Fsf-friends August 2003

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NEWS: SGI to focus on Linux-based computing solutions
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 19 Aug '03

19 Aug '03

SGI to focus on Linux-based computing solutions >From Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) U.S.-based Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) said Tuesday it would continue to focus on developing cutting edge computing solutions on the Linux operating system platform. "We have enabled Linux to break into the high performance arena," said Warren Pratt, executive vice president and chief operating officer of California headquartered Silicon Graphics Inc. "We are now committed to continue moving Linux forward by enabling real solutions for real problems. We will help customers use Linux to solve the biggest problems facing them," he told a press conference here Tuesday. Linux can be bought for a few hundred rupees or downloaded free from the Internet and the same software can be copied across dozens or hundreds of computers. One can also modify the software programme code of Linux to suit individual needs, unlike its proprietary counterparts such as Microsoft's Windows. While Microsoft say Windows is far ahead in terms of security and user convenience, supporters of the open source software, which no one owns, highlight its cost advantage and flexibility for a developing economy like India. Pratt said SGI was the first to make "serious product announcements" based on Linux operating system. The technologies that SGI used in the creation of its Linux product family have enabled the open source system to scale new heights, he added. The official said Linux has great scope to move forward rapidly in India since the country has one of the largest open source community as well as the world's second largest pool of scientific manpower. "This is further boosted by the fact that the government is encouraging the adoption of open source solutions for the country," Pratt said. According to an official study, only 16 percent of the central government offices currently use Linux as a platform but this is expected to grow manifold in the coming years. A number of states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra are either implementing or proposing to launch e-government projects using Linux operating system as the platform. The Indian operations of SGI are headquartered at Gurgaon, on the outskirts of New Delhi, with branch offices located at Bangalore and Mumbai. --Indo-Asian News Service

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[Fsf-friends] TCO of GNU/Linux vis-a-vis Microsoft (read by Indian officials)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 19 Aug '03

19 Aug '03

Any comments on this? It was recently circulated via the e-gov-india India-egov(a)yahoogroups.com mailing list. FN ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 4 Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 11:47:30 +0530 From: "Nandkumar Saravade" <nsara31(a)hotmail.com> Subject: Article on Total Cost of Ownership of Linux vis-a-vis Microsoft Hi all Quoted below is an interesting article on a study done on TCO of Linux v. Microsoft. The original article is available at http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22012.html. Nandkumar Saravade Windows vs. Linux: TCO Feud Rages On By James Maguire NewsFactor Network August 1, 2003 "If you've got somebody who's smart and can config it, then [Linux is] a beautiful desktop and runs well," says Meta Group analyst Thomas Murphy. "But for the average business owner, [it] does not have that kind of simple nature that you have in Windows." If you fear the end is near for the entertaining debate over whether the Windows or Linux desktop is ultimately less expensive, you can relax. There are enough variables to keep the feud raging for the foreseeable future. The OSes themselves are vastly different, in terms of how they come to market, how they are developed, and the number of applications written for them. And their environments are also many and varied -- from large enterprises with operations carried on by armies of clerical workers to small companies with sophisticated data analyses performed by highly specialized staff. Reconciling all of these elements to identify either operating system as the one that offers lower TCO for all situations is impossible. Linux offers a lower TCO in some situations -- a lot lower, according to Aberdeen Group analyst Bill Claybrook. Yet, in other scenarios, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is a more cost-effective option, he noted. The final answer "depends on what you want to do with it," Claybrook told NewsFactor. What Do You Use? Deciding which OS is the most cost-effective depends largely on what applications a company needs, Claybrook explained. If a business's software is limited to applications that are similar to Word, Excel or Powerpoint, "they can probably get by with Linux," he said. But if a business requires a more advanced range of programs, it will need Windows. "The more applications you have, the harder it's going to be -- the more expensive it's going to be -- " to switch to Linux, Gartner analyst Michael Silver told NewsFactor. "We're talking about something that can be very complex." Who Are Your Employees? For a study that compares the Windows and Linux desktops, Silver divided employees into two groups: "structured task users," who do clerical-style work on a repetitive basis, and "knowledge workers," who analyze data conceptually. Knowledge workers use more -- and more complex -- applications, making it more expensive for them to use Linux. The Gartner study shows TCO profiles based on a hardware life of three years. For a structured worker using Linux, the figure is US$5,305. This figure falls to $4,402 for "locked" Linux -- that is, the worker does not have root access. For structured workers using WinXP, the study calculates the cost at $5,148. For knowledge workers, Linux TCO is $6,101, and locked Linux is $5,062. For WinXP, this figure is $5,908. However, these costs do not include the cost of application development -- a business may need specific programs written for it. The study notes that these costs vary so widely from business to business that it is difficult to create an accurate theoretical model -- but it outlines a possible range. For structured workers, costs would vary from $1,151 to $3,454 per worker; knowledge worker migration would cost between $4,087 and $9,044. The Cost Of Complexity In business, complexity often equals cost, and Linux is a more complex OS to configure on the desktop, Meta Group analyst Thomas Murphy told NewsFactor. "If you've got somebody who's smart and can config it, then it's a beautiful desktop and runs well. But for the average business owner, [Linux] does not have that kind of simple nature that you have in Windows." Yet Linux set-up and service should not be seen as a major problem for companies considering the OS, Claybrook said. Although there are only a limited handful of Linux desktop vendors, "the people selling it are certainly going to service it." Future TCO The cost of ownership of a desktop system is, of course, not fixed: As market forces play out over time, prices can change dramatically. This may affect Linux much more than Windows, because the open-source OS has multiple vendors. Enterprises are economically motivated to switch to Linux for reasons other than the OS itself, however. "It's because they have a choice of more than one vendor," Claybrook noted, "and that competition makes it attractive to buyers." Even though there are costs associated with migration, Forrester analyst Stacey Quandt told NewsFactor, "more companies and government organizations are viewing the Linux desktop as a means to reduce IT spending and free themselves from the control of a single software vendor -- Microsoft." Although there is interest among enterprises in choosing Linux, "it's going to be interesting to see how much of that is turned into real action," Silver noted. Even the 2 percent figure used to describe the number of desktop users running Linux is "too high for the enterprise," he said. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

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IT education in Kerala schools and GNU/LInux
by Sajith V K 19 Aug '03

19 Aug '03

"Freedom matters" Hi, I believe a clarification is needed for the mail from Mahesh T pai about IT Text books of kerala schools. The text book is divided in to two sections, Windows and GNU/Linux. Windows section explains how to work in windows world and GNU/Linux explains how to work in GNU/Linux world. Microsoft Office is given in the windows section whereas Openoffice is given in GNU/Linux section and so on. The students,Teachers or School can choose either windows or GNU/Linux according to the facilities available. So it a choice of the schools.(Now its our duty to reach schools and bring them to GNU/Liunux world) >The Kochi Free Software User's group had submitted a memorandum >against similar moves by the Kerala Govt. The memo was partly >successful. The authorities was totally unwilling to include GNU/Linux in the text book. Its not a single memorandum which made the change. A lot of work by several persons is there behind the change. A lot of persons and groups have contributed to the effort, the memorandum by FSUG Cochin is one among them. > the syllabus itself is not changed. But the >text books have been re-written - I said - REWRITTEN, to include >references to GNU/LINUX. GNU/LINUX, and nothing else. No references to >applications like GIMP, or the concepts of free software. The concepts of free software is included in the text. Text book of 8th std have two "boxes" dealing with the concept about free software, and includes "boxes" about RMS and Linus trovalds. The students are asked to collect information about free softwares as the part of "activities" GIMP will be included in 10th std text book. In 8th std Xpaint is used for basic Graphic works. I too agrees that our work is not 100% success. There are issues yet to address But in the current situation in kerala its a big success. >They are now including OpenOffice.org in the Xth std textbooks. Openoffice is included from the 8th std itself. The basic introduction is provided in 8th std, more features are given in 9th and some more in 10th. >I find that the text book committee is more interested in creating >something >like one of those 'for dummies' series books for proprietary software. I don't know what forced him to make such a commend. Just go through the textbook, can we compare it with "for dummies series?" The IT text book commitee members are most pro towards GNU/Linux. All of them are well aware of the facts. The have taken all the effort to include GNU/Linux in IT Text book. Its their effort which resulted in including GNU/Linux in IT Text book when all authorities above them are Pro Mircosoft and Anti GNU. The IT Textbook commitee of Kerala, (Headed by Pro. satyapalan SCERT) is trying their level best to bring GNU/Linux to kerala schools. Don't simply critisice them without considering actual facts. -----------------Regards SajithVK------------- _________________________________________________________________ Is India taking over the US? Find out here. http://server1.msn.co.in/features/nri03/index.asp Meet these new-age NRIs.

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GNUCASH: State of the Gnucash project
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 19 Aug '03

19 Aug '03

------------------------------------------------------------------ GNUCASH: STATE OF THE GNUCASH PROJECT, A CALL FOR HELP "Although GnuCash comes up in every discussion of needed software to get Linux on the desktop, the GnuCash project currently has only about seven active developers... and enjoys far less exposure than many projects of a similar size..." COMPLETE STORY: http://www.gnucash.org/en/state_of_the_gnucash_project.phtml More Developer stories: http://linuxtoday.com/developer ------------------------------------------------------------------

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Help needed: Anyone from kotayam,kerala?
by Sajith V K 19 Aug '03

19 Aug '03

"Freedom matters" Hi, Is any body willing to help Dr. Ikbal (Vice chancellor, University of kerala) in installing Gnu/Linux. He is interested in the concepts of free software and now wishes to try it. Location is near Madical college, kottayam kerala. If possible, please mail me back with your contact number or call me at 94473 88664. ------Regards SajithVK----------- _________________________________________________________________ Is India taking over the US? Find out here. http://server1.msn.co.in/features/nri03/index.asp Meet these new-age NRIs.

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Re: Fsf-friends Digest, Vol 4, Issue 10
by Sajith V K 18 Aug '03

18 Aug '03

"Freedom matters" Hi, Mahesh T pai wrote: >Which text book? VIIIth? IXth? Xth? In VIIIth and IXth now. Xth std text book is on process >I believe that the text book for VIIIth is already published, and is >there for all to see. There is no point in having a war of words on >contents of the text books. It only diverts the subject matter of the >thread, which is 'helping the CBSE make a switch over' to swatantra >software. GNU/Linux section was not there in VIIIth std text book published last year. This year, the text book is revised to include "GNU/Linux section". I think this made the confusion >The post wanted help to change the *syllabus*. He was not looking for >help for a swatantra implementation of a non-free syllabus. I believe >that The CBSE does not insist on proprietary software and permits use >of free software by schools. But, the permission is tacit, nothing in >writing. I remember reading somewhere that people at Delhi LUG were >instrumental in that part. People at GSCP, Goa, have been successful >in getting similar assurances (viz. non-free in syllabus, free in >practise) from the educational authorities of Goa. In "kerala IT text book" both Windows and Gnu/Linux section are included. Another way is to include the generic concepts. I mean Introduce Spreadsheets in general instead of Excel or Calc. But I don't know how efficient it will be since we have to include screen shots and "exact steps to follow" >Our friend was asking for more. That requires a very formal approach. >Efforts by Mr. Sajith and his friends, while certainly significant >and important, are based on tacit and silent approval of >authorities. If somebody takes up the issue, the Government will be >forced to withdraw the text books created by the present committee >because they do not conform to the syllabus. >Or has the Govt. of Kerala changed the syllabus? The syllabus has been changed to include GNU/Linux and the schools can choose either Windows or Gnu/Linux. The issue is, the "teachers training" is provided only in windows. This forces the schools to choose Windows. This issue has to be addressed. We need to "force" the govt. to provide teachers training in Gnu/Linux too. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Hotmail now on your Mobile phone. http://server1.msn.co.in/sp03/mobilesms/ Click here.

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Darwin license is now free software compatible
by Nagarjuna G. 18 Aug '03

18 Aug '03

Darwin and products from apple will now be released under their new license, which is a free software license. http://www.opensource.apple.com/news/2.0-announce.html Nagarjuna -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ nagarjun at hbcse tifr res in. http://www.gnowledge.org/ I support Public Library of Science http://www.plos.org/

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FPGAs and free software
by George Scaria 18 Aug '03

18 Aug '03

Dear all, There is a lot of activity in the electronics community over the so-called FPGAs(Field Programmable Gate Array). It is a custom programmable digital IC with lots of capabilities and pins. FPGAs are very exotic devices, and even microprocessors to the speeds of ghz can be made from them. We do the design of the custom chip in a language called VHDL, which is like Ada, or Verilog HDL, which is like C. Sometimes, some elements are used very commonly, and are called cores. Some FPGA cores are developed by people with free software inclinations and are available under GPL. That is a very nice thing, free software gets into hardware too!! -George Scaria __________________________________________________ Yahoo! Plus For a better Internet experience http://www.yahoo.co.uk/btoffer

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INDIA: What the President Told Bill Gates (long)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 17 Aug '03

17 Aug '03

What the President Told Bill Gates By Keya Acharya BANGALORE, INDIA (PANOS) - In November 2002, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates called on India's nuclear scientist-turned President, APJ Abdul Kalam, at the grand presidential palace in New Delhi. But what was billed as a salubrious meeting of minds - the head of the world's largest software company meeting a visionary 'techie' President - apparently turned into a "difficult" occasion. In a stunning speech delivered to software engineers in May, Kalam disclosed that in his conversation with Gates, the President pitched for open-source software codes - which are available for alteration so anyone with the technical knowledge can change the programme to suit their needs. "Our discussion became difficult since our views were different," Kalam added in an allusion to Microsoft's reported reservation to such 'non-proprietary' software. Much more was in store for Kalam's audience - typical of the breed of bright young engineers who have turned India into a leading Information Technology nation. "The most unfortunate thing is that India still seems to believe in proprietary solutions," the President lectured. "Further spread of IT which is influencing the daily life of individuals would have a devastating effect on the lives of society due to any small shift in the business practice involving these proprietary solutions. It is precisely for these reasons open-source software needs to be built which would be cost effective for the entire society. In India open-source-code software will have to come and stay in a big way for the benefit of our billion people." The remarks by Kalam, who believes in linking human and economic development with science and technology, address an important issue in the development of information technologies, particularly in poor countries. The issue is whether countries such as India, which are pluralistic and have large poor populations, should opt for expensive proprietary software such as Microsoft (which cannot be altered) or go for cheap or free non-proprietary software that can be changed around to suit the needs of a diverse multi-lingual nation. Of equal concern is the loss of choice, or freedom, that proprietary technology imposes on democratic governments by controlling the programming codes of, and being privy to, official government projects. Open-source programming would remedy this, as well as allow local adaptations. Globally, open-source software has not caught on in a big way, but it has notched up some successes. Countries in which legislation has been passed urging open-source use include Brazil, France, Italy and Spain. Countries in which non-legislative actions have been taken include China, Germany and South Korea. And among other countries where open source solutions are being proposed are Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Venezuela. Abhas Abhinav, a young IT entrepreneur in India's technology capital of Bangalore, explains the features of an open-source software package called Knoppix: "It's very simple. You have the same features as in a Microsoft Windows application; you get secure, virus-free, regional-language options in inexpensively-priced systems." Abhinav runs DeepRoot Linux, a software company that developed Knoppix for a radically different computer operating system: GNU/Linux. It is the result of a dedicated group of computer programmers who set out to create an open-source, free-software alternative to industry giants like Microsoft and Macintosh. Members of India's open-source movement take time off to visit your office or home and demonstrate GNU/Linux - for free. India, with its IT sector employing half a million people and generating an annual income of $10 billion, represents a huge growth market in software. Nevertheless, commercial for-profit software - or 'proprietary' software - still rules in India, especially within government departments. According to Bob Hayward, Vice President (Asia-Pacific) of Gartner Research Services, the Indian government spent $1 billion on IT in 2002. "Microsoft now controls the database of various government servers," says Abhinav. "Apart from losing intellectual property rights, proprietary domination restricts technology-dissemination." Abhinav touches on the concern that government departments will become 'locked in' to a system of unalterable software with source-codes that are untouchable. Not having access to the source-code means that not only do you never completely understand the system, but also that you may end up being controlled by the software itself - and, by extension, the software manufacturers. Not only that, but proprietary systems cost money. In India, as in all developing countries, most people cannot afford commercial systems and the software that goes with them. So, with a proprietary setting in a poor country, the number of people who can afford to be IT-connected will remain small, with implications for economic growth and development. But such concerns are rarely articulated by Indian leaders, Kalam being a notable exception. In the south, where India's IT initiatives were pioneered, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state - the media-savvy, laptop-toting Chandrababu Naidu - invited Bill Gates to set up his India office in the IT corridor of the capital Hyderabad. Among many members of India's ruling elite, Gates is seen as the most important international personality after the President of the United States. Gates has returned the complement. He has visited India thrice - in 1997, 2000 and 2002 - each time making significant donations to charities and meeting with high-level authorities. Every visit has received saturation media coverage. In September 2000, 10 Indian chief ministers fell over themselves to heap praises on Gates after a luncheon meeting with him in New Delhi. During the 2002 visit, at four days the longest so far, Gates donated $100 million to the fight against AIDS, although Gates has said there is no connection between his business and charity work. Microsoft's India office in New Delhi did not answer queries from Panos Features on whether its business strategy for India complies with the anti-predatory and anti-monopolistic business practices being imposed on it in various states in the United States. But the company did issue this official statement from its headquarters in Redmond, US: "Microsoft is committed to helping governments develop strong, sustainable IT infrastructures that deliver ease of use, value through innovative technology, a clear roadmap for future development, and access to source-code to improve security and implementation. At the end of the day, we believe Microsoft offers the best overall option of value, integration, interoperability and support, without complexity or added dependency on services." An overwhelming 91% of government departments in New Delhi use Microsoft's Windows 98 software; nearly 67% use Windows XP; with a mere 16% using GNU/Linux according to a report in the Economic Times newspaper in India in April. Some thinkers view the issue of 'software localization' in political terms. In many nations, says Prof. Kenneth Keniston of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, the dominant positions in society are held by cosmopolitan, internationally-oriented business, professional and intellectual elites. "For them, 'localization' to vernacular languages and local cultures may be unnecessary and/or even undesirable, since English (or French, or Spanish, or another European language) may provide the best possible access to the rest of the world." In Karnataka state, with Bangalore as its capital, officials pass the buck as to why proprietary software rules its roost. "Our Technical Advisory Panel selected the best available options during the time," says the state government's IT Secretary Vivek Kulkarni. Yet sources within the Panel - a mix of scientists, management and technical experts - speak of being presented with no alternatives. The e-networking tender for the state government's secretariat, for instance, insisted it use only Microsoft Windows, while Panel members preferred Sun Microsystems' Lotus Notes or Star Office. The costs are telling: Star Office 5.2 is free, while 6.0 costs about $45 per license (or computer) without an expiry date. Microsoft 2000 costs the government approximately $375 per license, after a discount of roughly $100. The license expires after three years, at which point the government has to buy anew. Rajeev Chawla, Karnataka's newly-designated 'E-Secretary' (head of an E-Governance department that is independent of the IT department), is dismissive of the costs of proprietary software. "Don't tell me to constrain myself when my software costs are just 5% of my total finances," he said. The costs involved may be a small part of government budgets, but activists say using only proprietary software at government departments restricts choice and sends the wrong signals to ordinary people. There are other costs. One IT official told Panos Features on condition of anonymity that the Karnataka government's decision to pay Microsoft Rs. 3.3 million (approx. $700,000) to have some of its software declared 'non-pirated', has caused debate within its Technical Advisory Panel. Sunil Abraham, whose Bangalore-based firm Mahiti customises open-source products for non-governmental organisations, believes there must be greater transparency and civil society participation on IT issues in India. "We need independent audits set up to monitor e-governance because civil society has no information on what is going on," says Abraham./PANOS June, 2003 * 1,470 words Keya Acharya is a Bangalore-based Indian journalist specialising in development and environmental issues. The Panos Institute * Visit our website at www.panos.org.uk 9 White Lion Street * London N1 9PD * UK * Phone: + (44) 207-239 7609

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Query about Hurd from Mumbai
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 17 Aug '03

17 Aug '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Send Linuxers mailing list submissions to linuxers(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://mm.ilug-bom.org.in/mailman/listinfo/linuxers or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to linuxers-request(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in You can reach the person managing the list at linuxers-owner(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Linuxers digest..." ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 23:52:04 +0530 From: "Ripunjay Bararia $ILUG-MUM$" <ilug-mum(a)ddcpl.com> Subject: RE: [ILUG-BOM] Hurd Cd's To: "GNU/Linux Users Group, Mumbai, India" <linuxers(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in> Message-ID: <BJEKKGAJGPCMOKBIPBNPKEHKDIAA.ilug-mum(a)ddcpl.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Send link to ISO images will keep them on download for you. Ripunjay Bararia -----Original Message----- From: linuxers-bounces(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in [mailto:linuxers-bounces@mm.ilug-bom.org.in]On Behalf Of Apurva Mehta Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 12:56 To: Linuxers Subject: [ILUG-BOM] Hurd Cd's Hi, Is there anyone here who has Debian GNU/Hurd cd's? (preferably the K4 release). I have tried the vendors listed at http://www.gnu-india.org/ but that is a dead end. I tried emailing a couple of people off this list but that has not led anywhere. It seems terribly hard to find Hurd cd's in Mumbai. On a dial-up line, downloading is unfortunately not a viable option. If someone does have the cd's and is willing to sell copies to me, please let me know. Thanks, - Apurva -- http://mm.ilug-bom.org.in/mailman/listinfo/linuxers ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 00:50:45 +0530 From: Apurva Mehta <apurva(a)gmx.net> Subject: Re: [ILUG-BOM] Hurd Cd's To: ilug-mum(a)ddcpl.com, "GNU/Linux Users Group, Mumbai, India" <linuxers(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in> Message-ID: <20030807192045.GA2828(a)home.woodlands> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii * Ripunjay Bararia (ILUG-MUM) <ilug-mum(a)ddcpl.com> [08-08-2003 00:36]: > Send link to ISO images will keep them on download for you. Thanks, but I have already the same offer off the list and have accepted it. Yours is the third one I have got. You guys are really helpful :) Regards, - Apurva ------------------------------

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Fsf-friends August 2003