Here is a report from ZDNet India that should gladden our hearts (except that they say Linux, no Gnu)
V. Sasi Kumar
------------------------------
Linux is giving Sun a burn
Charles Cooper, Special to ZDNet India,
February 17, 2003
When Sun Microsystems got started in 1982, companies such as Wang and Data General dominated the hardware business. In less than a decade, this upstart Unix outfit was a billion-dollar-plus phenom while the once-mighty minicomputer makers had been consigned to irrelevance.
Such is the impact of what Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen calls a disruptive technology. Sun, which won IT converts by offering minicomputer customers less expensive and less proprietary systems, had come up with a technology-price recipe that the incumbents could not match.
How times have changed nearly two decades later, with Sun now the one scrambling to remain relevant. As the Unix server market continues to shrink, sales of Intel-based servers running the Linux operating system nearly doubled in the fourth quarter of 2002 from a year earlier.
For the record, Sun's brass is quick to dismiss this as a minor concern.
Sun is not standing still. The company has ambitious plans to build more speed and functionality into Solaris while committing to using 32-bit Intel processors. In the meantime, the company also is filling out its product portfolio for managing data centers with a single, unified system under its recently announced NI initiative.
"Am I worried about Linux?" says Jonathan Schwartz, the savvy executive who runs Sun's software group. "No. Am I worried about Intel? A little."
Maybe he should take another look
Rivals are selling gobs of Intel-based hardware running the Linux operating system. The pitch is that Linux on Intel is a less expensive and more open alternative to anything in the Sun technology arsenal. Even though Linux does not yet feature any special technological advantage over Sun's Solaris operating system, it is the fruit of open-source collaboration and thus does not belong to any single company.
Sun argues all this is misleading advertising because of the hidden costs of ownership associated with building sophisticated data centers. When pricing Linux systems, customers can't ignore the cost of additional software they must buy to run on top of Linux. Sun also points out that it throws much of that into the package that comes with its Solaris operating system.
Another Sun argument: What's written to Red Hat's Linux won't run on Linux distributions from SuSe, Monte Vista, and the rest of the pack.
Fair enough. Though I contend that it's still easier to port from one Intel Linux to another than it is to port from one Solaris to another. Given the sharp year-to-year growth of Linux sales in the December quarter, more than a few data center administrators apparently agree. Consider the following, for the December quarter:
* IBM raked in $159.9 million in Linux-related sales, up from $75.6 million a year ago.
* Hewlett-Packard's share rose to $80.2 million, up 81 percent, from $44.3 million a year ago.
* Dell Computer's Linux server revenue soared nearly 66 percent, compared with a year ago, to $77.1 million.
* Sun, which started selling Linux servers in 2002, finished with just $1.3 million in Linux revenue.
When measured against total IT expenditures on corporate data centers, those numbers are still relative drops in the bucket. But the Linux-on-Intel combination also allows Sun's rivals to beat it over the head on price.
For IBM, a commodity operating system like Linux is a godsend because it can afford to subsidize its commodity strategy with revenue from its software and services businesses. Similarly, HP can count on its profitable printer business to offset the loss of margin elsewhere. (It also has a hardware line in the works that will run Linux top to bottom, unlike Sun. Linux is on Sparc if you want to do it yourself, but it's not popular.) And there's no company around that has been able to figure how to beat Dell at selling lower-end systems.
Struggling to revive its moribund stock price (still just above $3 a share), the last thing Sun needs or wants right now is an even worse price war.
With prices on Linux-Intel systems falling, the pressure is on a "higher value" company like Sun to justify the higher prices it charges for systems comprising proprietary Unix operating systems on RISC processors. Corporate data managers are especially anxious about reducing hardware costs. What's more, they know the migration to Linux from an existing proprietary Unix platform reuses a lot of the existing code and skills.
Sun's retort is that data centers don't throw away existing architectures. That answer is eerily reminiscent of what the minicomputer crowd said back in the early 1980s--just before Sun turned them into also-rans.
URL : http://www.gnu.org.in/events.html
FSF India
Coming Events of the Indian affiliate of the
[2]Free Software Foundation
Thursday,February 13,2003, 21:30
[3]Richard Stallman will speak on "Free Software Movement: A
Perspective" at a public meeting organized under [4]JNU Science Forum.
This speech will be hosted at Ganga Hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru
University. India.
Friday,February 14,2003, 18:00
[5]Richard Stallman will deliver a speech entitled "The Free Software
Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System" at Veermata Jijabai
Technological Institute([6]VJTI) College Quadrangle,Mumbai.
The speech will be hosted at H.R.Mahajani Marg, Matunga, Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
Sunday,February 16,2003, 16:00
Symbiosis Vishwabhavan Auditorium, Symbiosis Institute of Computer
Studies and Research, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune.
[7]Richard Stallman will deliver a speech entitled "The Free Software
Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System".
Registration is required; simply send e-mail to
gnunify(a)symbiosiscomputers.com.
Tuesday,February 18,2003, 15:00
Jadavpur University, K.P. Basu Memorial Hall, Kolkata.
[8]Richard Stallman will deliver a speech entitled "The Danger of
Software Patents".
Sunday,February 23,2003, 16:00
Ghosh Auditorium,ONGC Ltd., Kaulagarh Road, Dehra Dun.
[9]Richard Stallman will deliver a speech entitled "The Free Software
Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System".
Monday ,February 24, 16:30
IIT,Roorkee, Roorkee.
[10]Richard Stallman will deliver a speech entitled "The Free Software
Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System".
Tuesday ,February 25, 12:00
Press Club,Dehra Dun.
[11]Richard Stallman will address a press conference at Press
Club,Dehra Dun.
_________________________________________________________________
Copyright (C) 2002,2003 Free Software Foundation of India.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted
in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
_________________________________________________________________
Updated: Mon Feb 12112:20:12 IST 2003 by knj
References
1. http://www.gnu.org/graphics/agnuhead.html
2. http://www.fsf.org/
3. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
4. http://www.jnu.ac.in/
5. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
6. http://www.vjti.ac.in/poster.jpg
7. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
8. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
9. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
10. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
11. http://www.gnu.org/people/speakers.html#Stallman
... if this money was not paid to Microsoft for software licences for
Std XI science students, on the excuse that GNU/Linux is too-difficult for
them to cope with....
o Set up a Free Software Research Lab that would have build assets of
a permanent nature -- of the human kind
o Invest in additional 500 computers, at approx Rs 20,000 per computer
o Refurbish the CSI's computer lab and thus create a permanent training
asset which could be optimally utilised
o Built up about a hundred community centres, each with about five
computers,
o Invest in about 10,000 external 33.3 kpbs external modems (purchased
in bulk at approx Rs 500 each) plus hundred hours of Internet access,
to phenomenally expand Net access among students already owning
computers in Goa
o Buy about 20,000 books (each priced approx at Rs 500) that would
give students a complete how-to understanding of GNU/Linux,
inclusive of one or two CDs each containing an entire distro.
o ... any other ideas you have, please add to this list. FN
--
_____ _ _ _
| ___| __ ___ __| | ___ _ __(_) ___| | __ Freelance Journo, Goa India
| |_ | '__/ _ \/ _` |/ _ \ '__| |/ __| |/ / http://linuxinindia.pitas.com
| _|| | | __/ (_| | __/ | | | (__| < http://www.bytesforall.org
|_| |_| \___|\__,_|\___|_| |_|\___|_|\_\ http://opennews.indianissues.org
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
Writing with a difference... on what makes *the* difference
An interesting idea... from India itself!
Software Swatantrata by advocate Mahesh T Pai of Kochi
------------------------------------------------------
This Compact Disc contains swatantra software for the various versions of
Microsoft� Windows Operating System. Swatantra, in several Indian languages
means the same thing - freedom - freedom from dependence; from slavery. It
stands for being able to do what you want to do with / on your computer.
Swatantrata - the state of being free - means being able to chose the
software you want to use. Your are not enjoying Swatantrata if you have to
buy a particular software because it is used at your workplace or school, or
by your business associates. Swatantrata is about not having to upgrade (and
pay for) your software every time your employer or friends up grade theirs.
Swatantrata is about not having to depend on a monopolist for fixing every
little bug in the software which you paid for. Swatantrata is not only your
freedom; it means the community's freedom and liberties. It is about being
able to help your friends and neighbours.
Swatantrata is not "free" as in "free of cost". Swatantrata means that you
have the swatantrata to give away copies of this CD free of cost. it also
means that you have the swatantrata to charge somebody a lot of money (or a
little of it) for giving him (or her) a copy of this same CD.
Swatantrata is also about being guaranteed that your personal information
remains yours. It is about being assured that information about you, your
computer and data on your computer is not accessed by somebody either over
the internet, or otherwise, without your knowledge.
Swatantrata comes at a price -- but not always at a cost. You have to comply
with standards. You are bound to follow the licensing terms. When you share
this software with others, you have to ensure that the swatantrata given to
you by authors, compilers and distributors of this software is also
available to others. There are several packages on this CD-ROM, most of it
is covered under the GNU General Public License. There is a Malayalam
version of the GPL here.
To learn more about what the concept of freedom means, start here, or read
this article by Richard M. Stallman (available on the CD).
Some of the software here is covered by the GNU Library General Public
License. A little other software on this CD is released under other related
licenses, which preserve most of the above mentioned freedoms. The concerned
license is there with each package.
What is here?
Plenty. Just browse through each directory. Click here to view the
directory listing - that is the best way of doing it. Most are self
installing executables for Microsoft� Windows 32 bit Operating system - they
ought to work for Windows95 and above. Click for more some of the more
important contents, and very shallow install instructions.. The best way
however is to to browse the contents manually.
About this compilation
This is a compilation made by Mahesh T. Pai, Advocate, "NANDINI", S. R. M.
Road, Cochin - 682018, Kerala, India.
The compiler can be contacted at the above address, or by email at
paivakil(a)yahoo.co.in.
All programs or other files on this CD are protected by copyright, and
unrestricted, royalty and permission free copying and modification is
permitted as per terms of license applicable to each package, program, or
file. Please see the concerned file or documentation accompanying each file
for details of the licenses and its terms.
Binaries on this CD are downloaded from the websites or other locations as
accessible to the compiler from India over the internet/World Wide Web, and
are are distributed as received by the compiler. Sources for the binaries
are accessible from the web sites of authors / creators of each respective
package. The compiler or other distributors of this CD do not accept any
responsibility for providing recipients of this CD or programs on this the
sources, unless the source code itself is on this CD.
Contents of SwatantraWin
Cygwin
Cygwin simulates the linux environment in Windows. Save the setup file and
run it from the local hdd -(note - set up might hang if run from the CD) and
chose 'install from local directory' to install. If you have an internet
connection, you can choose 'install from internet' to download more
software.
DataBase
Contains MySql, MySql GUI, and MySql ODBC for Win9* and Win NT
For Developers
Gtk
The Gimp Tool Kit is a tool kit to develop GUI Widgets for programs. There
are also runtime environments in this directory. Run the file called
gtk+-1.3.0-20020313-setup-2.zip before installing GIMP (below).
RPMBrowser enables you to read Red Hat Package Manager files in a WIN 32
environment
Developer CPP is a GUI for Gnu C++.
Minimalist GNU for Windows, or MingW.
If you have PERL version 5.8 or better installed, use Prima to develop GUIs
using a VB like tool.
Python is a programming language !!!!
There is the documentation for Python in PostScript, Portable Document
Format, and LaTeX source format. The actual python program is here. Install
it first These are allied files for Windows.
Documents: This directory contains several tutorials, guides and HOWTOs, and
information why you should use swatantra software.
Watch out for articles by the Richard M. Stallman himself, in particular,
one on the concept of copyleft, another on why software should be swatantra
about the GNU Project, etc.
and do do not forget to read the two books (yes, two full books, on this CD)
"The Cathedral and the Bazaar", and "A Brief History of Hackerdom".
Editors
Simple text editors
Includes -
Yudit -- a Unicode editor for many languages, including Indian Language -
written by somebody from Japan !!! Sources for Yudit are in this file.
JEDIT is a text editor which user Java - java itself is not free. Best
feature about JEDIT is that several plugins are available for it - connect
to the internist and use the plugins tap from the tool bar.
EMACS - how can any compilation of Free S/w be complete without GNU EMACS???
ASPELL is a spell checker - compile it using Cygwin. Only sources are in
this CD.
Ghost view, and Ghost Script are complimentary, and are used to view PDF -
portable document format files and PostScript files - (and you thought that
only Adobe's� Acrobat can do that?)
Malayalam TeX is also here.
Perl
Choose from three flavours - latest is version 5.8. This comes bundled with
Apache web server, version 2.0. Now, you can have the same software that
runs on Yahoo! and other major sites.
Graphics
What use an operating system if it does not have Graphic editors?
On GNU, you have GIMP. There is also a tutorial - Grokking-the-GIMP. You
will first have to install the GTK runtimes, edit your path environment
(eg:, by editing the autoexec.bat file, to add a line something like this:-
c:\progra~1\Common~1\GTK\1.3\lib; to it, reboot unzip the GIMP.*.*.tar.gz
file in the folder to the location you want to install, and then run
GIMP.exe in the /gimp/bin directory. It will register itself. Your screen
resolution should be 1024 X 726 pixels or better, otherwise you will have
difficulty running the splash screen coming up the first time GIMP is run.
Internet
Httrack is a program which will download entire web sites on to your
computer. Careful - your hard disk is bound to fill up fast!!!
Mozilla, in two flavours - version 1.1, and 1.2 are available. Remember to
visit http://www.mozdev.org/projects.html to get a huge bundle of add on
software for Mozilla.
FileZilla is an FTP client. FTP clients are, for the common man, used to
upload web sites to the host server.
LanguageSupport
This directory contains several programs required to support non-English
languages, including a few free fonts.
Tex
MiKTeX-2.2 is an implementation of LaTex. This program is used for
typesetting. Look out for the tutorials in the documentation directory.
Run the set up program to install. This directory contains the 'Large'
implementation of MikTex. You can choose to install only the basic version.
This will a lot of disk space. You also can connect to the web and install
the 'full' version of MikTeX, to which will take up approximately 500 MB
disk space.
Multimedia
Audacity and winLAME are music codecs.
Celestia is an astronomy software which will imitate the actual planetary
position as per your system time on the screen.
Office
ABIWORD - a simple word processor can read some (not all) Microsoft Word
documents. Saves files in Rich Text File format. Look out for the Abiword
dictionaries and plugins in the Abiword directory.
Openoffice - what use a computer without a full-blown office suite? Here is
OpenOffice.org (notice the .org?) version 1.0.1 suite. It has a
presentations component, an HTML editor, a spread sheet application, an
editor for mathematical notations, a picture editor, and of course, a word
processor. The standard dictionary is the US English dictionary.
Dictionary for British English is on the CD. First install OpenOffice.org,
and then unzip the en_GB.zip file into the /user/share dictionary where you
installed OpenOffice.org. Then you have to manually change the Tools >
Options menu, go to the Languages > Writing Aids section, click 'edit',
select English (UK) from the Languages dropdown Menu, and enable the
options.
There are several documents on OpenOffice.org (the software, not the
website) in the documents directory.
Tutorials
After reading all this, you will feel like installing a GNU operating system
- and start by reading these HOWTOs.
Now, GO AHEAD, ENJOY all the FREEDOM you want!!!!!!!!!!
Circulate via:
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
Writing with a difference... on what makes *the* difference
I would like to work towards compiling a Free Textbook elaborating on how
to use GNU software in schools. It could be modelled on the Free
Encyclopedia Project outlined elaborately by RMS (see the book 'No Sir, No
Monopoly: Free Software -- A Perspective', Prajasakti, Hyderabad 2002).
This book would primarily be in the English language, copylefted (free to
reprint) and would accept chapters written in an easy-to-understand style.
Ideally, the book would cover the introduction-to-computers course, that
students need to know to get started in Free Software. I am not an expert
in this field, but am willing to take the initiative to coordinate
contributions, unless someone else (or a team) is willing to take up this
duty.
What we perhaps need to get started is:
o agree on topics to be covered (keeping this loose-ended,
so that suitable topics could be added on at any stage)
o decide the format in which text and illustrations/
screenshots are to be presented
o be clear about the best method of keeping this knowledge
copylefted
o take a look at existing efforts (from whichever part of
the globe) that could be suitably incorporated in our
plans, without difficulties
Your comments, suggestions and criticism is welcome. FN
--
_____ _ _ _
| ___| __ ___ __| | ___ _ __(_) ___| | __ Freelance Journo, Goa India
| |_ | '__/ _ \/ _` |/ _ \ '__| |/ __| |/ / http://linuxinindia.pitas.com
| _|| | | __/ (_| | __/ | | | (__| < http://www.bytesforall.org
|_| |_| \___|\__,_|\___|_| |_|\___|_|\_\ http://opennews.indianissues.org
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
Writing with a difference... on what makes *the* difference
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME FEEDBACK to the recent first issue of India's first mag devoted wholly
to Free/Libre and Open Source Software, * LINUXForYou*:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
o Get-up excellent, value-for-money real good. This was only to be
expected from a ElectronicsForYou-stable publication.
o Depth of information, fair to good.
o Coverage of India-related issues: poor. Much of the focus was on
the corporate world and its products. This may be a good policy
to draw adverts. What about those idealistic youngsters slogging away
unnoticed across the length and breadth of India. Except for Avneesh
and Shivaas (Page 9) these go largely unnoticed.
o Clarity of vision: poor. Lot of focus on "Open Source". Free Software
and the ideals that launched it (from the 'seventies and before,
not just since 1998) seems to have got, in this magazine,
intentionally or otherwise, overlooked. Again, this may be good
for luring the business world; but certainly not helpful in
building up an ethical basis for sharing software (and ultimately,
knowledge) among those who need it.
o Open Source and Free Software have common origins but now
different emphasis. It would be best if *both* are covered, rather
than excluding one or the other. The term FLOSS (Free/Libre and
Open Source Software), popularised by an Indian in Holland,
Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, covers both adequately. As it has been argued,
'Free Software' and 'Open Source' describe the same category of
software "more or less" but say different things about the
software and about values. The GNU Project continues to use the
term "Free Software" to express the idea that freedom, not just
(good) technology, is important.
o Illustrations: could be improved. Understandable for a new mag
o Participation by the GNU/Linux community (both Free Software and
Open Source): marginal. Linux-India gets a low-down mention in a
listing of websites.
o Focus on different distros: poor to fair. Seems to continue the
trend of focussing mainly on the main (commercial) distros, e.g
RedHat and Mandrake, as other Indian computer mags have done.
The inclusion of Knoppix is a great decision though. Otherwise,
distros like Debian get ignored or mentioned just in passing.
As an Indian mag, products like Elx (the distro from Hyderabad)
could merit a closer look.
o The editorial was particularly well written.
o Once again: do we need a CD with every issue? Won't this push
up costs? My favoured model is SPIDER, Pakistan's Internet magazine
(Rs 35 rupees per issue, i.e. Pakistani rupees, which might be
around Rs 30 or less INR. Printed on inexpensive newsprint,
full colour, over 100 pages, packed with info, focus in large
measure on local issues!)
o Can LFY put it's money where it's mouth is? Suresh
Ramasubramanian <mallet(a)efn.org> has already point out to
Bharathi's posting on ilug-chennai that the LFY website
uses ASP script, and has a website which is "designed
primarily for (Microsoft's) Internet Explorer". If
GNU/Linux is really so good technology, why not accept
it before selling it to the rest of the globe?
o Some writers seem to be accepting Microsoft's logic
and arguments quite willingly.
o What's lacking in the mag:
-Links to all LUGs around India (even LinuxMagazine from Europe
has a listing of some Indian LUGs) with URLs, mailing list
details
-Schedules of different LUG/GLUG meets planned in India
-Profile of various GLUG/LUG websites and mailing lists
-Greater focus on innovative GNU/Linux work from students
and individuals within India
-More reporting on the GNU/Linux scene in Asia, particularly
South Asia
-Possible reproduction of columns such as BraveGNUWorld
-More interaction with GLUGs, FSUGs and LUGs across India.
o In conclusion: This mag is going to help spread awareness about
GNU/Linux. But whether it also helps build the ethical base of
Free Software (which started everything off, in a sense) is a
big question. As of now, it's not showing any signs of doing so.
o To quote RMS: "The interest in the software is growing faster
than awareness of the philosophy it is based on, and this
leads to trouble. Our ability to meet the challenges and threats
... depends on the will to stand firm for freedom. To make
sure our community has this will, we need to spread the idea to
the new users as they come into the community. But we are failing
to do so; the effort to attract new users into our community
are far outstripping the efforts to teach them the civics of our
community. We need to do both, and we need to keep the two
efforts in balance." LINUXForYou is going to be doing a great
job on one aspect; on the other, there are not much signs that
it plans to do anything significant yet... (FN)
--
_____ _ _ _
| ___| __ ___ __| | ___ _ __(_) ___| | __ Freelance Journo, Goa India
| |_ | '__/ _ \/ _` |/ _ \ '__| |/ __| |/ / http://linuxinindia.pitas.com
| _|| | | __/ (_| | __/ | | | (__| < http://www.bytesforall.org
|_| |_| \___|\__,_|\___|_| |_|\___|_|\_\ http://opennews.indianissues.org
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
Writing with a difference... on what makes *the* difference
========================================================================
Synopsis of " The Code" http://www.linuxthemovie.com/
========================================================================
In 1991, a 20-year old Linus Torvalds, a thin, bespectacled, Swedish-
speaking Finnish computer science student sends a posting to an
Internet newsgroup asking for advice on how to make a better operating
system. His project is a hobby, he says, and would never become `big
and professional'. But in ten years he and his loose alliance of
hackers all over the world creates an operating system - Linux - that
challenges Windows 2000 for the server market and is now poised to
dominate the next generation of handheld and desktop computers. What
makes Linux different, and deeply troubling for traditional software
companies, is that no one owns it. Every user is free to adapt it in
any way they wish, as long as they pass it on to others on the same
terms.
The Code presents the first decade of Linux from 1991 to 2001. Besides
Torvalds, it includes many of his closest allies in development
process, that is nowadays seen as the greatest success story of the
Internet culture. Eventually, Linux becomes a viable business solution
within the computer industry. Media loves the story of `a single
hacker against the forces of darkness'. `Linux' becomes a catch
phrase. Torvalds turns into an international media star. No more a shy
nerd, but a relaxed, witty media performer par excellence. Linus is a
Jesus for a politician, respected and adored by both Linux
enthusiasts, the counter-culture - and the big businessmen. A rare
combination, this time or any other. But even after all this attention
Linus Torvalds remains, as a person, an enigma. When interviewed in
the media, he is always asked the same questions and usually giving
the same answers too. We think we know him, but do we really? Why did
he put his code into the Net for free, initially? Many can still not
understand it. Maybe because `given enough eyeballs, all bugs are
shallow', giving a way to a better product? Or is there something more
to it?
The hero of the film is the archetype of our times: the programmer. In
The Code programming is seen partially as an art form. Like artists,
programmers will do it even if they do not get any money. Through
Torvalds and his cohort, following the code development process, we
get into the mind-set of a programmer - and the communication between
programmers. Operating from his study in San Jose, California, Linus
is the benevolent dictator among hundreds of Linux developers around
the world. This room is the centre of their universe. Everything goes
through Linus, or his right hand man Alan Cox, a Welshman. Developers
compete in order to get their solutions and improvements accepted by
Linus. He openly admits that he developed only 2 % or 3 % of the code
in the beginning, and that he built upon the work by earlier
programmers, like Richard Stallman. Developers are like monks in their
virtual monastery. Their change of e-mails through the years opens the
Linux saga in the film like a letter novel. Leadership in Linux
universe is about getting people to trust enough that they take
advice, making them to do things because of their own reasons, not due
to any external pressure. Linus is strict, loyal, dictatorial, humble
and positive, all at the same time. And this is the key to the
fulfilment of the collective dream. Resembling cybernetics and
communism, it would have never been built without teamwork, collective
responsibility - and centralized planning.
Along the way, Microsoft recognizes competition, and throws some
mccarthyian dirt towards Linux, calling it un-American. Regardless of
this, Wall Street applauds, and for a brief time Linux is the cream of
the crop at the stock exchange market. What is more important and
revolutionary, the Linux phenomenon makes a lot of ground in Asia and
Africa, where an open source code and a free operating system are
something concrete, not just fancy, elitist idealism. The process
started in Europe and the United States, but it is bound to be
completed somewhere else.
The Code is about the human urge to share and exchange, to achieve
something through collaboration, the profit motive not being the
dominating factor. Linux and the free software movement have showed
new ways to make profit in computer industry, while raising heated
debates on the ethics of business and the old issue of freedom of
speech. In the end, The Code tells a key story of the digital age, a
symbolic saga about capitalism during the last fin de si�cle of the
second millennium and the early steps of the third one.
Hannu Puttonen
________________________________________________________________________
Very interesting. Could any one on these lists take it forward? FN
On Fri, 14 Feb 2003, Bill Kendrick wrote:
>
> Hi there! I saw your comment on GNUWinII about translations to Indian
> languages.
>
> I'm interested in having my Open Source application (which happens to be
> part of GNUWinII, as well), "Tux Paint" translated to Indian languages,
> if possible.
>
> http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/tuxpaint/
>
>
> Do you know anyone who could help?
>
> So far, it's been translated into almost 25 other languages,
> including Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Greek. (They've used UTF-8 encoding
> so far. I think Unicode shouldn't be impossible.)
>
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
>
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_____ _ _ _
| ___| __ ___ __| | ___ _ __(_) ___| | __ Freelance Journo, Goa India
| |_ | '__/ _ \/ _` |/ _ \ '__| |/ __| |/ / http://linuxinindia.pitas.com
| _|| | | __/ (_| | __/ | | | (__| < http://www.bytesforall.org
|_| |_| \___|\__,_|\___|_| |_|\___|_|\_\ http://opennews.indianissues.org
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
Writing with a difference... on what makes *the* difference
Someone from the Free Software world could also possibly try for this. FN
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Announcement
The Digital Vision Fellowship Program at Stanford University is
accepting applications for the 2003-04 academic year (September-
June). The deadline is March 14, 2003. Twelve Fellowships will be
awarded on May 15, 2003.
The Program
Digital Vision Fellows design and build ICT-based solutions for the
developing world. DV Fellows draw on the resources of Stanford
University and Silicon Valley to create a sustainable technology
project that serves a humanitarian purpose in the developing world.
During their time on the Stanford campus DV Fellows research the
needs and requirements of their project, identify the best technology
implementation choices, create proof-of-concept prototypes, and
develop sustainable business models. DV Fellows have "Visiting
Scholar" privileges at Stanford, including the ability to audit
academic courses. Fellows also participate in a structured Digital
Vision Program with weekly seminars and workshops. DV Fellows
collaborate with Stanford faculty, students, and with each other.
Additionally, the program facilitates connections between DV Fellows
and Silicon Valley leaders from corporations, venture finance and
philanthropy.
Who Should Apply?
Digital Vision Fellows are social entrepreneurs. Successful
candidates are be outstanding technologists who wish to apply their
skills to a humanitarian project, or program managers who are engaged
in ICT projects in the developing world. For additional information
please click on the "Become a Fellow" link on our Website at
http://reuters.stanford.edu/, or write reuters-
applicationquestions2003(a)csli.stanford.edu. Thank you for considering
this program for yourself, or for recommending it to someone who may
be interested in applying.
Sincerely,
Stuart Gannes
Executive Director
Digital Vision Fellowship
Stanford University
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