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Free Open Software are really free! And openly available

By introducing parallel to Microsoft programme under Free Hand Open Software Services (FOSS) like ‘Ubuntu’ and ‘Chiguru’ all application that were seen in Microsoft Windows is freely available and accessible in this Free Hand Open Software

L.Raghuanda

4^th Estate

Bangalore

‘Ubuntu’ while this software was designed by Canonical Private Limited software company based in India. ‘Ubuntu’ which is Swahili word, language of South African, one of language spoken by South Africans .

Ubuntu’ in Swahili means ‘service to community’ while it got swahili terms as there were many software engineers from South Africa quite few Indian based and South African too it got that name, and these software came out in market in 1983.

“ Ubuntu like software it is used by many government organisation in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal it is used since it is public software, crores of people are using this software world over” says K. Gurumurthy Director for IT for Change

“ These software is used widely in Malaysia, Spain. UK, Vietnam, while United Nation Organization (UN) has been using in its main office and subsidiary organization belonging to UN” says K. Gurumurthy

“But if it used to potential Rs 20,000 crore will be saved for India in comparison to present users and exorbitant charges users pay in getting windows and related application software. Says Gurumurthy Director IT for Change” said Gurumurthy when asked about the potential of these software when it is in open market and freely available” says K. Gurumurthy.

“ While Ubuntu was software designed with its users application having English language for users worldwide Hariprasad Nadiga a software engineer Bangalore based now working for Non Governmental Organisation Sampada has designed software by name ‘Chiguru’ a similar or akin to ‘Ubuntu’ but user application is in Kannada language” said K. Gurumurthy Director for IT for Change

When asked about this ‘ubuntu’ and ‘chiguru’ software Director IT for Change K. Gurumurthy said “these software is free from virus, it is easy to install and everything that you see in windows or any other operating application is within this software, and the purpose of bringing these software is to bridge the digital divide and as said earlier to bring down operating cost”

In order to popularise these software IT for change along with Solution Exchange had organized training and seminar from 16^th to 18^th December 2010 at Indian Institute for Social Change , Bangalore .