Hi all,
Today there was an article in Madhyamam daily (in special page -- I guess Kudumba madhyamam) about Sarath Lakshman and 'his' slynux [Linux is the trade mark of Linux Torvalds --who developed the linux kernel for the free (swathanthra) gnu syatem]. The writer's knowledge about Free Software and Linux is very pathetic. He saya Richard Stall man wrote Linux !!! It is a pity that he didn't go though the sites and learned what is free software and linux. There is nothing new in slynux (probaly malayalm fonts that knopper couldn't include). The writer says the mounting of windows partitions has become easy. It is easy in every other distributions too. All the features he calim for 'his' slynux is availabe with knoppix (transpond compression of 2 GB to 700 MB). For those who are in doubt check the knoppix site http://www.knoppix.org
GNU/Linux has grown at a very rapid rate that it has come to a level as user friendly or even in cases more user friendly (you can install softwares from internet with a click) and inovative (Project looking glass, enlightenment ...)
But people don't change easily and many stick to the windows-till-death attitude.
Knoppix has all these features and it was there for a long time.
Anyway one thing is that
I really appreciate Sarath's efforts but the media's response has been really sickening. Of course it helped to spread the message of free software and GNU/linux (mistakenly used as linux -- which is only one of the many kernels available for the gnu system. It is like the engine of a car -- though most important, useless without other accessories). It is really a nice thing he has done, but what I'm criticising is the media. It is not his fault that knoppix already had all these options and nobody cared to look at it !!! I hope this publicity (though not the right thing) will have good effect on the masses about free softwares, especially among students.
The thing is that, when you are writing something for the public, atleast think that some people will be out there who knows what he is talking about. For God's sake when write about something please read the basics !! Check the relevant sources
i'm now worried abt madhyamam report. the reporter has written many faults. i didn't claimed that i made an os fully. i said that i just remastered the knoppix. i also told the process of knoppix remastering and booting. but the technoblind reporter wrote things of problems..i said to them that i was interstd in FS.
what i can do........
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You are not being blamed Sarath, so dont panic. Praveen was targetting the reporter. Its true that now a days many reporters dont have sufficient knowledge about most of the articles that they are writing, nor are they worried to cross-check what they think is happening. It probably happened so that you told him " I have re-mastered knoppix" and he mis-understood it as "I created Linux and all this stuff". So, next time take a little extra care and tell the reporters " I have taken the original work of Knoppix, which is based on Linus Torvald's Linux, and modified it to this new form" or something to that effect. Or to a more nutty reporter you can simply say you've done what Bill of M$ has originally done... "Take a good product from the market and give it a facelift and re-release it...." (Dont mistake me, I dont mean to hurt you or anyone). :-)
Anyway, keep it up buddy.
Harsha.
Sarath Lakshman wrote:
i'm now worried abt madhyamam report. the reporter has written many faults. i didn't claimed that i made an os fully. i said that i just remastered the knoppix. i also told the process of knoppix remastering and booting. but the technoblind reporter wrote things of problems..i said to them that i was interstd in FS.
what i can do........
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On Fri, 2005-01-28 at 04:24 -0800, Sarath Lakshman wrote:
i'm now worried abt madhyamam report. the reporter has written many faults. i didn't claimed that i made an os fully. i said that i just remastered the knoppix. i also told the process of knoppix remastering and booting. but the technoblind reporter wrote things of problems..i said to them that i was interstd in FS.
what i can do........
Dear Sarath,
You could write a letter to the Editor explaining what you have done. The paper has to publish your response. Take care not to directly contradict the reporter or to attack the newspaper. Simply explain what you have done and say that the report could possibly have been misunderstood by others. Get help from someone to draft the letter. I think you should send a response.
Don't be disheartened. Good luck
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Praveen A -
Sarath Lakshman -
Sriharsha Vedurmudi -
V. Sasi Kumar