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Comments on the statements made by Microsoft India Group Director (Public Sector) Karan Bajwa
Microsoft India Group Director (Public Sector) Karan Bajwa in an interview with Pravin Prashant made several contestable statements from which I will pick a couple. Read Full Interview
His statement that "Anything free is not sustainable and there is something behind which will hit you and one cannot get out of the pitfall" has been contradicted by Microsoft on the same day! See news item that Microsoft has decided to discontinue its Encarta (encyclopaedia) product. See: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Apr12009/cyberspace20090331127359.asp.
This is because it could not compete or measure up against Wikipedia which is based on the collaborative and free sharing principles like free software is. So his own company has accepted the superiority of the free and collaborative models that are very possible in the digital world, over proprietary models. The same realisation is yet to hit them in the case of MS Windows and MS Office, but the growing popularity of Ubuntu GNU/Linux operating system and Open Office to name couple of free software applications is a writing on the wall.
Basically the simple question to our Indian Governments is: Should we purchase proprietary software on a 'pay per user' model when comparable free software alternatives are available and are already being used by millions all over the world? Why should a poor country enrich the richest company in the world and get locked into their proprietary model, when instead the Government can adopt free software and support large number of small enterprises and the community of free software developers across the country and the world?
In India, Kerala is already successfully doing this and saving hundreds of crores of scarce public funds. The freedom to share the software is essential for the equitable spread of the IT revolution in India.
Thus it is not a 'technology battle between proprietary model and free software' as Mr Bajwa claims. Rather the commercial interests of Microsoft and that of the Government and Indian society in this case are in conflict and hopefully Governments will decide in favor of the Public interest and adopt and promote free software. No wonder the election documents of both the left (CPM) and right (BJP) endorse free software as being in the public interest. (see www.Public-Software.in for these manifestos and also for other reasons why FOSS should be adopted).
Specially in the case of education, Microsoft Academies prohibit the teaching of Free Software applications which is against basic pedagogical principles and enslaves Indian students to single software platform whereas free software is far superior since the learner has the freedom to study,modify and distribute the software. Hence education departments should clearly reject proprietary software and give their students meaningful learning options.
His statement that "Anything free is not sustainable and there is something behind which will hit you and one cannot get out of the pitfall" has been contradicted by Microsoft on the same day! See news item that Microsoft has decided to discontinue its Encarta (encyclopaedia) product. See: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Apr12009/cyberspace20090331127359.asp.
This is because it could not compete or measure up against Wikipedia which is based on the collaborative and free sharing principles like free software is. So his own company has accepted the superiority of the free and collaborative models that are very possible in the digital world, over proprietary models. The same realisation is yet to hit them in the case of MS Windows and MS Office, but the growing popularity of Ubuntu GNU/Linux operating system and Open Office to name couple of free software applications is a writing on the wall.
Basically the simple question to our Indian Governments is: Should we purchase proprietary software on a 'pay per user' model when comparable free software alternatives are available and are already being used by millions all over the world? Why should a poor country enrich the richest company in the world and get locked into their proprietary model, when instead the Government can adopt free software and support large number of small enterprises and the community of free software developers across the country and the world?
In India, Kerala is already successfully doing this and saving hundreds of crores of scarce public funds. The freedom to share the software is essential for the equitable spread of the IT revolution in India.
Thus it is not a 'technology battle between proprietary model and free software' as Mr Bajwa claims. Rather the commercial interests of Microsoft and that of the Government and Indian society in this case are in conflict and hopefully Governments will decide in favor of the Public interest and adopt and promote free software. No wonder the election documents of both the left (CPM) and right (BJP) endorse free software as being in the public interest. (see www.Public-Software.in for these manifestos and also for other reasons why FOSS should be adopted).
Specially in the case of education, Microsoft Academies prohibit the teaching of Free Software applications which is against basic pedagogical principles and enslaves Indian students to single software platform whereas free software is far superior since the learner has the freedom to study,modify and distribute the software. Hence education departments should clearly reject proprietary software and give their students meaningful learning options.
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Surprised with the Blogger's
Surprised with the Blogger's knowledge Firstly in the country in which he resides and secondly on technology,
Firstly, India is not a poor Country , Guru Please Be Proud of your Own Country first, than being proud of OSS. Secondly there is no Lock-in in any technology, as I understand Microsoft technology is THE only technology that allows you to run maximum application including OSS based application, can any free Software run MS Office, or Internet Explorer , Chrome.So why restrict the people of India to choose multiple technologies.Of Course the OSS based applications are growing but Are they ready for the businesses or government machinery.People like you only look at the cost but never understand the value of the technologies & the wonders that you can do with it. if Microsoft is ensuring that other application s work on its technology , you must also ensure that OSS based technologies adapt to the change.
Government in India is sphere heading of other countries and such thoughts would not only become a hinderance but also lower the bar that India has set for itself.
Hence look at the Bigger Picture... and Enjoy both the worlds......
Surprised with the Anonymous Blogger's knowledge
Global Hunger Index - tells you how hungry Indian's are. Please search for it and find out whether sub saharan countries fares better or worser than India. Also read about Human Development Index - (not about the how developed our corporates are ;). See where India is, where Pakistan is. You can also try to travel around India.
Almost all FOSS software are ported to M$ systems. It is not the M$ who is porting FOSS softwares, but the FOSS developers themselves. M$ IE will not work in GNU/Linux, because M$ is not porting IE to GNU/Linux. Similarly M$ Office will not work in GNU/Linux, because M$ is not providing support to GNU/Linux. Either M$ has to create a GNU/Linux port of M$ Office, or if M$ opens its code FOSS developers will themselves, happily, develop a port of M$ Office, or any M$ programs to GNU/Linux. Please try to understand the basic facts behind the proprietary vs foss debate. Then you will also realize who is actually doing the wrong.
Take Coral Draw. It has its own closed format. So the .cdr files will not work in FOSS editors. This happens because the content format used by CorelDraw is closed. If CorelDraw opens its format, FOSS developers can modify the FOSS softwares to work with .cdr formats, otherwise CorelDraw has to write a GNU/Linux port. Now in one fine morning CorelDraw decides to close its development, millions of .cdr files will become unusable. You might be forced to keep an old OS compatible with CoralDraw for ever to work with .cdr files.
Now if .cdr file formats are open. Some FOSS developer will develop an application which can continue to use cdr format. Correct way is to follow an acceptable open standard, so that everyone can coexist. Open the source code and give user to use it anyway he wants, modify the way he wishes, freedom to redistribute the software in a modified or original way.
I am surprised at the lack of
I am surprised at the lack of know-how of above 'Anonymous' regarding the subject under discussion. India may not be poor but definitly it is not rich, wasteful expenditure that is avoidable, as in this case expenditure on proprietary s/w where free/ oss alternates are available.
And it would be easier to make yourself understand regarding how MS creates a lockin for its users if you have been reading the news. Seems you never heard of the famous antitrust cases against MS. Please read here for details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in#Microsoft
Guru:
Please check the link to the article it does not exist anymore.
These can also be referred:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/microsoft-encarta-dies-after-lo...
http://encarta.msn.com/guide_page_FAQ/FAQ.html