LTSP and other things
It seems a bit surreal that all of a sudden low cost computing seems to be the flavor of the month. Sometime back (around 6 months probably), I wrote a feature for AsiaOSC (www.asiaosc.org) about how Sarsuna College was implementing an Office Automation System based on thin client setup. Till then LTSP was a novelty practised only for R&D purposes. LTSP seems to be the technical solution of choice given the current scenario. Software configuration release cycles have ensured that a lot of redundant desktops with LTSP and above class configurations are in the market to be utilised. Perhaps this is also the time to publicise HPCC efforts based on GNU/Linux ? Biometric modelling and genome mapping is readily done with such clusters as is GIS based solutions. HPCC and Beowulf, Grid Computing should be taken up as business implementations.


The Ankur Project (www.bengalinux.org) is based on the premise of providing localised computing experience to the users. Providing an IT experience based on Bangla will initiate the IT-literacy drive and lead towards empowerment. For all practical purposes, empowering people is the cry that Ankur echoes. Bridging the digital divide is perhaps an issue that requires extensive business case models and implementation strategem. While Ankur provides the content delivery platform by means of providing a complete and robust Operating System base, the technological content needs to be kept in place with times.


NDTV (www.ndtv.com)had a program on about how the NCERT books and syllabi fail to inspire students to learn. Learning comes from a self driven effort to exert oneself as much as it depends upon the competence of the teacher and the relevance of the content. Students require easily comprehensible and relevant content. This calls for delivering such content with all possible methods of interaction. Interactive and immersive experience go a long way in making the experience memorable.


One of the major reasons why software(s) sometimes fail to attain market success is the lack of end-use features. In the Indian context, there are mature processes in place that ensure scalable software release and integration. It is time that User-Interfaces and their design become a topic for discussion. The 'Hole-in-the-Wall' project initiated at NIIT (www.niit.com) emphasises the merits of keeping interfaces uncluttered and simple. Customised content delivery platforms aimed at solving niche problems would do well to emulate the base model and create their own systems.



- posted by sankarshan @ 11/08/2003 10:43:00 PM 0 comments