|
Linux will help bring down e-governance implementation
cost
Circuit EC / Kolkata
“We have a wrong perception about
Linux and that’s mainly due to lack of proper information about
the benefits of Linux. In this age of cost-control, bringing down
the operational cost is very crucial, I believe Linux is the only
answer,” said D P Patra, secretary, department of information
technology, government of West Bengal at a seminar on Linux initiatives
in e-governance applications held in Kolkata recently. The day-long
seminar was organised jointly by West Bengal Electronics Industry
Development Corporation (WEBEL), the nodal IT and electronics arm
of the West Bengal state government, IBM and Red Hat, the world’s
largest provider of open source technologies, including Linux.
Express Computer and Network Magazine
from the Indian Express Group were media sponsors.
West Bengal IT minister, Manabendra Mukherjee,
in his address said that Linux is the cheapest option available
for the government sector and the state would use Linux-based applications
while implementing its e-governance initiatives.
Frank Luksic, country manager, IBM India
(Software Group and Developer Relations) said that IBM is already
engaged in imparting computer education in schools of West Bengal
and has signed two more MoUs (memorandum of understanding) with
the state government. As part of the agreement, IBM would collaborate
with the West Bengal University of Technology and Indian Institute
of Information Technology (IIIT), Kolkata to set up an IBM centre
of excellence at the IIIT campus.
Luksic said that the seminar is not aimed
at undermining any well-known proprietary software. The event was
aimed at exploring the possibilities Linux has in the marketplace.
Luksic said that there is immense opportunity for application of
open source software in India. He observed that applications of
Linux in different verticals have witnessed a steady growth in the
last couple of years.
Speaking to Express Computer, Javed Tapia,
director of Indian operations, Red Hat, said, “Use of Linux
on the desktop calls for a change in user perception and mindset.
Despite constraints, Linux has grabbed a 5 percent market share.”
|
