Re: [ILUG-BOM] Microsoft vs. Government of Peru - Linuxers

29 Sep 2002

Further to my previous note on Microsoft's DotNet running on linux,
This is an article which appeared in PCQuest website. It gives details of
how to run
C# and .Net on Linux.

http://www.pcquest.com/content/linux/handson/102082102.asp

Regards
Saswata

----- Original Message -----
From: "Saswata Banerjee & Associates" &lt;scrap(a)saswatabanerjee.com&gt;
To: &lt;linuxers(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in&gt;
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 8:24 AM
Subject: Re: [ILUG-BOM] Microsoft vs. Government of Peru

...
  I was at microsoft tech ed yesterday

 I saw the microsoft response to the problem.
 They have already come out with a version of Microsoft DotNet which is
 desinged to work on FreeDBS (as a first step) and later on other linux /
 unix OS. They are giving the codes free, with a license that allows use for
...
  non-commercial applications. This will allow software
developed for
 Microsoft DotNet platform (win xp, etc) to "RUN FROM" linux based servers.
 It already mostly supports access from non-microsoft OS.

 The thing is called ROTOT and is in beta, so I expect they will add more
 features to it later. I think this way they are going to tell govts. like
 peru that they are also in open source, they are not proprietory (they spent
...
  an hour drilling THAT into our heads) and give a
larger user platform to vb
...
  developers.

 Apparently, there are already 2 open source (non-microsoft) initiatives that
...
  have ported dotnet framework to linux in Europe. The
MS guys were trouting
 these as evidence of their "potentially cross-platform capabilities"

 Regards
 Saswata

 ----- Original Message -----
 From: "Ram Baji Rao" &lt;ramrao(a)bajirao.com&gt;
 To: &lt;linuxers(a)mm.ilug-bom.org.in&gt;
 Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 10:46 AM
 Subject: [ILUG-BOM] Microsoft vs. Government of Peru

  Edgar Villanueva, a legislator from Peru, has put
a proposal for Peru
 government agencies to standardize on Free Software for their own
 internal use.

 This proposal worries Microsoft!

 Some government bodies around the world, e.g. in California and Peru,
 have adopted an aggressive attitude towards restricting the use of
 proprietary(read Microsoft) software and favouring open source.

 Open source appeals to government bodies because of its high
 functionality, very low cost and easy compliance with licensing laws.

 Of course, Microsoft will try to persuade governments to avoid open
 source software. They realize that , when governments choose Microsoft
 as their foundation they are likely to select the whole suite of
 products to go with it rather than fight incompatibilities.

 In July 2002 the UK Government also announced a new policy on the use of
 open source software which favors a pragmatic approach.

 Back to the Peru case: Villanueva's point is that: Everybody has to deal
 with the government. If a government uses Microsoft software, its
 citizens will probably have to use the same software to communicate with
 it. A government web site that only supports Microsoft Internet Explorer
 would lock citizens into that Microsoft product. In contrast, government
 sites using open standards and avoiding patented software would allow
 citizens to choose between many different kinds of software to access
 the site.

 Free Software, also called Open Source, is itself a kind of open
 standard - its source code is its own reference. Developers of
 proprietary software can use that reference to create interoperating
 programs, without infringing on the actual Open Source code. Thus, when
 a government uses Open Source, it assures its citizens a choice to
 purchase both proprietary and Open Source software for communicating
 with their government. The people's choice will be based on factors like
 functionality, quality, and convenience, rather than on customer
 lock-in.

 Read more about this interesting happening at
 www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26616.html

 Also see:
 www.SincereChoice.com

 Ram

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