Hello Mr.Soundara Rajan,
Your effort should be appreciated.It's not creating unnecessary traffic. You please try to post your views also along with the news. Another suggestion is that try to post it as a digest (per day).
regards
Manilal
----- Original Message -----
From: "Soundara Rajan N.S" <searchlight(a)sancharnet.in>
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 06:20:19 +0530
To: Harish Narayanan <harish(a)gamebox.net>
Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] Putting Linux reliability to the test
> Dear Mr. Harish Narayanan,
>
> Thank you for your mail, and if a couple of others also tell me that I have
> been creating unnecssary traffic, truly, I would be quite embarassed! My
> only interest is to make people on the list get to know about the current
> news as early as possible.
>
> Thank you again, would keep you suggestions in mind which I know are well
> intended.
>
> Regards
>
> Soundara Rajan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Harish Narayanan" <harish(a)gamebox.net>
> To: "Soundara Rajan N.S" <searchlight(a)sancharnet.in>
> Cc: <fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in>
> Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 10:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] Putting Linux reliability to the test
>
>
> > Sir,
> >
> > I can see that you are enthusiastic about having everybody know about
> > related news articles that pop up on popular technology related news
> > sites. However, I think a large portion of people on such lists frequent
> > these sites regularly on their own accord and might be irked by the
> > redundancy.
> >
> > Please, try to editorialize or add value to the content with something
> > you've written, or at least collect a group of, say five related
> > articles and send it as a digest, to enhance their usefulness (or at
> > least minimize the traffic).
> >
> > Of course, I could be wrong, and this might be their only window to the
> > technology news world. All of this is my opinion and if it doesn't
> > bother anyone else, I will not bring it up again seeing that for now it
> > seems I am the only one bothered by unnecessary traffic.
> >
> > Harish
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - a
> leading English Newsdaily, published from Bangalore, India, Knowledge
> networker
>
> ...connecting people to people and people to knowledge
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Fsf-friends mailing list
> Fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in
> http://mm.gnu.org.in/mailman/listinfo/fsf-friends
--
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In the poster
http://fsf.org.in/graphics/FSFIndiaPoster.pdf
I think the www address and physical address given is
wrong. Also please check the ph# and email also.
Free Software Foundation India
V.N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd, Mumbai 400 088. India
t: +91 22 25567711 (200). f: +91 22 25566803
e: fsfindia(a)gnu.org.in. w: www.fsfindia.org
At the end of the poster it says
"And the right to explore
how similar freedoms can be attained and shared
in all branches of gnowledge."
The last word is knowledge.
Thanks
Krishna
__________________________________
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Putting Linux reliability to the test
This article documents the test results and analysis of the Linux
kernel and other core OS components, including everything from
libraries and device drivers to file systems and networking, all under
some fairly adverse conditions, and over lengthy durations. The IBM
Linux Technology Center has just finished this comprehensive testing
over a period of more than three months.
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/01/05/1958209
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Posted by N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - a leading English Newsdaily, published from Bangalore, India, and Knowledge networker
...connecting people to people and people to knowledge
Thanks Seth for introducing "free source" term, I will
use it where appropriate, and also try and talk to
people about "free software", but I might be forced to
use "freedom software" depending on context. We'll
see.
Krishna
Seth Johnson wrote:
you should use the term "free software" to describe
and identify what you're talking about and where
you're coming from in a way that just says how it
should naturally be.
"Free source" strongly implies free as in freedom.
saying "free" about "source" rather than "compiled
binary" takes away any confusion that lets it sound
like it means "free as in beer."
__________________________________
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http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus
Hi,
GIS is one of the promising applications for geospatical data analysis.
If properly used it can create a good impact in our planning process and
decision making.
In India, several institutes have tried to use GIS software for their
work. They have mostly used proprierity software. Developing countries
like india cannot afford proprietary software especially for such
purposes. Because of the very high cost of the software, we cannot even
think about using the power of GIS for local level applications like
decentralised planning.
The biggest tragedy of using proprietary software is in the education
sector. The commonly used GIS applications are not affordable for our
students and educational institutes. As a result, we don't have
sufficient trained man power in GIS.
At the same time, a number of free software packages are available for
the same purpose. Many of them are equal or better in quality when
compared to their proprietary counterparts. One such package, GRASS
(Geographical Resource Analysis Support System) has been around for
several decades and is one of the most powerful GIS packages. Good
documentation is available, and the GRASS community offers good help
through its discussion groups. (A good news- IISc Banglore, has a mirror
site for GRASS). Thuban is one of the best GIS viewers and Mapserver is
the best webmapping tool available. A number of applications like
geotools, qgis, gpsman, ossim etc. are also available as Free Software.
We need to spread the news that all this software does exist and need to
help our people to use them. We also need to contribute back to the
community, as far as we can.
For all this, we need a place to discuss the issues we face, and to find
solutions together. Free-gis(a)iitcgpk.org is meant for this. Please join
the list if you are interested in using GIS applications and spreading
the word of freedom. Please go to
http://iitcgpk.org/mailman/listinfo/free-gis_iitcgpk.org
to join the list.
--
Sajith VK <sajithvk(a)hotpop.com>
Real World Linux launches business portal
Real World Linux Inc. has launched the Real World Linux Biz Portal of
specific interest to management and technology professionals. Linux and
Open Source users, vendors and advocates will have access to industry
information and interactive learning opportunities describing the
latest and most effective applications. It includes reference sections,
including a calendar of events, list of industry organizations,
informative book reviews and white papers and breaking industry news
reporting on the most recent developments in the Linux and open-source
community.
http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/01/08/1823205
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Posted by N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - a leading English Newsdaily, published from Bangalore, India, Knowledge networker
...connecting people to people and people to knowledge
Hi friends,
GNU T shirts are available in two designs.
1. Black Tshirts with design
http://www.gnu.org.in/graphics/woc.png
2. White Tshirt with the design
http://www.gnu.org.in/graphics/FM.png
design comes in the back side.
Small GNU head printed on the front side.
Reply off list if you would have them.
regards,
arun.
Twenty years of free software: What now?
By Richard Stallman
Special to ZDNet
January 6, 2004, 8:12 AM PT
URL: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-5135756.html
COMMENTARY--It was twenty years ago on Monday that I quit my job at MIT
to begin developing a free software operating system, GNU. While we have
never released a complete GNU system suitable for production use, a
variant of the GNU system is now used by tens of millions of people who
mostly are not aware it is such. Free software does not mean "gratis";
it means that users are free to run the program, study the source code,
change it, and redistribute it either with or without changes, either
gratis or for a fee.
My hope was that a free operating system would open a path to escape
forever from the system of subjugation which is proprietary software. I
had experienced the ugliness of the way of life that non-free software
imposes on its users, and I was determined to escape and give others a
way to escape.
Non-free software carries with it an antisocial system that prohibits
cooperation and community. You are typically unable to see the source
code; you cannot tell what nasty tricks, or what foolish bugs, it might
contain. If you don't like it, you are helpless to change it. Worst of
all, you are forbidden to share it with anyone else. To prohibit sharing
software is to cut the bonds of society.
Today we have a large community of users who run GNU, Linux and other
free software. Thousands of people would like to extend this, and have
adopted the goal of convincing more computer users to "use free
software". But what does it mean to "use free software"? Does that mean
escaping from proprietary software, or merely installing free programs
alongside it? Are we aiming to lead people to freedom, or just introduce
them to our work? In other words, are we working for freedom, or have we
replaced that goal with the shallow goal of popularity?
It's easy to get in the habit of overlooking this distinction, because
in many common situations it makes no difference. When you're trying to
convince a person to try a free program, or to install the GNU/Linux
operating system, either goal would lead to the same practical conduct.
However, in other situations the two goals inspire very different
actions.
For instance, what should we say when the non-free Invidious video
driver, the non-free Prophecy database, or the non-free Indonesia
language interpreter and libraries, is released in a version that runs
on GNU/Linux? Should we thank the developers for this "support" for our
system, or should we regard this non-free program like any other--as an
attractive nuisance, a temptation to accept bondage, a problem to be
solved?
If you take as your goal the increased popularity of certain free
software, if you seek to convince more people to use some free programs
some of the time, you might think those non-free program are helpful
contributions to that goal. It is hard to dispute the claim that their
availability helps make GNU/Linux more popular. If the widespread use of
GNU or Linux is the ultimate goal of our community, we should logically
applaud all applications that run on it, whether free or not.
But if our goal is freedom, that changes everything. Users cannot be
free while using a non-free program. To free the citizens of cyberspace,
we have to replace those non-free programs, not accept them. They are
not contributions to our community, they are temptations to settle for
continuing non-freedom.
There are two common motivations to develop a free program. One is that
there is no program to do the job. Unfortunately, accepting the use of a
non-free program eliminates that motivation. The other is the will to be
free, which motivates people to write free replacements for non-free
programs. In cases like these, that motive is the only one that can do
the job. Simply by using a new and unfinished free replacement, before
it technically compares with the non-free model, you can help encourage
the free developers to persevere until it becomes superior.
Those non-free programs are not trivial. Developing free replacements
for them will be a big job; it may take years. The work may need the
help of future hackers, young people today, people yet to be inspired to
join the work on free software. What can we do today to help convince
other people, in the future, to maintain the necessary determination and
persistence to finish this work?
The most effective way to strengthen our community for the future is to
spread understanding of the value of freedom--to teach more people to
recognize the moral unacceptability of non-free software. People who
value freedom are, in the long term, its best and essential defense.
Copyright 2004 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted
world wide without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
----
Senthil
<http://usr.blogspot.com>
Internal memo confirms IBM move to Linux desktop
All stories come true eventually
By Mike Magee: Wednesday 07 January 2004, 16:39
WE REPORTED last year that Big Blue was firmly committed to moving to a Linux desktop environment, and we now have confirmation in the form of an IBM memo that this is going to happen.
The memo, titled On Demand Initiatives, from IBM CIO Bob Greenberg, and forwarded to us by an insider at IBM on the West Coast, is encouraging senior execs at Big Blue to switch to a Linux desktop by the end of 2005.
That, says Greenberg, is a challenge that IBM's chairman himself put to Big Blue's IT organisation.
Team,
We have been on our journey to on demand for one year now. While we have made important progress in transforming our business and IT systems we must be even more aggressive in driving this transformation. I am writing to you today because I need your assistance on two key projects that are central to our vision of IBM as an on demand business.
You can read more at http://www.theinquirer.net/
Microsoft Ads Called Bogus
By Amit Asaravala
09:03 AM Jan. 07, 2004 PT
Open-source advocates are crying foul over a new ad campaign from Microsoft that claims that Windows-based systems cost less in the long run than Linux-based systems.
Ads for the campaign, which were unveiled Monday and will appear in online and print publications, refer potential customers to a section of the Microsoft website where they can "get the facts" on Windows and Linux. There, visitors can view what Microsoft calls "independent analyses" of the two operating systems.
Critics, however, say that the facts provided on the site are misleading. And they claim that the analyses are anything but independent, given that Microsoft paid analysts to produce most of them.
"The point they're trying to make is really quite specious," said open-source activist Bruce Perens. "If anything, this lowers Microsoft's credibility and shows that they're losing ground to Linux."
More at http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61819,00.html/wn_ascii
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
N.S. Soundara Rajan, Freelance IT journalist, Columnist "Deccan Herald" - leading English Newsdaily published from Bangalore, India, and Knowledge networker
...connecting people to people and people to knowledge