http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/07/Indian-agency-to-deploy-Linux-in-schoo\
ls_1.html

Indian agency to deploy Linux in schools
ELCOT, whic provides IT services to the south Indian state of Tamil
Nadu, has already migrated its own infrastructure from Windows to Suse
Linux Enterprise

By John Ribeiro, IDG News Service
August 07, 2007

The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) is deploying Suse
Linux Enterprise across 30,000 desktops and 1,880 servers in schools
in southern India.

» Back to special report: LinuxWorld 2007: Open source goes mainstream

ELCOT is a government-owned agency that provides IT services to Tamil
Nadu, a state in southern India. It has already migrated its own IT
infrastructure from Microsoft's Windows operating system to Suse Linux
Enterprise Server and Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop, Novell said
Tuesday.

ELCOT said in January that its IT projects in Tamil Nadu will be
deployed around open-source software, including Linux. ELCOT decided
in favor of open-source software because it costs less than
proprietary software, said C. Umashankar, managing director of ELCOT,
in an interview in January. Open-source software is also easier to
operate and has better security, he added.

ELCOT has worked with teachers to design a preloaded set of
applications for the 30,000 new PCs.

A number of Indian organizations have adopted Linux. In another south
Indian state, Kerala, the communist government of the state has said
that it will promote open-source software.

The Indian federal government has, however, not taken sides in favor
of either Linux or proprietary software. Microsoft is working with
some states to train teachers to use computers running Windows.

As more companies in India and abroad are starting to use Linux,
familiarity with Linux will help students get jobs, ELCOT said.

--
Frederick Noronha Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org
E: fred@... or fredericknoronha@...
P: +91-832-2409490 M: +91-9970157402
Yahoo: fredericknoronha Skype: fredericknoronha GTalk: fredericknoronha
784, Sonarbhat, Near Lourdes Convent, Saligao 403511 Goa India