[Fsf-friends] IT sector

[Mani A]

On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 7:55 PM, Shyam Karanattu <mail at swathanthran.in> wrote:
> Mani A wrote:
>>
>> Here is an interesting estimate:
>>
>> http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2516/stories/20080815251604100
>>
>
> May be the link is this one
> http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2516/stories/20080815251404100.htm

>>
>> But OSS related estimates are not included... and moreover the bodies
>> like NASSCOM that provide data are basically agencies of foreign
>> capital and have little to do with Open source.
>>
>
> From the article:
>
>   For example, two global software majors – Microsoft and SAP –
>   registered revenue growth of 29 and 104 per cent respectively in the
>   domestic market in 2007-08.The emerging picture is clear. Even while
>   India's scorching pace of I.T. services export growth slows, there
>   are signs that foreign firms are increasing their presence in an
>   increasingly concentrated I.T. sector. This has two implications.
>   First, I.T. export revenues are increasingly being garnered by
>   foreign firms. But more importantly, as the domestic market for I.T.
>   hardware and software grows, fuelled by increased government
>   expenditure aimed at increasing I.T. use, foreign firms are coming
>   to dominate the rapidly growing domestic market for both hardware
>   and software.
>
> And sure its not because Companies like M$ Wants to "liberate" panchayati
> raj systems and the like by entering the government mechanisms..pumping in
> money to the "right" places..


All of the non-left State Governments in India and the Central Govt
are essentially being run by the big business and apart from the usual
form of struggle, what can be done is to have the FLOSS operating
system (along with required s/w for Panchayats) in place... so that
adoption can start at the lowest level. I do not see why this is not
done already. Surely the ones sitting in villages will find it more
difficult to do all the adaptation themselves. The community model is
always mighty.
... and above mistakes in policy.


Best


A. Mani




-- 
A. Mani
Member, Cal. Math. Soc