Free / Commercial S/W [was re: [LI] Linux India and Debian]

["Suresh Ramasubramanian" <Suresh@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Database etc which are commercially required [Are they? I think so at
> least] and are highly unpopular [read boring] to students in the labs

Most of the private computer instt (NIIT / Aptech) teach nothing but 
databases (start with foxpro, go on to Oracle / VB etc etc).  What 
else do you expect, given that they have a sharp nose for what's 
the current rage in the market?

> Still, if essence of the commercial software is to lie in designing
> GUIs then I'd rather not have those. Distributed development is the

Commercial software or GPL freeware - this is not the factor.  
Software may be developed by people who understand this sort of 
stuff, but are used by common or garden clerks / executives etc, 
some of whom, till recently, might not have known what a computer 
was if it bit them on their rear end.

GUIs are needed for such people at least.

> found in freeware etc. Uncertainty prevails. And there are times when
> deadlines need be met. Are those deadlines of projects really
> important. 

Try working on a project with penalty clauses - then you'll know :-)

> Need the systems be replaced so fast as these are being
> done right now? Do we really need MORE on the desktop? 

This is mostly marketing from M$ - but still, as people switch to 
newer and more powerful systems (implementing Oracle when a 
simple foxpro for dos app would do equally well, and using 
exchange and outlook where sendmail and mutt would do a better 
job) - they need all the new powerful hardware / jazzy new windoze 
and other software.



Suresh Ramasubramanian
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Phone: +(91-40)3736553/3745398 | eFax: +(1-603)590-5437
Suresh@xxxxxxxxxxx | Suresh@xxxxxxxx
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