[Fsf-friends] And now the Kerala Electricity Board goes Microsoft

[Suraj Kumar]

Raj Shekhar writes:

 > Instead of crying soar on  this list, we can write articles/letters
 > to various newspapers. The articles  will have to be backed up with
 > considerable proof/charts & tables that will be hard to ignore.

yes.  I had once written a letter to the editor of the Hindu about the
importance of free software and the  role it can play in education. It
came up. but to what  benefit? "doing something about" this, IMVHO, is
to be seen as something good  by a large population. publishing a mere
letter  to  the editor  in  a newspaper  wouldn't  just  do. A  larger
campaign needs to be planned.

 > - We  are  free to  make  changes and  hence  customize  it to  our
 > needs.  We can  also  audit  the software  for  security flaws  and
 > errors.
 > 
 > - Less cost
 > 
 > - Generates  employment   (as  the  software   needs  maintainance,
 > training and modifaction)
 > 
 > - the money  of the state/country  remains inside the  countryy and
 > does not go to foriegen countries

All of this means the politicians get to launder lesser money and that
means smaller  scope for their corruption to  flourish. Corruption and
the race for  power needs to be eliminated  without which the benefits
of free software would only be  a threat to them (the politicians) and
hence they would seek quicker  ways to eliminate us.  More quicker and
more desperate than proprietary software giants.

  -Suraj
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