Bridging the digital divide

MOST OF us tend to be suspicious about anything that comes free. Surely there must be a catch somewhere? Especially when it comes to technology and software, most of us would rather pay (an exorbitant amount?) and use commercially sold operating systems and applications or use their pirated versions which unscrupulous dealers ship along with computers, than go in for software which is robust, bug-free and cost-free. That a free operating system like Linux is technologically equal, if not superior, to commercial operating systems has been proved many times over. Linux is a unix-like operating system consisting of the kernel, developed by Linus Torvalds and first released in 1991, along with thousands of applications developed under the open source/GNU movement. It also comes with free programming/development tools for programmers, the commercial equivalents of which cost a hefty packet. All these are updated and maintained by volunteer programmers using the Net. The free software movement is based on the belief that knowledge and technology should be free of commercial constraints. Roughly about 30 per cent of the backbone servers that make up the Internet, use Linux. It is yet to make a noticeable impact on the desktop because it is perceived to be difficult to use. Which is of course not entirely true. Modern distributions of Linux like Red Hat, Caldera, SuSE and Mandrake make installation and use of Linux as easy as any other operating system. In a country like India, where there is a premium on public resources, the relevance of free software is only too obvious. Governments, which talk blithely about e-governance, could save crores by going in for open source software. Free software could also play a major role in bridging the much-talked-about digital divide. Yet, if free operating systems like Linux haven't yet made a perceptible mark, the reasons could be many. Simple lack of awareness could be one of them. It was to address this that the Indian Linux Users Group, Chennai (ILUGC), conducted a two-day Expo on October 20 and 21 at 49, North Boag Road, to demonstrate to the public the capabilities of Linux. ILUGC is an informal group of linux users/enthusiasts from all walks of life (http://www.chennailug.org). They had put together a variety of machines showcasing the capability of Linux in areas like networking, graphics, publishing and multimedia.

Surprisingly, Linux operates as well on an old 486 machine as on a Pentium III machine unlike commercial operating systems that need costlier hardware with each new upgrade. What the expo demonstrated clearly was that a vibrant technology is available here and now. The techies, too, are there. Any takers?

SUBASH JEYAN

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