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Linux thrives in left-leaning Kerala
NewsForge ^ | August 26, 2005 | Sreelakshmi Haridas

Posted on 08/27/2005 2:23:40 PM PDT by Golden Eagle

Kerala, a tiny coastal state in south India, is a site of significant popularity of free software and GNU/Linux. What lessons can Kerala teach other areas about using free and open source software?

Kerala, as a state, is strongly grounded in principles of socialism. Most of the educated middle class is leftist, at least in principle. The state is credited with a near 100% literacy rate and better social statistics than most of the rest of the country. And all this is reflected in a spirit among the people to question any decision imposed on them. They resent lack of choices, and by extension, oppose monopolies. What better fuel for an open source/free software movement to thrive on than a society like this?

(Excerpt) Read more at software.newsforge.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: asia; brassbuzzard; cantgetlaid; canthandlethetruth; china; commentgraveyard; communism; dictatorwannabe; einvolk; fastcoyotewannabe; forqclinton; fruseslinux; geisforqclinton; gelosesitagain; geneverhadit; idiot; ignoranceinaction; india; kerala; kids; linux; msdildoreceptacle; msvslinuxwars; mswhiner; mswhore; neousenettroll; nowifenogirlfriend; onering; opensource; pinglistwannabe; softwarewars
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To: softwarecreator

Sure, here's one right here:

http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-08-30-011-26-NW-LL-PB

Venezuela's Government Shifts to Open Source Software

According to government sources in Venezuela, the South American nation has announced an official policy that exclusively calls for the use of open source software in that government.


21 posted on 08/27/2005 2:47:22 PM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: N3WBI3; Golden Eagle
You two sure have been noisy on a lot of threads recently...

Did either of you, (or both) do the BBS thing back in the day? That's so much what it reminds me of.

You both bring a lot of good information, I just wish you would stop with the growling at each other...

Ah well...
22 posted on 08/27/2005 2:47:31 PM PDT by birbear (Admit it. you clicked on the "I have already previewed" button without actually previewing the post.)
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To: Golden Eagle

I am from Kerala. Kerala was introduced to Christianity in 52 AD by Jesus' disciple Thomas. As a result of the Christian influence, the church invested in literacy (schools and universities), healthcare (hospitals), and other projects designed to improve the standard of care of all of the people: hindu, muslim, and Christian.
Historically, the land had been divided into kingdoms, that gave way to a population of land and home owners and a set of poor people. Because of the great success of the education initiatives, even the poor were literate. When Karl Marks' works became available, the "labor class" or "workers" were able to read it. Many charlatans took advantage of this to try and exploited these people. The began a class war that took the lives of a great many hardworking and descent people and stole their lands.
Through intimidation and a mob-like rule, they still control politics from the local to the state-wide level.

Some might claim that the good has come from the commies, but that is simply not the case. As is true with all communist regimes, the first victim is truth. History is rewritten and propaganda flows freely.


23 posted on 08/27/2005 2:47:37 PM PDT by yevgenie
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To: Prime Choice; Golden Eagle
Microsoft thrives in Communist China...especially since it suppresses words like "freedom," "democracy," and so on. All with Microsoft's blessing, I might add.

To be fair, could you supply a list of companies that are refusing to do business with China because of it's politics?

To blame ONLY Microsoft is pretty ridiculous.  The life expectancy of a CEO of a major corporation, who refuses to do business in a country with as many potential buyers as China, would be pretty short.

24 posted on 08/27/2005 2:50:19 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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To: Prime Choice

Wrong, China has policies in place that could have all MS products banned in the government NLT 2010.

http://asia.cnet.com/news/software/printfriendly.htm?AT=39146335-39001094t-39000001c

China Blocks Foreign Software Use in Government

A new policy by China's governing body will rule that all ministries buy only locally-produced software at the next upgrade cycle.

The move by the State Council is aimed at breaking the dominance of U.S.-based Microsoft on desktop computers, will eliminate Microsoft's Windows operating system and Office productivity suite from hundreds of thousands of Chinese government computers in a few years' time.


25 posted on 08/27/2005 2:50:48 PM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: Golden Eagle

A turkish friend told me that you can buy Windoze XP for $1 on the streets of Istanbul. So, in some parts of the world, the competition is between two forms of "free" software.


26 posted on 08/27/2005 2:52:29 PM PDT by TomSmedley (Calvinist, optimist, home schooling dad, exuberant husband, technical writer)
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To: Golden Eagle
Okay.  Thanks.

From the article: The announcement, made on Wednesday, stated that from now on, all software developed for the government must be licenced under the GPL.

You are right, whatever organizations are monitoring the Free Trade should be raising a stink over this.  It's pretty much giving one OSS the potential to create a monopoly.

27 posted on 08/27/2005 2:53:58 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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To: Golden Eagle

How do you feel about Microsoft opening the source to a large portion of .Net and C#?


28 posted on 08/27/2005 2:54:41 PM PDT by SolarisRocks
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To: TomSmedley
A turkish friend told me that you can buy Windoze XP for $1 on the streets of Istanbul. So, in some parts of the world, the competition is between two forms of "free" software.

That's obvioulsy stolen software, which doesn't really count as competition so much as it is a crime.

29 posted on 08/27/2005 2:55:51 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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To: Golden Eagle; MikeinIraq; N3WBI3
Nice little factoid, but it doesn't erase the fact that Microsoft whored itself to the Communists and gleefully altered its product to accommodate totalitarian demands.

Funny how you refuse to admit that FACT, sport.

Actually...it's more than funny. It stinks on ice. And it's very telling how far you'll go to cover for Microsoft.

So tell me...how much do they pay you to whore their malware in public forums, hm?

30 posted on 08/27/2005 2:55:51 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Golden Eagle
What requirements are you referring to?
31 posted on 08/27/2005 2:56:34 PM PDT by SolarisRocks
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Comment #32 Removed by Moderator

To: Prime Choice; Golden Eagle
So tell me...how much do they pay you to whore their malware in public forums, hm?

pssst ... Golden Eagle, if this is true, can you tell me how I can get in on it?  Mo' Money, Mo' Money!

33 posted on 08/27/2005 2:57:58 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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To: William Creel
Isn't Solaris dead?:) mwhaha

Ouch ... now that's gonna leave a mark.

34 posted on 08/27/2005 2:58:39 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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To: softwarecreator; Golden Eagle; MikeinIraq; N3WBI3
To be fair, could you supply a list of companies that are refusing to do business with China because of it's politics?

That's really beside the point. I don't go whoring products for one company while badmouthing free products that are in use in communist countries...unlike Herr Buzzard.

And Microsoft doesn't just sell its stuff to the Chinese. It willfully altered it to accommodate Communist totalitarianism. Big difference there.

35 posted on 08/27/2005 2:58:59 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: yevgenie
I am from Kerala.

Very interesting, thanks for your reply.

When Karl Marks' works became available, the "labor class" or "workers" were able to read it. Many charlatans took advantage of this to try and exploited these people. The began a class war that took the lives of a great many hardworking and descent people and stole their lands. Through intimidation and a mob-like rule, they still control politics from the local to the state-wide level.

What you describe is exactly what we've seen in every instance of communism, it's simply a false promise by which an elite class seizes control of the populace.

Some might claim that the good has come from the commies, but that is simply not the case. As is true with all communist regimes, the first victim is truth. History is rewritten and propaganda flows freely.

Some obviously would claim that, there are proponents for communism everywhere, and they are very forceful with their opinions. They generally break into two categories, those who have a position in society whereby they might become part of the ruling party, and the "useful idiots" as Marx referred to them that help provide the ruling class their power out of ignorance.

Thanks again for your comments, please feel free to contribute further to this thread or any others I frequent.

36 posted on 08/27/2005 2:58:59 PM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: Prime Choice
That's really beside the point. I don't go whoring products for one company while badmouthing free products that are in use in communist countries...unlike Herr Buzzard.

True.  But in all fairness, I am pretty sure other companies alter their products to fit other gov'ts needs, don't they?

37 posted on 08/27/2005 3:01:22 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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To: William Creel
Isn't Solaris dead?

If it isn't, it might as well be. Sun has so screwed the pooch with that OS. I used to be an exclusive Solaris user and admin...but after the way they treated their Solaris x86 people, I lost all respect and interest in Sun and their products.

38 posted on 08/27/2005 3:01:22 PM PDT by Prime Choice (E=mc^3. Don't drink and derive.)
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To: Prime Choice
Nice little factoid

I've already pointed this out to you before, yet you continually refuse to accept facts. Too busy calling me names and bolding your fonts, apparently.

39 posted on 08/27/2005 3:01:41 PM PDT by Golden Eagle
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To: Prime Choice
If it isn't, it might as well be. Sun has so screwed the pooch with that OS.

You have to wonder what is going on with the brains of people running some companies.  Why do stupid things like alienating their customer base?

40 posted on 08/27/2005 3:03:14 PM PDT by softwarecreator
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