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Finland works on an applied GNU/Linux institute...
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 08 Sep '03

08 Sep '03

------------------------------------------------------------------ LINUX JOURNAL: FINLAND WORKS ON AN APPLIED LINUX INSTITUTE "An old saying posits that a prophet is never recognised in his own home or time. Helsinki, however, is trying to show all that wrong. To start, the city is planning an institute that would play an important role in promoting FLOSS across the globe, specifically in developing countries..." COMPLETE STORY: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7110 More Infrastructure stories: http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure ------------------------------------------------------------------

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RMS is a Mahatma for the World
by Ramanraj K 07 Sep '03

07 Sep '03

The British used religion as a tool to divide and rule India. Gandhi attempted to use religion to unite us. The use of religion for uniting or dividing is dangerous as we now know. RMS, being a self proclaimed atheist, does not suffer this vice. His modesty is a blessing for many who distribute GNU/Linux calling it after their own corporate brand names! We have pesticides in the soil and water that are refusing to go away, largely because we forgot the virtue of the Gandhian principles of non-violence and simple living. Thiruvalluvar has arranged the parts in Thirukkural as follows: Virtue -> Wealth -> Pleasure This is the core of our culture. The time tested truths of Thiruvalluvar and Avvayar, should be at the core of governance. Fusing this into the software we write is a real challenge, and it may produce real results. Please try to prepare a list of people who live up to the highest virtues preached by Thiruvalluvar, Avvayar, and Gandhi. I have placed RMS at the top of the list, as a mahatma the world could admire.

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Re: GNU Freedom
by Ramanraj K 07 Sep '03

07 Sep '03

The figures sound (are meant to sound?) sensational. Could we suggest that these guys try marking Free Software instead? FN The GNU GPL grants a means of livelihood, that could well be seen as a right flowing from the GPL. All software "pirates" could turn respectable by distributing GNU/Linux software and live with dignity. The lottery agents in Parrys Corner, Chennai, used to scream in the streets, "Saar, 10 rupees lottery. 3.00 PM draw. You can become crorepathi!" Recently, the Government of Tamil Nadu abolished lotteries and all the lottery agents suddenly went without employment, after the High Court confirmed the state action. Now the agents are selling watches: "Saar, 60 rupees worth watch for only 20 rupees". Could any cost-accountant in the list prepare an estimate of the worth of all free software available? Though free software is priceless [pun unintended] I modestly estimate the value of all free software to be Rs. One Hundred Crore per *distribution*. [Rs. 100,000,000,000/-]. Our road side distributors could then say "Saar, several crores of rupees worth software for only fifty rupees!". Better versions of free software are released almost every month, and this is guaranteed to be a perpetual business like the FMG segment. Gandhi asked our people to take to weaving Kadhi and other cottage industries to make a living, and be self reliant. Because of the GPL, free software CDs could be a source of income to many. The lottery agent is an example of the freedom of livelihood at the lowest level. At the other higher levels, we are already having corporations, and others doing brisk business, fully aware of the bright future of free software. The GPL is clearly ahead of our constitution here, in making right to livelihood a reality.

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Re: GNU Freedom
by Ramanraj K 06 Sep '03

06 Sep '03

Dear Friends, G.U. Pope has translated kappam as tribute, which is money or equivalent paid periodically by one prince or State to another in acknowledgement of submission or as price of peace or protection. However, the word tribute sounds respectful, because of it also means mark of respect, and does not convey the sense of shame, humiliation, helplessness, and ignominy that is usually associated with kappam. Taxes are normally and ideally retuned to the people as welfare measures and common benefits, but kappam always ends up as luxuries enjoyed by a King. All states paying kappam deeply wish for freedom and fight for Swadesh sooner or later, in the interests of their people. The East India Company was just a trading company when they landed in 1600 in India. Kappam and taxes soon followed. According to Montgomery Martin, who studied the drain of wealth from India in 1838, wrote thatthere wan annual drain of 3,000,000 pounds, and fairly conceded that `for half a century we have gone on draining from two to three and sometimes four million pounds sterling a year from India, which has been remitted to Great Britain to meet the deficiencies of commercial speculations, to pay the interest of debts, to support the home establishment, and to invest on England's soil the accumulated wealth of those whose lives have been spent in Hindustan. I do not think it possible for human ingenuity to avert entirely the evil effects of a continued drain of four million pounds year from a distant country like India, and which is never returned to it in any shape.' England's debt to India is estimated at 5,000,000,000 pounds, at 1945 currency values. Add Rs.1,350 crores of British capital shipped out between August 1942 and July 1948 when India was declared Independent. I hope we have learnt our history lessons right, and take RMS seriously when he says: Our goal is to replace it (non-free softare) entirely. Free software is software swadesh -- not just for India, but for the whole world. The resemblance between non-free software and British rule in India extends much further. Non-free software is a form of electronic colonization." RMS is a Mahatma for the world. GNU Freedom may become the mother of all freedoms. As the author of calpp, working on legal procedures and proceedings with computer aid, I have no hesitation at all in saying that the GPL is the most valuable legal document as significant as the Bill of Rights, US Constitution, UN Charter, or our own Constitution, and is likely to create a much greater change and impact on society than any other legal document has done so far. I just saw a message from RMS listed by Frederick Noronha: if the Indian government hires one person in India to work with us, that could enable us to add 1000 more packages per year. We would appreciate the help. Could we rise up to the occasion? Regards, K. Ramanraj.

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Re: GNU Freedom
by Richard Stallman 05 Sep '03

05 Sep '03

The true freedom movements in each and every sections and sectors of the society should work in co-ordination to fight against imperialist globalisation and GPL can be a good tool this purpose. I think it is interesting to contrast the free software movement, as an example of beneficial globalization, with the form of globalization that we usually criticize. Globalization of business domination is evil and harmful; globalization of voluntary cooperation and sharing of knowledge is good.

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Quote
by Soundara Rajan N.S 04 Sep '03

04 Sep '03

Advocates of open-source software development love this quote and have emblazoned it on t-shirts next to Tux the penguin. "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win." - Mahatma Gandhi

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NEWS: Pirated software, VCDs worth Rs.50 mn seized
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 04 Sep '03

04 Sep '03

The figures sound (are meant to sound?) sensational. Could we suggest that these guys try marking Free Software instead? FN Pirated software, VCDs worth Rs.50 mn seized >From Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Raids conducted by the economic offences wing of Delhi Police have resulted in the seizure of pirated computer software and video CDs worth over Rs.50 million. In the first raid on Vishal Bhawan in south Delhi's Nehru Place area, a huge cache of pirated software, including CDs containing MP3 music files, worth Rs.45 million was seized, a police official said Wednesday. Three men, identified as Sanjay, Sunder and Deepak, were arrested in this raid. In another raid on a shop in Palika Bazar at Connaught Place, police seized 1,030 pirated video CDs of Hindi and English films and 72 CDs of pornographic films. The market price of the VCDs was estimated at Rs.600,000. Police also raided a shop in the Chandni Chowk area in the city's old quarters, seizing 5,202 pirated video CDs, MP3s and audio cassettes worth Rs.4.1 million, the official said. Police arrested a man named Sanjay Kumar Singh in this raid. Police have booked all the arrested people under the Copyright Act and are conducting investigations to ascertain the source of the pirated CDs. --Indo-Asian News Service

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NEWS from the business press (Sept 2)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 03 Sep '03

03 Sep '03

Asian Tigers Plan to Challenge Windows Three North Asian countries are closer to signing a deal to co-develop an open-source operating system to replace Windows, according to the Japan news daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The agreement is likely to be announced this week by Japanese trade minister Takeo Hiranuma at an economic ministers' meeting in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, said the report, quoting unnamed sources. (ZAnetindia.com cited in Financial Express, Mumbai) o Linux Business Has Already Become A Large & Mature Segment. says IBM Asean Linux business manager Sandeep Menon. Quoted in Financial Express, Mumbai o 'SCO-IBM Lawsuit Won't Affect Linux Expansion In India' Report in Financial Express. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- T: 0091.832.2409490 or 2409783 M: 0 9822 122436 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: RMS note to Vivaravichara
by eiidp＠vsnl.com 03 Sep '03

03 Sep '03

Through my earlier mail, I have tried to raise following four points. 1. The spatial and historical variation of the message conveyed through a word should be taken into consideration while those are used in campaign for freedom. 2. 'Swadesh' is not a proper word to represent 'free software', instead 'taddesh' can be used which is synonymous with Gandhiji's 'gram swaraj'. It is true that Gandhiji had used the word 'swadeshi' in campaign to boycott British goods during Indian independence struggle. However later Hindu fanatic groups through their vigorous campaign used it to divide people on religious line. Here it is unknowingly used by a person like Richard Stallman who himself is an evangelist of freedom and leader of a freedom movement for usage of software. It will in turn become a tool for right-wing fascist groups in the contemperory India through synonymous use of 'swadesh' and 'freedom'. 3. 'Free' is not a proper adjective to represent freedom. As Ramanraj and others correctly pointed out 'sudandira' in Tamil and 'swathanthra' in Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit etc. are the best choice to represent freedom. However these languages altogether is spoken by only less than 25 % of the world population. So there should be better adjective in English itself. 4. The usage of 'Linux' for 'GNU/Linux' is justified for ease of use. It is true that 'Linux' is name of a kernel. However it is more frequently used to represent the 'GNU/Linux' operating system. Mahesh T Pai has pointed out certain links to philosophical documents. There should be timely revision of these document, then only the philosophy and practice of freedom will live for its purpose. Otherwise it may turned to formation of another cult. Regards, Anil (Appropriate Technolgy Promotion Society, Kochi)

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[Fsf-friends] Re: FROM INDIA: Free software development for e-gov...
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 03 Sep '03

03 Sep '03

Forwarded at the request of RMS... His reply. FN On Tue, 2 Sep 2003, Richard Stallman wrote: > Could you please forward this to > India-egov(a)yahoogroups.com, pubsoft(a)isoc.org, > fsf-friends(a)gnu.org.in, > linux-india-general(a)lists.sourceforge.net, > gkd(a)phoenix.edc.org, bytesforall_readers(a)yahoogroups.com > since most of those lists will not accept mail from me? > > Thirdly, instead of reinventing the wheel, we do need to keep track of the > initiatives underway at the international and national levels. In this > sphere, a lot of work can -- and should -- be shared. > > The FSF (in the US) is developing the Free Software Directory, whose > aim is to list all free software that will run on a completely free > GNU or GNU/Linux system. It sounds like that is similar to the FSD. > > However, currently the directory lists only 2400 packages, and there > are thousands more to go. Our paid staff person can only check and > add some 1000 packages per year. > > A part-time volunteer can easily add 150 packages per year. We now > have one such volunteer, in Brasil. If we had five more volunteers, > we could maybe enter 2000 new packages per year. Would anyone like to > volunteer? > > It requires some training to learn to follow our practices, to make > your entries reliable and consistent with the rest of the directory, > so we're looking for people who will make a commitment to keep working > steadily on the directory for a year or more. If you want to > volunteer, please write to jcasey(a)gnu.org. > > Meanwhile, if the Indian government hires one person in India to work > with us, that could enable us to add 1000 more packages per year. We > would appreciate the help.

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