Hi all,
This is about a Microsoft plan to find "focus group" (I dunno what it means). This shows how Microsoft targets students with cds, softwares,books....
It all started with a request from swroop ch (http://swaroopch.info ) with subject "Want to talk to Microsoft (India) about Linux?" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/linux-bangalore-non-tech/message/4789
It is very long thread but it is worth it.
It was about a meet organised by .Net group in Bangalore who invited Swaroop for the meet saying they wanted to learn about FOSS. Then someone from that group mails, Chitnis brings out the plot..... very inetresting like a thriller (Even Chitnis traced the root to Microsoft US !)
He told the guy who invited FSF/OSS people to participate in their meet.
But anyway, now that I have your attention - here is your first step towards understanding this whole "Linux thing" that you are so curious about:
When you ask the question, do you focus on "Linux"? Do you perceive it to be a "product" that competes with "Windows"?
If so, you already took a wrong turn two crosses back.
Because what you see as a product is in reality a *by-product* of a process. Free and Open Source Software is the result of a collaborative development process that has existed for decades that was given a more formal definition in 1984, and it is this *process* that really challenges the whole existing software scenario (and, of course, people like Microsoft :)
Once you understand *that*, then you are just a few steps away from understanding the whole thing. We'll be glad to help.
Come on in - the water is great! :) <<<<<<
Praveen A said on Thu, Mar 10, 2005 at 04:35:20PM +0530,:
Because what you see as a product is in reality a *by-product* of a process. Free and Open Source Software is the result of a collaborative development process that has existed for decades that was given a more formal definition in 1984, and it is this *process* that really challenges the whole existing software scenario
IMHO, statements like this merely give a wrong reason for the right decision.
Free software development is not merely a `process'. It is a cause. It is a belief. It is a state of mind. Freedom is something worth living and breathing.
Freedom is your right. When you participate* in the Free Software community, you are doing something to preserve your rights as an individual.
(*) Participation can be in several ways - as a user, developer, advocate, whatever.
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Mahesh T. Pai -
Praveen A