LET PENGUINS FLY: Why Should We Adopt Open Source Software
(Summary: This talk explains why OSS should adopted and what strategy is to be used in shifting over to Linux. This talk was delivered by Chief Justice Yatindra Singh at Chhattisgarh High Court, Bilaspur on 24 November, 2012 explaining the reasons to adopt Linux and the strategy adopted in shifting over to Linux.)
नमसते, जय जोहार and a very good morning to all of you.
Chhattisgarh is a beautiful State and it is a privilege and honour to be the chief justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court. I am happy to be here.
I have learnt many new things here and it has been good education for me but this place also requires some changes. I am here to speak about one fundamental change; it is about computerisation, regarding shifting over to open source software (OSS). This is also recommended by e-committee. However before this change is made, it would be appropriate to understand, as to why it is being made: this is the reason for today's talk.
Did I say change, shifting over to OSS! Well, what this title 'Let penguins fly' got to do wth shifting over to OSS? Do penguins fly? Is it possible? Or am I trying to make a fool out of you?
To tell you the truth, the title is not original: I am not the first one to use it. It was earlier used about four and half years ago. At that time, the morning edition of British newspapers reported that some 750 miles south of the Falkland Islands, while filming on King George Island, the BBC Camera crew discovered a colony of Adélie penguins that could fly. The programme presenter had said:2 'We'd been watching the penguins and filming them for days, without a hint of what was to come. But then the weather took a turn for the worse. It was quite amazing. Rather than getting together in a huddle to protect themselves from the cold, they did something quite unexpected, that no other penguins can do.'
The newspapers from the BBC sources had also reported, 'The film reveals nature's stunning glory exciting and unexpected ways, so much so that it defies belief. Not only did it create a vivid and emotional experience for the viewer, it also illustrated just how bold and simple Darwin's idea of natural selection was. The BBC viewers would be able to see that the penguins not only taking flight from the Antarctic wastes, but flying thousands of miles to the Amazonian rainforest to find winter sun.' There was a BBC footage1 that showed penguins flying. This was to be, a part of its new natural history series, 'Miracles of Evolution'. The picture that you see is from that footage. In fact, the penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica; their wings are useless for flight: they have become flippers. They are well adapted to aquatic life. Their white belly and dark backs camouflages them. A predator in the sea looking them up from below has difficulty distinguishing between a white penguin belly and the reflective water surface. The dark back camouflages them from above. The date this title appeared in the morning edition of British newspapers was 1st April 2008. Alas, it was a fools'
day prank and not true :-( I am not repeating that prank today.
Penguin is an official symbol of Linux, an open source software. Allahabad High
Court is a success story of Linux and open source applications. Penguin does fly there.
1 The footage of the BBC can be seen here:
Penguins - BBC - YouTube
Symbol of Linux3
There were valid reasons to adopt open source software at Allahabad High Court; similar reasons apply here. The Chhattisgarh High Court should also adopt OSS: penguins should also fly here. It is not possible without your help This is the reason for this talk and the title for the talk.
This talk is divided into the following four parts:
(i) Why open source software (OSS)
(ii) What is OSS;
(iii) Advantages of OSS;
(iv) Strategy in shifting over to OSS....
