[GNU/LinuxInIndia] Free Software, India, and the Economic Times ... 88:11
Unknown <[email protected]> Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:36:50 +0530
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------=_Part_6934_18416894.1198400810785 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/pollslist/2424819.cms *Should India support free software to take PC penetration to the next level?* <http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2626985.cms> Yes 88% No 11% Can't say 1% http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/pollopinions/2629777.cms *Omkar Raut, Malad, Mumbai.,says:* I will strongly appreciate the free-software movement spreading in India. 19 Dec 2007, 0025 hrs IST *freejoe, mumbai,says:* Free software is liberation of knowledge free from political and business contamination. Most of the PC penetration in India has happened through pirated software rather than 'legal' one.. Supporting free (swatantra) software will not only imply greater uncontaminated penetration but greater economic growth and, more importantly, following ethical practices. Selling a CD for $(n*1000) is in no way ethical! 18 Dec 2007, 2119 hrs IST *Chandrasekhar Gummadi, Hyderabad,says:* I totally agreee with that we should go for open source as it is cheap and easily accessible. PC penetration is very low in India. 18 Dec 2007, 2117 hrs IST *Rahul Sundaram, Pune,says:* The rampant amount of piracy, security problems and the need to have a local industry serving itself clearly show that India would very much benefit from tight penetration of Free software and open standards. 18 Dec 2007, 2054 hrs IST *Rony Bill, Mumbai.,says:* As knowledge today is being digitized, control of public access to this knowledge should not fall in the hands of a select few commercial corporate giants. This is true even for Governments of Democracies as they cannot let a few corporate giants have access and control data inside Government computer systems. Open audit of software will make them more slim, secure and stable. 18 Dec 2007, 2045 hrs IST *Debarshi Ray, Kolkata,says:* Just look at what the students of B.C. Ray Engineering College, Durgapur have achieved in Bijra (a small village near Durgapur) using GNU/Linux, Wikipedia and such free(dom) content. 18 Dec 2007, 1944 hrs IST *Linuxman, Mumbai,says:* I think those who have said "No" are just trolling. This question is equivalent to "Does India need less corrupt politicians to make progress?" The answer is obvious "Yes". Those who do not agree are trolling. 18 Dec 2007, 1931 hrs IST *svinoth, Chennai, India,says:* free software is a matter of political independence and social movement. if we use it on a large scale which will bring more people the benefits of information technology. so, India should support free software by any other possible sources of funding to provided completely free; not a business. 18 Dec 2007, 1838 hrs IST *Arunesh Dayal, Mumbai,says:* Software freedom is the goal; open source is the means to that goal.India cannot choose to ignore this. 18 Dec 2007, 1806 hrs IST *Sudhir Gandotra, Openlx.com, Delhi, India, says:*Linux and Open source software is the only way to create properly educated employable (also enterpreneurs) engineers. Linux offers students the only posisbility to look at the code and udnerstand how the software actually works - the only practical way to learn things in any field. Today, Linux is definately Affordable, Friendly and VirusFree and usable across the full spectrum of users. We at OpenLX.com have established over the last thre years that India can not only have its own Linux OS, but manage, upgrade and support it. 18 Dec 2007, 1759 hrs IST *yogesh,mumbai ,says:*Yes of course we must support free software foundation 18 Dec 2007, 1754 hrs IST *RRR,Bangalore ,says:* yes 18 Dec 2007, 1751 hrs IST *Steven Fernandez, Pune,says:* Free software makes the most sense for a country like India because it empowers the users of the software by making them the *owners* not just licensees of something owned by a external overlord. 18 Dec 2007, 1751 hrs IST *Abhisht K Gupta, Delhi,says:* This wave should not stop here. It should move ahead. For the same purpose, it requires new fuel, free software will provide the same. 18 Dec 2007, 1719 hrs IST *Dr Alka Irani, Mumbai,says:* Free software will provide a million dollar opportunity to India to be at par with developing countries. The medium can be used to change educational scene in India by empowering children and youth by imparting diverse skills to suit their interests and capabilities. 18 Dec 2007, 1706 hrs IST *nalini, Delhi,says:* It is free and it is wonderful 18 Dec 2007, 1706 hrs IST *Vineet Garg, Delhi,says:* Software today is the core of the computing experience. We have always focussed on hardware as a measure of the ability to compute. Also, software cost is proportional to the value it provides to the consumer. If software is made free, so should hardware be. Then maybe we will see more PC adoption. Also, free stuff leads to misuse than use. India has shown that consumers are not interested in substandard, cheap and technologically outdated goods, whether they are automobiles or consumer durables or shoes. What they want is better value and are willing to pay for it. 18 Dec 2007, 1647 hrs IST *Debasish Das, Kolkata, India,says:* This will compete against Microsoft's monopoly in software. Moreover it will help people to be more educated in computer science. 18 Dec 2007, 1626 hrs IST *P. Suresh, Delhi,says:* Free software has its own horizons and limitations as well. 18 Dec 2007, 1625 hrs IST *Santosh Kumar, Jamshedpur,says:* It is required for rapid development in the field of R & D. 18 Dec 2007, 1624 hrs IST *Allen Pais,Bangalore ,says:* Yes, the Govt should go ahead and offer more support to Free/Open Source Software. 18 Dec 2007, 1549 hrs IST *Diva,India ,says:* Free software is high quality software developed by the best software personnel. It not only is free to use, it gives you freedom from proprietary software licences. Today these proprietary software may be donated free but will capture the society and make it dependant forever. Free software gives you independence. Like buying your own house, no one can throw you out of your own house. 18 Dec 2007, 1525 hrs IST *Madhurima Chaudhuri, Navi Mumbai,says:* It should provide for better results 18 Dec 2007, 1511 hrs IST *Ajit,Mumbai ,says:* This will help India more to create its presence in Software Product development, in addition to s/w services which is primarily the s/w business in India as of now. 18 Dec 2007, 1510 hrs IST *Dinesh Shah, Mumbai-New Delhi,says:* We had been political slaves for long in past. Do we want to be economical and information slaves using Closed Source Software? Choose freedom now, before it's too late. 18 Dec 2007, 1444 hrs IST *sandeep shedmake, Mumbai/Pune,says:* Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Hence, I firmly believe free software is the need of the hour. 18 Dec 2007, 1424 hrs IST *RahulKrishna Gupta, Mumbai,says:* I hope thar "free" here means free as in "Freedom" and not free as in "Beer" Rather than free software, you should be emphasizing on OpenSource software. There is a distinct difference between the two. 18 Dec 2007, 1415 hrs IST *Palashendu Bhattacharya, Kolkata,says:* OSS will take computing environment into new era through democrataization of knowledge and skills. It helps us to create local resources and enterprenure without having dependencies on multinationals. 18 Dec 2007, 1412 hrs IST *sachin deshpande, india,says:* Open and free source softwares are a welcome step to get rid from propritary onces. 18 Dec 2007, 1411 hrs IST *Anurag, New Delhi,says:* Free software is the way to liberate the computer from piracy. 18 Dec 2007, 1410 hrs IST *pravin s,Mumbai, Pune ,says:* Using free software India can achieve whatever they want very quickly. Since the developers will be not any company or person it will be indian community which will do the task. So whole India can be a developer in that case :) 18 Dec 2007, 1408 hrs IST *Jaideep Kumar, Delhi,says:* Open Source not only brings down the cost of software but also provides a superior offering. 18 Dec 2007, 1408 hrs IST *Amitakhya Phukan, Dibrugarh,Assam.,says:* India should definitely support free software and free formats.This should be done by both Central and State Governments but there should be proper steps for creating its awareness first. 18 Dec 2007, 1406 hrs IST *Amit Bhoraskar, Mumbai,says:* This is extremely important to achive a higher PC penetration. Free and Open Source software will trigger innovation, freedom from proprietory lock-in, flexibility, choice. 18 Dec 2007, 1404 hrs IST *Krishna K, AndhraPradesh,says:* Yes i belive this. Free software only can achive this. 18 Dec 2007, 1402 hrs IST *vinod Kutty, Mumbai,says:* For the country to grow it needs lot of these initiatives. 18 Dec 2007, 1351 hrs IST *Venkatesh Hariharan, Mumbai,says:* Without Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), India will always be dependent on others for the most critical technology components neccessary for building an information society. The Tata Group's Eka supercomputer, which was recently rated as the fourth fastest supercomputer may never have been possible using proprietary technology. Indian language user groups have localized Linux, Open Office and many other free/open source software to Indian languages and this has been possible only because of the freedom that is part of FOSS. 18 Dec 2007, 1351 hrs IST *Ranganathan, Bangalore,says:* Free (Open-Source) Software is the easiest and the most benign way to improve PC penetration and computer literacy. 18 Dec 2007, 1350 hrs IST *Gautam Jha, Mumbai,says:* Free and open source softwares will make it easier to propogate in lower levels of society without requiring much help in terms of Money or Licences etc. 18 Dec 2007, 1348 hrs IST *Vishal, Pune,says:* Let's get the proprietry stuff out for good. 18 Dec 2007, 1345 hrs IST *Shankar Iyer,Mumbai ,says:* India needs to support free software as has been done in all developing nations. Brazil, China and Russia are moving quite fast on this. Reaching out to the rural India should be economical , painless and have localized facilities. These have been made available in free software today by leading IT companies like Red Hat etc. 18 Dec 2007, 1340 hrs IST *pravin mishra, mumbai,says:* Yes, India support free software. 18 Dec 2007, 1144 hrs IST *Ashish Nigam, Gurgaon,says:* Free software will not be a legal entity and many consumers may start it for false use and for every licensed software a cost is associated, thus is important to control the price of software. 18 Dec 2007, 1027 hrs IST *shekhar teji, australia,says:* Private sector should give financial support to Government to introduce free software for a normal consumer. By this way computer literacy will increase rapidly. 18 Dec 2007, 0955 hrs IST *Jayaraman.S.G., Dubai/Chennai.,says:* Yes. This is a necessity to activate better P C Penetration. Thanks. 18 Dec 2007, 0925 hrs IST *Pooja Sharma, Sydney, Australia,says:* India needs to increase its IT awareness and IT usage to keep itself in line with the international trends. A whole lot of people are lacking upgrade due to cost constraints. Free softwares will create a higher awreness and userbase and hence it is desirable. 18 Dec 2007, 0842 hrs IST *Rajasekar. R, Coimbatore,says:* At present knowledge power is the key factor for India's growth story. In order to increase this power the govt should provide this facility to all people. Then only an average man in India can be a skilled worker in terms of knowledge. 18 Dec 2007, 0823 hrs IST-- Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org Ph +91-832-2409490 Links from Goa: http://goalinks.livejournal.com/ ------=_Part_6934_18416894.1198400810785 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline <span class="gmail_quote"></span><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/pollslist/2424819.cms" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/pollslist/2424819.cms </a><br><br><table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2"> <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2626985.cms" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><b>Should India support free software to take PC penetration to the next level? </b></a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" width="40%"><span><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2">Yes</font></span></td> <td align="left" width="45%"><img border="0" height="8" width="88"></td> <td align="left" width="15%"><span><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2">88%</font></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" width="40%"><span><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2">No</font></span></td> <td align="left" width="45%"><img border="0" height="8" width="11"></td> <td align="left" width="15%"><span><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2">11%</font></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" width="40%"><span><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2">Can't say</font></span></td> <td align="left" width="45%"><img border="0" height="8" width="1"></td> <td align="left" width="15%"><span><font color="#000000" face="arial" size="2">1%</font></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br><br><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/pollopinions/2629777.cms" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/pollopinions/2629777.cms </a><br><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"><tbody><tr><td><b>Omkar Raut<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Malad, Mumbai.<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> I will strongly appreciate the free-software movement spreading in India.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">19 Dec 2007, 0025 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top1"></a><b>freejoe<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software is liberation of knowledge free from political and business contamination. Most of the PC penetration in India has happened through pirated software rather than 'legal' one.. Supporting free (swatantra) software will not only imply greater uncontaminated penetration but greater economic growth and, more importantly, following ethical practices. Selling a CD for $(n*1000) is in no way ethical!<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 2119 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top2"></a><b>Chandrasekhar Gummadi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Hyderabad<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> I totally agreee with that we should go for open source as it is cheap and easily accessible. PC penetration is very low in India. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 2117 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top3"></a><b>Rahul Sundaram<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Pune<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> The rampant amount of piracy, security problems and the need to have a local industry serving itself clearly show that India would very much benefit from tight penetration of Free software and open standards.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 2054 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top4"></a><b>Rony Bill<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai.<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> As knowledge today is being digitized, control of public access to this knowledge should not fall in the hands of a select few commercial corporate giants. This is true even for Governments of Democracies as they cannot let a few corporate giants have access and control data inside Government computer systems. Open audit of software will make them more slim, secure and stable. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 2045 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top5"></a><b>Debarshi Ray<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Kolkata<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Just look at what the students of B.C. Ray Engineering College, Durgapur have achieved in Bijra (a small village near Durgapur) using GNU/Linux, Wikipedia and such free(dom) content.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1944 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top6"></a><b>Linuxman<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> I think those who have said "No" are just trolling. This question is equivalent to "Does India need less corrupt politicians to make progress?" The answer is obvious "Yes". Those who do not agree are trolling. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1931 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top7"></a><b>svinoth<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Chennai, India<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> free software is a matter of political independence and social movement. if we use it on a large scale which will bring more people the benefits of information technology. so, India should support free software by any other possible sources of funding to provided completely free; not a business.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1838 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top8"></a><b>Arunesh Dayal<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Software freedom is the goal; open source is the means to that goal.India cannot choose to ignore this. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1806 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top9"></a><b>Sudhir Gandotra<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> <a href="http://Openlx.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Openlx.com</a>, Delhi, India<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> says:</b><img border="0" width="3">Linux and Open source software is the only way to create properly educated employable (also enterpreneurs) engineers. Linux offers students the only posisbility to look at the code and udnerstand how the software actually works - the only practical way to learn things in any field. Today, Linux is definately Affordable, Friendly and VirusFree and usable across the full spectrum of users. We at OpenLX.com have established over the last thre years that India can not only have its own Linux OS, but manage, upgrade and support it.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1759 hrs IST</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"> <tbody><tr><td><b>yogesh<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">mumbai<img border="0" width="1"> ,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3">Yes of course we must support free software foundation<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1754 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top1"></a><b>RRR<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">Bangalore <img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> yes<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1751 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top2"></a><b>Steven Fernandez<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Pune<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software makes the most sense for a country like India because it empowers the users of the software by making them the *owners* not just licensees of something owned by a external overlord.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1751 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top3"></a><b>Abhisht K Gupta<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> This wave should not stop here. It should move ahead. For the same purpose, it requires new fuel, free software will provide the same.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1719 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top4"></a><b>Dr Alka Irani<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software will provide a million dollar opportunity to India to be at par with developing countries. The medium can be used to change educational scene in India by empowering children and youth by imparting diverse skills to suit their interests and capabilities.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1706 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top5"></a><b>nalini<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> It is free and it is wonderful<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1706 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top6"></a><b>Vineet Garg<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Software today is the core of the computing experience. We have always focussed on hardware as a measure of the ability to compute. Also, software cost is proportional to the value it provides to the consumer. If software is made free, so should hardware be. Then maybe we will see more PC adoption. Also, free stuff leads to misuse than use. India has shown that consumers are not interested in substandard, cheap and technologically outdated goods, whether they are automobiles or consumer durables or shoes. What they want is better value and are willing to pay for it.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1647 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top7"></a><b>Debasish Das<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Kolkata, India<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> This will compete against Microsoft's monopoly in software. Moreover it will help people to be more educated in computer science.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1626 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top8"></a><b>P. Suresh<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software has its own horizons and limitations as well.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1625 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top9"></a><b>Santosh Kumar<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Jamshedpur<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> It is required for rapid development in the field of R & D.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1624 hrs IST</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br><br clear="all"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"> <tbody><tr><td><b>Allen Pais<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">Bangalore <img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Yes, the Govt should go ahead and offer more support to Free/Open Source Software.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1549 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top1"></a><b>Diva<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">India <img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software is high quality software developed by the best software personnel. It not only is free to use, it gives you freedom from proprietary software licences. Today these proprietary software may be donated free but will capture the society and make it dependant forever. Free software gives you independence. Like buying your own house, no one can throw you out of your own house. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1525 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top2"></a><b>Madhurima Chaudhuri<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Navi Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> It should provide for better results<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1511 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top3"></a><b>Ajit<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">Mumbai <img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> This will help India more to create its presence in Software Product development, in addition to s/w services which is primarily the s/w business in India as of now.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1510 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top4"></a><b>Dinesh Shah<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai-New Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> We had been political slaves for long in past. Do we want to be economical and information slaves using Closed Source Software? Choose freedom now, before it's too late.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1444 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top5"></a><b>sandeep shedmake<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai/Pune<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Hence, I firmly believe free software is the need of the hour.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1424 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top6"></a><b>RahulKrishna Gupta<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> I hope thar "free" here means free as in "Freedom" and not free as in "Beer" Rather than free software, you should be emphasizing on OpenSource software. There is a distinct difference between the two.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1415 hrs IST</span> <br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top7"></a><b>Palashendu Bhattacharya<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Kolkata<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> OSS will take computing environment into new era through democrataization of knowledge and skills. It helps us to create local resources and enterprenure without having dependencies on multinationals.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1412 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top8"></a><b>sachin deshpande<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> india<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Open and free source softwares are a welcome step to get rid from propritary onces.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1411 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top9"></a><b>Anurag<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> New Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software is the way to liberate the computer from piracy.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1410 hrs IST</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"> <tbody><tr><td><b>pravin s<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">Mumbai, Pune <img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Using free software India can achieve whatever they want very quickly. Since the developers will be not any company or person it will be indian community which will do the task. So whole India can be a developer in that case :)<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1408 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top1"></a><b>Jaideep Kumar<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Delhi<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Open Source not only brings down the cost of software but also provides a superior offering. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1408 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top2"></a><b>Amitakhya Phukan<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Dibrugarh,Assam.<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> India should definitely support free software and free formats.This should be done by both Central and State Governments but there should be proper steps for creating its awareness first.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1406 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top3"></a><b>Amit Bhoraskar<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> This is extremely important to achive a higher PC penetration. Free and Open Source software will trigger innovation, freedom from proprietory lock-in, flexibility, choice.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1404 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top4"></a><b>Krishna K<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> AndhraPradesh<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Yes i belive this. Free software only can achive this.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1402 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top5"></a><b>vinod Kutty<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> For the country to grow it needs lot of these initiatives.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1351 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top6"></a><b>Venkatesh Hariharan<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Without Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), India will always be dependent on others for the most critical technology components neccessary for building an information society. The Tata Group's Eka supercomputer, which was recently rated as the fourth fastest supercomputer may never have been possible using proprietary technology. Indian language user groups have localized Linux, Open Office and many other free/open source software to Indian languages and this has been possible only because of the freedom that is part of FOSS. <br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1351 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top7"></a><b>Ranganathan<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Bangalore<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free (Open-Source) Software is the easiest and the most benign way to improve PC penetration and computer literacy.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1350 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top8"></a><b>Gautam Jha<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free and open source softwares will make it easier to propogate in lower levels of society without requiring much help in terms of Money or Licences etc.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1348 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top9"></a><b>Vishal<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Pune<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Let's get the proprietry stuff out for good.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1345 hrs IST</span><br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440"> <tbody><tr><td><b>Shankar Iyer<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">Mumbai <img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> India needs to support free software as has been done in all developing nations. Brazil, China and Russia are moving quite fast on this. Reaching out to the rural India should be economical , painless and have localized facilities. These have been made available in free software today by leading IT companies like Red Hat etc.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1340 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top1"></a><b>pravin mishra<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> mumbai<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Yes, India support free software.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1144 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top2"></a><b>Ashish Nigam<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Gurgaon<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Free software will not be a legal entity and many consumers may start it for false use and for every licensed software a cost is associated, thus is important to control the price of software.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 1027 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top3"></a><b>shekhar teji<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> australia<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Private sector should give financial support to Government to introduce free software for a normal consumer. By this way computer literacy will increase rapidly.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 0955 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top4"></a><b>Jayaraman.S.G.<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Dubai/Chennai.<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> Yes. This is a necessity to activate better P C Penetration. Thanks.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 0925 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top5"></a><b>Pooja Sharma<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Sydney, Australia<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> India needs to increase its IT awareness and IT usage to keep itself in line with the international trends. A whole lot of people are lacking upgrade due to cost constraints. Free softwares will create a higher awreness and userbase and hence it is desirable.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 0842 hrs IST</span><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a name="117064040f721e60_top6"></a><b>Rajasekar. R<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3"> Coimbatore<img border="0" width="1">,<img border="0" width="3">says:</b><img border="0" width="3"> At present knowledge power is the key factor for India's growth story. In order to increase this power the govt should provide this facility to all people. Then only an average man in India can be a skilled worker in terms of knowledge.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">18 Dec 2007, 0823 hrs IST</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="sg">-- <br>Frederick Noronha <a href="http://fn.goa-india.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> http://fn.goa-india.org </a> Ph +91-832-2409490<br>Links from Goa: <a href="http://goalinks.livejournal.com/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://goalinks.livejournal.com/</a> </span><br clear="all"><br> ------=_Part_6934_18416894.1198400810785-- ** To subscribe to this list, please visit the URL below... http://www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/list?list_id=linuxinindia * *