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>>>>> "Maneesh" == Maneesh Prasad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Maneesh> Hi,
Maneesh> I feel the initiative by EFY to bring out a magazine for
Maneesh> Linux community is very encouraging. Linux has to reach
Maneesh> common man and they have to associate with it and
Maneesh> ultimately find stake in it.
Maneesh> If you could send me further details on when will the
Maneesh> first issue come out and any other info, it will help me
Maneesh> document them for the DIT/MoIT.
Maneesh> Regarding your suggestions (a) I would put them in the
Maneesh> document for the DIT.
[(a) refers to the MoIT sponsoring the magazine for government
departments]
[Donning asbestos underwear over my blue tights]
In my opinion the Government should consider carefully before making
this decision. Let's go a bit off-topic for a moment and consider
some of the tangible benefits of Linux:
- - No cost
- - Increased stability
- - Enhanced security
- - Better functionality
- - Adherence to published standards
- - Interoperability
I would postulate that no operating system would possess these
benefits unless it met the following criteria:
- - Source available for all to view (increased security, better
stability)
- - Source available for all to modify (better functionality)
- - Worked on by a large, diffuse team (Standard adherence,
Interoperability).
- - Source and binaries free for all to distribute (No cost)
In other words, Linux offers the listed benefits precisely because it
follows a Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) development
model. Without that model, Linux is just another also-ran in a long
list of also-ran operating systems.
It is a great mistake to separate out the benefits of Linux (listed)
from the causes of those benefits (the FLOSS development model) and
tout Linux itself as the ultimate solution. The solution keeps
evolving to meet the needs of different environments and entities;
sequestering the development model from the software will ultimately
result in another operating environment that mirrors the (to take an
example) Microsoft set of products and their inherent weaknesses.
Unfortunately there is a growing tendency to consider Linux itself
(and not the model) as a solution and release proprietary products
that run within the Linux environment. In the short term this goes
completely against the spirit of Linux; in the long term it will wipe
out all the advantages that Linux has over other operating systems.
We have to identify and reject this tendency right now unless we agree
to transfer the freedoms that we are in the process of recovering
(painfully and slowly) from proprietary software companies today to
Microsoft-Also Corp, Another-Microsoft Inc and their brethren in the
future.
In summary, the Government must encourage, fund and motivate the FLOSS
development model itself rather than a particular result of that
development model (Linux).
In conclusion, I would request the publishers of Linux for You to
consider releasing their magazine under the GNU Free Documentation
License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html) so that it becomes a
valuable resource for the FLOSS community rather than just another
product that is riding the Linux wave for the money it can make in the
short term. Dual publication (under FDL on the Internet and as a
charged paper copy) is a viable business model as practised by large
publishing houses -- O'Reilly Associates comes to mind as one
organisation that has successfully practised and benefited from this
model. In its turn I request the Government to give all support to
this magazine with the proviso that the magazine become a true
community organ and carry the spirit of the FLOSS model forward
instead of a proprietary magazine, of which we already have many.
Regards,
- -- Raju
Maneesh> [snip]
- --
Raju Mathur [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://kandalaya.org/
It is the mind that moves
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