I dont trust Politicians. Previously Caste and Religion was used as Election manifesto, and its a pity now that the Opensource community is being dragged into politics.... Its not politicians, but we IT professionals who have promoted Open source Applications... Open Source Platform is for all and not a dependent on political promotion...
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rahul Rai rahul4unity@gmail.com To: linuxers@mm.ilug-bom.org.in Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:28:50 +0530 Subject: [ILUG-BOM] BJP's Akward embrace of free software *The BJP’s awkward embrace of Free Software *
** http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/10/stories/2009041055960900.htm
Deepa Kurup
*The party’s discovery of the virtues of OS would appear to sit uncomfortably with its slogan “Let a hundred Bangalores bloom.” *
The IT manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party has created ripples among software circles with its support for Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), and its opposition to “digital standards.” While the Kerala government has a policy that makes the use of FOSS in government and education mandatory, Tamil Nadu has implemented it in a few departments. Left parties have for long backed the Free Software movement politically. It is surprising that the BJP, with its strong pro-corporate and pro-patent leanings, should back this cause.
Even as the Free Software community is celebrating this latest endorsement, sceptics among its ranks are cautious about taking the BJP’s promises at face value. Its track record, when in power at the Centre and in the States, provides grounds for these misgivings.
Consider this. As late as January 2009, the BJP government in Gujarat, led by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, inked a deal with the global proprietary software giant Microsoft that includes a Microsoft-developed IT curriculum for high school students, teacher training, certification programmes, and offers free Microsoft software development tools to universities.
Less than two months on, the party manifesto in its “eEducation” section declares: “We will actively promote Free and Open Source Software, including operating systems, which will introduce the habit of innovation (‘tinkering’) among students.” In fact, in 2006 the BJP government in Rajasthan signed a similar deal with Microsoft under Project Shiksha, and in 2004, the BJP-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka, tied up with proprietary giant for education and e-governance initiatives.
Prabir Purkayastha of the Delhi Science Forum feels the manifesto reflects the “blinkered vision” of the BJP, which has “never taken an anti-monopoly stance.” Dr. Purkayastha points out how Free Software circles are abuzz with an interesting anomaly in L.K. Advani’s speech at the manifesto launch: “Mr. Advani referred to how impressed he was on his visit to the Microsoft Office in the U.S. He did not see the stark contradiction, as he proudly reflected on the number of Indians present there!”
FOSS activists, however, hope this means increased visibility for their cause, considering a large number of National E-governance Missions are in the pipeline, for which Rs. 6000 crore has been earmarked in the 11th Five Year Plan. The 40-page document also promises to set up an “IT standards-setting body,” carving it out of the Bureau of Indian Standards, and promises all government software will conform to these “open standards.”
Venkitesh Hariharan, a senior Red Hat official, says: “It is significant because so far there hasn’t been any conscious effort towards policy making. Public data and websites have been in both proprietary and open format.” Digital standards
As for their new stance on “digital standards” — that is, proprietary claims on algorithms and software programmes — the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, notably, was the first to amend the Patent Act in March 1999 and in June 2002 as part of the WTO agreement under Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The seemingly innocuous phrase “software per se,” which the NDA government introduced into section 3(K) of the Indian Patents Act, was a loophole through which software could be brought under a patenting regime from a copyright one.
According to Dr. Purkayastha, the amendments had nothing to do with TRIPS which does not even include software or computer programmes in its ambit. “A 2004 ordinance provided for patenting of computer programmes used in combination with hardware. Later, while in the opposition the BJP opposed the bill — even though it was virtually drafted by their Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley. It was presented without any changes,” he says. This was revoked in 2005 by the United Progressive Alliance under pressure from the Left.
Corporates such as IT majors Infosys and TCS have long lobbied for patents. When contacted, a senior spokesperson from Microsoft, a company that will be hit hardest by an OS regime, told *The Hindu* that the company is “encouraged by the focus on IT by political parties,” describing the policy of the Government of India as one of “technology neutrality.”
The BJP’s discovery of the virtues of OS would appear to sit uncomfortably with its slogan “Let a hundred Bangalores bloom.” Rahul
Politics is ubiquitous. In CS it started with UNIX (BSD), Proprietary (AIX, HP-UX, Solaris), then FSF, then Open Source, Linux, GNU/Linux, now FOSS. It's like smaller, regional parties. Every few years one is added.
On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 1:00 PM, Pravin Dhayfule dhayfule@gmail.com wrote:
I dont trust Politicians. Previously Caste and Religion was used as Election manifesto, and its a pity now that the Opensource community is being dragged into politics.... Its not politicians, but we IT
professionals
who have promoted Open source Applications... Open Source Platform is for all and not a dependent on political promotion...
Pravin Dhayfule wrote:
I dont trust Politicians. Previously Caste and Religion was used as Election manifesto, and its a pity now that the Opensource community is being dragged into politics.... Its not politicians, but we IT professionals who have promoted Open source Applications... Open Source Platform is for all and not a dependent on political promotion...
Yes, i do not know why we are wasting time talking of manifestos of political parties, which are not worth the paper they are written on and forgotten for the next 5 years till the next election. When in power, they have always supported windows as the software vendors are going to give them money. FOSS will have to work on its own, grow on its own and in spite of the government (not because of the government). The left is not going to do anything more for FOSS than the congress or BJP or BSP or whoever. Let this forum be for what it was created - a user community which will help with problems and technical matters that we all face and for sharing of knowledge.
Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us.
Regards saswata
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rahul Rai rahul4unity@gmail.com To: linuxers@mm.ilug-bom.org.in Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:28:50 +0530 Subject: [ILUG-BOM] BJP's Akward embrace of free software *The BJP’s awkward embrace of Free Software *
** http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/10/stories/2009041055960900.htm
Deepa Kurup
*The party’s discovery of the virtues of OS would appear to sit uncomfortably with its slogan “Let a hundred Bangalores bloom.” *
The IT manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party has created ripples among software circles with its support for Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), and its opposition to “digital standards.” While the Kerala government has a policy that makes the use of FOSS in government and education mandatory, Tamil Nadu has implemented it in a few departments. Left parties have for long backed the Free Software movement politically. It is surprising that the BJP, with its strong pro-corporate and pro-patent leanings, should back this cause.
Even as the Free Software community is celebrating this latest endorsement, sceptics among its ranks are cautious about taking the BJP’s promises at face value. Its track record, when in power at the Centre and in the States, provides grounds for these misgivings.
Consider this. As late as January 2009, the BJP government in Gujarat, led by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, inked a deal with the global proprietary software giant Microsoft that includes a Microsoft-developed IT curriculum for high school students, teacher training, certification programmes, and offers free Microsoft software development tools to universities.
Less than two months on, the party manifesto in its “eEducation” section declares: “We will actively promote Free and Open Source Software, including operating systems, which will introduce the habit of innovation (‘tinkering’) among students.” In fact, in 2006 the BJP government in Rajasthan signed a similar deal with Microsoft under Project Shiksha, and in 2004, the BJP-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka, tied up with proprietary giant for education and e-governance initiatives.
Prabir Purkayastha of the Delhi Science Forum feels the manifesto reflects the “blinkered vision” of the BJP, which has “never taken an anti-monopoly stance.” Dr. Purkayastha points out how Free Software circles are abuzz with an interesting anomaly in L.K. Advani’s speech at the manifesto launch: “Mr. Advani referred to how impressed he was on his visit to the Microsoft Office in the U.S. He did not see the stark contradiction, as he proudly reflected on the number of Indians present there!”
FOSS activists, however, hope this means increased visibility for their cause, considering a large number of National E-governance Missions are in the pipeline, for which Rs. 6000 crore has been earmarked in the 11th Five Year Plan. The 40-page document also promises to set up an “IT standards-setting body,” carving it out of the Bureau of Indian Standards, and promises all government software will conform to these “open standards.”
Venkitesh Hariharan, a senior Red Hat official, says: “It is significant because so far there hasn’t been any conscious effort towards policy making. Public data and websites have been in both proprietary and open format.” Digital standards
As for their new stance on “digital standards” — that is, proprietary claims on algorithms and software programmes — the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, notably, was the first to amend the Patent Act in March 1999 and in June 2002 as part of the WTO agreement under Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The seemingly innocuous phrase “software per se,” which the NDA government introduced into section 3(K) of the Indian Patents Act, was a loophole through which software could be brought under a patenting regime from a copyright one.
According to Dr. Purkayastha, the amendments had nothing to do with TRIPS which does not even include software or computer programmes in its ambit. “A 2004 ordinance provided for patenting of computer programmes used in combination with hardware. Later, while in the opposition the BJP opposed the bill — even though it was virtually drafted by their Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley. It was presented without any changes,” he says. This was revoked in 2005 by the United Progressive Alliance under pressure from the Left.
Corporates such as IT majors Infosys and TCS have long lobbied for patents. When contacted, a senior spokesperson from Microsoft, a company that will be hit hardest by an OS regime, told *The Hindu* that the company is “encouraged by the focus on IT by political parties,” describing the policy of the Government of India as one of “technology neutrality.”
The BJP’s discovery of the virtues of OS would appear to sit uncomfortably with its slogan “Let a hundred Bangalores bloom.” Rahul
My replies below:
On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 2:17 PM, scrapo scrapo@saswatabanerjee.com wrote:
Pravin Dhayfule wrote:
I dont trust Politicians. Previously Caste and Religion was used as Election manifesto, and its a pity now that the Opensource community is being dragged into politics.... Its not politicians, but we IT professionals who have promoted Open source Applications... Open Source Platform is for all and not a dependent on political promotion...
Yes, i do not know why we are wasting time talking of manifestos of political parties, which are not worth the paper they are written on and forgotten for the next 5 years till the next election. When in power, they have always supported windows as the software vendors are going to give them money.
There are plenty of politicians within each of the major political parties who understand and support free/open source software. Manifestos indicate the thinking of the political parties. The CPI(M)'s manifesto indicates that its support for FOSS is driven by a strong anti-monopoly stance, while the BJP's manifesto reveals that they see FOSS as a means to an end (of making IT widely available and bridging the digital divide).
FOSS will have to work on its own, grow on its own and in spite of the government (not because of the government).
The government can make an enormous difference to FOSS by either supporting or opposing our stance on open standards, software patents and many other policy issues. Do we want them with us or against us? For example, would you be happy if the government sent you documents in proprietary formats? Would you be happy if the government imposed software patents, which means that you would have to consult a lawyer before you write even a single line of code?
In all the issues I have listed above, the open source community is bringing fresh ideas to the table. That takes time to understand because the dominant mindset is that of proprietary software, simply because it has been around for so many years. The only way this mindset can be overcome is through dialogue. Luckily, in the last four and half years I have spent on FOSS policy issues, there are plenty of politicians and bureaucrats who are willing to listen.
The left is not going to do anything more for FOSS than the congress or BJP or BSP or whoever.
The facts are wrong here. The left has implemented FOSS in Kerala and WB and has strongly supported the community in its fight for open standards and software patents. The BJP has implemented FOSS for its internal use and has a strong grasp of the capabilities of FOSS.
Let this forum be for what it was created - a user community which will help with problems and technical matters that we all face and for sharing of knowledge.
If the purpose of this forum is purely technical, then a post like this does not make sense. However, if the purpose of this mailing list also includes making FOSS widely prevalent in society, then this post is indeed appropriate.
Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us.
They are our representatives and we have to make them work for us, the people of India. We are lucky that we live in a democracy that has many checks and balances and it is our responsibility to be engaged in the democratic process.
Venky
On Thursday 16 April 2009, Venkatesh Hariharan wrote:
Let this forum be for what it was created - a user community which will help with problems and technical matters that we all face and for sharing of knowledge.
If the purpose of this forum is purely technical, then a post like this does not make sense. However, if the purpose of this mailing list also includes making FOSS widely prevalent in society, then this post is indeed appropriate.
Actually if it wasnt for the closed software industry dirty poltics, this list would have remained reasonably technical. As it stands, most of the issues one faces is compatibility with closed and or broken non standards. On the rare occasion one has to dig in with some linux + hardware specific problem.
Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us.
They are our representatives and we have to make them work for us, the people of India. We are lucky that we live in a democracy that has many checks and balances and it is our responsibility to be engaged in the democratic process.
Agreed. Much as we despise the dirty politics, turning your back will only get a knife in you.
On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 3:15 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan venkyh@gmail.com wrote:
My replies below:
On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 2:17 PM, scrapo scrapo@saswatabanerjee.com wrote:
Pravin Dhayfule wrote:
I dont trust Politicians. Previously Caste and Religion was used as Election manifesto, and its a pity now that the Opensource community is being dragged into politics.... Its not politicians, but we IT professionals who have promoted Open source Applications... Open Source Platform is for all and not a dependent on political promotion...
Yes, i do not know why we are wasting time talking of manifestos of political parties, which are not worth the paper they are written on and forgotten for the next 5 years till the next election. When in power, they have always supported windows as the software vendors are going to give them money.
There are plenty of politicians within each of the major political parties who understand and support free/open source software. Manifestos indicate the thinking of the political parties. The CPI(M)'s manifesto indicates that its support for FOSS is driven by a strong anti-monopoly stance, while the BJP's manifesto reveals that they see FOSS as a means to an end (of making IT widely available and bridging the digital divide).
FOSS will have to work on its own, grow on its own and in spite of the government (not because of the government).
The government can make an enormous difference to FOSS by either supporting or opposing our stance on open standards, software patents and many other policy issues. Do we want them with us or against us? For example, would you be happy if the government sent you documents in proprietary formats? Would you be happy if the government imposed software patents, which means that you would have to consult a lawyer before you write even a single line of code?
In all the issues I have listed above, the open source community is bringing fresh ideas to the table. That takes time to understand because the dominant mindset is that of proprietary software, simply because it has been around for so many years. The only way this mindset can be overcome is through dialogue. Luckily, in the last four and half years I have spent on FOSS policy issues, there are plenty of politicians and bureaucrats who are willing to listen.
The left is not going to do anything more for FOSS than the congress or BJP or BSP or whoever.
The facts are wrong here. The left has implemented FOSS in Kerala and WB and has strongly supported the community in its fight for open standards and software patents. The BJP has implemented FOSS for its internal use and has a strong grasp of the capabilities of FOSS.
Hmm,IIRC,wasn't the conversion of schools to FOSS in Kerala accomplished during the UDF(Congress -led) government?
Let this forum be for what it was created - a user community which will help with problems and technical matters that we all face and for sharing of knowledge.
If the purpose of this forum is purely technical, then a post like this does not make sense. However, if the purpose of this mailing list also includes making FOSS widely prevalent in society, then this post is indeed appropriate.
Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us.
They are our representatives and we have to make them work for us, the people of India. We are lucky that we live in a democracy that has many checks and balances and it is our responsibility to be engaged in the democratic process.
Venky
On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 6:37 PM, jtd jtd@mtnl.net.in wrote:
Politics and Political parties are not of any use to us.
They are our representatives and we have to make them work for us, the people of India. We are lucky that we live in a democracy that has many checks and balances and it is our responsibility to be engaged in the democratic process.
Agreed. Much as we despise the dirty politics, turning your back will only get a knife in you.
+1.And an apt expression.
Hmm,IIRC,wasn't the conversion of schools to FOSS in Kerala accomplished during the UDF(Congress -led) government?
It was the Left backed KSTA(Kerala School Teachers' Assn) who played the major and decisive role in the adoption of Free software.
-
Easwar Hariharan -
jtd -
Pankaj Jangid -
Pravin Dhayfule -
scrapo -
Venkatesh Hariharan -
Vikram Vincent