Indian State Switches to Linux

[Jerry Feldman]

We had been discussing Bill Gates in India last week. slashdot 
(http://slashdot.org/) references an article in the India Times 
(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?artid=28
707422)
Posted by michael on Wednesday November 20, @11:19AM
from the low-cost-high-tech dept.
pamri writes "In a pleasant and surprising move, the Indian state of Madhya 
Pradesh, has opted to switch to Linux from Microsoft for its Gyandooth 
(intranet in Dhar district connecting rural cybercafes catering to the 
everyday needs of the masses) programme. What is more surprising is that 
the state's Chief Minister Digvijay Singh personally conveyed this to Bill 
Gates. A choice quote: 'For us it is not a question of Microsoft versus 
Linux. It is just a matter of choosing between a free software and a 
monopoly. We feel that when we are putting public information out in the 
open, then it should not be through a proprietary software.'" 

-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Associate Director
Boston Linux and Unix user group
http://www.blu.org PGP key id:C5061EA9
PGP Key fingerprint:053C 73EC 3AC1 5C44 3E14 9245 FB00 3ED5 C506 1EA9