Free Software Compulsory in India!

[Dark Star]

*www.imgx.org/files/3422_2ucne/tuxlt4.png Free software in India is from now on mandatory for IT practicals of SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) examination planned for March 2008.

Orders making free software compulsory have been issued by the Director of Public Instruction (DPI), considering Linux Operating System should be used
for IT education in 8th, 9th, and 10th standards. The DPI will also start various programs to popularize the free software. Until last year, schools had to choose between free software and the Windows operating system.

For the 10th standard, fully Linux-based text books have been prepared, while for the 8th and 9th standard more books have been provided. These books were prepared by SCERT (State Council Educational Research and Training) and Free Software Foundation of India under the guidance of IT@school project.

Introductory lectures will be delivered in school assemblies across the country on Monday, and after them a pledge will follow. Outlines for the lectures and pledge circulate in schools. The DPI has started organizing competitions for the students mainly in the digital art area.

A digital painting competition for students of 8th standard will be conducted using the applications TUX paint, XPaint and GIMP, with the subject "My school and surrounding" , and a presentation contest will be held for the students of 9th and 10th standard with the topic "IT and its benefits to the common man", using Open Office Impress. Both competitions will have a duration of one hour and a half.

*www.imgx.org/pthumbs/large/2146/Free-Software-Compulsory-in-India-2.png​

The prize winning paintings will be compiled at the State level and then uploaded on the website The official web site of the Department of General Education , Government of Kerala.

The situation is at least ironic: by making compulsory the use of software that should be free, the government is annulling the students’ freedom of choice; still, at the same time, the measure (namely using free, open source software) also means a lot of money will be saved by these schools.

Sources : - SCERT KERALA | official website of general education
LinuxWorld | Free software wins support among communists in India

Behold the horde of Open Source approaches

 

[NucleusKore]

Yes its about time it was made compulsory to learn. People kick up such a fuss about even trying to use linux, let alone migrating.

 

[infra_red_dude]

kerala is taking some really bold steps!!

 

[kumarmohit]

Hmm I do not agree with the move. I think that true freedom does not lie with any OS rather with the choice of the person who wants to use it. So Freedom is not all about using linux, its about my choice. I want to use X software and I would use it, who is the govt to force that no you should only learn Linux and not even touch windows or OS X

 

[infra_red_dude]

thing is windows has forcefully dominated the scene. and ppl will shy to use anything. they are not ready to even learn new things. so i believe this move is correct. once the person gets familiar wid all things, he then has choice. that shud be the time when he get to choose. unless the monopoly is forcefuly countered the end user has no choice!! how may first timers do you know wud try out OSS by themselves? none, at least as to what i haf seen. so a forceful intro to the OSS is necessary at this level so that they become capable to choosing something at a later stage (mebbe at the professional level)

 

[gary4gar]

So if only for kerala???
it will be fun seeing my teachers who once said linux is cr@p & FLOSS does'nt occur in real life, as nothing comes for free.


now at least my joniors will get away from learning visual basic & stupid dos


Still in college too i don't have anything relating to linux however we will be taught unix in 3rd year

 

[NucleusKore]

Hmm I do not agree with the move. I think that true freedom does not lie with any OS rather with the choice of the person who wants to use it. So Freedom is not all about using linux, its about my choice.........

So are you going to ask students to CHOOSE? Then you would also have to provide them Apple, Sun Solaris and other OSes which might feel left out. The idea is to tell people that there is a REAL FREE ALTERNATIVE to stealing a propriety OS. I can't see what's wrong in that kind of education. Forcing everyone to learn Windows (that too on illegal systems) is ok I guess, is it?

 

[skghosh44]

Common ppl are slave of habit, if somebody ask to do anything out of his paradigm they denied to do the same. When forcefully applied to do the same, they will do and subsequently they will be slave of the new paradigm. Here also if every state govt introduce OSS as kerela Govt doing, Time will come , when we all are slave of OSS. Because there is no need to purchase costly software which Microsoft developing. Also software piracy will be reduced.
In my case just for learning purpose I have installed Ubuntu 7.04 and Kubuntu 7.04 in my pc, ist time I found it very difficult to use, then with the help of forum members, now I am a parmanent user of Kubuntu 7.04. Also I have installed Kubuntu 7.04 in one of my friends PC. He is also satisfied with the OS.

 

[kumarmohit]

thing is windows has forcefully dominated the scene. and ppl will shy to use anything.

This is what the govt wants to do with linux now, So you get out of MS monopoly and get in a govt monopoly, from the frying pan to the burning stove.

so i believe this move is correct. once the person gets familiar wid all things, he then has choice.

The idea is to tell people that there is a REAL FREE ALTERNATIVE to stealing a propriety OS.

Alternative to what, since the people wud only be taught linux, what does it mean, that Linux is the OS, the only OS, In such a case all of it comes full circle.

how may first timers do you know wud try out OSS by themselves? none, at least as to what i haf seen. so a forceful intro to the OSS is necessary at this level so that they become capable to choosing something at a later stage (mebbe at the professional level)

That is a misconception, there are people who want to go legit and can go an extra mile for it as well. But you can not force them to take stands.

So are you going to ask students to CHOOSE?

Exactly and this is what the movement of freedom is all about, is it not.

Forcing everyone to learn Windows (that too on illegal systems) is ok I guess, is it?

No because that would be the same story with different characters. And why do you think like a Sith Lord, If I am not with you, does not mean I am against you

unless the monopoly is forcefuly countered the end user has no choice!!

If you use force to defeat force, what is the difference between you and the first person

Take a simple example, The students should given a hands on experience on all OSs for some time say 3 months/OS and they should be allowed to make the choice.

If we can allow a person who has just passed class 10, to choose between Science, Commerce and Arts, what is the big problem with choice of OS.

 

[ilugd]

just a simple note. When you say linux in schools, are you aware that the teachers install a server on some system and the students are supposed to telnet and use command line tools. If that is what the students think linux is all about, I don't see it serving any useful purpose. I seldom see any of the students having ever heard about ubuntu and such.

What do you think?

 

[Yamaraj]

now at least my joniors will get away from learning visual basic & stupid dos

And the arch stupid Turbo C++ compiler as well.

 

[kumarmohit]

just a simple note. When you say linux in schools, are you aware that the teachers install a server on some system and the students are supposed to telnet and use command line tools. If that is what the students think linux is all about, I don't see it serving any useful purpose. I seldom see any of the students having ever heard about ubuntu and such.

What do you think?

Yep, I went to give some personality development sessions for the students in an institute, where RHCE is being taught, its an exam center as well. I was there for like 10- 15 days, during my stay I asked students who Linus Torvalds was, they were blank, I asked who was stallman, they were blank, I asked what is bery they were blank, I asked what is an RPM they were blank, I asked wat is kernel panic, they were blank.

I asked wat is ls, they said its a command to list the content of a directory!

 

[ilugd]

sad. Linux is supposed to be fun.

 

[infra_red_dude]

the idea is to give students an insight into OSS/alternatives. almost all the cases i know haf refused to voluntarily get into OSS and use alternatives. their simple reasoning is this: arey yaar, why shud i spend time knowing about another OS when windows is there. i'll just make a copy of the installation CD from my fren!

if students are made to learn about OSS/alternatives from their school dayz then they won't give the kinda reply mentioned above when they become old enuff to choose.

take the case of my engineering colg. i'm from the electronics branch. 2 of us (the other being from the comp. science branch) organised a workshop on OSS/Linux/alternatives... their capabilities, their usage in the real world, market share, how they are different, the features, customisation.... everthing. the next day was a workshop on installing and configuring a basic linux system. free ubuntu CDs were to be distributed. my class has 65 ppl. guess how many turned up? 4!!! yes, thats rite.. FOUR! unless ppl are made to do things, they won't voluntarily do anything... they'd rather go to the sutta (cigarette) corner, spend time there than attending the workshop and then goto their frenz place and pirate windows. this is the sad reality!

 

[mehulved]

I am not with the idea of forcing OSS down the children's throat. They should have a good mix of learning about OS's. The IT department should try and make best use of available budget constraints to provide them variety of different OS's to understand computing rather than specific OS.
Another thing is having teachers who actually teach, not just explain just what's given in the books. It's not just linux that is taught in haphazard way. I'd like to know how many of you've had teachers who even taught anything in windows properly. I didn't have such teachers for sure.

As for students. Not much in blaming them. It's a human tendency to stay away from what doesn't interest you. On top of it most teachers remove the fun out of learning. No wonder that is what students do.

 

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ i agree wid mehul regarding the way and attitude of teachers.

 

[aditya.shevade]

Very good decision.

 

[kumarmohit]

the idea is to give students an insight into OSS/alternatives. almost all the cases i know haf refused to voluntarily get into OSS and use alternatives. their simple reasoning is this: arey yaar, why shud i spend time knowing about another OS when windows is there. i'll just make a copy of the installation CD from my fren!

if students are made to learn about OSS/alternatives from their school dayz then they won't give the kinda reply mentioned above when they become old enuff to choose.

take the case of my engineering colg. i'm from the electronics branch. 2 of us (the other being from the comp. science branch) organised a workshop on OSS/Linux/alternatives... their capabilities, their usage in the real world, market share, how they are different, the features, customisation.... everthing. the next day was a workshop on installing and configuring a basic linux system. free ubuntu CDs were to be distributed. my class has 65 ppl. guess how many turned up? 4!!! yes, thats rite.. FOUR! unless ppl are made to do things, they won't voluntarily do anything... they'd rather go to the sutta (cigarette) corner, spend time there than attending the workshop and then goto their frenz place and pirate windows. this is the sad reality!

Yes! Only it sounds too familiar to M$ strategy, what MS does with the power of money, here it is being done by the power of govt.

If people do not want to move, why force them, let them realize for themselves that their act is wrong!

So wat is the big difference. AFAIK, the only looser here is still the same: Freedom of choice.

 

[praka123]

forcing means forcing.if someone cannot be out of addiction,what u'll do?de-addiction.yes,ofcourse!
to elderly members-how do u get into this DOS,windows thing when PC usage started?-because the only option visible that time was windows.
ps:but i'm worried if congress come into power in next election-Linux adoption may be killed(Congress Leader is arguing like a M$ agent in USA law assembly! when GNU/Linux are going to be on all schools)
times are changing and we dont want to stick with windows and microsoft.
and in kerala,there is an uproar from M$(m$ itself) supporters to reverse the policy.but kids talk about gpaint,tuxpaint and they are not worried about missing wi(n)dows.
btwn in kerala,they use a debian custom distro which is updated regularly when necessary like the way edubuntu is.
infact RMS who visited CM changed the state to shift to Linux.
*space-kerala.org/
*support.space-kerala.org/wiki/index.php/Help_Desk

even the distro is available for download(forgot the link)
and FYI,many pvt schools uses windows along with Linux.

 

[din]

May be it is not a good move, like forcing students, or it can be done like win-lin combination.

But the basic thing is, Govt can force schools to use Lin coz it does not cost much, at the same time if they are supposed to use win / ms office, the $$$ matters.

Second thing is - students are not going to learn very complicated things or internals of an OS. They are learning paint, office suit etc. So nothing matters, I mean whether its win or its lin, it does not matter. In open office or in MS office - you either use the B button to make a word bold or you just use ctrl+b - whether it is lin or its win - does not matter at all.

They are not going to learn .net or VB rt now, so Win is not essential. I mean as per the syllabus. When the syllabus changes and when win is needed, the schools will have to try win too. But for the time being, Lin is quite sufficient for their needs.

And now lin is much more user friendly, the start menu etc are similar and I do not think this will confuse the students when they have to use win at a later stage - if needed.