman Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted world wide without royalty provided this notice is preserved. ---- Senthil <http://usr.blogspot.com>

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IBM move to Linux desktop
by Soundara Rajan N.S 08 Jan '04

08 Jan '04

Internal memo confirms IBM move to Linux desktop All stories come true eventually By Mike Magee: Wednesday 07 January 2004, 16:39 WE REPORTED last year that Big Blue was firmly committed to moving to a Linux desktop environment, and we now have confirmation in the form of an IBM memo that this is going to happen. The memo, titled On Demand Initiatives, from IBM CIO Bob Greenberg, and forwarded to us by an insider at IBM on the West Coast, is encouraging senior execs at Big Blue to switch to a Linux desktop by the end of 2005. That, says Greenberg, is a challenge that IBM's chairman himself put to Big Blue's IT organisation. Team, We have been on our journey to on demand for one year now. While we have made important progress in transforming our business and IT systems we must be even more aggressive in driving this transformation. I am writing to you today because I need your assistance on two key projects that are central to our vision of IBM as an on demand business. You can read more at http://www.theinquirer.net/

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Microsoft Ads Called Bogus
by Soundara Rajan N.S 08 Jan '04

08 Jan '04

Microsoft Ads Called Bogus By Amit Asaravala 09:03 AM Jan. 07, 2004 PT Open-source advocates are crying foul over a new ad campaign from Microsoft that claims that Windows-based systems cost less in the long run than Linux-based systems. Ads for the campaign, which were unveiled Monday and will appear in online and print publications, refer potential customers to a section of the Microsoft website where they can "get the facts" on Windows and Linux. There, visitors can view what Microsoft calls "independent analyses" of the two operating systems. Critics, however, say that the facts provided on the site are misleading. And they claim that the analyses are anything but independent, given that Microsoft paid analysts to produce most of them. "The point they're trying to make is really quite specious," said open-source activist Bruce Perens. "If anything, this lowers Microsoft's credibility and shows that they're losing ground to Linux." More at http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61819,00.html/wn_ascii ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - leading English Newsdaily published from Bangalore, India, and Knowledge networker ...connecting people to people and people to knowledge

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Fwd: Re: hp scanjet 5470c e-mail support
by Rishi Gangoly 08 Jan '04

08 Jan '04

Hi Guys This is what HP has to say about scanning software for one of their Scanners we happened to buy a few years back. :-( Anyone managed to find another option? Regards Rishi ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Re: hp scanjet 5470c e-mail support Date: Tuesday 06 Jan 2004 10:31 pm From: HP ScanJet E-mail Support <scanjet_support_en(a)mail.support.hp.com> To: Rishi Gangoly <rishi(a)theargoncompany.com> Dear Rishi, Thank you for contacting HP Total Care. According to your e-mail, you want information on how to obtain the scanning software compatible with Linux operating system from your HP Scanjet 5470c scanner. I would like to inform you that HP does not recommend that you install your scanner under the Linux Operating System, as it is not supported. Your scanner can be installed only under Windows operating system. Your scanner cannot work under a Linux based Operating System. Some HP scanners are supported using HP Backened for SANE and SCL commands in LInux. The HP Backened is present in SANE. Usually all HP scanners with a SCSI-interface support SCL. Some scanners with parallel port interface or USB are using SCL too. But most of the newer models with USB do not support SCL and thus are not supported by the hp backend. For more information about the supported scanners, please visit: http://www.kirchgessner.net/sanehpfaq.html Download the latest SANE 1.0.8 drivers for the scanners from: http://panda.mostang.com/sane/source.html For HP scanners and there SCL commands, please visit: http://www.kirchgessner.net/sane.html For more information on HP and SANE, please visit: http://www.mostang.com/sane/man/sane-hp.5.html Note: The URLs above will take you outside the HP Web site. HP does not control and is not responsible for information outside of the HP Web site. Though HP does not provide support for scanners on Linux, please contact: http:\\www.mostang.com for support with the SANE drivers for HP Scanjet scanners. Also, please click on the link given below to have more information about Linux support for HP scanners. http://www.hp.com/cposupport/scanners/support_doc/bps05180.html I hope the above information would have answered your question. If you need further assistance, please reply to this message. Sincerely, Ramakrishnan HP Total Care Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is based on the information provided to us. HP does not assume any responsibility or liability for the advice given and shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the use of this information. Always back up your data. For more information, including technical information updates, please visit our Web site at http://www.hp.com/go/support. Original Message Follows: ------------------------- webform_submit_time : Tue Jan 06 2004 11:35:20 webform_url : http://wwemail.support.hp.com/fd2/email_form.cfm?countrycode=US&langcode=en& sni=hpscanjet528468 remote_host : wwemail.support.hp.com language : English [en] template : HPQ_SCANNER product_name : hp scanjet 5470c first_name : Rishi last_name : Gangoly email_address : rishi(a)theargoncompany.com phone_number : 9821920284 country_areacode : 91 country : India [IN] connection :usb cable connection_other : error_message :none operating_system :other other_operating_system :GNU/Linux (Debian - Knoppix 3.3) problem_area :software problem_description :I'm looking for scanning software for this scanner, but I've switched to using the GNU/Linux operating system. It works fine in Windows 98. The flavor of GNU/Linux distribution I use is Debian (Knoppix 3.3) Do you know where I can get a hold of scanning software for this OS? Regards Rishi purchase_date :Jan/2000 scanning_software :none serial_number :cn215160pn software_with_scan :none tech_skill :advanced ------------------------------------------------------- -- You have had a long-term stimulation relative to business.

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Fsf-friends January 2004