How many know about the Open Source Softwares

A usual Indian scenario, Dad buy’s a home pc for his dear son/daughter. He/she impatiently boots it up and is happy to see the Operating System load and present him with a cool desktop theme. He/she swiftly looks up the programs list and sees the familiar office and graphics package and a dozen games, he is delighted.

Chances are you imagined the OS to be Windows Xp and the packages to be Ms Office and Adobe Photoshop. All for free and you are not the only person expect in that manner.
Officially, the percentage of Indians paying money for software they use is about 25%, according to the survey conducted by The Hindu business Line. It is normal for Indians to pay for the PC hardware and expect it to come with all the required software. Either deliberately or due to ignorance, PC buyers pirate software and are for the most part unaware of the illegal nature of their actions.

Wile many argue that the price of licensed software is the main reason for piracy in India, this excuse cannot be used as a fig leaf by any self respecting Indian. There are two ways to redeem ourselves-either pay for the software on the PC and this could total up to almost the cost of the hardware or turn to Open Source Software. I feel the 2nd option is better but not every person has to agree my opinion.

With PC penetration of 1.4% (http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/national/stories/366,121093.html), considering our population, thousands of Indians are being introduced to the PC every day. By exposing first-time users to Open Source Software, they can be free from the monetary hassles of Proprietary Software (PS) – or the legal implications of pairing it. Additionally, besides reducing the total cost of the PC, Open source software also allow customization to suit the needs of every linguistic group in every state of India. Altering the user interface to the local language will greatly increase acceptance of the PC.

While Open Source Software can be modified using local expertise (with or without government funding, since it is for social benefit), PS alteration need to be done by the vendor, which is usually influenced by economic considerations, like the size of the market. If a native of Assam needs to appreciate the power of the PC, the interface needs to be in Assamese. Given the small size of that population, the chances that PS will be available in the local language are very slim. But an Open Source Software can be modified by locals to suit their needs.

Finally, friends I will post more on Open Source software and where will you find those software’s. Enjoy reading and give your opinions.

With Love Madhu Vamsi… 🙂

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3 Responses

  1. sajeevss says:

    Linux Os is free is it not >>>> why not just switch to Linux and windows will automatically become free

  2. madhu_vamsi says:

    I use Susse Linux and what about you. Linux is free and as you said windows will become free, good joke. Many people are used to windows and don’t know the Linux much (I am talking about non computers people). So it is hard to make windows freee..

    With love,
    Madhu…. 🙂

  3. betterlife says:

    My son buys only original software and that too from the original manufacturer or its authorized representative. The software is then registered at manufacturer’s website. This gives all of us the peace of mind and an respectable status in manufacturers” customer data base.

    “प्रेम करो सबसे, नफरत न करो किसी से”
    “Love all, Hate none”

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