Praveen A wrote:
This is really a shocking news!!!
Nothing shocking ... the diversity is very important.
... such a move from a government with stated policy of supporting Free Software and knowledge society. The essensial factors for such a society is the participation from everyone involved, transparency of actions ... When actions are not fully in line with the policy it is shocking (it might cease to be shocking when it becomes so common)... first smart city and then now ...
1. Who do you think a government department should contact if they have any IT need? A local LUG? fsf-india? Or would it be normal to give out a public tender?
2. Who do you think should be on the lookout for government tenders, and pay the tender fees, put forward their solution and promise support? A local LUG? FSF-India? I think FSF-India has better things to do than that.
3. Who do you think a government department should contact when their brand new printer needs to be installed on the Linux desktops? A Local lug? FSF-India? If you look at how Linux newbies are treated in any LUG (in India, or anywhere else), I think not(try saying RTFM to a government department?).
If we are interested in seeing Free software being used widely in government adhering to Free software principles, we should be setting up a completely commercial entity to do so, whose primary work would be to do 1,2,3.
There is no point being shocked, otherwise.
- Sandip