> If you look at our country (and probably most developing countries), you > will see that the fundamental issues relate to availability of > knowledge, not availability of software.
> Posting free CDs of > Linux to people who don't have the computers to run them on won't help > in any of these areas -- software isn't the whole solution, it's just > part of it. Exactly. This whole thing about the "knowledge economy" is not necessarily about software. Its about mind sets. It's the same mind set that is required to get an RTI act into effect. Sure, the RTI act is more effective if the information dissemination is not through individual applications and replies -- but it still works without the software. > So where is that huge fund of knowledge that is lying with the > individuals of India? Can I access it? Can I use it? Can I enhance > it? No, since it's hidden away in the minds and collective wisdom in > villages and small towns, whose people do not have any means available > for expressing that wisdom and sharing it with the rest of the world. > One of freed.in's goals at this event is to discuss ways forward for > enabling the free collection and dissemination of knowledge, no matter > where in this country or in the developing world it exists. At the risk of oversimplification: Today's society and economy is hinged upon the availability of knowledge. Digital technologies have proven to be an effective way for sharing such knowledge. Digital technologies are not available to most of India (especially rural parts). Is Freed.in about bridging this digital divide? > Finally, to answer the question you raised raised at the end of your > first para, knowledge that is hidden away in a proprietary format, no > matter how prevalent the format or how high the quality of the > knowledge, is useless in the new paradigm IMNSHO. No. In fact, I said that knowledge needs to be stored in open formats and transmitted using standard (open) protocols. That's necessary. What's not necessary is that the *tools* required to manipulate these formats be free and open source. For example, a Wiki developed in .Net and deployed on Microsoft Server 2k with IIS as the web server is still a Wiki. It will achieve the purpose of knowledge sharing in the same way a Twiki on LAMP does. Saurabh. -- http://nandz.blogspot.com http://foodieforlife.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - February 22/23, 2008 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
