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Is Linux Improving Life Of Poor In India?

Posted by timothy on from the depends-who-you-ask dept.

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."

5 of 256 comments (clear)

  1. Prime Minister by MulluskO · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.
  2. this is a complicated question by v1x · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  3. please OMG by Ckwop · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm not trolling.. I'm not a troll (look at my history to see that) but seriously..

    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.. :D

    Simon.

  4. The answer is No by romit_icarus · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Indians have more immediate needs, water and electricity (pani aur bijli), before they can seek the benefits of e-governance.

    That's the reason why Chandrababu Naidu, a sophisticated and technology-aggressive politician, got the boot.

    Good basic governance comes before e-governance.

  5. Re:And yet... by AgntOrnge · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.