Exposing some of the myths that have slowed the adoption of Linux in the country, R Manikandan says that the time is right for India to explore the benefits of using an OS like Linux on desktops as well, as it provides a stable, user friendly and cost-effective OS option

The Gartner Group estimates that spend on technology hardware in India will jump three-fold to $6.78 billion by 2006 from an estimated $2.3 billion in 2002. PC spending is estimated to contribute 85 percent of total end-user spending in 2002 and will account for 90 percent of the total market in 2006. This data truly reflects the huge potential that the PC market holds for India. In the present scenario where PC penetration in India is dismally low by world standards, there is a need for a conscious effort both from government and private bodies to bring about an increase in the PC penetration rate. The digital divide in the PC space can only be bridged when there is an option for the masses for a low cost PC with excellent after sales support services. There are lakhs of schools which need a PC for the education of children in India. Government-run educational institutions face this dire need as well.

In these circumstances there is an urgent need for a PC which can offer user friendliness along with an affordable price point. The only thing which comes to mind under these circumstances is an operating system which caters to both the aforesaid needs. The Linux OS is the answer to these problems, as it is not only relatively stable and bug-free but it would also lower the price point of the end product.

Operating systems like Microsoft’s Windows OS cost more to the consumer in terms of licensing when compared to the Linux OS. There are several advantages to using Linux. These include: cost of the Linux OS and the license fee. There are no bothersome site licenses or End User License Agreements to deal with, and no do-not-redistribute-or-modify agreements to sign. The only expenses involved are those of hardware and maintenance.

In terms of OS stability Linux almost never freezes under normal use, (where normal means anything but changing the OS itself). Linux has been known to run some applications for months and years at a time. These same applications have been known to force computers running some other operating systems to be rebooted often, sometimes daily. System support for the Linux OS is entirely free. Portability also exists, as it says in the OS source code, Linux was first developed for 386/486-based PCs. These days it also runs on ARMs, DEC Alphas, SUN Sparcs, M68000 machines (like Atari and Amiga), MIPS and PowerPCs, as well as others.

So no matter what computer one is using, Linux will work on the hardware configuration. In terms of power and customisation, Linux makes full use of the computer system.

Linux can be tailored to specific hardware and software needs, as well as, if not better than other operating systems. It has the ability to connect several different types of machines into a coherent whole; for example, Linux can run both the SMB protocol (which Windows understands), and AppleTalk (for Mac users), so it can act as a Windows-Mac go-between (even if it’s running on a Sun Workstation!).

Some of the common myths about Linux OS include the fact that Linux is of no real consequence or benefit to the average desktop user. Well, yes, the fact that the average desktop user may never build a kernel from source (or change a line of code) may mean that it is of no consequence to that individual desktop user that the source is freely available. However, it is a huge benefit to the average user to be able to leverage the excellent work that others have put into Linux in order to improve the core source code of the OS, and this benefit should never be underestimated.

A recurring complaint is that there are too many different versions of Linux. Actually it is not so. There is only one version of the current Linux kernel. There may be many distributions of Linux, and the obvious reason might be to say that the differences cause confusion to Linux newcomers. In addition to the usual “Linux is too hard to install” phobia, there is also a common complaint that the Linux command line is hard to learn and use. In reality, it is the opposite. The Linux user-interface has come in for further unwarranted bashing, that Linux GUIs are slow. Well, this really depends on the hardware running on the PC. To install Linux on an old PC (which can no longer run the latest Microsoft OS) and then complain when the Linux GUI runs slowly is just not comparing apples with apples, no matter how you look at it.

Basically what is needed is the creation of awareness about the Linux OS and the need to break the notion that Linux can be successful only in the server space and not in the desktop space.

A lot needs to be done in terms of end-user awareness, to make them realise the benefits of the Linux OS, and to establish the fact that Linux is not just stable and user friendly, but also offers a handy cost-effective OS option.

The author is the deputy general manager for sales & marketing (IT Products) at LG Electronics India. He can be contacted at mani@lgindia.com