India’s First Open Source Software Resource Center Inaugurated by IBM, C-DAC and IIT-Bombay
Three IT powerhouses – IBM India, C-DAC and IIT-Bombay – entered into an alliance this October to set up the Open Source Software Resource Center (OSSRC), the first of its kind in India. The three partners signed a fancy Rs. 50 million (5 crores) agreement, which covers investments to be made over the next three years.
The objective of the OSSRC is to foster significant open source development in India by establishing a development portal and spearheading significant proof-of-concept projects. The center will undertake activities to increase the understanding of OSS models, and to develop high-quality training programs. It plans to offer OSS-based authoring tools and mark-up languages, teacher training and a content repository. The center will target the development of a national pool of students, faculty and professionals with OSS skills.
Once the present framework of the center gets established, other academic and research institutes in the country will be able to plug into the endeavor as well.
During the inauguration of the OSSRC on October 6, in Mumbai, organizations and individuals active in the OSS community in India bore witness to significant new commitments made by the Indian government in support of the open source movement.
Mr. K.K. Jaswal, Secretary of Information Technology for India’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), said, “We are convinced that a free operating system (OS) provides the perfect strategy for constructing digital bridges between the multi-dimensional disparities that exist in our country today. The government follows a pragmatic approach by opting for cost-effective solutions. Now that open source software is blossoming in India, as it is around the world, we need to develop significant OSS capabilities and institute the resources that support and enhance its growth.”
Jaswal added, “Open source software has altered the computing landscape. This center will help in expanding the open source segment of the Indian software industry and create a new skill set. Through this resource center, we can unleash the potential of India’s software developers. Opting for open source software is not just a cost consideration, but to provide young talent entrepreneurial encouragement.”
Mr. S. Ramakrishnan, Director General, C-DAC, said, “The acceptance of the open source software-based solutions and standards provides an ideal opportunity for countries to develop new players and products, with minimal investments. Our vision is to establish the OSSRC as an institution of excellence, with an aim to leverage private sector resources through a public-private-partnership model in India.”
IBM explained that it is investing two-thirds of the cost of the center to “bring the benefits of information technology to different sections of the community.” The managing director of IBM India, S. Annaswamy, added, “This investment results in the growth of open source software, which will help in expanding the open source segment in the Indian software industry.” IBM will provide the hardware, software and management support, as well as participate in the setting up of the OSSRC.
There were some concerns about the participation of other groups in the planning and implementation of this center. But IBM assured participants that the center would be a true community resource, whose benefits would reach everyone active in the development and advocacy of free and open source software in India.
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