on the other hand, things may not be as simple as they seem...
- t. -----Forwarded Message----- > From: Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [LIG] Open IT - Govt to rewrite source code in Linux > Date: 10 Oct 2002 03:37:20 +0530 > > Inspite of all one's enthusiasm about Free Software and Open Source, it's > hard to be too sure or optimistic about the story below. > > If government decides on such policies (i) shouldn't the policy decision > be taken openly, on the record and without the possibility of any later > hanky-panky? (ii) is nobody willing to take responsibility for such a > stand -- which is very welcome -- and say so publicly? (iii) if not, why > should we not conclude that this is just some kind of kite-flying, which > actually may be intended to pressurise some 'proprietory solutions' > vendors to come up for equally behind-closed-doors negotiations? > > In a neighbouring country, Pakistan, some quaters at least were trying to > use the GNU/Linux-is-great argument to get Microsoft to reduce its prices. > > [One recalls times when a number of attempts were made to appeal to > Microsoft to offer discounts for the use of their products in > schools. These appeals were studiously ignored, or snubbed. Today, when > there is a growing demand for GNU/Linux being implemented in schools > (inspite of blocks like a Microsoft-products-only syllabus in parts of > India), the proprietory coders are willing to offer 'special discounts'.] > > It might be a good thing if companies like Microsoft could be convinced to > offer more realistic prices to the Third World (just as, say, book > publishers have special prices for South Asia, which are one-seventh or > less of the Western prices) to take care of the lower earning capacity and > the unfair exchange rate we get for our currencies. > > But it would be surely a better thing to ask fundamental questions about > what should be the nature of software, whether knowledge should be meant > primarily to harvest profits or to meet desperate human needs. Free > Software and/or Open Source needs to be adopted not just as a cheaper > option, or a matter of convenience, but as a rational choice that would -- > in some small way -- make ours a less iniquiteous world by taking the > gift of skills and knowledge to those who need it so badly. -FN > > PS: To put things very bluntly, is this report a plant? If not, then let's > see that scrap of paper which would make it something more than loud > thinking..... -- 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
