Dear Linux-ers,
I have the rare privilege of getting the attention of someone who frames technology policy for India. I have been asked to prepare a document in 1000 ASCII characters or less, that makes the case for Linux. My contact is highly educated, yet not very technical. Here is the document I wrote. In Open-Source-style, I am opening it up to the public, before I submit it to the powers-that-be. Please, help me improve it!
Thanks,
- Ashwin.
#########BEGIN
Open-Source Software ( Linux ) is peer reviewed by the public, and is generally considered more secure than Closed-Source Software ( Windows ), which is reviewed by the company that made it. Windows has gained a stronghold since Linux became comparably user-friendly much later. Linux is free to download and use indefinitely.
China is realizing benefits by adapting to this changing technology landscape, and standardizing on Linux. This gives China a significant advantage in security, and education, and goes a long way towards ending their financial dependence on foreign software.
Our government is driven on vehicles whose engines can only be fixed by paid foreign mechanics. Our cars should be opened to Indian mechanics.
Microsoft Office, and Windows are opaque to our students. Chinese students will gain an edge on us by using Linux, an operating system whose source they can freely study, improve, and share.
Open-Source Software in government and education is recommended.
#########END
On 26 April 2013 07:21, Ashwin Dixit ganeshacomputes@gmail.com wrote:
I have the rare privilege of getting the attention of someone who frames technology policy for India. I have been asked to prepare a document in 1000 ASCII characters or less, that makes the case for Linux. My contact is highly educated, yet not very technical.
So typical of India, that someone who "frames technology policy" is considered "not very technical". :-)
Apart from that, your document has a bunch of issues, like:
- Usage of weasel words - "generally considered", "goes a long way towards".
- Blames the reader (the policy maker) - the whole "foreign mechanics" reference.
- Easily beaten by counterarguments - "We have the shared source programme - your students can also study, improve and share our software freely".
- Structurally too, I find it haphazardly organized. I would suggest you put it up on a public Wiki somewhere and let us all edit it.
Here is how it could be structured (a framework suggested by a professor of mine, and one which I find is very effective):
Feature being recommended: "Open source in government and education" Evidence that the feature is good: "The world uses it and contributes to it, no vendor lock-in/dependency on American corporates" Benefits of adopting the feature: "Reduces cost, less chance of defacing/PR disasters (not strictly true!), helps us compete with the world".
I don't have the time to do a full rewrite now, maybe over the weekend. When do you have to submit this?
Binand
Hi Binand,
I appreciate your thoughtful comments!
- Usage of weasel words - "generally considered", "goes a long way
towards".
Reality is much more nuanced. I have oversimplified it here! Hence, the weasel words. Not all experts consider Linux more secure. And licensing Canonical of UK to produce Ubuntu Kylin means China is paying less for "foreign" software, but not completely independent of it.
- Blames the reader (the policy maker) - the whole "foreign mechanics"
reference.
Partially true. I do say upfront, that Windows has a stronghold by being the sooner to market with a user-friendly OS. Nothing the rulers of India should take personally. :-)
"We have the shared source programme - your students can also study, improve and share our software freely".
Since when is Windows shared source? Sorry, I am less than informed here.
I would suggest you put it up on a public Wiki somewhere and let us all edit it.
Great idea! Here it is! http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/Open_Source_Software_in_Government_and_Education
Here is how it could be structured
Excellent way of putting it! My ideas are along the same lines. I have merely dialed-down the tech-jargon for the non-tech-savy.
When do you have to submit this?
Monday at the latest, if I get called sooner, I will send whatever I have until that point.
Best wishes,
- Ashwin.
================================================= Subvert the dominant paradigm. Repeat as desired. http://ownlifeful.com/
On 26 April 2013 08:44, Ashwin Dixit ganeshacomputes@gmail.com wrote:
"We have the shared source programme - your students can also study, improve and share our software freely".
Since when is Windows shared source? Sorry, I am less than informed here.
Since 2001. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sharedsource/default.aspx
Binand
Since when is Windows shared source? Sorry, I am less than informed here.
Since 2001. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sharedsource/default.aspx
Ok, so Windows is not opaque, but "largely" opaque. Weasel word! :-) You are given an email address to ask for the source code. Who knows if what they give you is the "backdoors removed" version! Does the Indian government conduct security audits, and do custom OS builds, and checksum files to verify Microsoft is giving them the "real" source code? There are too many ways to do this wrongly. Open Source is a bit more trustworthy that way!
For anyone who missed it, here's the document. Please edit! http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/Open_Source_Software_in_Government_and_Education
Cheers,
- Ashwin.
On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 7:43 AM, Binand Sethumadhavan binand@gmail.comwrote:
On 26 April 2013 07:21, Ashwin Dixit ganeshacomputes@gmail.com wrote:
I have the rare privilege of getting the attention of someone who frames technology policy for India. I have been asked to prepare a document in 1000 ASCII characters or less, that makes the case for Linux. My contact is highly educated, yet not very technical.
Advocay for complex technology in 1000 characters. Hilarious. Is he recommending dove soap? That apart the DIT has already advocated the use of FOSS.
So typical of India, that someone who "frames technology policy" is considered "not very technical". :-)
Or patient enough to understand the con he is being sold thru closed software, by means of at least a reasonably detailed doc.
Apart from that, your document has a bunch of issues, like:
- Usage of weasel words - "generally considered", "goes a long way towards".
- Blames the reader (the policy maker) - the whole "foreign mechanics"
reference.
- Easily beaten by counterarguments - "We have the shared source
programme - your students can also study, improve and share our software freely".
- Structurally too, I find it haphazardly organized. I would suggest
you put it up on a public Wiki somewhere and let us all edit it.
Here is how it could be structured (a framework suggested by a professor of mine, and one which I find is very effective):
Feature being recommended: "Open source in government and education" Evidence that the feature is good: "The world uses it and contributes to it, no vendor lock-in/dependency on American corporates" Benefits of adopting the feature: "Reduces cost, less chance of defacing/PR disasters (not strictly true!), helps us compete with the world".
I don't have the time to do a full rewrite now, maybe over the weekend. When do you have to submit this?
Without understanding the specifics, one would be making mostly very wrong assumptions. For example use for education would be utterly different for use in land records, or water management ( GIS ).
None the less 1) Who is the target audience 3) Who are the end users 3) What is the geographical distribution 4) Who does the support 5) Who does the training of the end users 6) What typical programs do they intend to run ( we might be able to derive some answers from 2). 7) What backend databases are in use. 8) Time frames
Binand
On 26 April 2013 13:59, J T Dsouza jtd1959@gmail.com wrote:
Advocay for complex technology in 1000 characters. Hilarious. Is he recommending dove soap? That apart the DIT has already advocated the use of FOSS.
This is not such an unheard-of thing. It is frequently practised in some areas. See, for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator_pitch
Binand
Thanks, Rigved! I have sent the document to my contact and await their response.
- Ashwin.
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Ashwin Dixit -
Binand Sethumadhavan -
J T Dsouza -
Rigved Rakshit