amazing factoid:
linux-delhi experienced a power surge in the month of september 2002.
from a scant 29 new members in august, linux-delhi touched a mind-blowing 126
new members in the 30 days of september.
and linux-delhi has touched a total of 879 members.
the credit goes to the gnulinux phenomenon that is gathering storm worldwide :
* governments are looking at the vision of freedom-based software and its
impact not just on eGovernance, but on people, end-users, and all aspects of
society.
* enterprises and large corporations have firmly planted gnulinux at the
server-side of their solutions.
* security concerns, that have shaken microsoft and other proprietory/closed
software vendors, have fuelled further interest in the operating system that
astoundingly can be secure and safe in plain-view of the code.
* companies like ibm and oracle splashed huge ads and promotions centring
around gnulinux and its core competitive advantages. example: oracle's
unbreakable linux campaign.
* the media has given favourable and significant coverage to the movement.
time, newsweek, the new york times, and all leading newspapers and magazines
worldwide have contributed their editorial space.
* people have started questioning the basic premise of Return on Investment
(RoI) on software.
* after watching for nearly a decade and a half, people have grown wiser to
the sometimes murky or buggy technologies, strategies, hype, vaporware, etc
of commercial software: people are voting with their downloads and their
wallets: don't take customers for a ride. thankfully, the cardinal rule of
business still stays alive in the monopoly-driven world of software: the
customer, unfortunately, is still king!
* education is embracing the vision of freedom-based software in a big way
worldwide.
* some governments like china etc are even working on developing alternative
operating systems of their own.
* computer bookshops across india have started stocking up on gnulinux books.
i have even noticed them in general bookshops.
* the OS and the movement itself has matured greatly. from the single vision
of richard stallman, the movement has grown so big that even the free
software foundation officially recognizes that it needs more people and
individuals to be its spokesperson (check out the related story).
in india, bangalore still leads the gnulinux movement, and its
linux-bangalore chapter has a record number of members and activities.
however, exact numbers and stats are difficult to come by, unlike delhi.
i hope linux-delhi too becomes a major tour de force. and you can do your
bit to make a dent in the universe:
1) spread the word among your friends, neighbours, colleagues. give them free
copies of knoppix, your favourite freedom-based gnulinux distribution.
2) talk to them about the advantages it has over commercial/propreitory
software.
3) you could even seed openoffice on other platforms by just giving it away.
4) let's meet more often on our get-togethers with clear-cut agendas.
i dream of the day when we can touch nearly 1,000 new members every month,
and have weekly linux-meetings based around special interest groups (SIGs) in
larger venues, with about 100 to 200 attendees each week.
if you believe in the power of the gnu vision, then moving from circa 4 new
members a day to 35 to 40 a day is not only possible, but long overdue.
. . .
who knows, maybe over time linux may disappear in the sands of silicon as
well, succeeded by the next wave in computing.
but for me personally,
the journey is the reward.
LL
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