[PLUG] Please Sign The Petition

Sat Apr 11 22:10:10 IST 2015

Hi Milind,

Though I understand the desire and need to be "in control" of your
life and your software, which is a laudable goal, I am confused at the
anti-Microsoft stance taken by many FOSS people, since it deflects
slightly from the original goal of being "in control" - Microsoft is
not the only software company that makes "proprietary" software, but
you also have Apple, Google, IBM, HP, Lenovo, Nvidia, Hitachi,
Toshiba, VMWare, Citrix, and pretty much EVERY company in the world
that in the business of software. I don't see such hue and cry against
Apple for instance. Linux happily accepts closed0-source drivers
("binary blobs"), so shouldn't those driver manufacturers be in the
same boat as Microsoft? Are you willing to throw out Apple, and others
from India?

Secondly, the common man uses "right tools for the job" -- have you
considered if Linux provides the right tools in every instance to
replace those produced by Microsoft? Consumers are way smart than you
or me think, and they precisely know what software fulfils their needs
- and they go for it. There is a big lesson there itself -- make the
"right" tool and adoption shouldn't be a problem. Have you ever
thought too much choice may be a big problem? Hell, Linux has dozens
of distros', equivalent number of desktop look and feel, which only
makes the geek happy. Guess what? Consumers are confused, and they
look at Apple and Microsoft to provide a single user-experience, that
can seamlessly transcend releases and work exactly the same way each
time. Maybe FOSS should focus on unifying their tools and experience,
rather than breaking it into BOSS and tons of other distros. And that
seems to be the single-largest failure for Linux to displace several
popular operating systems - lack of a unified strategy. Of course, I
am not denying other innovative ideas that were born from Linux. So
no, considering the lack of unified strategy, lack of support (BOSS
Linux has support?), and lack of "right tools", the adoption will
remain stable as it was a decade ago.

Where are the replacement "right tools"?
- How do you propose to replace the extensive supply-chains, and other
public utility systems that are deployed on Windows?
- How do you propose to replace the extensive manufacturing systems
that are deployed on Windows?
- How do you propose to replace the extensive life-critical software
in hospitals that is deployed on Windows?

As for "your language", I think Linux got it all wrong. The computer
was invented in English speaking countries, the software was invented
in English speaking countries, so it goes without saying it has a
strong English lineage. Its much easy to adapt to a new language, than
adapting the tool to your local language. Do you modify a hammer
because it doesn't fit the grooves of your hands? Localizing it for
mass adoption is a good idea, provided everything else first functions
flawlessly. Linux focused on localization too early, and the i18n
layer made it more unstable, as well as buggy - not to mention it
scares every developer shitless (ask anyone who has had to deal with
wide-character array operations). If you don't believe me, check the %
of code dedicated to i18n/l10n efforts in any Linux utility, as
against a BSD utility, and you'll get the idea. I guess it is more
important to focus on getting the job done right, than such secondary
features - one reason why consumers repeatedly reject Linux.

<rant>
If you really want freedom, the BSD license is as free as it can get.
And nobody in the BSD world carries the moral baggage around, they
actually focus on quality of their work. No wonder the *BSD, even
though providing less features, are rock solid operating systems - the
way it should be.

And slightly on a tangential, why is this burning desire to be "in
control" of software? Do we know or force "full disclosure of
internals" of the medicine we take, or the LED TV set, or the car that
we drive, or heck the airplane we fly in? By the FOSS yardstick, all
these consumer products should make their designs and internal details
open and available for tinkering..., else one should not be using it.
And if this happens, you'll actually be turning the clock backwards
for Indians!When we are comfortable handing our lives to Airbus or
Boeing, and don't make a hue or cry about it, making such cry about
software doesn't seem quiet right.
</rant>

So no, I am not signing the petition. Linux, simply, is not the "right
tool for the job", and it is buggy. I choose to spend my time being
more productive, and Apple and BSD satisfies that need. Crying about
Microsoft being evil and proprietary when I use several other
proprietary forms in my daily life is being hypocrite. And I hope
Indian Government focuses on the right tools for the job, and if
Microsoft provides them, so be it. (BTW, your petition provides no
shred of evidence for Microsoft's corruption, apart from the licensing
fees, which can hardly be called corruption. Your argument about this
amount could be used for public good doesn't hold ground, since most
softwrae systems for public good are actually deployed on Windows -
moving them to Linux would require order of magnitude investment.)

-Amarendra

On Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 8:38 PM, Milind Oka <oak445 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I agree all your points but how many Indians will understand them ? People
> have been using different linux distros in IIT's and in research institutes
> for past 10 years
> and giving lectures on FOSS but it has no effect on the country's mentality.
>
> My simple point is kick Microsoft as early as possible by any means. For the
> time being, call the OS as Bharat  OS! The site name is indeed
> www.bosslinux.in
>
> Do you want to say Microsoft follows all the ethics in trade practices ?
>
> Everything is fair in Love & War and it is a War against Microsoft &
> Corruption !
>
> I hope I have given sufficient justification.
>
> Pl. sign the petition and help our country in this regard as much as
> possible.
>
> regards,
>
> Milind
>
>
>
> On 11-04-2015 08:31, Mayuresh wrote:
>>
>> On Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 06:51:35AM +0530, Milind Oka wrote:
>>>
>>> It is another Linux Base OS localized for 18 Indian Languages. They
>>> (CDAC) have improved the kernel also
>>> according to their claim.
>>
>> So, is it not more appropriate to call it <youe flavor> Linux? Like most
>> other flavors do? (Say Bharat Linux?)
>>
>> Android doesn't call itself Android Linux, which could be debated in
>> itself. For the sake of argument it is because of heavy customization for
>> different kind of devices.
>>
>> What would be the justification for BOSS to not use Linux as its last
>> name? And if the justification is that they did something drastically
>> different grounds up, a purely technical question is why was it needed
>> (i.e. isn't Linux sufficiently flexible already to create a localized
>> flavor?)
>>
>> Mayuresh
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