Re: Pakistan Govt may choose Linux as platform instead of Windows

["Frederick Noronha" <fred@bytesforall.org>]

On Sun, 22 Sep 2002, Walther Warnaar wrote:

> Dear all,
> 
> What is your opinion about this? Is this mainly an attempt to get
> cheaper rates from Microsoft or is there really a chance that the
> Government of Pakistan will select Linux?  
> 
> Are there other examples? Do you know of any countries that have
> decided to go for Linux / Open Source software instead of Microsoft?
> There are more countries in a similar position as Pakistan (India?,
> China?), if all of them would choose open source software, on the
> long run it would save them a lot of money.  

From: Frederick Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>
Subject: [Ilugc] BBCTV focuses on GNU/Linux ...

Red Flag Linux... national pride... more reliable... cheaper... these 
are some of the keywords emerging from BBC TV ClickOnline's current 
program which focuses on GNU/Linux in China, apart from other issues. 
 

It was telecast on Saturday 21 Sept at 1200 IST (and next coming up 
on Sunday 22 Sept at 1600 IST and Tues 24 Sept at 1300 IST). An 
interesting programme, though as is typical of television, it only 
skims the surface of the issue. (You've guessed my biases when it 
comes to reading, radio and TV)  

"If you haven't heard of Linux, it does the same things as Windows. 
But unlike Windows (its code is freely available)." That's 
approximately how BBC introduces GNU/Linux. Many Free/Libre and Open 
Source Software enthusiasts might cringe to hear their favourite OS 
being compared to Windoze.  

But the programme makes the point that there are many reasons for a 
growing number (even if still a small segment of total computer 
users) opting for GNU/Linux in China. It's cheaper, more reliable, 
there are questions of national pride (building software 
indigenously), China's strategy of adopting and adapting, security 
flaws, and even suspicion of secret backdoors in closed-source 
proprietory software....  

Perhaps the progamme could have mentioned that the international 
journal of the Free Software Foundation is today published from 
China... If interested, contact hongfeng@gnu.org  

This programme also has an interesting debate on the usual question: 
can China compete with Indian software... Do we have to see 
everything in terms of competition? Louisa Liu agrees that this 
needn't be so.  

On an offtopic subject, one learnt of a very interesting plan to 
teach Internet and computing to the elderly -- the oldest student 
being 85. Maybe we too could think of similar approaches. Why not? A 
good way of fighting both the digital and age-bias all in one. --FN  

PS: If you'd like to suggest future topics for programs to BBC, write 
in to clickonline@bbc.co.uk 

-- Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 
/ 409783 BYTESFORALL www.bytesforall.org  * GNU-LINUX 
http://linuxinindia.pitas.com Email fred@bytesforall.org * Mobile 
+9822 122436 (Goa) * Saligao Goa India Writing with a difference... 
on what makes *the* difference