[ILUG-BOM] India's contribution to Linux

[Manish Jethani]

 --- jtdyahoo <jtdesouza at yahoo.com> wrote: 

> > > this by providing tools of the information age
> > > free of cost and
> > > encumberances in the form [snip]
> >
> >                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > That's NOT why GNU chooses to offer stuff free of
> > cost.  In fact,
> > it doesn't offer free of cost, unless you download
> > from FTP or go
> > and beg them for a CD or other medium.  The cost
> > at which you can
> > obtain the stuff is reasonable, and worth it.
> 
> Downloading - not counting your phone/pipe/cable
> bills - or 
> borrowing (both of which are permitted by the GNU
> licences) is free 
> of cost. Beg?? you dont even have to register for a
> download.

How do you download a CD?  I was talking about CDs,
and you don't expect them to give you one for free! 
They're obviously going to charge you!

> > > The Linux kernel and most of the accompanying
> > > software is
> > > provided with source code and is essentially
> > > free of cost. Thus
> > > it is possible to customise and reuse all of the
> > > code.
> >
> > It is possible and legal to customise and re-use
> > NOT because it
> > is free of cost, but because of the way the
> > programs are
> > licensed.
> 
> Yes. Must improve the english.

You don't need to clarify now.  Your English is okay,
just that you shouldn't be using _free_of_cost_ too
often.

> > They offer you some 4 freedoms, which Philip has
> > mentioned in an earlier post. Please do not
> > confuse the cost
> > factor with the freedom to customise.
> 
> Nope. But in India (and most underceveloped regions)
> both are 
> equally important (IMHO), more so in a capital
> constrained country 
> like India. The cost factor is particularly
> important for 

My idea is to (try to) _sell_ Free Software.  I won't
confuse poor people.

> > I think open source end-user software will turn
> out to be a lot
> > cheaper for Indian user.  At best, you can get it

> Hardly a factor in most underdeveloped places. (A
> [snip]
> Maha and MP 
> 100% piracy). A cursory check of DTP shops in the

With GNU/Linux, you don't have to live with guilt.

Manish


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