"Kerala is all set to become the first state in the country to completely banish Microsoft and allow only GNU/Linux free software to be used in the mandatory IT test at the state SSLC examinations that half a million students took in March. Till last year, they could take the exam using either free software or the Microsoft platform.
Read more »Kerala Blazing the Trail for Free Software in Schools
http://educatorslog.in –
OOXML in India: Bullying of Critics, Even Professors
http://boycottnovell.com –
What kind of a monster would bully innocent computer scientists in order to defeat an international standard (ODF) that was created to facilitate the need of the entire industry, including universities?
Read more »Free Software in Education: What Policy Should India Adopt for ICT in School Education?
http://gnowgi.org –
"The sections below develop reasons for adoption of free software exclusively for school education. Towards the end, a list of policy guidelines and recommendations are provided for discussion. The document does not cover the pros and cons of using ICT for education. I will try to intervene during the deliberations on these issues. Why Free Software for education? ..."
Read more »Computer professionals hold candlelight vigil against proprietary software
http://www.thehindu.com –
A group of individuals, comprising mostly software engineers and others, who oppose the use of proprietary software, got together for a candlelight vigil to raise awareness and give a human face to what has largely been a protest in blogs and on websites.News report on Candle light vigil for Document freedom.
Read more »India's Final Vote On MS Office File Standard Is 'NO'
http://www.tech2.com –
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has made a final decision on the document file format OXML (Open eXtended Markup Language). Out of 19 members, five of them did not attend the meeting, one of them abstained, five voted in favor of ooxml, and the rest voted against.
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Category: Government Tags:
Why Microsoft wants Indian NGOs to support OOXML?
http://www.pluggd.in –
Microsoft is urging Indian NGOs to support OOXML (i.e. Office Open XML) format - and persuade Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting MS’s OOXML proposal.
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Microsoft May Have Bribed India for OOXML Pressure
http://boycottnovell.com –
Back in August we warned that Microsoft had just made a very suspicious donation at a very strategic time. It only days before the September vote on OOXML. The article which was cited at the time has vanished, but you can find a copy here...
Read more »Microsoft Strategies: Using NGOs to Push Agendas
http://wiki.linux-delhi.org –
The extent to which Microsoft can go in its efforts to get OOXML is interesting. Microsoft has "persuaded" several non-profit organizations to bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML proposal.
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Category: Opposition Tags:
‘I am ashamed to use proprietary software’
http://www.hindu.com –
Krishnakant Mane says that the freedom and flexibility provided by open source software enables him to work with a variety of interfaces and is integral to his work at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
Read more »Understanding The Free Software Philosophy
http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com –
"...The first step towards acknowledging the Free Software Movement is to understand that `Free Software’ and `Open Source Software’ are two different entities. And that we, in the media, have been quite unjust to the movement by using the terms `Free Software’ and `Open Source’ interchangeably..."
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Category: Philosophy Tags:
RMS & Free Software Movement in India...
http://www.business-standard.com –
"...Stallman has a soft spot for India because he thinks people here are more inclined to free software — in fact, the first chapter of FSF outside the US was set up in this country — and because he sees similarities between India’s struggle against colonialism and the struggle against proprietary software. [...] He does not approve of what Linus Torvalds and Linux now stand for. [...] Stallman’s vision embraces larger concepts like human rights and ethical values, terms which make a lot of people uncomfortable..."
Read more »India's largest Linux rollout forges ahead despite tremendous odds
http://www.itbusiness.ca –
With no vendor support, Elcot's decision to switch platforms was a daunting task but the opportunity to bypass yearly software licensing fees was an irresistible incentive
Read more »RMS At UC College, Aluva
http://pramode.net –
"RMS was at UC College, Aluva today to deliver a talk on `Free Software in ethics and in practice’..."
Read more »Free Software In ethics and in Practice : Talk by Dr. Richard M. Stallman
http://free-knowledge.web4all.in –
"Richard M Stallman, Leader of the Free Software Movement, will be visiting Kochi on 10th January 2008. He will deliver a talk on 'Free Software in ethics and in Practice' at the Union Christian College, Aluva..."
Read more »Category: Philosophy Tags:
Efforts to promote open source software gather momentum
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com –
CHENNAI: Efforts to promote Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) have gathered momentum in the country, mainly due to emergence of "Linux User Groups" (LUGs) and recognition by academics and government.
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Category: Industry Tags:
