Even NASSCOM is playing it safe on the FS issue. The State Government came out with an IT policy in 2005 which laid out its plans to develop its IT infrastructure.
The promotion of FS has found prominent mention. The policy document says, “The Government will encourage the use of Open Source and special competencies for this purpose will be built up in the Institute of E-Governance to guide and advise Government departments on its use.’’ However, it also says, “The Government is keen on protecting Intellectual Property Rights and Copyrights of IT Products and will encourage use of only legal or authorised products.’’ Here are two contradictory statements within the same policy document. The question is, which view does the Government support? The issue assumes significance in the backdrop of the education sector in Andhra Pradesh promoting FS. FS, unlike proprietary software, lets the user modify and redistribute the software.
TNIE recently reported that 21,000 computers in engineering colleges across the State were switching to Linux free Operating System. This was done without Government support. In fact, AP lags behind States like Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal in promotion of FS, despite its stated intention. In fact, Kerala has led from the front in implementing FS and has shifted all the computers in its public schools to the FS operating systems.
Kiran Chandra, who is a member of the Free Software Foundation of India (FSFI) Board of Directors feels that the AP Government’s IT policy lacks clarity, particularly on the issue of the FS. ``It is just one line put there to ensure an eyewash.
What does it actually mean?’’ he asks.
The FSFI played a major role in Kerala adopting FS in public schools and Government departments. Kiran says that a developing country like India cannot afford to waste financial resources in purchasing proprietary software when FS is available for a fraction of the cost. “Dependence on proprietary software will subdue the true potential of our engineering graduates and hamper the development of our IT and ITES sectors. India will never be able to emerge as a true IT power as long as it uses proprietary software,’’ he said. When TNIE contacted Principal Secretary of the IT & Communication Department Ajay Mishra, he pleaded ignorance about FS. To a question on whether the Government was promoting it, he said, “No such instructions have been issued from our side.’’ Mishra also said the decision on whether to use FS had been left to the individuals! “The IT policy is only for the promotion of the IT industry, not to decide the nature of software to be used,’’ he said. When asked about the financial benefits, he said, “It is not a question of saving money, but the other benefits of proprietary software.’’ When contacted for its view on the relative merits of FS and proprietary software, the National Association of Services and Software Companies (NASSCOM) said it didn’t have a view on whether State Governments should use FS or proprietary software.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Tushar Dhara
Quelle/Source: Express Buzz, 30.12.2008
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