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Is Linux Improving Life Of Poor In India?
mood6 writes "Linux Journal has a nice article on Automating Government with e-Governance. It discusses Linux usage by the Indian government to improve the lives of the rural poor (interesting look at how the IT boom in India is benefiting the poor). The article covers some of the difficulties in deploying Linux in non-English languages for government usage. Good read for those looking at Linux in e-Governance projects and a good follow up to a previous article by Tom Adelstein. In support of full disclosure: I wrote the article and the platform was developed by Delixus, my current company."
Although Ghandi has refused the position, I heard that one of the main reasons the previous prime minister of India was so unpredictably ousted was because the rural constituents felt marginalized by his focus on developing high-tech industry while regular industries and agriculture were suffering. I think there's a luddite streak running through the Indian poor that was previously unnoticed.
Too busy staying alive... ~ R.A.
The outcomes of the latest election were interpreted by the political experts as an outright rejection of the notion that the country's newly-found strength in IT had benefitted the rural poor. In the light of this, it would seem unlikely that any one technology (not just Linux) would have had a noticeable improvement in their lives. Then again, perception and reality can sometimes be two completely opposite things, so one can never be sure of that either.
I'm not trolling.. I'm not a troll (look at my history to see that) but seriously..
:D
LINUX IS JUST SOFTWARE.
It will not:
1.) Feed the hungry.
2.) Bring world peace.
3.) Become a viable renewable power source.
It's just free software.. and that's a good thing..
Simon.
I beg to differ with your "Linux is a very difficult product to commoditize" statement. Linux is turning operating systems into a commodity - the tool is cheap, it's the expertise to use that particular tool that's pricey.
.com era and are now struggling, outsourcing is bad. If you're a poor farmer in India whose child just turned the educaion that you paid for with the sweat of your brow into a steady, paying job, outsourcing is good.
As with any tool, you have to take the good with the bad. Linux cannot choose sides - as this post points out, Linux is just software - it itself has no moral compass.
Too, which side of the equation you on seems to define the morality - if you're someone who made out like a bandit in the
I've been affected by outsourcing myself - the job I held was "terminated" since the whole department was picked up and moved to a cheaper part of the country. Different story, same effect - I was out of a job for a year, and took a lower paying position to feed my family.
Anyone "talking up Linux" is good, IMHO - even my former employers. As you said, it's not Linux's fault. It's just market forces in action.
Soko
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
That's the reason why Chandrababu Naidu, a sophisticated and technology-aggressive politician, got the boot.
Good basic governance comes before e-governance.
Improve the lives of indians by letting them have jobs!!
Yes, this means not discriminating against them because they aren't US citizens. An indian citizen is no less deserving than someone in the USA of a high standard of living. If we are really concerned about the livelihoods of our fellow humans (and not some bizarre ideology where american lives are worth more than indian lives) this means abandoning all these silly 'buy american' campaigns or protesting when IT companies outsource.
If you liked this thought maybe you would find my blog nice too:
Although living standards have dramatically improved for all Indians, it is still widely considered to be a third world country.
-Approximately 25% of the Indian population are below the poverty line
-The water supply is so polluted that people must buy or boil their water.
-The poor are discriminated against in education.
-Health care in India? What health care?
So, when reading this, did anyone else think that with the exception of the water supply issue, these are all applicable to the U.S. as well? Obviously not to the same degree, but still.
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
I would have to guess the poor don't even know what or have never even heard of Linux. If I were living in abject poverty I think I'd be more concerned with putting food on the table or having a roof over my head than realzing the benefits of some silly computer.