[Fsf-friends] Use of Windows by some speakers

[Anivar Aravind]

On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 11:09 PM, A Kannan. (CUSAT)
<forukannan at yahoo.com> wrote:
<snip>
>  Take the case of Malayalam localization. These guys did this  When fund got
> exhausted they shifted  to Space. They will come out with another initiative
> when   the government changes.
</snip>

Dear Kannan,

I dont know about your mafia theory . But Why you are taking the
credit of malayalam Localization from Free Software Community in
Kerala. Swathanthra Malayalam Computing Initiated by Baiju M in 2001
did most of the Localisation of GNU/Linux desktops. In between some
projects like Keltron project you pointed & UNDP supported Project
through K-BIP also contributed to Localisation of GNU/Linux desktops.
Still Swathanthra Malayalam Computing(SMC) is the biggest Free
software developer Community in Kerala, with representations from all
sectors of society. SMC is completly working in a peer model and not
accepted any money yet from any agency for its work. Your Ignorance
about Free Software Community initiatives is ok.. But dont attribute
the work of free software community to Govt agencies & NGOs


>
>   If the government had entrusted localization  to a commercial software
> company , after inviting tenders and with a condition that the code
> developed  is GPL , the task might have been over in a very short time.
> The localisation will go on for ever and malayalam will eventually die.

Ho..  Tenders for Localisation with a condition "code developed  is GPL"

Great!!

All Free Software Projects are  not in same license. If there is
tender like this. malayalam localisation may be died long back.
And Localisation is not a Fixed time task to be completed on time.
There is no finishing point for localisation work. Localisation is a
continuous cultural process. Those who are in a project/money mode
thinking cant understand it.

Do you know malayalam is officially supported now in Gnome (2.16
onwards) and in KDE(4.1 onwards)
At least 2 distros (Debian and Fedora) can be fully installable in Malayalam now
SMC is popularised the user to producer model of free software in kerala

Ignorance is fine. But dont make it as a Power to tarnish the work of
Free Software Communities


Anivar Aravind