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Symantec, Adobe, McAfee have asked the European Union to ban Microsoft from incorporating free software into Windows Vista because it will hamper competitors from developing similar software. The Regulator of EU has already warned that Microsoft should not bundle its own security software into vista and curtail competition.
http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/09/19/2056230.shtml
Well what you guys say ? .... at one end i agree to their concern while from users prospective why should i pay extra for security, OS itself should be secure.
I understand Adobe's worry and i would agree with them.Vista is in OS , so features should be centered around it like security.
- Jignesh
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Well this is the story
published in malayalam
news site and my friend Jayakrishnan K did his best to translated his
understanding into English.
The point here is "Electricity Board computerization" is not a
small piece of software which can be bundled with hardware purchase from
Microsoft and that too without Time bound. The Electricity Board should
have some sense before they accept such things, and now if it does not
work as desired, they should not criticize. It was free so I believe there
wasn't much requirements collected or even tested.
I my view smart move can be, take the
software code, and take professional service from a software development
company to remove bugs and use the software. Remember : Nothing is this
world is for FREE.
Electricity Board lost
90 crores says Audit Report
Defects in Computerization
Trivandrum: Due to the defects in Computerization, Kerala State
Electricity Board has lost Rs. 89,25,66,000 said the principal accountant
general (P.A.G). This information is contained in the audit report
concerning the Low Tension Consumer Billing Facility submitted on August
18th. The P.A.G has also expressed his opinion that the contract with
Microsoft for Computerization has not benefited the Electricity Board.
The state contains 600 electricity board sections out of which only 176
sections have been currently computerized. Out of these 176, the auditing
done at less than 10 sections shows a loss of 90 crores. The losses were
due to the faults in the software used for computerization. It has been
pointed out that When the audit of the remaining computerized sections are
completed, the estimated loss would come to 100 crores.
When an electricity connection is allowed or when the tariff plan changes,
a figure amounting to three times the electricity rate which should have
been be collected as deposit was not enforced due to a defect in software;
due to which Rs. 14.78 crores was lost in 7 sections alone. The
corrections made by the employees in the bills generated by the computer
software lead to a loss of 70.71 crores in around 6 sections. The errors
in software led to a loss of 2.66 crores from Industrial consumers
in 5 sections. The electricity rate of commercial consumers could not be
accurately calculated in 3 sections resulting in a loss of 81.06 lakhs.
And in 5 sections an amount of 2.67 lakhs was lost on account of
non-collection of minimum rate from house consumers; a loss of 15.45 lakhs
due to nil collection in 1 section. These were the findings of P.A.G.
Due to mass complaints, in 2004, the Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing (CDAC) was authorised to examine the computerization process.
However even thought CDAC had initially informed the Board about their
incompetence to conduct such a study, they were still selected to examine
the process, for which the P.A.G. found that another 12 lakhs was spent.
The board was mercilessly criticized for not having evaluated the pros and
cons before the decision to expand its computerization process.
In 2002 when Mr. Kadavoor Sivadasan was the
Minister for Electricity, the Board entered into a contract with Microsoft
for the purpose of computerization. In lieu of the purchase of Computer
and its accessories from Microsoft, Microsoft had promised to deliver the
software free of cost to computerize the Electricity Board. But
after the computerization process, Microsoft wrested the responsibility of
implementing the software with Price Water Cooper (PWC). The Board entered
into a software development contract with PWC only after the receipt of
the aforesaid software. The P.A.G. says that this particular contract was
untimely and could not ensure the receipt of the total software and the
required service from PWC.
The computerization process aimed at providing bill, receiving cash,
preparing accounts and other related tasks to the consumers. Later, It was
found out that the software named "Enlite" provided by PWC is
not usable for the aforesaid purposes. The main defects were providing
undue credit, mis-calculated bills, runtime error, defect-laden accounts
etc. The experts on the Board tried to bring about changes in "Enlite"
and developed a new software named "Jyothi" but to no avail. An
official directive that the employees should not depend wholly on the
computer generated bills, instead examine and make necessary corrections
is still prevalent.
Microsoft now demands 3 crore rupees as compensation for the
computerization of the remaining sections with "Jyoti", the
software developed by the Board employees. The remaining 424 sections
which await computerization have already stocked the necessary equipments.
Due to a plethora of complaints the new government has directed the Board
to temporarily suspend the computerization process.
V.S.Shyamlal
Disclaimer (Jayakrishnan K ) I am not a
"professional translator" and my translation may not accurately
reflect the report. This is how I have understood it. |
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