--- Keyur Shroff keyur@konark.ncst.ernet.in wrote:
Hi Friends,
[snip] Following below is my contribution to Mr. Keyur requests.
Dear luggers u'll r free to debate and change them asap and also point out and correct the various errors and ommisions in the doc.
Alll but not the least...dont spam or flame me....i am trying to help out. Meet me face-2-face nd we can slug it out.....:))..lol
Mr. Keyur....there 2 some points that i still havent addressed......cause it'll take some more time, nd i cant afford that today. I'll finish that by tonite and have them emailed to this list and to you for further debate and action.
Trevor Warren
The format is as follows :
"Linux India Initiatives"
Information may kindly be furnised under the following heads :
- Linux - The need;
[snip]
!!! All my references to Linux henceforth are pay symbolic respect to the Efforts of GNU which some of my dear brethren would insist to term Gnu-Linux. !!!
Open source software is different from traditional software in that it holds no secrets -- the software's 'source code' is free for the end user to examine, modify, or build on. With traditional proprietary software (the kind you buy in the shrink-wrapped box at stores), the source code is never released and the inner-workings of the software are secret, not that it matters to all users.
As admitted in an internal Microsoft memo "the intrinsic parallelism and free idea exchange in OSS [Open Source Software] has benefits that are not replicable with our [Microsoft's] current licensing model and therefore present a long term developer mindshare threat [to Microsoft]."
"The ability of the OSS process to collect and harness the collective IQ of thousands of individuals across the Internet is simply amazing," the Microsoft memo continues. "More importantly, OSS evangelization scales with the size of the Internet much faster than our own evangelization efforts."
Linux is one of the most open of any system to date. It not only benefits from the almost thirty years of development of Unix OSs, but extends the Unix model in new ways. Some mistakenly believe that Linux's main strength is that it is Unix, or that it is a free version of Unix. In fact, Linux's main strength is that it is developed with an intrinsically better development model that debatably has the best track record of any system yet devised.
The Internet itself is Open Source Software's poster child, since it was constructed of components built almost exclusively under the Open Source model. Many, in fact, have likened Linux today to the Internet in 1990 (used only by the technically savvy, seeing yearly exponential growth, completely open, and perhaps poised to take over the world).
Open Source is doing what God, government, and market have failed to do. It is putting powerful technology within the reach of cash-poor but idea-rich people. Analysts could quibble about whether that is creating or merely releasing value, but we could do with a bit of either. And yes, that is revolutionary.
The need for Gnu-Linux is expressed no less than in the Government's requirements for the underprivelaged to have computer access at school. The need is there. The hardware is there. But, the money for Microsoft software is not. Linux is, and will continue to rapidly bridge the gap through its high ROI (Return On Investment) as compared to any other Commercially available N.O.S(Network Operating System) and Desktop Operating System avaiilable today.
This movement with the right solution standing in front of the floodgates of a technological revolution will survive the currents of change. Change brings uncertainty and uncertainity brings chaos, but also a ray of hope figures through them all, hope that rekindles the fire of freedom. Freedom to SHARE, freedom to INNOVATE, freedom to ENHANCE and above all freedom to LEARN .....
--> Richard M. Stallman on Free Software making sense for India......
Free software is not only a matter of freedom, but for developing countries such as India, the issue may be price too." In candid acknowledgement of rampant unauthorised copying of software in India, Stallman suggested Free Software as a solution. "If India had to pay for all the licenses of Windows used in the country, it could run into billions of dollars. India can save a tremendous amount of money by not using Windows and other proprietary software packages. India can take massive advantage of Free Software by making an active campaign to discourage the use of proprietary software, and actively involving any free software that is necessary to replace proprietary software, which at the moment might seem to some people as essential.
"You should be able to do every job with your computer without giving up your freedom. You shouldn't be faced with a situation where you want to do a certain job with your computer but the only way to do it is with some non-free program that doesn't respect your freedom."
- Demand profile segments - such as Home,
Education, Research, Govt, Defence, Business, Embedded systems etc.
[snip]
There is no question of debate about Gnu-Linux being suited for the server front which has been won by us aldready.
--> The netcraft survey for Apache(Another Freely avaialable Webserver that runs on Linux)
http://www.netcraft.com/survey/
Top Developers
Developer February2002 Percent March2002 Percent Change
Apache 22462777 58.43 20492088 53.76 -4.67 Microsoft 11198727 29.13 12968860 34.02 4.89 iPlanet 1123701 2.92 889857 2.33 -0.59 Zeus 837968 2.18 855103 2.24 0.0
What remains to be seen is how far is Gnu-Linux able to deliver on the Desktop front. As of now there are numerous gnu-Linux distributions that cater to the desktop segment which are easier to install and use than any Operating from M$icrosoft itself...... and in most cases and doesnt require a honcho techie to install and get running.
A very simple example....just today i tried the Mandrake 8.2 install which took 25 mins flat without a single reboot & during the whole process installed all the goodies that would put any Microsoft user at comfort. Ofcourse, the learning curve is still there, but what the heck there is always a first time, so why not Linux..........
There aldready is a huge persence of Free Software (like Linux) in the various IIT's and IIS'es ,DRDO and major research institutions all over India being made use of for various research and educational purposes.
- Present scenario (International) vs competing
products
[snip] Worldwide it has been a trend that Educational and Research institutions have been the first to take up to Linux and various other Free Software initiatives both in terms of deploying them internally and spurring their growth. Introduction of Free Software linux Linux in various avenues of Governance has been slow to folow and is still trying to keep up pace. Any of my fellow brethren from the various Educational/Research institutions will vouch for the fact.
With the issues of corporate governance and e-governance taking pole position among the various other initiatives being spear headedby various governments all over the country it makes all the more sense for us to be making it mandatory for the Politburo and our Policy makers to make it mandatory to make use of Free Software as much as possible and WHEREEVER there are alternatives available to commercially available software.....
- Issues to resolve : (i) Indian Language Support (ii) Security (iii) Awareness/education (iv) Certification (v) Standardisation (vi) Service Model vs product model (vii) Identification of minimal set of
application
- Transition strategy - Unix to Linux, legacy port
[snip]
- Consortium for linux based collaborative
Development? The Li18nux, OSDL, LSB...?
[snip]
- Action Plan
[snip]
Kindly send your views/comments as soon as possible.
Thanks, Keyur
===== ( >- GNU/LINUX, It's all about CHOICE -< ) /~\ __ http://www.qmailtheeasyway.com __ /~\ | ) / mailto: trevorwarren@yahoo.com \ (/ | |_|_ \ Urgent ->9820349221@maxtouch.co.in / _|_| ___________________________________/
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