On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 3:15 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan <[email protected]> wrote: > My replies below: > > On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 2:17 PM, scrapo <[email protected]> wrote: >> Pravin Dhayfule wrote: >>>> I dont trust Politicians. Previously Caste and Religion was used as >>>> Election manifesto, and its a pity now that the Opensource community is >>>> being dragged into politics.... Its not politicians, but we IT >>>> professionals >>>> who have promoted Open source Applications... Open Source Platform is for >>>> all and not a dependent on political promotion... >>>> >> Yes, i do not know why we are wasting time talking of manifestos of >> political parties, which are not worth the paper they are written on and >> forgotten for the next 5 years till the next election. >> When in power, they have always supported windows as the software >> vendors are going to give them money. > > There are plenty of politicians within each of the major political > parties who understand and support free/open source software. > Manifestos indicate the thinking of the political parties. The > CPI(M)'s manifesto indicates that its support for FOSS is driven by a > strong anti-monopoly stance, while the BJP's manifesto reveals that > they see FOSS as a means to an end (of making IT widely available and > bridging the digital divide). > >> FOSS will have to work on its own, grow on its own and in spite of the >> government (not because of the government). > > The government can make an enormous difference to FOSS by either > supporting or opposing our stance on open standards, software patents > and many other policy issues. Do we want them with us or against us? > For example, would you be happy if the government sent you documents > in proprietary formats? Would you be happy if the government imposed > software patents, which means that you would have to consult a lawyer > before you write even a single line of code? > > In all the issues I have listed above, the open source community is > bringing fresh ideas to the table. That takes time to understand > because the dominant mindset is that of proprietary software, simply > because it has been around for so many years. The only way this > mindset can be overcome is through dialogue. Luckily, in the last four > and half years I have spent on FOSS policy issues, there are plenty of > politicians and bureaucrats who are willing to listen. > >> The left is not going to do anything more for FOSS than the congress or >> BJP or BSP or whoever. > > The facts are wrong here. The left has implemented FOSS in Kerala and > WB and has strongly supported the community in its fight for open > standards and software patents. The BJP has implemented FOSS for its > internal use and has a strong grasp of the capabilities of FOSS.
Hmm,IIRC,wasn't the conversion of schools to FOSS in Kerala accomplished during the UDF(Congress -led) government? > >> Let this forum be for what it was created - a user community which will >> help with problems and technical matters that we all face and for >> sharing of knowledge. > > If the purpose of this forum is purely technical, then a post like > this does not make sense. However, if the purpose of this mailing list > also includes making FOSS widely prevalent in society, then this post > is indeed appropriate. > >> Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us. > > They are our representatives and we have to make them work for us, the > people of India. We are lucky that we live in a democracy that has > many checks and balances and it is our responsibility to be engaged in > the democratic process. > > Venky > -- > http://mm.glug-bom.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxers > On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 6:37 PM, jtd <[email protected]> wrote: > > Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us. > > They are our representatives and we have to make them work for us, the > people of India. We are lucky that we live in a democracy that has > many checks and balances and it is our responsibility to be engaged in > the democratic process. Agreed. Much as we despise the dirty politics, turning your back will only get a knife in you. +1.And an apt expression. -- Regards, Easwar Registered Linux user #442065 -- http://mm.glug-bom.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxers
