[FSF India] [Fwd: Indian language support]

Satyakam Goswami fsf-india@gnu.org.in
Wed, 5 Sep 2001 16:59:47 +0530 (IST)


this is  followup post to the query by vivek please get in touch with Dr Mudur 
for further information on localization.

mudur@ncst.ernet.in

cheers
S.Goswami

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Indian language support
From: "Prof. Rajeev Sangal" <sangal@iiit.net>
To: Satyakam Goswami <goswami@archeanit.com>

You can contact Dr Mudur. The implementation of Open Type for GNU/Linux is
almost ready.

        - Rajeev Sangal

On Tue, 4 Sep 2001, Satyakam Goswami wrote:

> hello,
>        i was wondering who will be the right person to be contacted in NCST
>        
> to confirm the issue of technology transfer in the area of languages. I
> remember  you saying  that Microsoft has an aggrement wherein NCST is free
> to give the technology to the Free/Open Source community.
> 
> cheers
> S.Goswami
> 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Recently I read a lot of postings in the FSFI mailing
> > list on WB Government signing a deal with MSFT for
> > providing e-governance to the people. It is sad that
> > despite efforts by FSFI WB govt. signed the deal with
> > MSFT burying Freedom
> > 
> > Are you guys aware that our very own Karnataka govt.
> > has signed a deal with MSFT worth millions of dollars
> > to get Kannada-versions of Win XP to provide
> > e-governance to the people in their state language?
> > 
> > I read this news item in "Times of India" at almost
> > the same time as WB-MSFT controversy was "raging". I
> > thought I would make a posting in the FSFI
> > mailing-list so that FSFI could take up this issue
> > with KRN govt., Free Developers would "flood" KRN CMs
> > mail-box & make KRN govt. to see sense. 
> > 
> > But before clicking the "Send" button I paused "What
> > if KRN CM agrees to our "Free software" for
> > philosophical (or economic) reasons and asks us to
> > give a Free Kannada Operating System so that he could
> > use it *now* in providing e-governance to the people
> > ?"
> > 
> > We would be standing hanging our heads in shame or
> > trying to save our faces by saying "Give us 2 years &
> > we will come up with a better OS". It would not serve
> > any purpose other than wasting band-width on the FSFI
> > mailing list. 
> > 
> > So I clicked the "Cancel" button. (Yes, I too am a
> > "Freedom" freak, but I am also practical)
> > 
> > I presume you guys were either not aware of the issue
> > or clicked the "Cancel" button the way I did.
> > 
> > Isn't it sad that M$ "buys" Indian language code from
> > government funded (tax-payers money) NCST (paying
> > pea-nuts in Rs.) making it in-accessible to Free
> > Software, adds it to XP & sells it to state
> > governments (again tax-payers money) in dollars
> > (stealing from us our precious foriegn currency
> > reserve) & our media declares it a victory for the
> > people (e-governance in their local language)?
> > 
> > And what do we have to counter-act this? Nothing but
> > the Freedom "rhetoric"? Yes, Freedom is good but
> > people also need the means to achieve Freedom. In
> > these jet-set days nobody is willing to wait for
> > years.
> > 
> > Yes "Indigo" is a good project in this direction. But
> > going through this project web page they seem to be
> > working on only one language now (Malayalam) with
> > pointers to work going on in Tamil & some work on
> > "Star Office" in Telugu ( Since other projects are
> > being carried out by Govt. funded organizations &
> > universities I am not sure if these are really Free
> > Software projects)
> > 
> > We are a nation with 18 national languages (in the 8th
> > schedule) & countless others, but we don't have a full
> > blown support for even a single Indian language in the
> > Free GNU OSes. How many years will it take before we
> > finally have Malayalam, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Kashmiri
> > Distros of GNU OS?
> > 
> > By the time this would happen MSFT would have laughed
> > all the way to the bank. "Windows everywhere & Freedom
> > nowhere"
> > 
> > Yes, it might not matter much to the English speaking
> > populace like you & me. But it does to 60-70% of our
> > populace who can only understand local languages
> > 
> > My head hangs in shame whenever I think of this
> > helplessness. I feel more ashamed as I am living in
> > the 'Silicon Valley of India' producing countless SEI
> > CMM 5, ISO 9000, SEI PSP professionals, projects &
> > products. There are a million "IT gurus" ready to do
> > Y2K Cobol coding (or similar stuff) but not even a
> > handful to stand for Freedom. 
> > 
> > Yesterday my Mom was apprehensive of the prospect of
> > me going abroad for 3 or more months. She said "How do
> > you I write E-mails to you. I don't know English".( My
> > Mom knows only Kannada). The pain was even more
> > 
> > My interest now is to have a *full* Kannada GNU/Linux
> > distro. I am not the greatest hacker ever born. But I
> > will not stop even if it takes me years to achieve
> > this.
> > 
> > Right now the only issue stopping me is IP issues (as
> > I work for a MNC). Yes I get paid in XXKs & move
> > around in a Korean made car. I can always get Fredom
> > by running GNU/Linux or GNU/Hurd on my PC.But what use
> > is all this if I find myself living in a country where
> > my neighbors Banta Singh, Vishwanathan Iyer &
> > Shafiulla donot have this Freedom?
> > 
> > Can anyone help me with the IP issues so that my
> > company cannot claim Copy-right or patent over the
> > code I write for this project making it non-free? I
> > don't want to lose the hard won battle in the court
> > room. I believe many other developers would (*should*)
> > be having the same question in mind
> > 
> > Rest of the things can wait (Technology,
> > Implementation details etc.). I believe they will fall
> > in place once we start.
> > 
> > Let the "babus" & "netas" run Windowz XP (we cannot
> > bribe them the way M$ would). But let us atleast give
> > the Freedom to "Mr. Common Man"
> > 
> > Hackers, please start coding in your mother-tongues or
> > local languages (after resolving IP issues). We have a
> > thousand miles to go & we haven't covered Mile One.
> > 
> > Regards,
> > Vivek
> > 
> 


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