'Why isn't Indian software helping build India's IT infrastructure even as it aids others?' Stumped? In case you've concluded that this has to be a 'rhetorical' question from a Swadeshi Jagran Manch-type, think again. This pointed poser from a board member of Japanese electronics giant Matsushita jabbed me out of my smugness not too long ago. It was a sort of a counter to my own question on why Japan could not develop a software industry to complement its strengths in hardware.
"Take a look back at the history of India when it didn't even exist except when 'united' by various conquerors, the last of which were the British. A country cobbled together under the Union Jack and then split as the rulers made their exit, we overlooked our resources and strengths to chase various economic models that cooked up a hotch-potch socialist-communist-capitalist broth ruined by the many cooks who meddled in the kitchen..."

I looked through a whole series of presentations from a Microsoft EMEA briefing on Linux. Little chance of discovering positive Linux perspectives in it, but it was interesting in many ways. Microsoft is claiming a better TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for Windows than Linux (on the server), based on several studies. It reminded me of the TCO figures I used to see for IBM mainframe (3270 dumb terminals) against PCs. From what I remember, the application costs were always lower on the mainframe, usually very much lower, primarily because PC support costs so much. But that was never the point.

Eddy Macnaghten writes "It looks like a Linux-based solution for the PC market is becoming reality. Leading global PC providers are now offering a Linux option for price sensitive markets such as India and Thailand."

LynuxWorks issued a statement today regarding SCO's claim that Linux contains code that infringes on its UNIX intellectual property rights. "The industry is still waiting to see proof of SCO's claims," noted LynuxWorks CEO Dr. Inder Singh. "However, this debate is creating some unfortunate and unnecessary 'FUD' (fear, uncertainty, doubt) among Linux users."

A recent study of Linux use inside corporations by the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) and the SDTimes reveals a broad use of Linux, but also shows that just a third of those companies have adopted the open-source operating system as a corporate standard computing platform.