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Open Source Software a Key Enabler for Viable E-governance
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is one of the most important ingredients for the spread of e-governance in the India, said Satish Babu, National Secretary of the Computer Society of India (CSI). He was inaugurating the one-day seminar on the JBoss Application Server in Technopark, Trivandrum on February 8, 2008.
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Trivandrum, Kerala, India – February 13, 2008 (FPRC) -- Mr. Babu said that the early initiatives in e-governance in India was characterized by a multiplicity of technology platforms, leading to high costs of development, difficulty in maintenance, lack of interoperability and a tendency to let the initiative weaken after the original innovator moved out from the project.
However, there is a new trend now, endorsed by both government and private service providers, to use FOSS platforms to base e-governance offerings. This shift was clearly articulated in this year's CSI National E-governance awards ceremony in Hyderabad in December, where there was a firm preference for FOSS platforms and Open interoperability standards. While the low cost of FOSS products is definitely a factor in this choice, other important factors included are the robustness of FOSS products, the lack of legal restrictions, and increasingly, the availability of trained human resources.
He said that it was important to consider the long-term effects of technology choice for public computing while deciding on technology platforms. He said that Kerala was a trailblazer in the choice of FOSS as the platform of choice for e-governance, and congratulated Kerala's IT administration for obtaining three awards in the CSI-Nihilent e-governance awards, including that of the second-best state for IT implementation. The CSI-Nihilent National Awards have been instituted by CSI with the collaboration of the National Institute of Smart Government, Hyderabad.
He said the JBoss Application Server suite was eminently suited for developing local e-governance applications, and that the establishment of a JBoss Centre of Excellence (JBoCE) in Trivandrum would help promoting this Open Source platform in India and the Asia-Pacific markets.
The seminar was then addressed by Mr. S. Satyamoorthy, Head, JBoss (Asia-Pacific) who spoke on JBoss technologies, their features and their use. Mr. Amarnath Raja, CEO InApp, addressed the participants on the JBoss Seam technology.
The event was organized by Computer Society of India, Trivandrum Chapter, in association with IEEE Kerala Section. The event was sponsored by Technopark, Red Hat India, and InApp Information Technologies, Technopark.
About CSI:
The Computer Society of India, established in 1965 and headquartered in Mumbai is the oldest and largest society of IT professionals in India. CSI is committed to advancement through the use of Information Technology in all domains of life. CSI has a member base of over 30,000 that includes top business leaders, computer professionals, academicians, researchers, students and users. The Society has 61 Chapters and 76 Student Branches spread across the country. The main objectives of the Society are to promote exchange of IT information among specialists and the public, to assist professionals maintain integrity and competence, and to foster a sense of partnership among IT professionals.
Send an email to Jayakrishnan M C of Computer Society of India, Trivandrum Chapter +91-471-2527270
Keywords:
JBoss, Seam, jBPM
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