Dell began offering consumer systems running Ubuntu in May 2007. Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibson has been available on laptops since October.

The OEM and laptop testing teams of Dell have been testing the code and hardware drivers for several weeks and are ready to launch the Ubuntu 7.10 Laptop based on the free and open source Ubuntu Linux operating system.

“We believe Ubuntu 7.10 is a solid step forward for both Linux enthusiasts as well as the mainstream consumer market,” wrote Daniel Judd, Product Group Strategist on the Dell2Dell blog on Tuesday. “The answer is simple. With any operating system, we take gold code and take the time to do extensive testing on our systems to make sure that customers have as few issues as possible.”

Daniel Judd, Dell product manager has cited “cool” 3-D visual effects, easier desktop search for applications and the “ability to quickly switch between users and easily share a system with family members” as key new features of Ubuntu’s 7.10 release. He has also cited two minor Dell developed innovations much in demand by younger generation of laptop users — pre-installation of Flash and improved recovery options — as other significant enhancements for Gutsy Gibbon on Dell consumer PCs.

Judd also one key request was the ability to watch DVD movies from the Dell Linux desktop. “We totally agree and that’s why we now include built-in DVD movie playback with all Ubuntu 7.10 systems.The experience we wanted is simple — when you put a movie in, it plays. It is easy enough for a child and an example of the steps we are taking to make Ubuntu as enjoyable as possible.

Dell began offering consumer systems running Ubuntu in May 2007. Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibson has been available on laptops since October.

The OEM and laptop testing teams of Dell have been testing the code and hardware drivers for several weeks and are ready to launch the Ubuntu 7.10 Laptop based on the free and open source Ubuntu Linux operating system.

“We believe Ubuntu 7.10 is a solid step forward <span style="font-weight:bold;">for both Linux enthusiasts as well as the mainstream consumer market</span>,” wrote Daniel Judd, Product Group Strategist on the Dell2Dell blog on Tuesday. “The answer is simple. With any operating system, we take gold code and take the time to do extensive testing on our systems to make sure that customers have as few issues as possible.”

Daniel Judd, Dell product manager has cited “cool” 3-D visual effects, easier desktop search for applications and the “ability to quickly switch between users and easily share a system with family members” as key new features of Ubuntu’s 7.10 release. He has also cited two minor Dell developed innovations much in demand by younger generation of laptop users — pre-installation of Flash and improved recovery options — as other significant enhancements for Gutsy Gibbon on Dell consumer PCs.

Judd also one key request was the ability to watch DVD movies from the Dell Linux desktop. “We totally agree and that’s why we now include built-in DVD movie playback with all Ubuntu 7.10 systems.The experience we wanted is simple — when you put a movie in, it plays. It is easy enough for a child and an example of the steps we are taking to make Ubuntu as enjoyable as possible.

Now that the Christmas and New Year shopping season is fast coming on and box retailers are making a grab for Indian upmarket customer pockets, many Indian papa and moms who live in Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Mumbai are wondering what Christmas gift to buy for their school and college going children.

For some, it is a choice between splurging on a high priced branded computer, with a pre loaded and proprietary operating system from a desi manufacturer like Wipro, Zenith, HCL, or one of the multinationals like Acer, Compaq, Dell, Lenovo. They have been closely watching the Koi Mil Gaya lad showing his super smooth whizzkid antics with an Acer computer when he gets time off from advertising tobacco company ads. But this Greek god like lad does not reveal whether Ubuntu is loaded on the Acer notebook computer, for executive people, short of quality time for their children but having lots of money.

For the school students it is a differnet story. Maybe they are watching if they can run favorite games on a Ubuntu laptop or desktop and if latest Ubuntu version 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon is really as good as some of their more enterprising school mates tell them.

But for some parents, it is going to be an ocassion for spending quality time with the children. School vacations are about to begin and the IT savvy pops and moms, with their mega millions, are thinking that maybe this December they will find some time, to sit down with th children to play some computer games on the Firefox browser. So which Indian computer manufacturers have got their act together and are offering good Ubuntu computers with OS CD ? It seems not many. Most are preferring to give unsuspecting and illiterate customers preloaded copies of proprietary, closed source software rather than a free CD of Ubuntu Linux that people can install themselves.

And of course, not many Indian parents have even heard of Ubuntu Linux or themselves experimented with it. So maybe they will just go out and buy manufactured PC’s for their kids - without Ubuntu.

But the assembled market is beginning to gear up and is offering the more discerning parents, a choice of pre installed Ubuntu / Kubuntu alongwith a free copy of legal Ubuntu operating system software, with loads of latest, modern, office collaboration, and educational software programs, for inquisitive school children and college kids, licensed under GNU GPL and therefore, available for FREE with no risk of piracy.

So when these discerning parents will tie up with good computer hardware assemblers, who are well educated in installing Ubuntu they will be able to really give a gift of a lifetime to their children. And then maybe the pop and the mom will also begin to hesitantly start asking their smart, intelligent children to teach them a little of Ubuntu Linux. And quality time ? Yes, here come the parents and the children, all together, learning to get serious with learning Linux skills.

About time the branded hardware box sellers got a run for their money, rather than locking unsuspecting people into closed source softwares.

Where to download free mera wala Ubuntu from ? - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Mera wala PRINTER kaun ? Latest, achha aur best printer mere Ubuntu ke liye kaun sa ?

Which printers are recommended for Ubuntu Kubuntu Linux users ?

Kya Linux Ubuntu par tumhara printer theek se chalta hai ?

For the Kanpur Lucknow based users of Ubuntu Linux computers one of the big questions to do some research on before buying a recommended printer from the Computer manufacturers or local assemblers - is whether the PRINTER being suggested works well with UBUNTU / KUBUNTU LINUX for English language printing ?
Please do ASK your computer supplier / manufacturer / local assembler if the printer they are suggesting for you to BUY, supports good black and colour printing with Ubuntu based Debian operating system ?
If the answer is NO - please do NOT buy that printer as it will be worth nothing to you once you buy it.
It is usually best to buy a LOW COST printer with good preloaded Linux Ubuntu DRIVERS.
If you want to check out if the printer which MAY LOOK GOOD but DOES NOT work well with UBUNTU then just tell the computer dealer to keep the printer in cold storage rather than expect you to buy a USELESS printer that you will not know where to DUMP and throw away.
Where to get the LATEST list of MODERN and best printers which work well with UBUNTU and KUBUNTU Linux ?
Check out at - http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting

It is very important for Indian computer users to buy only printers which have good Linux printer drivers preloaded. There is NO POINT buying a printer if it does NOT work with Linux.
Do ask your computer dealer this question before buying a computer from them.
There are many reports of printers with a lot of marketing push behind them from computer dealers and manufacturers but that do not support Linux Ubuntu for Indian markets and Indian users.

Mera wala PRINTER kaun ? Latest, achha aur best printer mere Ubuntu ke liye kaun sa ?

Which printers are recommended for Ubuntu Kubuntu Linux users ?

Kya Linux Ubuntu par tumhara printer theek se chalta hai ?

For the Kanpur Lucknow based users of Ubuntu Linux computers one of the big questions to do some research on before buying a recommended printer from the Computer manufacturers or local assemblers - is whether the PRINTER being suggested works well with UBUNTU / KUBUNTU LINUX for English language printing ?
Please do ASK your computer supplier / manufacturer / local assembler if the printer they are suggesting for you to BUY, supports good black and colour printing with Ubuntu based Debian operating system ?
If the answer is NO - please do NOT buy that printer as it will be worth nothing to you once you buy it.
It is usually best to buy a LOW COST printer with good preloaded Linux Ubuntu DRIVERS.
If you want to check out if the printer which MAY LOOK GOOD but DOES NOT work well with UBUNTU then just tell the computer dealer to keep the printer in cold storage rather than expect you to buy a USELESS printer that you will not know where to DUMP and throw away.
Where to get the LATEST list of MODERN and best printers which work well with UBUNTU and KUBUNTU Linux ?
Check out at - http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting

It is very important for Indian computer users to buy only printers which have good Linux printer drivers preloaded. There is NO POINT buying a printer if it does NOT work with Linux.
Do ask your computer dealer this question before buying a computer from them.
There are many reports of printers with a lot of marketing push behind them from computer dealers and manufacturers but that do not support Linux Ubuntu for Indian markets and Indian users.

And then if you ask them one simple question as to why - if when a user in an Indian village wants to download Ubuntu Linux from an Indian server there is no Indian server offering free downloads - they just go suddenly quiet.
How long is this state expected to last ?
Just try going to the Ubuntu Linux download page and see (forget the world) - just check out which Asian countries have servers from which common people can download Ubuntu Linux from.
You will be amazed that all these high flying science and technology bureaucrats of India have not even found the time or the resources to offer a server for simple downloads.
And do you wonder what countries figure there ?
Well certainly not the so called big boss of IT - India. Nor the IT capitalists who profess to be socialists at heart.
There is no NASSCOM there. No IIT. No IIIT. No IIM
Then who is there ? -
Surprise of surprises - China, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam.
No Indian servers at all from any of the high flying prestigious IT computing hubs sprinkled all over India.
Is this issue symptomatic about ills and achievements of Indian Science and Technology, some fifty years after the dreams of public sector and science and technology revolution in India ?

And then if you ask them one simple question as to why - if when a user in an Indian village wants to download Ubuntu Linux from an Indian server there is no Indian server offering free downloads - they just go suddenly quiet.
How long is this state expected to last ?
Just try going to the Ubuntu Linux download page and see (forget the world) - just check out which Asian countries have servers from which common people can download Ubuntu Linux from.
You will be amazed that all these high flying science and technology bureaucrats of India have not even found the time or the resources to offer a server for simple downloads.
And do you wonder what countries figure there ?
Well certainly not the so called big boss of IT - India. Nor the IT capitalists who profess to be socialists at heart.
There is no NASSCOM there. No IIT. No IIIT. No IIM
Then who is there ? -
Surprise of surprises - China, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam.
No Indian servers at all from any of the high flying prestigious IT computing hubs sprinkled all over India.
Is this issue symptomatic about ills and achievements of Indian Science and Technology, some fifty years after the dreams of public sector and science and technology revolution in India ?

The BSNL Broadband connection costs only Rs 250/- per month and because it is an ADSL connection you can also use the telephone connection on the same phone line. You just need to phone up the BSNL Broadband support and ask them to give you the BSNL LAN details. Usually the BSNL Broadband support staff are very helpful and will give you : Gateway Address, Primary DNS and Alternate DNS - All very simple - Just note down on piece of paper
The ADSL modem that BSNL gives - like Sterlite which is a Chinese modem works very well with Ubuntu Linux in Kanpur Lucknow and all of Uttar Pradesh and no separate drivers are required. Just connect the Ethernet and phone lines to the modem. Connect the Ethernet cable to your AMD or Intel motherboard Ethernet port - (Do not bother yourself with USB ) . A green and yellow light comes on at back of the Ethernet card if you see the back of your computer or laptop.

What next ? Once your Ubuntu or Kubuntu is installed from your ISO CD go to Applications - Accessories - Terminal and log in as root user. In Ubuntu root user is sudo

Type in the following in your shell - GNOME desktop shell also called GNOME Terminal :

sudo pppoeconf - Then enter the username that BSNL gave you. Next enter the password. Keep all the default settings - Do not leave any spaces - Do it all once or twice or thrice - and you will become perfect in setting up BSNL Broadband Internet for other Ubuntu Linux users in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar :

$: sudo pon dsl-provider

( sudo poff dsl-provider - to disconnect Internet connection ) Next time when you switch on your computer with Ubuntu, the Internet connection will already be started and waiting for you. No need to touch the shell again.

Nowadays most computer dealers will give you a Ubuntu or Kubuntu CD for just Rs 100 and you can install everything yourself. To install printer, keep the printer on while installing your Ubuntu.

In case of any problem - Check your BSNL broadband Internet connection with :

$: sudo plog ifconfig

Try ping command if required but usually not required. Go to any website from your Firefox browser like : http://www.example.com from Applications - Internet

I know some people get very confused by the Linux Shell Commands. But guys one day you did learn to speak free and legal English didn't you ?

And hey, your Rs 250/- per month ADSL Broadband connection from BSNL is working at lightning speed in Kanpur Lucknow, Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna Moradabad. Nothing else to do. Go and have a cup of tea and some samosas. Just tune in to an Internet radio station from your Ubuntu OS and enjoy the latest music and video clips.

Hello Jhumritalayia ...main aa gaya ... Remember Munnabhai when he starts getting phone calls from the top medical colleges of Mumbai ? Yes that's the spirit. Ah, now you are laughing like Boman Irani .. but wait dont do so when you are doing an operation on someone in your hospital.

Happy Ubuntu !! Everything is working fine !! Free legal Ubuntu !! I'm loving it baby !! And yes if somebody next door wants your help, please please do help them out as well. This is the spirit of Ubuntu in Kanpur and Lucknow. If your Ubuntu is working fine, as it should, please do spend some time to get your neighbours Ubuntu working also on their desktop or laptop. No need to wait for posh IIT engineers or overpaid research engineers. They will never come to you.

It seems some kids and even some adult people ( not to talk of ignorant computer, laptop hardware dealers) have difficulties getting their own or customer broadband Internet connection from BSNL India - working with Ubuntu or Kubuntu Linux.

The BSNL Broadband connection costs only Rs 250/- per month and because it is an ADSL connection you can also use the telephone connection on the same phone line. You just need to phone up the BSNL Broadband support and ask them to give you the BSNL LAN details. Usually they are very helpful and will give you : Gateway Address, Primary DNS and Alternate DNS - All very simple - Just note down on piece of paper
The ADSL modem that they give like Sterlite which is a Chinese modem works very well with Ubuntu Linux in Kanpur Lucknow and all of Uttar Pradesh and no separate drivers are required. Just connect the Ethernet and phone lines to the modem. Connect the Ethernet cable to your AMD or Intel motherboard Ethernet port. A green and yellow light comes on if you see the back of your computer or laptop.

What next ? Once your Ubuntu or Kubuntu is installed from your ISO CD go to Applications - Accessories - Terminal and log in as root user. In Ubuntu root user is sudo

Type in the following in your shell - GNOME desktop shell also called GNOME Terminal :

sudo ppoeconf - Then enter the username that BSNL gave you. Next enter the password. Keep all the default settings regarding

sudo pon dsl-provider ( sudo poff dsl-provider - to disconnect Internet connection )

Nowadays most computer dealers will give you a Ubuntu or Kubuntu CD for just Rs 100 and you can install everything yourself. To install printer, keep the printer on while installing your Ubuntu.

Check with : plog ifconfig

Go to any website from your Firefox browser like : http://www.example.com

And hey, your Rs 250/- per month ADSL Broadband connection from BSNL is working at lightning speed in Kanpur Lucknow, Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna Moradabad. Nothing else to do. Just tune in to an Internet radio station from Ubuntu and enjoy the latest music and video clips.

Happy Ubuntu !! Everything is working fine !! Free legal Ubuntu !! I'm loving it baby !! And yes if somebody next door wants your help, please do help them out as wel. This is the spirit of Ubuntu in Kanpur and Lucknow. If your Ubuntu is working fine, please do spend some time to get your neighbours Ubuntu working also. No need to wait for IIT engineers. They will never come to you.

Naturally these assembled computer dealers associations in Kanpur and Lucknow feel that first they have to learn Ubuntu themselves - and then - they have to teach their staff how to install Ubuntu or Kubuntu in one hour. So it seems that school children will now have to teach these outdated computer dealers and hardware box vendors the fine points of Ubuntu Linux installation on laptops and desktops. One wonders when the the computer assemblers will start giving themselves a crash course in Ubuntu and Linux so that they can install it on their customer computers in just one hour.

But go and see the computers of children in Kanpur and Lucknow from schools such as Methodist, Jaipuria DPS, Christ Church - these kids know much more about the ease of Ubuntu installations than these hardware vendors - many of whom do not even have free CD to give to the customer just in case the customer tells them just to give them a price for the hardware box. For after all if children can install Ubuntu from CD by themselves, so can customers. And then maybe finally the staff of the hardware vendors will also learn how to install Ubuntu.

Many children of course prefer Kubuntu Desktop version because the KDE desktop is better to look at for those who only know how to send emails and chat on the Internet.

And last, the computer dealers will themselves shyly one afternoon decide to learn it themselves.

Where to download Ubuntu from ? http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Naturally these assembled computer dealers associations in Kanpur and Lucknow feel that first they have to learn Ubuntu themselves - and then - they have to teach their staff how to install Ubuntu or Kubuntu in one hour. So it seems that school children will now have to teach these outdated computer dealers and hardware box vendors the fine points of Ubuntu Linux installation on laptops and desktops. One wonders when the the computer assemblers will start giving themselves a crash course in Ubuntu and Linux so that they can install it on their customer computers in just one hour.

But go and see the computers of children in Kanpur and Lucknow from schools such as Methodist, Jaipuria DPS, Christ Church - these kids know much more about the ease of Ubuntu installations than these hardware vendors - many of whom do not even have free CD to give to the customer just in case the customer tells them just to give them a price for the hardware box. For after all if children can install Ubuntu from CD by themselves, so can customers. And then maybe finally the staff of the hardware vendors will also learn how to install Ubuntu.

Many children of course prefer Kubuntu Desktop version because the KDE desktop is better to look at for those who only know how to send emails and chat on the Internet.

And last, the computer dealers will themselves shyly one afternoon decide to learn it themselves.

Where to download Ubuntu from ? http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Ubuntu Linux version 7.10 has been released for free download by Canonical. - Mera wala Ubuntu Linux
Ubuntu Download page - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
Have you downloaded your copy and installed it ? Well, it seems thousands of students in Kanpur, Lucknow, Patna, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kathmandu, Kolkata and Allahabad who do not have good Internet connections are requesting their friends to download Kubuntu on a 700 MB CD and just make copies for FREE distribution.
Students are finally understanding that their teachers know less about software expertise and innovation than their old fashioned teachers who still have not even heard about Ubuntu and Kubuntu.
1. So is Ubuntu for everyone ? Yes of course - it is for STUDENTS, TEACHERS, PROFESSORS, SMALL BUSINESS, PROPRIETORS, BIG BUSINESS as well as Government users who want the latest, greatest FREE Open Source software.
Anyone in Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad Dehradoon, Jhansi, Bhopal, Kathmandu, Darjeeling, Varanasi, Benares, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Noida, Gurgaon, schools who needs an excellent operating system with loads of free and wonderful educational software can contact us at oskanpur@gmail.com
2. Is Ubuntu really free ? - Yes, yes yes
3. Is it really world class ? - Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Is it difficult to install ? - No, No, No
5. Is it difficult to learn ? - No, No, No
6. Should I believe someone who says Ubuntu is not for me ? - Please dont without trying it out yourself for one week. Yes one week. I’m loving it.
7. Where to download from and burn the ISO image on CD if I cant get my hands on Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon ? - Simple - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
8. What if any problems ? - Just email oskanpur@gmail.com
9. Some people say Ubuntu Linux is not for business, schools and government ? - Well do you HAVE to believe them AFTER you install Ubuntu on your assembled / Acer, Wipro, Zenith, IBM, Lenovo, Dell Laptop, Desktop or Server computer ?

10. Some people say that 95% users use ANOTHER Operating system and I will not get any support on Ubuntu. Well that was YESTERDAY. Now talk about TODAY. Linux is the way to go if you want smart children rather than dumb children who can only play computer games and do data entry.

11. What if I want to use word documents, spreadsheets and presentations ? Yes this is the best part. Of course everyone wants to use these. And all these softwares are available in Ubuntu - courtesy of SUN Microsystems for FREE. Just spend ONE day and you will become familiar with everything !!

12. Just ask your computer vendor / dealer if he is going to supply you with free CD of Ubuntu / Kubuntu. He should be able to arrange one in one hour flat. https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

Primary and secondary school Indian teachers and students in Kanpur Lucknow -

Those who have been using Linux on their desktop, laptops and servers for some time now will be aware that it is now only 14 days left for the next version of the best and greatest Ubuntu and Kubuntu to be launched. We just cant wait for the greatest Linux desktop ever to hit the Indian markets especially for users in Kanpur and Lucknow. - Launched on 18 Octobber 2007.

To celebrate the launch of the Ubuntu and Kubuntu - Gutsy Gibbon Version 7.10 - we are organizing a snacks and soft drinks party for bright school children in Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Agra, Gorakhpur and Varanasi to get together and share Linux tips with other school children. We all know that the school children in Kanpur and Lucknow know more about Linux Ubuntu / Kubuntu than their computer science teachers and instructors who have never even heard of Ubuntu.

We are also organizing a get together for adults interested in computer basics and some samosas - come and join us in end of October. We will be distributing free CD of Ubuntu and Kubuntu - and the first 100 laptops will also qualify for a free learn and install Ubuntu and Kubuntu training session.

Please note all school children from English as well as Hindi medium schools in Kanpur and Lucknow are invited - Methodist, St. Mary, Christ Church, Central schools, Jaipuria, delhi Public school, DPS children who want to learn to play with Linux and learn free, open and non proprietory softwares are all welcome.

Feel free to ask questions - the top three best questions about if Linux is Best for Indian school students will receive designer UBUNTU T-shirts - so polish up your debating skills on Linux versus whatever …

Contact Email : oskanpur@gmail.com

Check out the Ubuntu website and download your free Ubuntu from the nearest server. Please note that despite all the talk of Indian IT - there is still NO Indian server providing free downloads of Ubuntu and Linux. That is a pity when you consider how many IT professionals the IIM IIT and IIIT produce each year.

Ubuntu download page - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Hopefully soon some Indian IT science and technology bureaucrat will wake up from his sleep and offer free webservers for downloading Ubuntu from an Indian server for Indian children who want to learn Linux. Who knows what the S&T bureaucrats are planning once they get time off from teaching old and outdated stuff to Indian children ?

Yes Indian children and students will soon know more about world class software and innovation than their politicians, teachers, instructors, parents and professors. I’m loving it baby.

Ubuntu Download page - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
Have you downloaded your copy and installed it ? Well, it seems thousands of students in Kanpur, Lucknow, Patna, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kathmandu, Kolkata and Allahabad who do not have good Internet connections are requesting their friends to download Kubuntu on a 700 MB CD and just make copies for FREE distribution.
Students are finally understanding that that school children know more about software expertise and innovation than their old fashioned teachers who still have not even heard about Ubuntu and Kubuntu. Most IT instructors have themselves never even tried working with Ubuntu Linux so obviously they know little abour Ubuntu Linux

1. So is Ubuntu for everyone ? Yes of course - it is for STUDENTS, TEACHERS, PROFESSORS, SMALL BUSINESS, PROPRIETORS, BIG BUSINESS as well as Government users who want the latest, greatest FREE Open Source software.
Anyone in Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad Dehradoon, Jhansi, Bhopal, Kathmandu, Darjeeling, Varanasi, Benares, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Noida, Gurgaon, schools who needs an excellent operating system with loads of free and wonderful educational software can contact us at oskanpur@gmail.com
2. Is Ubuntu really free ? - Yes, yes yes
3. Is it really world class ? - Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Is it difficult to install ? - No, No, No
5. Is it difficult to learn ? Do I have to be an expert in Linux ? - No, No, No
6. Should I believe someone who says Ubuntu is not for me ? - Please dont - without trying it out yourself for one week. It comes with fantastic Firefox browser to check your Yahoo, Rediff or Gmail emails - Yes. I’m loving it.
7. Where to download from and burn the ISO image on CD if I cant get my hands on Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon ? - Simple - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
8. What if any problems ? - Just email oskanpur@gmail.com
9. Some people say Ubuntu Linux is not for business, schools and government ? -

Well do you HAVE to believe them AFTER you install Ubuntu on your assembled / Acer, Wipro, Zenith, IBM, Lenovo, Dell Laptop, Desktop or Server computer ?

Primary and secondary school Indian teachers and students in Kanpur Lucknow -

Those who have been using Linux on their desktop, laptops and servers for some time now will be aware that it is now only 14 days left for the next version of Ubuntu and Kubuntu to be launched. We just cant wait for the greatest Linux desktop ever to hit the Indian markets especially for users in Kanpur and Lucknow.

To celebrate the launch of the Ubuntu and Kubuntu - Gutsy Gibbon Version 7.10 - we are organizing a snacks and soft drinks party for bright school children in Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Agra, Gorakhpur and Varanasi to get together and share Linux tips with other school children. We all know that the school children in Kanpur and Lucknow know more about Linux Ubuntu / Kubuntu than their computer science teachers and instructors who have never even heard of Ubuntu.

We are also organizing a get together for adults interested in computer basics and some samosas - come and join us in end of October. We will be distributing free CD of Ubuntu and Kubuntu - and the first 100 laptops will also qualify for a free learn and install Ubuntu and Kubuntu training session.

Please note all school children from English as well as Hindi medium schools in Kanpur and Lucknow are invited - Methodist, St. Mary, Christ Church, Central schools, Jaipuria, delhi Public school, DPS children who want to learn to play with Linux and learn free, open and non proprietory softwares are all welcome.

Feel free to ask questions - the top three best questions about if Linux is Best for Indian school students will receive designer UBUNTU T-shirts - so polish up your debating skills on Linux versus whatever …

Contact Email : oskanpur@gmail.com

Check out the Ubuntu website and download your free Ubuntu from the nearest server. Please note that despite all the talk of Indian IT - there is still NO Indian server providing free downloads of Ubuntu and Linux. That is a pity when you consider how many IT professionals the IIM IIT and IIIT produce each year.

Ubuntu download page - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Hopefully soon some Indian IT science and technology bureaucrat will wake up from his sleep and offer free webservers for downloading Ubuntu from an Indian server for Indian children who want to learn Linux. Who knows what the S&T bureaucrats are planning once they get time off from teaching old and outdated stuff to Indian children ?

Yes Indian children and students will soon know more about world class software and innovation than their politicians, teachers, instructors, parents and professors. I’m loving it baby.

We requested the government to get down to action points. Releasing under copyleft license all software created using government funds, publishing all government websites in an interoperable format promoting the use of a specific browser, sorting out Indian font encoding problems, examining the license issue for importing hardware without free software drivers, advertising the use of only applications that use open standards, including FSFI and members from the Free Software community as stake holders in all ICT policy decisions are few of the issues that the team had time to speak about during the meeting. However, the submitted memorandum was more comprehensive.

The secretary offered to meet the delegation again very soon to discuss several of the issues that were raised, and promised another appointment in the coming days.

The text of the memorandum:

10/18/2007
To
Shri A. Raja
Minster of Information and Communication Technology
Electronics Niketan Bhavan
New Delhi
India.

Dear Sir,

Free Software Foundation of India (FSF India) is a non-profit organisation committed to advocating, promoting and propagating the use and development of swatantra software in India. FSF India is the official Indian affiliate of the Free Software Foundation(FSF), and is the national agency for the promotion of the use of software distributed under the GNU General Public License(GNU GPL) and other licenses approved by FSF. Our goal is to ensure the long term adoption of Free Software in all walks of technology, and thereby making the benefits of ICT accessible to the common man.

Free Software Foundation of India was officially inaugurated in Trivandrum, Kerala on July 21, 2001. The Freedom First! conference organised to mark the launch was supported by the Government of Kerala. FSF India is a registered Non Profit Company under the companies act (Section 25) with a registered office in Trivandrum. Our voluntary groups are active in several parts of the country.

A developing country like India has a special stake in promoting and encouraging the use of free software. Not only does it help us save our financial resources, but more importantly it also helps the social cause of bringing knowledge to commons and making the benefits of ICT accessible to everyone without any sort of distinction. FSF India aims to bridge the existing digital divide by developing local language computing, and by providing free software solutions to suit local requirements by empowering local programmers in free platforms tools and technologies. We also strive to assist the National and State governments in all aspects relating to free software, such as evolving and maintaining standards, providing a quality assurance mechanism for free software.

We request you to consider FSF India as one of the core stake holders in matters related to ICT policy and be considered for inclusion into the committees. We put forward the following proposals for your kind consideration and intervention.

ICT Policy Guidelines

The right to digital encoding and decoding must be declared a fundamental right of the people and not the industry alone (currently the Government de facto grants this right only to the industry and not to the people).
The guide line for the ICT policy must be based on a fundamental principle: all cultural resources that are digitized must be readable (decodable) and writable (encodable) for eternity to ensure preservation of culture.
Digital encoding must be recognized as an extension of the social form of documenting various cultural forms like writing, publishing, and performing.

ICT Policy Recommendations from FSF India.

Documentation and Publishing

All public digital encodings (data) must be a free and open standard.
All public websites must be made interoperable, and must not publish its content in proprietary format (e.g., macromedia flash) or dependency requirements must not include special software. Public websites must not make their pages work only in one operating system. This violates inter-operability of the published content and services provided by the web sites.
All indian language fonts which do not follow either ISCII or Unicode standard must be declared illegal. Font encoding (creating private mapping table between the font and the character) must be declared illegal. All current industries which are doing this must be warned and asked to comply to this within a stipulated time frame. Manufacturers should be made responsible for providing filters to convert all the existing documents without any additional expenditure, and such filters must be published as free software.

ICT Education

Technical education in general and ICT education in particular must focus on providing skills and not emphasize on brand names and products. This is already an implied policy based on MRTP Act, however technical education in both formal and informal sectors are not implementing these guidelines.
Evaluation (examinations) of technical and ICT skills must not be based on a specific brand/product, but must test only the skills.

Procurement of Software and Hardware

Software that does not support free standards must not be bought, and used by a public body, and the software must warn the user if a proprietary encoding is used (this is contrary to what happens while saving a file in MS Office today, which warns the user that there will be loss if you save in an open standard like rtf or html or text). Applications should explicitly encourage the use of free and open standards, and discourage the use of proprietary standards.
Importing hardware that does not publish its manufacturing specifications or do not provide free software drivers (software that controls the hardware) should be prohibited by law. Similar condition should apply to manufacturers in India.

Other Recommendations

All ICT development projects funded by the people must be published without restrictions on their use, study, modifications and distribution. FSF India recommends the use of the appropriate copyleft licenses.
Public funds must be made available to develop free information infrastructures like, wikipedia, open access publications, knowledge bases, geographical information, maps etc.
Government should take initiative in the creation of an independent consortium to define from time to time what is a standard and what is not, what is best digital governance and what is not.
Organizations representing free software community, such as Free Software Foundation of India must be considered as one of the core stake holders while deciding public ICT policy in the country, and the consultations must not be restricted to academic and industry bodies like NASSCOM, FICCI, and CII, who have not kept the people's interest, but served mostly the interests of the industry.

Recommended Actions

Procurement of software by Government, Government organizations/undertakings and Government funded organization shall be Free Software.

Only non-proprietary software and data formats to be used for any Government work.

Making all software developed under Government funding to be made Free Software and released under copyleft license.

The recent change proposed in the copyright law that allowed
encryption, and hardware locking should be revoked.

University Grants Commission should ensure the usage of Free Software both in the curriculum framework and research.
The Government should take initiative in starting Free Software

Development Centers suited for Indian requirements and developmental goals. The energies and resources of the knowledge pool available in the form of Free Software users groups should be effectively utilised and space should be provided for incubating all such initiatives.

All fonts in Indian languages developed under Governmental aegis to be immediately put in public domain particularly the softwares and fonts developed by CDAC.

Time bound development and standardization of Indian language coding systems, keyboards and fonts under DIT aegis.
Promotion of Free Software in schools, colleges, universities and the curriculum should not name any brand.
Promoting self-reliance in IT sector.

Internet access to every individual within 2km radius within a time bound programme.

Free Software Foundation of India will be happy to conduct training sessions by invitation to your colleagues, particularly to administrators, policy makers or decision makers.

We are eager to work in coordination with our government in taking forward our society into a free digital knowledge society.

Thanking you

best regards

(Nagarjuna G.)
Chairperson, Free Software Foundation of India.

The biometric attendance recording gadgets would be installed at traffic pickets to ensure the punctuality of the staff. The move comes at a time when the city traffic department is looking to add to its staff strength.

"Our proposal has been cleared and the pre-requisite sum has been sanctioned by the state government for acquiring the biometric devices which will be soon in place at traffic pickets in the city," said additional commissioner of police, traffic, Manoj Agarwal.

The biometrics device uses a touch-screen-based technology which will read thumb impressions and match them with the original records. Each device would cost somewhere between Rs 7,000 to Rs 15,000.

Finally, the long drawn problem of shortage of manpower in traffic police department will also be addressed soon, especially since the state government has sanctioned additional 800 traffic personnel for the Ahmedabad traffic police.

The traffic department already has 50 power bikes and will soon get 50 wireless handsets.Agarwal said, "The state government has approved our proposals for increasing traffic posts given that the city is expanding fast and so is the population."

Talking about the training schedule for the traffic personnel, he said, "We will be recruiting personnel from police department from constabulary positions. Their traffic management skills will be honed before being posted."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Biometrics_to_keep_tabs_on_lazy_cops/articleshow/2239914.cms

The best piece of news I have heard this month came last week. It goes "BBMP to book crook engineers". Its something we all know and suspect to be true for ever now, and the plan to break the so called 'nexus' is ambitious:

BBMP will book the engineers of the erstwhile CMCs and TMC who have sanctioned projects on storm water drains, valleys, in agricultural lands etc. ... Taking a serious note of rampant violation of zoning regulations and building bylaws, the BBMP ... will trace these officials ... and recommend action against them ... In the wake of demolitions being carried out across the city, the BBMP has stumbled on several cases where engineers have encouraged encroachments in exchange for kickbacks running into lakhs of rupees.

Not that we haven't heard similar language before, but there is an interesting twist to BBMP's threat this time.

Hope you followed the "pay up fine and regularize your violation" related news. As part of that, BBMP expects a lot of building owners to come forward and submit building related paperwork (design, approvals).

That is twist number one. The second one I would add is around the fact that BBMP has gotten better at keeping records of properties in all the wards (read this related post). The motivation for improved record keeping is improving property tax collection.

Add above two developments, and you can see that pretty soon, it could be easier for BBMP to track down building-norm violations, encroachments etc. Now for the questions - What if BBMP goes easy on its latest threat (to break the builder-official nexus) as well? Well, since they are pretty close to having good data and records about these things, I am guessing that there is better scope for some activism to trigger and prod BBMP into action (Lok Ayukta, Koramangala Initiative like folks?)?

Anyway. Regardless of my half baked knowledge and predictions above, the fact remains that lack of serious enforcement of development-plans, encroachments etc is the single biggest reason behind most of Bangalore's problems today. So, you see, I can be forgiven for getting excited about any serious sounding development around hitting at the heart of the matter, can't I?

Attendance monitoring used to mean endless paperwork, sifting though documents and manual computation. That has changed with the onslaught of biometric fingerprint time clocks that have high-tech applications but simple implementation.

There are several brands in the market, and they offer basically the same features, although some may be a bit more sophisticated (they allow several program schemes adaptable per employee specifications). A device can be programmed to quickly identify special work-schedule arrangements made for certain employees, for example.

A biometric fingerprint time clock generally is composed of three major components that make it work: scanner (on which one places a finger for the print to be scanned); software (that transforms the scanned information into digital format); and database (where authorized fingerprints are stored in digital format).

Biometric fingerprint time clocks may be installed on each side of a door to facilitate close monitoring of employee ins and outs. The biometric clock is wired into the door latch, allowing it to mechanically open and shut it. But if it’s just attendance monitoring you desire, one unit for your whole office may suffice. A device is capable of storing large amounts of data.

Once installed, you will have to get each employee to register a fingerprint. You may need to have your IT (information technology) employees help you with this. They will create a master list of names and their corresponding fingerprints. Additional programming is needed for flexi-time employees who do not subscribe to the general work-schedule hours.

After completing the database, the device ready. Employees will only need to put a finger on the scanning interface of the time clock. The print will be processed, and if it matches an image stored in the database, the door will open mechanically. If not, access will be denied; there’s no prying open the door or getting around the system.

Zope, Python and Plone are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

A Bill stipulating this and other immigration reforms — the UK Border Bill — is pending before the British Parliament and there’s an urgency now to clear it after the botched terror strikes in London and Glasgow involving foreign nationals.

When it's in place, the fingerprint of anyone seeking to enter the UK — for work or as a tourist — will be scanned at visa issuing offices and put through criminal/terrorist databases, before clearance.

"UK has introduced biometric fingerprinting as identification in passports to make immigration at entry points easy. Now, plans are to extend it to those applying for visas," sources said. But there is a silver lining: There has been no knee-jerk reaction or official slowdown on Indian citizens getting UK visas, so far.

Despite UK PM Gordon Brown's statements over background checks, a British high commission source said: "No changes have been brought in following the recent events in the UK." On average, 700 to 1,000 visa applications from India are being processed and cleared every day.

Sources said if the applicant has the specified documents outlining purpose of travel, financial position of the person/sponsor and so on, there is no need for even a personal interview for visa. In most cases, if documents are in order, the visa is issued.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/UK_plans_to_make_fingerprinting_a_must/articleshow/2205666.cms

The cunning outsourcing plan by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which handles overseas visa applications, will be implemented as the UK Passport Office tightens security via the introduction of biometrics and by requiring new (and subsequently all) passport applicants attend a personal interview. Which could, one speculates, result in a country it was a hell of a lot easier to get into than out of, but the outsourcing partners will, we feel sure, be thoroughly vetted.

The process, the FCO tells us, "cost just £35,000 to develop" (did they outsource this too?) and allows UK visa staff to advise the outsourcing partner what information is needed. The partner then collects this from the application, puts it into electronic format and passes it on to the British Mission. As biometrics are rolled out, outsourcing partners are likely to deal with this too. "From our experience of fingerprinting in a variety of posts in East Africa," says the FCO, "we have learned that we can safely scan fingerprints within our outsourced operations."

The decision to fingerprint all visa applicants was taken after "the success of the Colombo fingerprinting trial in 2003", which as we noted at the time was so 'successful that it caught a maximum of xxx fraudsters. In common with other UK Government departments, the FCO claims that the UK "is committed by EU regulations to introducing biometrics into the worldwide visa operation" - as far as the FCO is concerned this is sort of, nearly true, but not quite, and the FCO's current visa plans are rather different from what it will have to do if it ever really is "committed by EU regulations".

The EU's visa plans aren't directly connected to its biometric passports ones, nor do they directly connect to the FCO ones. European ministers intended to have a blueprint for the introduction of biometric visas in place by the end of last year, but the discovery that the plans didn't work put things up in the air. Ministers still intend to go ahead with biometric visas, and a trial of a separate visa card is commencing, but as far as we're aware the European Parliament hasn't yet been blackmailed into rubber-stamping a firmed-up scheme.

That however is neither here nor there as far as what the FCO is doing is concerned. The European system is intended to be part of the Schengen II/Visa Information System database network, with the biometric visa itself available for checking via standard border control equipment on entry to the EU. The FCO system fingerprints visa applicants in order to give the UK the capability to check for duplicate applications. The EU system means the subject of the visa carries their biometric data with them, whereas the UK's doesn't. If the UK is to participate in the EU system then the FCO will have to upgrade (if that's the word) its plans and issue whatever the EU decides on, either a sticker in the passport or a separate card, probably the latter.

The FCO's claim to be committed by regulations therefore appears to be based on its pretending that the UK is a signatory to Schengen when it really isn't. The FCO explains the Schengen position here, so we don't have to, but the UK's attitude to Schengen can probably best be summed up as one of being in for the bits we like, but out for the bits we don't. How 'in' we are on this one might turn out to be less clear than is immediately apparent.

Matters will be further complicated if the UK ID scheme flies. Those resident in the UK for over three months will be required to register for a card, so might this process take place via an overseas office on the granting of visas for over three months? How, if at all, will the current/planned FCO system intersect with the ID scheme, or with Europe's VIS or a European ID card for non-EU residents?

The FCO claims it will cost £77 million to handle 2.5 million biometric visa applications, and our anonymous tipster for this story suggests this might imply a one-off cost of around £1.8 billion for biometric capture of the entire UK, but we're not so sure. It's not clear how much of the FCO cost is capital investment or the annual cost of the system, and what the FCO is planning isn't necessarily comparable to the Home Office's ID plans. Unless the FCO intends to maintain its own system in splendid, stripped-down isolation, however, we'd expect the actual cost to climb as the need for compatibility with the other systems increases.

Foreign Minister Jack Straw did not however like the ID scheme in the first place, so may not be willing to bust a gut to keep step with it now, particularly given heartening news that Ireland (another non-Schengen country) may junk biometric passports, and that the US might be about to conclude that biometric passports aren't nearly as much fun as it initially thought.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/27/bio_visa_check_outsource/

The Gujarat state government has initiated a pilot project to ensure full enrolment of all eligible students and to reduce dropout rate in primary schools.

The pilot project covers 680 primary schools, 70 Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) and 4 Block Resources Centres (BRCs) in Narmada district, one of the most backward districts of Gujarat having predominant tribal population and low literacy. It will cover around 2,508 teachers and 76,000 students.

The pilots being implemented by Bangalore based enterprise Software Solutions Lab (ESSL).

In 2003, Gujarat Government had launched “Shala Praveshotsav” (Enrolment Drive) and “Kanya Kelavani Rath” (Girl Child Education Campaign), which has been very successful and is achieving full enrolment of all the eligible students.

However, while the extent of coverage of primary education in the state has been satisfactory, the high rate of dropout is a matter of serious concern.

Having achieved the successful enrolment, the challenge facing the Government is to improve retention and reduce the dropout.

It was discovered that apart from socio-economic reasons, absenteeism of teachers, particularly in tribal areas and remote villages is one of the most important reasons for high dropout rates,

“ All noble initiatives of the State Government lose effectiveness and seriousness, when teachers remain absent without due permission, for a long period. It was, therefore, urgently needed to have a strong and reliable mechanism to monitor attendance of teachers and students,” said a senior official.

A standalone fingerprint biometric machine with external uninterrupted power supply up to 12 hours will be installed in each primary school for recoding attendance of teachers as well as students. At the end of the month, the attendance data is transported to the taluka (Block) HQ in a portable memory device like a pen drive. This attendance data is processed with the help of a software application for getting pay rolls of teachers and other various reports.

The pilot project has great scope of further expansion depending upon its success in Narmada district. The pilot model of biometric attendance system is most likely to be replicated in all other districts of Gujarat if it is tested successfully in district like Narmada.

The expanded project is expected to cover around 40,000 schools, which are to be covered, in a phased manner, in the coming 2-3 years.