When Technology Becomes Politicised

War against multinational corporations, globalism and other intellectual enemies were always a necessity for the communists of Kerala, more so than anywhere else in the world.

The latest war take by coms is against Windows OS. They today want Linux OS installed in all computers of Kerala. Ough, their teeth and nail war against computers is not buried in memory yet.

Think people of Kerala, what good has the fight against implementation of computers brought us. It only pushed us back by 20 or 30 years. While other states of South India embraced computer implementation of computers, we were busy preventing the entry of this mamoth enemy that would leave thousands of us unemployed, because then we were at least somewhat brainwashed that a computer could do the job of a thousand people and 999 people will be left unemployed with the coming of a single computer. Nice logic, nah?

The people got enlightenment when one of their leaders visited some foreign countries where he saw thousands of young people employed with different computer application jobs.

Yeah, they were magnanimous in 'correcting' their mistakes, but by the time Kerala has already been lashed back by at least 20 years behind Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

It is a happy thing they acknowledge computers today. Now they are educated so much that they are fully aware of the dangers of proprietary software like Windows OS. Free and Open Source Software is their need of the hour. Implementing Linux is a burning desire.

As soon as they came to power they have took the first steps of installling Linux in all school computers of Kerala. Now, they want to find teachers experienced enough in Linux atmosphere to teach tens of thousands of children.

What a great scenario, isn't it? A state full of Linux OS computers, but with little people with enough knowledge in handling Linux.

You are fully aware of the previous war against this giant called computer. Now we have another enemy in desktop.

Reading this much down, don't think I am against Linux. In fact I appreciate Linux for the open environment it provides. But are enough teachers of Kerala today capable of handling Linux Platform?

Attempts of computer education to teachers really was a hard task for instructors. Now think about our teachers memorizing 50 lines of Linux Programming.

Yeah, but we are always ready to fight unknown enemies. Because if we stop fighting, our great party will go to shambles. Followers always need to struggle and hope for a bright future, where easy to use software has no place, it must be Free and Open. By free we always mean 'free meals'. Is there really a thing called 'free meals'? I thought no.

This struggle against Windows Operating System and over-enthusiasm to implement Linux will effectively deprive our little children of new technology. Yeah, Linux education is needed, but without the support of a pool of knowledgeable instructors, mass implementation proves futile.