[Fsf-friends] [eGovINDIA] One year of OSS implementation in ELCOT - the score card

[VMK]

 [eGovINDIA] One year of OSS implementation in ELCOT - the score  card
  
 Dear friends,

On the 26th May 2007, ELCOT completed one year of OSS  implementation in its day to day activities. 

Currently the migration to OSS  is close to 126 out of 130 desktop machines (97%) and 25 out of 26 rack servers  (96%).

Barring four desktops which use a popular windows based accounting  software, the entire ELCOT's head office moved into Suse linux. A lone user has  been using Fedora core. 

We have asked for the linux version of the  accounting software from the vendor. He had agreed. ELCOT is also in the process  of migrating to an open source based ERP shortly and so the four desktops also  would be migrated to Suse linux shortly. 

ELCOT had also rolled out a  powerful application software for administering family cards. Currently the  contractors who do the data entry for the family cards have been using it.  Government have given approval for decentralising the family card printing  operations at the district level, thanks to the web based software developed by  ELCOT using OSS. 

The family card software has a powerful local language  interface which is  built on Java script technology. It is absolutely platform  independent and the user need not install any fonts. 

So far so good.  
ELCOT has been show casing its success in the migration to OSS to all  Government departments. A few of them were thoroughly impressed and have decided  to fully migrate to OSS. It is still too early. 

Yet, the way in which the  people accept OSS after a hands on experience in ELCOT gives room for optimism.  ELCOT's staff generously share their experience when Government users visit  ELCOT's office. They also get to see the linux ATM and also ELCOT's 28 seater  software development centre which uses only OSS. 

ELCOT has an 80 licence  anti virus software which had become redundant. The officer in charge of the  licence had asked my permission to sell it outside!  Concurrence given. 
Anti  virus software has no role in ELCOT. 

The latest success is the use of  crossover and wine software to run application software that had already been  developed in Microsoft client - server environment. ELCOT's team is shortly  descending on Salem to provide on site support to a large co-operative bank (150  desktops) to migrate to Suse linux without any migration of the existing Ms  application software (using Wine/Cross  over)

Regards.

Umashankar

  
C.Umashankar IAS., (TamilNadu Cadre)
e-governance  expert.
& Managing Director, Electronics Corporation of TamilNadu  Limited(ELCOT) 
(A Government of TamilNadu Undertaking)  
 Co-Moderator: 
http://groups.  yahoo.com/ group/eGovINDIA
Mankind deserves open standards  and open source software. Only the chosen ones get its taste. Others just hear  the taste.
  
 Chennai:
Ph:  91-44-42054443 







       
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