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[school-discuss] NEWS: Free Software... to meet India's software needs



India can develop all the software its needs based on the Free Software pool
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Delhi scientist puts out the GLUE that can encourage things further

INTERVIEW

Ajith Kumar <ajith@nsc.ernet.in> in Delhi is passionate about a solution
that can take computing to schools and the masses at an affordable rate.

Recently, Ajith's work  -- the "GNU/Linux Utilities for Education" CD -- got
hosted at the prestigious "ftp.seul.org". This is a bootable CD that will
install a GNU/Linux system with OpenOffice, several educational software
packages and the Terminal Server Software "within 10 minutes", as he puts
it.  Ajith needs help in testing.

You can download the ISO image from ftp://ftp.seul.org/pub/glue/ Bowse the
contents of it at ftp://ftp.seul.org/pub/glue/GLUE/index.html

Ajith has demoed his CD to the Press. Says he: "It takes only 10 minutes to
setup (a school-based) lab. The method is extreamly simple. Create a RedHat
(or any other) installation and all other required software. Make a tarball
of it. A bootable CD with a small script plants it to another computer.
Kudzu (the Free Software tool that detects hardware) does a good job in
detecting new hardware." Free Software campaigners in the Southern State of
Kerala are convinced that the local government is "wasting their money" if
they sign a MoU (memorandum of understanding) for costly proprietorial
software to be implemented in their IT@School Project.

Ajith just hopes "it will help as a handy tool for  people who try to
implement IT facilities in schools and colleges". As he puts it modestly, no
big impact anticipated. Well, he might be wrong there. Little things build
up into big ones.

He has done his M.Sc in Physics and an MS in Accelerator Physics. After
working in Particle Accelerator related instrumentation from 1987 onwards,
Ajith also spent time in experimental physics. One of the early users of
GNU/Linux, he has been at it since 1994, for developing Control & Data
Acquisition Systems. Over the past three years, he has been involved in
making Free Software popular among the commonman.Below are excerpts from a
recent interview with FREDERICK NORONHA <fred@bytesforall.org>.

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FN: What inspired you to take up the project?
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I do not know whether we can call work on GLUE as a project; at least it was
not a planned one. Mainly it was prepared as a tool to help the activities
for making Free Software popular.  I wanted to make some sort of a starter
kit for those who entering into the world of Free Software.

There is a reason to target school/colleges. They are going to decide what
is used in future. So I cooked up something they may find useful. The
inspiration to take up Free Software work.

There are reasons for that. Technology is widely used for exploitation.  The
upperhand in technology is used by the developed nations to exploit the
underdeveloped ones. The cost of an aircraft is not the cost of the material
to build it, it is the cost of the technology. 

Buying a the products of technology is easy but dangerous. Progress of a
country depends a lot on how it accepts and assimilates technology. 
Acquiring technology without mastering it may bring the benefits of it
quickly but, will eventually result in technological slavery and wastage of
national resources. Software is one area where one can compete without
having much infrastructure

I have experienced the power, reliabiity and flexibility offered by the
GNU/Linux system. I work in a Particle Accelerator laboratory, Nuclear
Science Centre. The data acquisition and control systems we developed using
GNU/Linux are highly efficient and costs less.

The same can be done in all areas. India can develop all the software it
requires based on the existing Free Software pool. Decision makers lack
vision. Everyone want some MNC to take up the responsibility of things and
keep the door open for exploitation. With time, these systems will become
unafffordable and will collapse. I feel the best option at the moment is a
grassroot level movement to train people in Free Software.

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FN: How would you describe GLUE?
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GLUE  is a collection of documentation and software packages to help you to
get started into the world of Free Software. You can browse the CD on any
system to learn about the Free Software movement and its implications.

Once you have a GNU/Linux system installed, the CD become more useful. It
contains tutorials and programs that most require. The second version of the
CD stress more on the cost effective implementation of a computer laboratory
for schools.

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FN: How did the project get started and evolve?
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It started without any preparation. In December 2000, I gave a series of and
talk demonstration on free software at several colleges at Calicut with the
idea of forming a Free Software User Group. I wanted to have some material
to show and leave something with them. That's how GLUE was started.

At present mainly my free time goes into it. For writing scripts and
creating graphics, my friends helped. At NSC, we have three to four people
who take some interest in Free Software.

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FN: How much time does it take?
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Difficult to quanitfy. 15 - 20 hours a week probably.

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FN: What has been the response like?
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Diffiicult to say, since I am seding the CD free most of the time. The
feedback is not that bad; hope it is frank opinion.

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FN: What role do you feel it has to play in education?
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If you want IT to be used effectively in schools, you need a good
computer-to-student ratio. This can be achived only by cost effective
implementations that are reliable and easy to maintain. That's why the CD
stresses more on the Terminal Server System (LTSP).

On the software front, there are tons of code available on the Net. Finding
the usefull ones is one big task.

Poor network connectivity is another challenge for most of us. The CD helps
in these aspects.

There is a lot of code available from various research laboratories; they
can really improve the quality university level education. For example, I
have seen many people going in for illegal copies of MATLAB, and not being
aware of GNU Octave.

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FN: What role do you see GNU/Linux playing in the world of education?
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A lot. In my view it is the thing that is going to bridge digital divide.
The reason is simple. You have access to a lot of advanced technologies just
by having an infrastructure of a PC and a Net connection.

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FN: In your visition, what role can GNU/Linux play in the world of
education?
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Education, especially higher education, is a process that depends a lot on
sharing. The knowledge in all the fields are changing rapidly and having
access to it is important. Universities and other academic institutions all
over the world are generating a lot of knowledge.  Computer codes are
integral part of this knowledge and GNU/Linux is the chosen platform (which
makes sharing possible). Entering the world of GNU/Linux will bring the
students in touch with this body of knowledge and it will make a lot of
impact. (ENDS)
--
Frederick Noronha    : http://www.fredericknoronha.net  : When we speak of free
Freelance Journalist : http://www.bytesforall.org       : software we refer to
Ph 0091.832.2409490  : Cell 0 9822 122436               : freedom, not price.