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Kerala is abuzz with free software mantra after the present Government of Kerala formally endorsed free software as one of its natural allies. Lot of common people are showing interest in free software and its bi-products such as copy left books , wikipedia etc. As a long time user of free software, I am pretty amused at the
current hype.
Kerala IT policy envisions an inclusive knowledge society, but it still remains just words. There is no effort to implement the policy in any of the initiatives the government is taking. The recent incident is the tax filing application which mandates use of Microsoft Excel fomat for tax filings and the macro does not work with Free Software replacements like Open Office Calc.
"...We saw how Free Software has come to stay in Kerala. The natural question this raises is, “Why Kerala?” There is no other state in the country where Free Software has made an impact that is anywhere near that in Kerala. This itself could be the subject for an entire thesis, and this is certainly not the place to enter into a serious analysis of the question.
Microsoft will be signing up Malayalam movie star Mammootty as one of the brand ambassadors for the Computer Literacy programme that is to be organized soon in Kerala, a Southern Indian State well known for its pro-free software policies. This is an open letter by Free Software Activists, Supporters and Users of Kerala to Mammootty.
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. Not anymore'.
"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.
"Hi list! I'm just on the way back home from this great conference which took place in Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala / India. I must say I'm really deeply impressed. I would wish that Free Software *including* things like Oekonux says would have that backing in Germany / Europe / industrialized countries!
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurated a new billing software,named ORUMA, based purely on Free Software developed by the KSEB(Kerala State Electricity Board) itself in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.The KSEB will save Rs.9.5 crore on licence fee and software upgrading because of the shift to free software, the release added.
