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New Documents Reveal How Microsoft Removed GNU/Linux From Computers in Indian Schools

Preying on children for profit

Girl



Summary: SFLC.in looks into the funny business in parts of Indian education authorities

We previously showed how GNU/Linux had been shot down in Tamil Nadu [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], very much in a similar fashion to ALT Linux in Russia and various other EDGI operations. According to this new post, an explanation exists: "In September 2011, sflc.in came across a news item reporting a decision by the Government of Punjab to revise their decision to implement BOSS Linux and to instead opt for Microsoft Windows. We had barely rejoiced properly the news which had appeared earlier in the year on February, 2011, about the use of BOSS in the ICT program for students et Voila! Here was a 180 degrees turn in the policy within a span of seven months. The newspaper item insinuated the transfer of IAS officers in charge of the Department of Education as the triggering point in the turn of events in this staged dramedy.



"Through a series of applications filed under the Right to information Act, sflc.in obtained the minutes of the meeting in which the decision to switch over was effected.

"When done by the poor it's called crime or corruption, but when done by the rich it's called "business".""The minutes bring to light an "honest" request by Microsoft’s directorial brigade with heads of education, marketing and public sector for a meeting with the Principal Secretary of Education, Punjab, post the announcement of their decision to use Edu BOSS in the Edusat Computer labs and Computer labs for providing computer education and training . And here our naivete had made us believe that all options must have already been considered and weighed before the decision to use BOSS was made in February by the then Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab regarding the purchase of Operating Systems."

Techrights was shown those documents and told: "This shows how Punjab reversed its decision to adopt BOSS GNU/Linux."

"Microsoft and the art of notional accounting" are the cause and the trick. There is still monopoly abuse going on, but nobody from Microsoft will ever be investigated or jailed for it. When done by the poor it's called crime or corruption, but when done by the rich it's called "business".

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