Pursuant to the posting of the article titled TCO ? a case for Linux in schoolsi on the iLUG-Calcutta websiteii (www.ilug-cal.org), a number of comments have been posted in response. While the author is glad to note that it did manage to reach out to a cross section of the target audience, it is increasingly obvious that a mismatch in identifying the cause and the motivation of the article has occurred. This article tries to address those imbalances and issues that make it imperative to write about and for the academic domain. This is not an apology nor is it supposed to be a retraction, however it aims to address the queries and the threads generated at the site posting.

The author is inclined to believe that a truly Knowledge based society forms the basis of equality and common upliftment.The currency of such a society is shared knowledge. Group knowledge, heuristic experiences make for a vibrant and active growth matrix and as such software or more pointedly Information Technology functions solely as the enabler. Thus education is imparted with the ultimate aim of sharing Knowledge, a truly ennobling experience. Based on the synergies of the FLOSS movement and philosophy with the aim of education,especially technical education ? the article attempted to make a case for the presence of OSS in the academic domain. ?Linux? serves as a popular shorthand for referring to the entire movement by a brand-recall name and thus the subheading referred to Linux.

Among the factors that actually influence IT spending in schools,colleges and universities are :

Cost of upgrades ? software and hardware

Training costs

Compatibility with school/institution syllabi

Licensing hassles

While these are listed in no particular order, given the constraints of a school IT budget, the above seems to be more in sync.Thus a major step in an IT implementation in such a domain requires identification of ?cost centers? and attention to reducing the number of such cost centers so as to keep any major IT initiative within feasible and viable limits. Being beneficiaries to public money (in some cases) and/or self-funded (in most) the Return on Investment (ROI) for schools assumes tremendous importance. And value addition to the initiative is an issue with governing bodies. The author possesses a first hand experience in dealing with school boards that have noble and high aims yet a classic case of ?funds crunch? leave them make do with something else. Often a poorer substitute.

The author has also gone through the entire text of Brendan Scott's insightful article on the issue of ?Free Software and TCO? and besides quoting some relevant portions, has projected the central focal of that article on issues in developing countries. Nowhere is the article supposed to be a discussion on ?proprietary forks? and the like, although portions quoted were inclusive of such discussions. At this point of time, given the aggressive posturing taken by Microsoft in hand with BSA as to licensing and usage of such software in educational institutions, the author believes that Linux and FLOSS is placed at an unique advantage and have captured a position in the market. With the latest versions of FLOSS software releases rivaling ?proprietary? releases both in media exposure and qualitative features, the dividing line borders on additional moral, philosophical and ethical issues. Education is synergistically linked with and is similar to FLOSS. Within them these processes enshrine ?freedom? and ?choice?. Compared to the ?closed hood? regime of proprietary software, such areas are appealing in the domain of knowledge imparting.

The ancient prayer/invocation states :


And therein lies what FLOSS stands for ? a dream of a collaborative, group movement aimed at sharing knowledge secure in the belief that in the end there will be a house for everyone who donated a brick and a few who didn't.

The article did not mean to comparatively analyse the FLOSS vs. proprietary paradigm in totality. It is too wide to do so and it possesses unique ramifications. As such readers are requested to read it in totality so as to grasp the focal.