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

[Ramanraj K]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Umashankar C <umashankarc at yahoo.com>
Date: May 27, 2007 11:17 PM
Subject: [eGovINDIA] One year of OSS implementation in ELCOT - the score
card
To: eGovINDIA at yahoogroups.com

  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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