"Kozhikode: An information technology project prepared by the students of KPES High School, Kayakkodi, near Kutyadi in Kozhikode, aims at popularising the use of the free software, Linux, in the panchayat with the help of trained student volunteers of the IT Club at the school. The school authorities said the project was already in the implementation stage at the Kayakkodi panchayat. IT coordinator of the school K.T. Kunhammad said 70 students had been trained by experts to install the GNU/Linux operating system in the households in the panchayath. Initially, a survey was conducted in the panchayat with the assistance of IT experts from different institutes, including the National Institute of Technology (NIT-C), to study the current nature of system usage. It was found that at least one member in 90 per cent of the families in the panchayat was computer literate. According to Mr. Kunhammad, the study found that 15 per cent of the households owned PCs with 67 per cent of them using Microsoft’s Windows as the operating system. As many as 27 per cent of the households have Windows and Linux on their computers. “Only 7 per cent had only Linux on their computers,” he said. Mr. Kunhammad said the people were not aware of the “moral” and “legal” angles of using a “pirated” copy of Windows operating system on their computers. The project will create awareness among the students and the households. The school have already conducted study classes and seminars to sensitise people about the legal and moral dimensions of using a pirated version of the Windows. ...." Complete story at http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/13/stories/2009121352630300.htm -- CK Raju