How to try open source software, non destructively

Having said all that in my previous posts, still pages and pages are left to be said. But let us see how do you use all 'free' softwares without throwing away your earlier ones. [I also started with the same procedure]


1. Operating System

There are innumerable OSes available. But the best according to me is Ubuntu. It is very easy & interactive; ideal for a first time user. It can play your music, office documents, games and for the internet, there is really no difference, for you can use your favorite mozilla firefox right away. MOST IMPORTANTLY : YOU CAN ASK FOR FREE CDs (yes,CDs & lots of them) which will be delivered at your doorstop, in a month's time. You start computer, insert the CD, restart with boot CD option & there you are. Freedom to try the CD without doing any change to the host computer. Truly linux anywhere.
https://shipit.ubuntu.com/login


2. Office software: Openoffice.org is the best solution, but if you need just a word processing software, then Abiword is good enough. You get both software on the linux CD, but if you want to try separately:

http://download.openoffice.org/

Abiword

3. Browsers: If you are using firefox, hoorah! It is already an open source software, believed to be the safest and fastest and is fast on its way to become the world's most preferred browser.

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/


4. Music editing & recording: Audacity is a very good audio editor, which you can use to record audio being played, to edit music files & to changeit to different formats. Also you can add various effects.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

5. Image editing : GIMP is a great software for the image editing enthusiasts. It is much like adobe photoshop but free.

http://www.gimp.org/

The proprietary format

Have you used Microsoft products like Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc ? If so, are you using them since a few years ? Then you know that your older MS Office 2003 can't open files from the latest MS Office 2007. The older files used to be saved as .ppt , .doc or .xls files by default. And when you open those files in Office 2007, [COMPATIBILITY MODE] is written on the top. WHY ?
More importantly, when you tried to open your new Office files in Office 2003, it can't do that. Period.

That is it. Unless you have the latest version of Office, you can't view those files. Of course, for some users, it is just a matter of saving it as 'office 2003' file in Office 2007. But still, the [COMPATIBILITY MODE] sign will be there. Why is MS introducing a new format every once in a few years ? Surely all those minor changes could be incorporated with the older format as well. But then people won't think " Oh ! maybe it is time for the new software to be bought."

Even if you are using a pirated copy of microsoft software, because it is free, Bill Gates has something for you.

"About 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it [sic], we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."

Bill Gates, 1998 interview

Microsoft works hard to make sure their users stay locked into their products and formats.

Actually, the wonderful story that you have written right now may not be yours to see in the next decade, if it is written in a proprietary format. What is the solution ?

Open Office.

A very competent office solutions package which is free in all sense, cost as well as freedom over your own material. If Openoffice.org stops, you can unlock the text out of your documents yourself, which will be illegal in Word.

This is the story about the proprietary formats.
Freedom is here: www.openoffice.org

The wonderful point is that it also easily opens other microsoft formats like xls, doc, ppt, along with its own open standard formats 'ooxml' . You can give it a try. I'm sure it will be worth it's storage space and download time .

More info on the topic: http://www.getgnulinux.org/windows/

May be this will seem a bit too much of a worry on my side, but I hope we all realise it, realise our rights to our own freedom on content.

http://www.getgnulinux.org/windows/what_about_choice/

The software from Openoffice.org is free to download and distribute. There has recently been a try by MS to fool users into thinking that it is open but it is in fact not.

What is 'free software' ? Why is GNU/Linux better than the others ?

We all know what is freedom of speech. Anyone can express her feelings on any topic and similarly, anyone is free to comment on others' opinions. But that does not mean that every human sound we hear is free of cost. We buy music CDs, we pay the cablewalla (or DTH walla) to listen to what people are saying around the world. We pay a fee to go to school/college to listen to the lectures, whatever worth it may be having. You have to buy a music player, even if the speech you downloaded from the website was not charged.

Now, the same applies to software. Some are totally free in all sense of the word, such as Ubuntu linux. Some are not free as in the cost, but are open source, meaning you can see what is going on inside the program, what C++ commands are utilised in doing a certain procedure etc.

If you know the language, and you discover a certain fault, you can simply correct it!
Even if you do not know a programming language, you can hire someone to change the code for you. You are FREE to do things with your copy of software.

But all software is not free. If you buy that expensive copy of Windows XP/Vista, and discover that there is a fault, you are NOT ALLOWED to correct it yourself, according to the license agreement. Only a person certified by Microsoft can touch the internal components, even if you, or your neighbour is capable of doing it. That piece of software is not 'sold' to you, it is licensed, which means you have limited rights.

But is this all important ? If you have seen computer viruses, it is easy to understand.

First, microsoft will have some vulnerability in the code. Then they will release some patches for some codes, but not all. Now, some people will come to know about these faults and they will release viruses for us. Then, to your rescue will be some antivirus companies. Without them, your computer will be gone; more so in the pen drive & internet era.

If windows would have been open source, just as a knowledgeable person discovers an error, he could upload corrective patches himself, and all computers would be shielded. There would be communities & real support for that. But that would not allow the antivirus companies to sell their products. Also, no one will approach microsoft for commercial help.


So, it is like you have your car(win XP) but if it goes wrong, only the particular mechanic, appointed by MS, can correct it, however small the problem it may be. To top it, it is ILLEGAL if you open the bonnet and see what is inside.

But linux is open-source. You own it and do whatever you like with your copy and, you can sell the improvements you do, thereby making money for yourself.

More on this and the new OFFICE-2007 xlsx,docx & pptx formats in the next post. Also, why should you support Openoffice.org & the ODF format.

www.linux.org
www.gnu.org

Coaching aur school ka lafda. Who is responsible ?

A scene in school:
Teacher: why don't you people study properly in class, all homework incomplete, low attendance, not listening to lectures, what is this ?
Student: madam, I have to go to coaching also, after the school and they also give lots of homework
Teacher: But why don't you give priority to school ?
Student: Because, I will get into some good engg college, only if I study hard there, not at school.

At coaching class:
Professor: Why don't you people put in some more effort ? Why this half-heartedness ?
Student: Sir, we face a lot of pressure due to double load, coaching as well as school.
Professor: If they do not teach properly, why do you go to school at all ?
Student: It is necessary to have 75% attendance, otherwise we will be debarred from the board exam.

At home:
Mother: Beti, thoda padhai to kar ?
Daughter: Kya Maa ?? Kitna Karu ? Morning I attend school for 8 hours . Then I go for coaching for 4 hours. I need time for myself also, don't I ? Thoda time to apne liye nikaloon ?
Mother: Par phir tere marks kaise aayenge? How will you get a good AIR in JEE?
Daughter: I don't know.

This is common to see.This is not the story of the AIR<100>

IIT ? Kuch nahi.

AIEEE ? AIR 70,000.

Shayad CET/PET se kuch ho sake :-( .

Who is at fault ?
It is a vicious circle, just like the cycle of poverty->illiteracy->unemployment->poverty. See how it happens:

• School teachers think students don't want to study here, so they teach even worse

• Students think 'school se kuch nahi hoga', they neglect school. As it is, even if they try, kuch samajh nahi aata

• At coaching, students are tired. They don't do as directed.

• Then the advantage of coaching diminishes.

• At home, they are in a fix. What to study, already, i am exhausted.

At the end of class XII, most have to leave competitive exam coaching, start studying for board exams ( a class joined for this too, maybe); or even worse, some students have to do both.

It gets worse in class XII, what with the syllabus completion mania of schools wanting to top in boards. Like the famous proverbs:
'kangaali me aata gila' & 'ek to karela, duje neem chadha'

Already, studies at school were not interesting enough, and now with the pressure of syllabus completion, it becomes HELL. yes, it does.
Zero understanding in class. And due to this pressure, even good teachers forget what they know themselves, they only depend on the 'dependable' book for every little thing.

To top all this, in CBSE, students even have to do some project.Wah! Satyanash ka sahi formula.
Some smarties will copy it from somewhere. Still, some people will struggle with their projects, and get those IA (Internal Assessment) marks.

Why were schools made ?
To impart a basic understanding to the students, a common, important set of subjects, required in almost every field of study. Are we getting that ? In the name of notes, we only get only dictation from that famous, 'dependable' book. Does the book cost more than the school fee, and that's why we come to take down the notes ?

Why competitive exams ?
to gauge the aptitude and understanding of the student, to ensure that it is at least at a minimum basic level required for the field, otherwise the person won't be able to work therein. But the above factors have taken it to another level. -Coaching is a must- thinks every student. He has to now, because nothing is explained properly at school.

So, should the level of compt. exams increase ? No, that will favour those with coaching.
'Should they be made easier ?' No, that will make differentiation difficult.

What is the solution ? No competitive exams ? Or no coaching ? or no schools ? .........

Only solution is to have very good education and opportunities in all fields, be it pure sciences, technology, art, industry, finance, politics and administration.

Because, every person is special; has her own set of rare qualities, and can make it big in life.

We need the change. Now.