C-DAC, IIT & IBM plan open source resource center

By siliconindia staff writer   |   Friday, 08 October 2004, 19:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
MUMBAI: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), IIT Bombay and IBM India have signed an agreement to institute an Open Source Software Resource Centre (OSSRC). An investment of Rs 5 crore or $1.2m has been earmarked for this purpose over the next three years. The centre is expected to develop Open Source Software (OSS) activities in India. C-DAC, IIT and IBM would jointly undertake activities to foster OSS development and facilitate the understanding of OSS by imparting training. They would also promote content development in areas of education and awareness. IBM would provide the hardware and software resources, management support and participate in the implementation of OSSRC. C-DAC would focus on setting up necessary laboratory and development of skill-sets, which include physical infrastructure, Indian language technologies, frameworks for OSS development, while IIT Bombay would direct efforts in channelising the education sector, such as teacher training and content development in Open Source platforms. Speaking at the occasion, KK Jaswal, secretary at the ministry of information and technology, said: “We need to harness technology to solve real problems of the common man. Though IT has been the main engine of growth in the last decade, we have yet to realise its full potential.” “We have refrained from taking a stand on proprietary software, but ours is a pragmatic approach to use cost-effective resources,” Mr Jaswal said. The government intends to support all initiatives that harness cost-effective resources. “Now that a platform for everyone with a commitment to this cause has been created through this resource centre, we can unleash the potential of India’s software developers. The option for Open Source Software is not just cost consideration, but to provide young talent entrepreneurial encouragement,” Mr Jaswal said. The security provided by OSS and its innovation are some of the factors that are leading educational institutions and corporates to support its cause, he said.

siliconindia