Whoa sir, I believe that I didn't mention commercial proprietary software when I laid down my idea of software as a sevice. If it were so then I wouldn't be using Linux. It does fit the free/open software movement pretty much, but compared to the amount of software development in the commercial field in India (namely those for mswindoze) far outstrips open source software development. I laid down an ideal, something that I believe in and the fulfilment of which in the open source movement draws me to it. My definition of a software "package" that is going to be useful for the majority of the people is what I had written about in my previous message, coz I believe you wanted to know about it in your previous email. And it doesn't bother me one bit that my ideal software package development is still minority. When Linux started out, it's users too were a minority. One day we'll be the majority, because Linux has software, which people can adapt to their needs, not just coz its free or that it isn't produced by the neocolonalists :-)
> I am still trying to understand the initial comment which was that >Indians aren't capable of creating what you considered to be "useful >software". I am also disagreeing that *purchasing proprietary software >will ever get you 'useful software',* given that most of the attributes you >mention (modularity, etc) apply more to Free Software than it does to >proprietary software. I believe that usability is the foremost attribute that decides what a common user uses. Msoffice is more usable than wordperfect, so more people use it. To them talking about neocolonialism and the ideals of *free* software ( which I believe is not the same thing as *open* software) are useless until they can get their work done. And I think my ideal software package aims at being usable. It's immaterial to the common user whether it's somebody in India or USA that developed the software. And no, I'm not underestimating the Indian co.s but wish that they could do more of open source development which would enable them to really adapt their software in to meet the needs of users without the costly redevelopment of the software again. > I believe you are underestimating both Indian IT companies, as well as >the economy-changing effects of the Free Software movement. > > > Let me rephrase the last line: Let *me* hope for the best, for I am > still a > > newbie to the Linux world and am presently incapable of actively taking > > part in the development process. > > There are many ways to be involved in this movement, and most of them >don't relate to writing software itself. One of the missing pieces has >always been non-developers getting involved in advocacy both at the >individual citizen level, as well as educating governments. Thank you sir for your encouragement :-) > I do hope some of the local folks in this forum will speak up about what >Indian IT companies are capable of. I suspect being proud of people in >Calcutta/WB/India is a pre-requisite for talking to any level of government >;-) Calcutta produces some of the best brains of the country. But loses most of them to the neocolonials. If there is hardly anything to be proud of, will I be proud of that? :-( >Currently that work is being exported by Indian companies, >while the infrastructure software (OS's, office suites, databases, etc) >are being imported from elsewhere at highly inflated prices rather than >being downloaded for free (with local companies offering the value-add >packaging and support). My problem lies there. There is no Indian effort at developing the infrastructure software. Why not? Why can't they do it? They are capable but they don't. That's my gripe. > > Of course I try my best to convert regular windows users to Linux, > > though many of my friends talk about the pain of having to learn a new > > OS. It's sometimes quite distressing :-) > > I agree it is a pain learning a new OS. Wouldn't it be nice if the >"when do I have to learn" was a decision one made them-self, rather than >when some foreign entity decides (IE: Microsoft, or other foreign software >manufacturing companies)? > > Sometimes there needs to be a short-term pain for a longer-term gain. Everybody makes their own decisions, and I believe that all Indians jealously guard their freedom to do so. :-) I think sir you are a little mistaken there. It is not always that a powerful company which decides which way the consumers are to turn. If that were the case Digital Equipment wouldn't be dead now. When a company doesn't produce something that isn't usable, it fails. Ms produces some useful software so it is alive. The moment it stops doing so, its gonna fall. (And since it's charging a king's ransom for those software its products are being pirated) :-) The moment open source doesn't produce software that is usable it's gonna fail. The problem is that Indian co.s are by and large not producing software that all common guys can use. > If your needs don't match the existing software, then you have the option >of hiring someone to create the difference - you only pay for the work you >need done, and at Indian labour rates, not the over-inflated price of some >packaged product that probably meets more than your needs and has a >price-tag to match. Therein lies the rub. Hardly anybody is in the open source software business in *India*. Who will I get to create the difference ? :-) Let me list my points sir: 1> Packaged software is not necessarily commercial but whose primary qualities are: general common place software that is modularized in order to enable users to choose their features and pay for them only. (Very important) 2> It's immaterial where that software is produced and under what licence. No one can say that there aren't good software for windoze :-) And to an ordinary user, there is no point in debating about origin, philosophy or other attributes of a software if it's unusable. Software is a service. Who's going to tolerate a useless service?(very Important) 3> India inspite of her capabilities, has not embraced the concept of software as a service. And yes, despite all your complaints to the contrary, majority of Indian software has nothing to differentiate itself from the rest. Also the drain of brain to the neocolonalists is affecting us. I believe that the NRI people that you have met with are the cream, the guys who actually toil in India aren't as smart. 4> You wrong me sir, in saying I'm not proud of my country. Give my country back her cream, and I'll never speak anything that can be interpreted as crticism about her. But do not please misinterpret constructive crticism and acceptance of our shortcomings as being ashamed of my country. 5> I would like to have more Indians spending time in producing software that would give us freedom from all software of microsoft, sun, etc. any company that is based in the land of the neocolonalists. And that means software that is more universally acceptable, not customised software. There are already a lot of people working in those channels. Thank you Soumyadip Modak St.Xavier's College,Kolkata [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] PS i'm sorry for posting such huge mails on the list please forgive me guys :-) -- To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body "unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line. FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/help/faq_list.html
