I sent the following mail to HT at htwo...@hindustantimes.com and lett...@hindustantimes.com
============================================================= Sir/Madam, It is with utter disappointment that I would like to express how blindly your article [1] http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=d1b8ded8-f7be-448b-88b2-7226ac01200d was syndicated from Reuters [2] http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE52201120090303?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10452 without any prior research being done on the subject. What both HT and Reuters state is that there are security issues involved with use of Netbooks. With all dure respect, I would like to bring to your knowledge that security of any machine is the job of an Operating System. Microsoft Windows is the major player in this market but there is a market which is not using Windows. We use *GNU/Linux operating system* and this market is not small(there are millions of users worldwide). This is the operating system far more secure than Windows and doesn't require any kind of Anti-virus or Anti-spyware protection because it is developed in a way that it addresses all such concerns by itself. We *don't need Third Party software* like Norton et al which are essential requirements for Windows platform to be secure. The *biggest advantage of GNU/Linux is, it's FREE*. *Anyone can distribute/modify/use it for FREE. That's why we call it as Free/Open Source Software*. The Netbook market grew to such an extent because of GNU/Linux. This is because these machines can't sustain Windows System Requirements and buyers can't afford another 300$ on software licenses(of operating system+office applications+security sofrwares) for a machine that itself costs mere 300$. I expect HT to study some facts before publishing such articles. It brings shame to the whole journalist community. I'm a Final Year Engineering student and feel very disappointed at how ignorant can a leading Indian Newspaper like HT be on such sensitive issues. I'm sure you will receive some more mails addressing the same article. Even Reuters has been notified of this. HT should have first on its own done an exhaustive research into the subject, its history and the reason of the subject's existence itself. An article "About" Netbooks would have been more appropriate at first place before articles involving security issues get published. Just imagine the situation when a person reads the article in question and still can't relate to what exactly a Netbook is? For how long will the common man be served with half-baked and wrong news? I hope the journalists at HT do have a level of expertise on how a subject is to be presented to the public. Also, the story says a "hacker" will breach into the systems and steal personal data. A hacker's job is not that. I's a "cracker's" job to exploit security loopholes in systems for some personal gains. Hackers represents programmers without whose efforts you would not be reading this mail. Hackers are largely mis-interpreted and wrongly presented individuals by the Indian Media. *Hacker is someone who identifies such security flaws and FIXES them rather than indulging in exploitation of any form.* Third, I believe its HIGH time Indian Media grows out of Software Licenses issues. When we pay for a software, we are NOT BUYING it, instead, we are buying a License to use it. Time has come for you to bring this to people's notice and prevent them from falling prey to such things. I'm not sure how many journalists in your Technical Section know about Open Source Technologies. India sleeps most of the time when major developments are taking place elsewhere in the world. Governments of Russia, UK, Vietnam and many more have already mandated the use of Open Source Softwares in their administration and education system. Why are we still sleeping? HT's job should be to put an extra effort, walk an extra mile and show what avenues We The Indians are missing out on. It is your duty. Your recent story here: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=6c0a5352-68cb-4959-a917-996c7efc2e88&Headline=Vivek+Kundra+to+be+Obama%27s+infotech+czar reads that Mr. Vivek Kundra is appointed as Infotech Czar in US. The most interesting part is: He has been an Open Souce deployer and is now going to initiate large-scale use of Open Source Softwares in US Govt. because his profile and previous track record clearly indicate this. Fourth,* NOKIA is a mobile giant and uses Open Source Softwares*. The mobiles that lie in the hands of 60% of the world population work on Open Source Softwares. Our beloved search engine: Google. It stands today in its present form because of Open Source Software. Can you imagine your life without Google? Your response to this question is similar to that of the Google's Founder if asked this: Can Google imagine itself without Open Source? You will also find it surprising but *Internet also exists because of Open Source Softwares*. The only reason why Windows dominates the market is because of the "marketing" done by Microsoft in its initial years which unfortunately Open Source did not do. Finally, Computer means *Hardware+Operating System+Applications*. It * doesn't* mean Hardware+Windows+Applications. There are several Operating Systems like GNU/Linux that are far more secure and thus more reliable than the current market dominator Microsoft Windows. So, *your news article is related to only one section of market: Microsoft Windows* and therefore can't be generalised for all buyers. By doing so, media is misleading the potential consumers of Netbooks and hence creating a sense of unnecessary fear. If the article had mentioned "Netbooks with Microsoft Windows installed face a threat", I would not have mailed you. But since the article presents a perception that Windows is obviously in the scene I could not resist mailing you to raise this issue. I will re-iterate: The Operating System GNU/Linux doesn't require any Anti-virus or Anti-spyware softwares and hence your article is more misleading than informative. Just for your information, almost all the Indian states, hundreds of cities, colleges and Universities(including IITs et al.) have a group called *LUG (Linux Users' Group)* thriving very successfully since many years and the mainstream media is yet to identify this section of IT. *Linux For You* with thousands of readers is Asia's #1 Linux Magazine under the aegis of *Electronics For You* Magazine. *The Indian Linux Users' Group-Delhi Chapter* would be more than happy to help if you ever wish to publish a story/article about Open Source Software. I sincerely hope that my mail will be taken in right spirits as I do not intend to offend anyone. I'm not aware if I should expect a reply from you, but I would love to hear back from you in any suitable form. Thanks for your time and efforts for reading my mail. Some references: (1) http://www.fsf.org/ (2) http://www.opensource.org/ (3) http://www.linuxfoundation.org/ (4) http://creativecommons.org/ With Regards, -- Prakhar Agarwal Linux User# 474643 http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Prakhar _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
