Hello All,
Apologies for cross-posting.
On the occasion of 'International Day against software patents' , the
Hindu has extensively covered the issues of software patents and
software freedom. There are four articles below - 2 of them explore
software patents (view from foss community, industry, academia) . 2
other articles cover software freedom (a generic article on software
freedom and another on the absence of foss in school curricula) .
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* Will patenting take the byte out of IT here? * Deepa Kurup
BANGALORE: Picture this. Indian mathematicians came up with the concept
of the “zero” — often touted as India’s greatest contribution to
civilisation — and got a patent for it. By now they would have raked in
inestimable amounts in royalty. Seems preposterous? Members of the Free
Software community say that patenting every other algorithm would be
somewhat in the same league.
For full article pls read -
http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092461910300.htm
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* Why is it important to go the ‘free’ way? *
V. Sridhar
Bangalore: One of the most misleading aspects of the “debate” on free
software — or Open Source software — pertains to what is meant by
“free.” Those ridiculing the free software activists — typically
dismissed as “the techie types” — portray them as a bunch of folks who
just want software to be sold for free.
However, those who passionately advocate free software argue that their
emphasis is on free, as in freedom. “Let software be free from the
shackles of full-fledged commercial exploitation” seems to be their
refrain. It is important to steer clear of the pejorative connotations
implied by those who adopt an adversarial stand on free software.
For full article please read -
http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092461920300.htm
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* Black-and-white, with some grey areas ( *
Anand Parthasarathy
Bangalore: For the mainstream global IT players, software patenting is a
clear-cut issue, and they have no time for ifs and buts: They are for
it. In the wake of the ongoing public consultations on the Patent
Manual, which throws up issues related to software patenting, /The Hindu
/spoke to India leaders of some key IT players to find out what they
thought:
Naresh Gupta, Sr. Vice President, Print & Publishing Business Unit
Adobe, and Managing Director, Adobe India, a leader of the imaging
software and solutions business, says: “We believe in safeguarding of
intellectual property rights. Adobe invests significant resources
towards innovation and we expect protection of our Intellectual Property
Rights, to be able to sustain business.”
For full article read -
http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092461930300.htm
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*How would it be if you read only one type of book? *
Deepa Kurup
*/
Wrong choice?/ Students are taught to use only proprietary software. *
BANGALORE: A computer literacy programme in a public sector organisation
teaches the following modules: MS Office, MS Power Point, MS Excelsheet
and Internet Explorer. A glance through the “computer syllabus” in most
schools, and the list is similar. All items on this checklist have one
thing in common: proprietary software. So, if every computer user is
being taught exclusively on proprietary platforms, would they ever be
comfortable switching to the easier, cheaper and readily available
alternatives?
For full article please read -
http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092461820300.htm
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Thanks,
Vinay Sreenivasa
IT for Change
http://itforchange.net
http://india.is-watch.net/
http://is-watch.net