Hard cash, cold logic: Linux

Umashankar expects the entire operations of the government to gradually switch over to Linux/Open office.org over the next 12 or 18 months. "Give it two or three virus attacks and you'll see a faster migration," he says tongue-in-cheek.

Despite his attitude, the worries of his peer are not unfounded. It's hardly news that one of Linux's biggest drawbacks is the fact that there aren't many vendors and software providers who will service Linux.

What annoys Umashankar is that there are no practical hurdles in providing this support. "This is largely due to their lethargy." Since, he says, the logic of business is competition, he's going to give these providers a run for their money. "Now, government companies like Elcot, which have only served the government, are coming forward to provide Linux OS and application software support to private businesses."

On the desktop front, the challenge, he says is a little different: hardware manufacturers refuse to release Linux drivers. Elcot only qualifies hardware or peripherals if it passes the Linux test. The challenge comes in areas like Apple's I-Pod, video conversion for high definition cameras and popular software such as Tally, says Umashankar. "We informed Tally to provide a Linux version failing which Elcot would not take up Tally training. Apple too has been asked to release a Linux version of i-tune software," he says.

On his part, Umashankar plans to share code Elcot has developed. "Once we implement two more application software packages, we will host the entire application software framework for free download for use in other state governments." Elcot, says Umashankar, is also looking into the possibility of taking legal action against vendors who refuse to release Linux drivers for their products.

That's not the only place Elcot is making its presence felt.

Influencing the Environment

Umashankar -- and now Elcot -- consider reliability and freedom the two important values they have derived from Linux. This sense of security has prompted Elcot to deploy Linux clients at all its 30 offices. The current number of 300 clients is expected to go up to between 600 and 1000 over the next few months.

In addition to stability and reliability, Elcot relies on a Linux desktop-based PIV system to firewall its domain. Umashankar points out that "Linux is the only OS which is scalable to any hardware platform, including mainframe computers. We have servers and desktops running on Intel and AMD platforms. We have a Solaris installation, too."