[Discussioni]Newsscan

[Francesco Potorti`]

OPEN SOURCE VS. MICROSOFT IN INDIA
The "open source" free-software movement had hoped to make big inroads in 
poverty-stricken India, but has run into a big obstacle -- a company called 
Microsoft, which has been making large donations of its own proprietary 
software to Indian government offices at both the federal and state level. 
Richard Stallings, founder of the Free Software Foundation, is complaining: 
"Proprietary software companies hand out free copies for the same reason 
that cigarette companies give sample packs to college kids -- to encourage 
addiction."  But India seems to be quite happy to accept Microsoft's 
largesse, and the information secretary of the Karnataka state government 
defends Microsoft against Stallings' charges: "You should not make 
accusations against a company because it is successful. We are a poor 
country. We cannot develop operating systems and platforms on our own." 
Open source advocate Frederick Noronha, however, insists there already 
exist many open source applications that India could use: "And many more 
are coming. Further, it would cost next to nothing to develop new software 
on open source." (AP/San Jose Mercury News 14 Nov 2002)
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4516363.htm