It's not often I get a chance to disagree with @Sajan "That doesn't leave them much time to wrestle with technology, and I am not sure they'd get much tech support in places like Pastapur and Garhwah."
One of the striking differences between the FOSS and proprietary ethos' is the fact that so much of FOSS stuff is community driven. Yes, in totally poverty-stricken areas, it is unlikely there would be any kind of groundswell for doing anything but getting the next morsel of food. However, as I mentioned, the license conditions are so complex and difficult, and the technical constraints so unreal, that the typical 'successful' (by which I mean one that doesn't collapse under the weight of its good intentions) station will be located in an area that has some evidence of money as well as a decent amount of electricity, which just happens to be the conditions needed for a computer-aware situation. It is not a given (or there would be no need for the FOSS community to get into antagonistic situations with the state or with vendors of proprietary solutions) that computer usage and community thinking go hand in hand, but it just happens that one of the benefits of CR is itself community awareness. It would be just peachy fine and dandy if totally GUI, foolproof, plug and play solutions came out of the FOSS world and plonked down for free to run our hopefully burgeoning CR stations. The reality is that these new stations will redefine the needs of radio stations themselves, which will not run like AIR clones. >From redefining needs to working on satisfying those needs oneself is one small step for (a rural wo-)man, and a giant step for mankind. That's the FOSS spirit! On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 10:05 AM, sajan venniyoor <[email protected]>wrote: > > On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 7:56 AM, Vickram Crishna <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Also, over and above the links Sajan has quoted, there is an IITD based >> development under way (led by Aaditeshwar Seth) for a complete integrated >> FOSS radio station operating system. Whatever we understand by 'complete', >> of course. I think it is called Gyaanvani. > > > The software is called 'GRINS <http://gramvaani.org/news/software/>' (Gramin > Radio Inter Networking System (GRINS) v0.1) and Aadi's agency is called > 'Gram Vaani' (www.gramvaani.org) . They tested it out recently in 'Radio > Bundelkhand', a community radio station in Orchha, near Jhansi. > > > Incidentally, I find the idea that geeky things are beyond rural >> understanding rather discriminatory, if not downright snobbish. > > > I thought you might say that. Snobbishness apart, geeky things are > difficult in rural areas, not because they are beyond rural understanding, > but because they really don't have the time or energy to expend on such > things. By and large, rural CR stations run on shoe-string budgets (the > staff at 'Namma Dhwani' in Budikote told me a couple of years ago that they > managed on Rs.15,000 a month, though this must be singularly low even by CR > standards) and practically all the 'staff' hold other jobs to make a living. > That doesn't leave them much time to wrestle with technology, and I am not > sure they'd get much tech support in places like Pastapur and Garhwah. > > Maybe if they had a substantial FOSS environment, like in Kerala, it might > work. > > Good point about the snobbishness, though. > > Sajan > > > Please note that the T&C for obtaining a CR license are so onerous that >> only places reasonably well served by money and electricity can get through >> the licensing process. >> >>> >>> -- >> Vickram >> http://communicall.wordpress.com >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > network mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in > > -- Vickram http://communicall.wordpress.com
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