INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE LEGAL PROFESSION

(Summary: This paper explains how information technology may be used by the persons pursuing legal profession.

This was read by Justice Yatindra Singh, judge Allahabad High Court Allahabad at Kerala Law Academy Trivandum on 12.3.09 and before Karnatake Judicial Academy Bangalore on 23.3.2008)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology—brought about by computers, Internet, and Cyber space—is a technology for accessing and dissemination of information. Let's take a look on the different steps by Information technology.

1st STEP: INTERNET

In the early 1970's, Vint Cerf (the mathematician and computer scientist) and Robert Kahn (the Engineer) took the first step, when they figured out a way of splitting information into small packets and sending it from one computer to another in such a way that the packets could be put back together when they reached their destination. This method of splitting information into packets and putting them back together again came to be known as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

An important feature of TCP is that it can be carried out even if there is a network of computers. This is possible because every computer has an address and a packet is like a letter with the address of the receiver as well as sender. A computer in the network can figure out whether the packet is meant for it or not and if it is not, then it will pass it on in the direction of the computer for which it is sent. This way of getting a packet to its destination is called Internet Protocol (IP) and the address of computer on the network is called Internet Protocol (IP) Address.

This is how the Internet was born: it is nothing but the global or universal network of all computers (whether standing alone or in a network) that are capable of transmitting, communicating or retrieving information.

2nd STEP: WEB TECHNOLOGY

The next step of the journey started with Tim Berners Lee. After finishing his masters in Physics from the Oxford University (where he was banned for hacking computers), he started working as fellow at CERN, European Nuclear Physics research laboratory See End-note-1). The laboratory had different computers with different programmes, having different format. His main job was to see that information from one computer should be easily transferred and can be read in the other computer.

In the late 1980's, Lee thought about linking information available on different computers at CERN so that it would look like as one information system that every one could read. He wrote a proposal for the same on 13th March 1989. This led to the web technology and the first web page was uploaded on 6th August 1991 at CERN.

In developing the web technology, Lee used HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and hypertext transfer protocol.

• HTML: it is a language for encoding documents. One of the advantage of writing a page in HTML is that a hyperlink (or link) can be provided to another web page. Every document or site or resource has a unique address called the Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The link is provided by embedding the URL of the other site/page. It is a piece of text that is differentiated from the regular text by a special colour (usually blue) or special formatting (such as underlining).
• HTTP: When You click on the link, by a mouse or other pointing device, you are taken to the website referenced by that link. This transfer or retrieval of information takes place according to the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

Lee did not invent the HTML or the HTTP but put them together to develop the Web technology.

3rd STEP: WORLD WIDE WEB - Free and Open

The web pages are in a way linked with one another forming a web; they can be anywhere in the world. It is for this reason that this method is aptly termed as the World Wide Web (www) or the web.

The Web technology was developed at CERN and was its IPR. On April 30, 1993, CERN's declared the web technology to be freely available; to be used by anyone, without paying any fees to CERN.

There are many ways of communication and retrieving information on the Internet. The web is one of the methods but the decision to make it freely available, has led the Web to be the most powerful and popular form of communication and retrieval of information on the Internet. It is so common that we often think that the web and the Internet are one and the same.

4th - NEXT STEP: WEB 2.0 AND SEMANTIC WEB

Web 2.0

Because of the name Web 2.0, many think that it is next generation web but this is not so: it is not a technical update of existing Web specifications but refers to changes in the ways software developers and end-users use web. This 'Web 2.0' caught on during O'Reilly Media conference in 2004. According to him:

'Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.'

Others define it as,

'Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generate content that is published, managed and used through network applications in a service-oriented architecture.'

Broadly, it refers to a trend in web design and development of web-based communities and hosted services that aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing between users i.e. social-networking sites, wikis, etc. Some specific examples are Wikipedia, Flicker.

Semantic Web

The fundamental characteristic of Web at present is to link web pages: it is basically a web of documents rather than for data and information that can be processed automatically. The Semantic Web aims to make up for this.

What Web has done for web-pages, the Semantic Web is to do for data. It is an extension of the current web – a sort of next generation web where data – instead of web pages - will be connected, enabling computers to understand and process data in much better way then they do at present. In substance information will be better defined for computer programmes to understand.

5th STEP: FEED TECHNOLOGY

The purpose of any website is to give information and there are many ways to get new information on a website.

• The traditional way is to go on a website and see what new information is available there.
• As the technology improved, it was no longer necessary to go on the website. You could register your email-id and the website would send new information by email.
• The latest is the feed technology.

A 'web feed' (also called 'syndicated feed' or just 'feed') is a data format for providing updated content of a website. If they are published by the website then they can be accessed through program called aggregator (also called a feed reader or a news reader). When you subscribe to feed with an aggregator then whenever instructed, the aggregator checks the websites in its feed list to see if they have new content; if so, then the aggregator either makes a note of the new content or downloads it. This can be scheduled to check for new content periodically and this is normally done. Depending on whether the feed is full or summary, you can read the new content on your computer or have to go to the website to read it.

These programmes are available free of cost: some are independent programmes; others are either part of the email programme or web browser. This method of getting new information has many advantages. Amongst the others,

• You don't have to waste your time by going to the websites and see what new information is there because as soon as the new information comes on the websites, it is delivered to your computer.
• You can play news editor and subscribe feed of only that part of the information on the website that interests you.

The feeds are of two kinds: one is RSS, the other is atom. There is some debate as to what RSS stands for, but the majority agree that it stands for 'Really Simple Syndication'. There is technical difference between the two but for user there is no difference; they do the same work. RSS is older and is more popular; it works with podcast too. Not all websites currently provide feed, but it is growing rapidly in popularity and almost all important websites offer it.
The fact that any website provides feed is indicated by an orange button that says RSS or XML (the computer language that feed uses) or by an orange symbol. They look like as follows:

SOME GOOD FEED READERS & WEBSITES

Some good feed readers programmes are as follows:

• My Yahoo
  
• Google Reader
  
• Newsgator
  
• Thunderbird
  
• FeedReader
  
• Firefox
  

They are free and you can chose the one that you like. You can see an easy tutorial as how to subscribe feed in Google reader.

Some of the good website that offer feed in the field of law are:

• High Court of Judicature at Allahabad
• QuickLinks
• Intellectual Property Watch
  
• Mondaq
  
• Law News from Times Online
• The Blog of Legal Times

The other good website is Judis but it does not provide feed of its contents. There is mistake in the website. It refers to old website of the Allahabad High Court that is not updated. The new website as mentioned above may be seen.

The other good websites that offer feed are:

• Arts & Letters Daily
• The New York Times

One other good website is SciTech Daily Review. It does not offer feed but will send updated contents in case you register your email with it.

SOFTWARE TO BE USED

Use open source software (OSS) rather than any proprietary or close source software. There is no copyright infringement by merely using OSS: there is no piracy. The upholders, protectors, and enforcer of law must take care that they are not on the wrong side of law.
No royalty is required to be paid for OSS; however, money could be charged for services. OSS is as good as any proprietary/close source software; at least so far as legal profession is concerned. Some of the successful and commonly used OSS are as follows:

1. Linux: It is an operating system like windows.
2. OpenOffice.org suite: It is an office suite similar to Microsoft office suite. It is normally used for word processing, data base programmes, and making presentations.
3. GIMP: GNU image manipulation programme. It helps in editing images.
4. Audacity: A programme to record and edit audio files.
5. Mozzilla foundation: It has come out with the following software:

• Firefox - an Internet browser, similar to the Internet explorer;
• Thunderbird - an email manager, similar to the Outlook express
• Sunbird – it is an e-manager and reminds birthdays, marriage anniversaries and other important dates. It is similar to Microsoft outlook.

The programmes are 'operating system free' e.i. they work in all operating systems. Even if you don't work in Linux, you should use these programmes. This will prepare you to work in all operating systems.

BLOG AND PODCAST

Information technology is abut communication and dissemination of information. It is a powerful tool for expression. Two good ways of expressing yourself are: blogs and podcasts. Both are Portmanteau words. Blog has been made from the words web and log; whereas podcast is made from ipod and broadcast. They do not entail any extra expense apart from the internet connection. You can express views by writing blog or broadcasting your voice on podcast.

Two good places to write your blog are

• Bloggger; and
• WordPress.com.

You can even write a blog in Hindi too. But remember use Unicode Hindi font. If you can type in English then typing in Hindi is easy: you can use phonetic keyboard.

Some good place to keep your podcast are

• esnips; and
• MyPodcast.com.

CONCLUSION

In the end, I will like to add,

जब इंटरनेट हो, साथ तुम्हारे

समझो सूचना, पास तुम्हारे

End-note-1: It was here that Large Hadron collider (LHC), a particle accelerator, has been built. An experiment where two beams of subatomic particles called 'hadrons' – either protons or lead ions – travel in opposite directions inside the circular accelerator, gaining energy with every lap. Physicists use the LHC to recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang, by colliding the two beams head-on at very high energy. The analysis of the particles created in the collisions will provide new insight into creation of Universe. The experiment started on 10th September 2008.

OPEN FORMAT, OPEN SOURCE AND THE ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT

{This talk was to be delivered in the convention held on 26-28 December 2008 in Calcutta by the Institute for Open Technology and Applications, a society formed under Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal (IOTA) to create awareness to create awareness in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). However due to unavoidable circumstances it could not be done but was circulated in the convention.}

We, at the Allahabad High Court, not only use but advocate open source software (OSS) and open formats. Many raise the question,

'Why is it so? Why do you do it?'

Let me take this opportunity to explain it. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said,

'Means are more important than the end:  it is only with the right means that the desired end will follow.'

His philosophy is deep rooted in law too. Lord Denning, one of the greatest judge of 20th century, in R Vs IRC Exparte Rossminster Ltd 1979 (3) All ELR 385 held,

‘But it is fundamental in our law that the means that are adopted ... should be lawful means. A good end does not justify bad means.' 

In the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT):

• The end  is dissemination and communication of information; and
• The means are, how to achieve it, implement it; the kinds of software to use, the kinds of standards  to adopt, the kind of formats to employ?

WHAT IS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE (OSS)?

The software consists of two parts

• Source code; and
• Object code.

   
Nowadays, computer programmes are written in high level computer languages using compact English words. Only humans , but not computer an understand it. This part is known as source code.

The languages also have a programme called compiler and with its help, source code is compiled into the language that computers can understand. This is called object code or machine code. This runs the computer or any application therein.

Protection - Object Code

There was some debate as to how the object code is protected but Article 11 of the TRIPS mandates its members to provide authors with the right to authorise or to prohibit commercial rental of at least computer programmes and cinematographic works. This has also been so provided under Section 14(b) of the Copyright Act and now in our country, as in almost all other countries in the world, the object code is protected as copyright.

Protection - Source code

Source code is a kind of a description. Copyright lies in the description and source code of a computer programme—being description—is a literary work within the Copyright Act. If it is not published then it is protected as a trade secret. In case it is published it is protected as a copyright and may also be protected as a patent.

Copylefted, Free, and Gpled software

Everyone is not using Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) to hoard rights in the software. Some are using them in such a way that no one is able to hoard them: by using copyright, they are doing opposite of what is normally done by copyright. It is for this reason that it is called copylefting. This happens if software has the following conditions:

1. The software is royalty  free and no fee is charged for the same;
2. The source code is disclosed;
3. There is freedom to modify the software; and
4. Anyone who redistributes the software, with or without changes, must pass along similar freedom to others i.e. disclose the source code and permit further modification.

Copylefted software is also called free software as there is freedom to modify it. General public licence (GPL) contains  conditions that copylefts a software. Software, under a GPL licence, is also known as GPLed software.

Open Source Software (OSS)
The philosophy of copylefted/ free/ GPLed software  conveyed an anti-business message. Though it not so: it is merely a way of doig business. In the late 1990's, a group of free software enthusias got together in California and started a consortium – called Open Source Initiative (OSI). They also drafted ten guidelines and if the license or conditions under which the software has been released satisfies these guidlines then they called it Open Source Software (OSS). Among the  ten conditions, the three important ones are,

1. The software is royalty  free and no fee is charged for the same;
2. The source code is disclosed; and
3. There is freedom to modify the software.

List of these licenses alphabetically and category wise may be seen here and here.

The guidelines do not contain the fourth condition of Free Software. Thus OSS is more comprehensive.All Copylefted/ free/ GPLed software is OSS but all OSS is not Copylefted/ free/ GPLed software: the sphere of OSS is larger than Copylefted/  free/ GPLed software.

Anyone can copy, distribute or modify OSS. No one infringes copyright by merely using or modifying it. This does not mean that it has no copyright. There is copyright in OSS. In fact, OSS is copylefted by using copyright. Anyone who uses OSS contrary to the conditions governing the license, not only breaches the contract but also infringes the copyright. This has also been so held by the US Court of Appeals for the federal circuit in Robert Jcobson Vs Matthew Katzer on 13. 8 2008.

Advantages of OSS

1. No Copyright infringment in using or modifying it:  There is copyright in the OSS. In fact, OSS is copylefted by using copyright. However in terms of the license conditions, there is no  copyright infringment in merely using or modifying it. Copyright infingement due to unauthorised use is a global issue and adopting OSS will obviate this aspect of it.
2. Lesser cost: OSS is royaltee free; it does not cost anything. The only cost is for services or support for the same. Utilising OSS will reduce the cost of any project. The cost reduction has an impact on the proprietary software too. In order to be competitive, their cost is being reduced.
3. Service sector: Due to historical reason, our English and Maths have always been a plus point. These subjects are necessary for providing services in the IT sector. Adoptions of OSS opens new job opportunities in the service sector.
4. Customise software: Software can not be modified even if source code is disclosed unless there is permission to modify the same. In OSS, source code is disclosed and there is permission to modify the software. This permits everyone to participate in the software movement and also provides opportunity to everyone to customise software. Today, OSS is not only available in HIndi, our national language, but also in almost all regional languages; its adoption offers us an opportunity to take IT movement to the grass root level.
5. Stable: Virus is nothing but a computer programm which effects any other computer programme or computer data. In OSS there can be viruses however there have been only a few. This is because its source code is open/ published. Experts say that it is safe and provides stable environment. This is also strengthened by the fact that Apache (an OSS)  is the most popular web server. 
6. Avoids IPR conflicts:  It is possible to have IPR in the modified software created from OSS but the authors of any OSS do not claim any IPR in the OSS written by them. This is clear from the fact that they permit everyone to use/ modify/ distribute it without any royalty. This not only leads to reduction in the IT cost but avoids future conflicts in the IPR area.
7. Different licenses: There are many licenses that are certified by OSI. This creates some difficulties but different licenses have their advantages too. They can be adopted for different business models:

• GPL is viral: a business model centered around programming and support services should be adopted.
• BSD type licenses are at the other end: they permit creation of proprietary software. The Macintosh Operating System (a proprietary software) is partly based on BSD licensed code.

The other licenses lie between these two and may be chosen by the companies/software developers according to their need.

   

WHAT IS OPEN FORMAT?

Formats are particular way of encoding or a method of storing information so that a computer programme or a device may, understand, reproduce, and,  if the need be, render it for modifications.  

Formats may  be proprietary. They could be,

• Secret and protected as a trade secret; or
• Published and yet protected as a patent (as was the gif format for images).

This is not true for open formats. They are,

1. Documented and published - sufficient to implement them in any computer programme or device.
2. Made available irrevocably to everyone without any royalty or fee.
3. Maintained by a neutral body, where decisions are taken with consensus or majority thus catering to the needs of all.

Advantages of Open Format
Open formats, not only avoid monopoly but encourage healthy competition. Information technology has best flourished in the open formats/ standards: the Internet, the web, the protocol transfer are all based on open formats/ standards. Apart from other advantages,

• There is no fear of patents or licensing;
• Open source software supporting ODF exists for every operating system; they work across the operating systems. 
• The files can never be lost as they will always be accessible.
• They can be implemented in any software making the users true owners of their files.

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

Let me explain open source software and open format with the help of a story from 'Panchtantra': this story has common thread in all cultures - it is there in Aesop's fables too. It is the story of a hare and a tortoise.

Image from Wikipedia

One day, the hare and the tortoise decided to race against each other. The hare obviously took the lead; he thought of relaxing and went off to sleep. The tortoise, walking slowly but steadily, overtook the hare and won the race. The moral is,

'Slow but steady wins the race'.

In recent time, some new chapters have been added to this story.

The hare was perturbed by the defeat. He asked the tortoise to race again. This time he did not take rest and won the race easily. The moral is,

'It is better to be fast and reliable'.

But, this is not the end of the story.

After some days, the tortoise asked the hare to race once again but with a condition that the course will be chosen by him. The hare, who was confident of his victory, gave him a free hand. This time the course included a river. The hare ran up to the river and then stopped. The tortoise came and swam across the river to win the race. The moral is,

'Every one has weak and strong points – play on your strong side.'

However, the story still does not end here.

After some days, the tortoise and the hare repeated the race over the same course but the rules were changed. This time they decided run it as a team. On the ground, the hare carried the tortoise on his back and on the river, the tortoise carried the hare on his back. The result was that both of them reached the destination quickly, saved time and enjoyed the race too. The moral is,

'It is best to consolidate everyone's strong points'.

 OPEN STANDARDS, FORMATS – GOOD MEANS

This is, what the open source and open formats are about. They,

• Consolidate strong points;
• Use the IPR to prevent the hoarding of technology;
• Invite others to participate in its development.

It is 'Make love, not war' in atypical way. In term of Gandhi's philosophy, they are right means and are the key to the future: they will lead us to the desired end.

Mahatma Gandhi once said,

 'You must be the change that you want to see in the world.'

Lead by example: show the world how changes can be effected. This is, why we use and advocate Open Source Software and Open Formats.

Appendix-1

Popular OSS programmes that work across all Operating Sytems/ platforms:

1. Audacity (GPL version 2): It is programme for recording audio files. It permits editing of the audio files too. One can copy, paste, or mix the audio files.
2. OpenOffice.org suite (LGPL License): It provides bundle of software that are used in an office. It is similar to MS office suite and contains similar programmes. The default format of different programmes of this suite are Open Document Format maintained by Organisation for the Advancement of Structured information Standards (OASIS). It was approved by the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) on May 3, 2006. OpenOffice.org suite can open and save files in default format of MS Office suite or Power Point Presentation as well as in any other format too. It can export any file into pdf format. In the latest version pdf files can also be modified. MS word does not open files saved in default format, which is open format, of OpenOffice.org. This can be easily achieved by Sun ODF Plugin, a freeware from Sun Michrosystems.
3. Firefox, Thunderbird, and Sunbird (all from Mozilla Foundation) (Mozilla Public License): Firefox is a web browser: Window equivalent to Internet Explorer. Thundrbird is a program for sending and receiving emails. It can perform functions of Outlook express. Mozilla Sunbird is e-manager and manages e-calender. It is similar to Microsoft outlook and can be integrated with Firefox or Thunderbird. 
4. GIMP (GPL License): It is GNU Image Manipulation Programme and is suitable for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It is similar to photoshop. 
5. Infra Recorder (GPL-2 License): It is programme for burning CDs and DVDs. It works in the windows only. However, K3B is a similar programme that works in linux. 
6. VLC Media Player (GPL-2 License): It is media player. It can play audio and video files. Mplayer is another open source programme similar to it. It can play files of mp3 format (a proprietary format) as well as ogg format which is open format.

SCIENCE FICTION: THE PIED PIPER OF SCIENCE

(Summary: The paper explains, science fiction, historical background, and its importance in the field of science.
This paper was to be read by Justice Yatindra Singh at Varanasi on 13.112008 in the first ever national discussion on 'Science Fiction: Past, present, Future' organised by National Council of Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) New Delhi. However due to unavoidable circumstances it could not be read but was circulated.)

In the thirteenth century, 130 children disappeared in Hamlin, Germany.  It is not clear,

1. If this was in 1212 or 1260, or 1284 or any other year;
2. If they died or were killed or just went away to another place;
3. What was the reason for their disappearance.

However, Hamlin town  records this incident. The 'Donat', the Hamlin book of statutes, contains  references to it. The tragic incident was also recorded in the stained window of the market church. It was destroyed in 1660 but on the basis of surviving descriptions, it has been reconstructed by Hans Dobbertin (historian).  Around sixteenth century, a  tale was added to it:

'The town of Hamlin was suffering from a rat infestation. A man dressed in pied garments (the pied piper) appeared, offering them a solution. The people promised to pay him for his services. He played a musical pipe to lure away the rats and drowned them into the Weser river. However  the people refused to pay him. The man left the town angrily. 
The pipe piper returned on St. John's Day.  While the inhabitants of Hamlin were in the church, he played his pipe again. This time, instead of rats, the tune attracted the children. One hundred and thirty boys and girls followed him out of the town and were never seen again. Two children, a lame, and a deaf were left behind to tell the tale.'

Some say that the pied piper was the devil himself; some accept this story as an explanation to the tragic incident. Leaving the dark aspect of the tale, the pied piper  was a master musician, who could attract anyone with his tunes.  So is the case with science fiction: they not only create interest in science but make us aware about different possibilities.

SCIENCE FICTION

Science Fiction - Interesting
Arthur C. Clark has written an article 'Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination'. In the article, he explains four priciples for the future of science. In the article,  initially the first three priciples were mentioned but the fourth and the last one was added afterwards. They are,

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. 
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. 
4. For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert.

His third principle is the most famous and is the basis of all science fiction: this is the reason that science fiction is so interesting. After all who does not like fantasy – especially the magical  world of advanced technology.    

What is science fiction?

Science fiction includes such a wide range of themes and sub-genres that it is  difficult to define it. However, it broadly deals with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals; It often involves speculations based on current/ future science or technology.

Science fiction lies in the arena of pure imagination, but it is not pure fantasy; its context is possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature.

Historical Background of Science Fiction
Science fiction has been in existence as far back as stories have been in existence,  but the first recognised and  talked about science fiction is Mary Shelly's (nee Godwin) (30.8.1979-1.2.1851) 'Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus' generally known as 'Frankenstein'. It also gave a new phrase to the English language 'Frankenstein's Monster'. One must remember the monster/ creature in the novel was nameless: it was the name of its creator— Victor Frankenstein.

Edgar Allan Poe (19.1.2808 – 7.10.1849) also contributed to the genre of science fiction. 

However, the person first to the popularise it was Jules Verne (8.2.1828 – 24.3.1905), the French writer, rightly acclaimed as the father of science fiction.

Pierre-Jules Hetzel (15.1.1814–17.3.1886) was a French publisher. He not only published the books written by  Jules Verne but encouraged him and made valuable suggestions. The role that he played for science fiction in the nineteenth century was played  by Hugo Gernsback, an American publisher, in the twentieth century.

Hugo started a magazine named 'Amazing stories' later renamed 'Amazing Science Fiction' to popularise it. He also popularised, if not invented, the word science fiction later shortened to Sci-Fi or just SF. The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) gives many awards and one of the awards - the Hugo Award - is named in his honour . The convention is held every year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 through 1945, during World War II).

SCIENCE FICTION - CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE

Science fiction is often based on future science and technology. It extrapolates and often refers to emerging scientific fields. It creates interest in those fields. Some examples are:

1. Lunar Journey
2. Space Exploration;
3. Robotics;
4. Mathematics and Computers
5. Surrogacy, cloning, and stem cell.

Lunar Journey
We always dreamt about going to the other worlds and the moon being the nearest was closest to our heart. Jules Verne wrote a novel 'From earth to moon' (1865). It was not a complete novel. He wrote another one 'Around the moon' (1870) which continued from where the earlier one had ended. Subsequently, both of them were combined together and renamed 'A trip to the moon and around it'.

Hundred and four years after Jules Verne wrote his story, Apollo-11, the first manned trip was planned to the moon.  Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the moon (21.7.1969), on this historic event said,

'That's one small step for [a] man, one great leap for mankind.'

On his way back, he made a speech, where he recalled the story written by Jules Verne and pointed out some of the similarities. In fact, there are many similarities between the story written by Jules Verne and the moon mission:

1. The first manned vehicle to go to the moon would be launched from the US.
2. It would be blasted off from Florida, so did all Apollo missions. (Verne correctly states that objects launch into space more easily if they are launched from the earth's equator.)
3. The shape and size of the vehicle would closely resemble the Apollo command/ service module spacecraft.
4. Verne's cannon was named the Columbiad and the Apollo 11 command module was named Columbia.
5. The number of men in the crew would be three.
6. A telescope would be able to view the progress of the journey. The actual launch was televised.
7. Verne predicted weightlessness although his concept was slightly flawed in thinking that it was only experienced at the gravitational midpoint of the journey (where the Moon and Earth gravity balanced).
8. The Verne spacecraft would use retro-rockets which became a technology assisting Neil Armstrong and his crew mates in their journey to the Moon. 

HG Wells (21.9.1866 – 13.8.1946) also wrote a novel about moon trip 'The First Man in the Moon' (1901). It was based on different principles. A sphere that could shield gravity. If gravity has particle nature and graviton, the elusive particle, is found then you never know – will this be possible.

And now we are on our way to moon – Chandrayaan-1 (चन्र्दयान-१) is on.

Space Exploration

Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan, was inspired by astronomical speculation of the time, that envisioned  Mars to the similar to Earth which was now becoming less hospitable to life. He wrote many stories (11) relating to life on Mars which was called "Barsoom" by its inhabitants.

HG Wells wrote another classic 'War of the Worlds', an invasion by Martians where we are saved by bacteria to which Martians had no immunity.

We all grew up with excitement of Star trek. It fired the imagination of many with its classic opening,

'Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.'

Robotics

Arthur C. Clarke (16.12.1917- 19.3.2008) and Isaac Asimov (2.1.1920 – 6.4.1992) have written great science fiction stories. They were travelling down Park Avenue, New York while sharing a taxi. They entered into a pact that Asimov was required to insist that Arthur C. Clarke was the best science fiction writer in the world (reserving second best for himself), while Clarke was required to insist that Isaac Asimov was the best science writer in the world (reserving second best for himself). This was acknowledged in writing by Clarke in his book 'Report on Planet Three',

‘In accordance with the terms of the Clark-Asimov treaty, the second best science writer dedicates this book to the second best science fiction writer.’  

This may not be true. For many, Isaac Asimov  is the best science fiction writer, if not of all times then at least of the twentieth century. One should not compare him with Jules Verne, the father of science fiction: Jules belonged to a different era, a different century.  The progress of science makes the comparison unfair. But what Jules Verne was to his generation, Asimov was to his .

Asimov's best-known work is the 'Foundation Series’  (see End note-1). He has written other series too: The 'Robot series' (see End note-2) and  the 'Empire Series' (See End Note-3). The stories in the series are independent of each other and have been written at different times without any intention of connecting them.  But in the end, they were connected. There is some inconsistency between them but this is expected as they were not planned to be connected. These three series together form, what one may call ‘Foundation Universe’. They offer a kind of picture of the future, painted through stories that are gripping, and make enjoyable reading.   

Robotics is the new emerging field of science. We already have dancing robots; robot competitions are common in the engineering colleges. The time is not far when we will have robots doing the manual work. How will they be build; what principles will they follow? I have no doubt that the fundamental principle will be the   three laws of Robotics that Asimov framed at the beginning of Robot series in 1941.  Like three laws of motion, three laws of Robotics will endure time and will be basis for Robotics.   These laws are: 

1. A Robot may not ignore a human being or through inaction allow human being to come to harm
2. A Robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law
3. A Robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law

Should we have robots doing all work for us? Well, we should learn from the science fiction story 'The Return of Vaman' written by Jayant Vishnu Narlikar. This may not happen but the moral is

'Utopia, if there is one, is end of life.'

The story also raises interest in the theory of selfish genes and  if a machine can replicate itself.

Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

Most of the science fiction have reference to Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence but there are not many that are written with them as main theme. However I will like to mention about two:

• Uncle Petros and Goldbach's conjecture by Apostoles Doxiadis: Golbach's conjecture is that an even number greater than two can always be expressed as a sum of two prime numbers. This story revolves around  Goldbach's conjecture and Godel's theorem of incompleteness and is spun around Professor Petros and his nephew.   Prof. Petros and his family is fiction but rest of the characters are real and stories about them are also real anecdotes about mathematicians.  The publishers had announced one million dollars prize to any one who could solve Goldbach's conjecture within two years of publication of the book.  The book is engrossing and creates interest in the world of Mathematics.
• The Cambridge Quintet by L. Casti: Information Technology (IT) has slowed down.  Nonetheless it will continue to dominate our lives and the data collected would require application to get meaningful results.  This would require opening of new frontiers in artificial intelligence.   It is a fictional account of a dinner party of five greats of the last century namely, C.P. Snow, physicist, Civil servant; Alan Turing, Mathematician; J.B.S. Haldane, Geneticist; Erwin Schrodinger, Nobel prize-winning physicist; and Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher.  The dinner is hosted by Snow who is to give a report on what Tuning had proposed in the middle of the last century, 'Is there any logical reason why we cannot envision technology advancing to the point where we could construct a computing machine that would be distinguishing from human being in its cognitive capabilities?' Or can a machine think? Snow thought best to call the other four to get their views before writing it. Strictly speaking the book is not  science fiction.  It is also not popular science writing: it is not limited to the knowledge of that time.  The book gives arguments (pros and cons) about artificial intelligence. And one should not forget to read 'Afterwards', which gives a good account of 'Artificial Intelligence' today and the books in this regard. It gives history and future of artificial intelligence. Casti is  a Ph.D. in Mathematics, has full credentials to write such a wonderful book.

Surrogacy, Cloning, and  Stem Cell Research
The areas relating to surrogacy, cloning and  stem cell research have come into existence. They not only raise scientific but moral questions too that are difficult to answer. Some science fiction novel discuss these issues:

• The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) by HG Wells: The story revolves around the idea of vivisection of animals to resemble humans.
• The Imperial Earth (1976) by Arthur C. Clark: It is set in twenty third century and discusses surrogacy and cloning. It also envisages a society where bisexuality - instead of heterosexuality or homosexuality - is the norm;
• 'Jurassic Park' (1990)  by Michael Crichton: He has added sequels to it. It talks about re-creation of dinosaurs. It also uses the mathematical concept of chaos theory.

'Jurassic Park' provides interesting insight. Many say that this story is impossible for various reasons:

• It is not possible to recover dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes trapped in fossilized tree sap.
• It is unlikely to find a complete sequence because DNA is typically unstable outside living organisms (unless it is in the proper buffer).
• Any gaps in the resulting DNA sequence must be filled with dinosaur DNA; using frog DNA, as the story suggests, would likely produce an organism that varied from the original animal.
• In order to clone a complete DNA sequence, an oocyte from the same organism is required. Since no Mesozoic dinosaurs are alive today, this would be impossible.
• Any prehistoric DNA obtained from a fossilized mosquito would have become contaminated with the mosquito's own, again making it problematic to clone an 'accurate' and viable organism.

However these objections may not apply for the species that are endangered or likely to disappear. Their DNA can always be preserved – just in case it may be needed.

CONCLUSION: SUGGESTION

Science fiction often deals with emerging field of science. It provides an allurement to  study science that no other kind of fiction does. What a good idea will it be, if science fiction can be introduced as one of the extra curricular activities in the schools and colleges under Science Club or perhaps part of literature or science subjects. If this happens then this may lead to better scientists of tomorrow.

(All photographs, except the photograph of the robot are from Wikipedia)

End Note-1: ‘Foundation’, is the first novel in the 'foundation series' from publication point of view. It was initially published in the form of four stories between 1942 to 1944. Later on (1951) they appeared as one novel.  Two more were added ‘Foundation and the Empire' (1952) and ‘The Second Foundation' (1953).  For twenty-five years the Foundation Trilogy remained the best science fiction ever written. It is only later, that two more were added to the series ‘Foundation’s Edge' (1982) and ‘Foundation and Earth' (1983).  One thought it was the end of the matter but then he came up with ‘Prelude to Foundation' (1988).  It is in fact the first in the Foundation Series though written in the last. In all this series consists of six books.

End Note-2: The 'Robot Series' consists of ‘The Complete Robot’ (short stories about robots published from 1940 to 76),  ‘The Caves of Steel' (1954) (The first Robot novel), ‘The Naked Sun' (1959),  ‘The Robot of Dawn' (1983) and ‘Robots and Empire' (1985).

End Note-3: The 'Empire Series  consists of ‘The Currents of Space' (1952) (the first Empire novel though again written in the last), ‘Pebble in the Sky' (1950) and ‘The Star Like Dust' (1951).

BE THE CHANGE – YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD

(Summary: This paper not only provides legal implications of open format but also explains its advantages, problems and how to make them more popular.

Text of Talk delivered by Justice Yatindra Singh on 09.10.2008 in the Second International Open Document Format User Workshop organised by the E-Documentation committee chaired by South Africa's Department of Home Affairs in collaboration with ODF Alliance at Pretoria.)

It is honour and priviledge, to participate in the 2nd ODF workshop, and to be in South Africa – a country that Indians owe a lot.

One hundred and fifteen years ago (1893), a young 23 years old Indian barrister, took his maiden but fateful South African train journey from Durban. He was coming to Pretoria to defend a legal case. He could not complete the journey that night: he was thrown out of his first class compartment at Peter Maritzburg, despite the fact he had first class compartment ticket. His only fault was that he was coloured. He spent that cold winter night at the railway station but started his journey from Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi. It was during his 21 years stay here at South Africa that he realised importance of human dignity and started struggle against racial descrimination; It was here that he realised importance of non-violence (Satyagrah) and started quest for our independence.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to visit this wonderful country that I always wanted to visit.

OPEN STANDARDS, FORMATS – GOOD MEANS

Last year, in the first ODF user workshop at Berlin, I started with Gandhi's quote,

'Means are more important than the end: it is only with the right means that the desired end will follow.'

This was to provide philosophical footing to use open formats. His philosophy is deep rooted in law too. Lord Denning, one of the greatest judge of 20th century, in R Vs IRC Exparte Rossminster Ltd 1979 (3) All ELR 385 held,

'But it is fundamental in our law that the means that are adopted ... should be lawful means. A good end does not justify bad means.'

In the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT):

• The end is dissemination and communication of information; and
• The means are, how to achieve it, implement it; the kinds of software to use, the kinds of standards to adopt, the kind of formats to employ?

What is Open Format?

Formats are particular way of encoding or a method of storing information so that a computer programme or a device may, understand, reproduce, and, if the need be, render it for modifications.

Formats may be proprietary. They could be,

• Secret and protected as a trade secret; or
• Published and yet protected as a patent (as was the gif format for images).

This is not true for open formats. They are,

1. Documented and published - sufficient to implement them in any computer programme or device.
2. Made available irrevocably to everyone without any royalty or fee.
3. Maintained by a neutral body, where decisions are taken with consensus or majority thus catering to the needs of all.

Open formats not only avoid monopoly but encourage healthy competition. Information technology has best flourished in the open standards: the Internet, the web, the protocol transfer are all based on open standards. Apart from other advantages,

• There is no fear of patents or licensing;
• Open source software supporting ODF exists for every operating system; they work across the operating systems.
• The files can never be lost as they will always be accessible.
• They can be implemented in any software making the users true owners of their files.

In terms of Gandhi's philosophy, open source and open formats are right means and are the key to the future; they will lead us to the desired end. However, this year, I would rather start with another quote of Gandhi,

'You must be the change that you want to see in the world.'

Lead by example: show the world how changes can be effected. This is, what we have done at the Allahabad High Court: we are using open format. The documents are being exchanged open formats.

A typical email send by Court's registry

We are uploading information in many formats but the first one, the original one, is open format.

ODF – PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

ODF, despite its advantages, has some glitches. Here are some suggestions to make it more popular:

1. People/ Government/ Policy makers are neither aware nor understand its importance: More regional conferences may be held to make them aware e.g. in India, e-governance conference is held every year. It is organised by government of India. Other countries may be having similar conferences. The discussion on open formats may be included in such conferences;
2. Catch them young: Programmes implementing ODF may be included at the school level. Children adopt to new software easily;
3. Urge governments to enforce IPR.
4. There should be better support of the regional languages in the programmes implementing ODF: Take the case of Hindi Keyboard. Hindi is written in Devnagri script. It is being standardised in Unicode. SCIM, provides the Hindi keyboard in Linux. The most popular keyboard in Hindi is Remington Keyboard. Yet, this Keyboard was not available until last year in SCIM. Now it has become available but it does not have all characters.
5. Increase awareness regarding open source applications among the vendors and people: I had delivered a talk titled 'WHERE CAN PENGUINS FLY' on the Software Freedom Day at the University of Allahabad on 20.09.2008. We also distributed a CD containing popular open source programmes on Windows and demonstrated their working. One such programme was OpenOffice.org suite. The audience was surprised to find OpenOffice.org suite to be so good and so easy to operate. I was informed that in the computers of the Allahabad University, OpenOffice.org suite was not taken for the reason that the vendors informed them that this programme is difficult to use. They were surprised to find OpenOffice.org suite to be so good and so simple to operate.
6. Use, promote, and popularise open source programmes: All of these have ODF as default option.
7. Promote use of Linux or any other open source operating system:
   They include open source programmes implementing ODF.

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

In the first ODF user workshop at Berlin, I had talked about the Aesop's fable - 'The Tortoise and the Hare'. In the story, the tortoise and the hare run a race. The hare took the lead, thought he can always win and decided to rest. He went off to sleep and lost the race. The moral of the story is,

'Slow but steady wins the race.'

However, in recent times, the story has changed, three more races have been run and the moral has changed too.

In the second race, the hare did not rest and won the race easily. The moral changed to,

'It is better to be fast and reliable.'

The course of the third race included a river also. The hare reached upto the river before the tortoise but could not swim. The tortoise reached much after the hare but as he could swim, won the race. The moral changed to

'Everyone has weak and strong points—play on your strong points.'

The fourth and the final race was run on the same course as the third one but was run differently. On the ground, the hare carried the tortoise on his back and on the river, the tortoise carried the hare on his back. The result was that both of them reached the destination quickly, saved time, and enjoyed the race too. The moral is,

'It is best to consolidate strong points.'

This is, what the open formats, open source and open standards do. They,

• Consolidate strong points;
• Use the IPR to prevent the hoarding of technology;
• Invite others to participate in its development.

This is the key, this is the road to the future. However, this year, instead of the tortoise and the hare, I am going to talk about a different story.

THE RETURN OF VAMAN

Jayant V. Narlikar is a leading Astrophysicist in the word. He has worked with Fred Hoyle and like him writes science fiction. He has written a novel by the name of 'The Return of Vaman'.

The novel revolves around three characters: an archeologist, a physicist, and a computer scientist. The physicist wanted to experiment with gravity and a deep hole was being dug. In the process, the team came across a plaque first and then a cube. They could neither understand the script written on the plaque nor the figures on the cube. It was a perfect cube of unknown substance. They knew that it was from some advanced civilisation. They decided to open the cube but could not make head or tail out of it.

There was a figure on the cube showing two elephants pulling the cube in the opposite direction without any success. They were reminded of an experiment done in the seventeenth century by the German scientist Otto Von Guericke in Magdeburg Germany. He had joined the two copper hemispheres of 51 cm diameter and pumped the air outside. Thereafter 8 horses on each side could not pull them apart. The team realised that the air from the cube has been removed. A thin hole was drilled, the air entered inside, and the cube opened instantly.

It was a time capsule, informing about the advance civilisation that existed twenty thousand years ago. There was no indication as to how it came to an end or what happened to it. The time capsule also informed them how to make an advanced computer. They make it and name it 'Guru'—the teacher.

'Guru' tells them how to make a meter high advance Robot. This robot is like the robot 'Andrew' (starring Robin Williams) in the science fiction film 'Bicentennial Man' (based on the story 'The Bicentennial Man' and the novel 'The Positronic Man' written by Isaac Asimov).
 

Robin Williams as the robot Andrew in film 'Bicentennial Man'

The robot is named 'Vaman' (वामन) after Hindu mythological story. Vaman, (like Andrew), is extremely advanced; learnt quickly and is able to take independent decisons. But his intentions are different. 'Vaman' keeps on requesting his creators to teach him how to replicate itself so that humanity may be served better. This was not being done. The team was observing caution as there was no trace of the advanced civilisation. A conspiracy was hatched: Vaman gets itself stolen by others on the promise that it will be taught replication.

The answer to the mystery, as to how that advanced civilisation perished, lay in the plaque that was also found. But no one could understand the script. It was only when the script was deciphered that the reason could be known—too many Vamans serving the humanity and what happens if they go on strike. Utopia, if there is one, is end of life. It became imperative to destroy the Vaman so that it may not replicate itself.

This is the broad plot of the novel but the reason that I narrated this story is,

In the physical world, the information lies in the script. Loose the ability to read the script: you loose the information.
In the digital world the information lies in the format. If the format is closed then the information may be lost foreever.

It is better to store information in open format: it is only then we can be sure of owning information. In keeping our office documents in open format, we have taken the right step and I have no doubt that a bright future awaits us.

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WHERE CAN PENGUINS FLY?

(Summary: This paper explains what is open source and open format; why they should be used; and talks about some good open source programmes that run on Windows.

Text of Talk delivered by Justice Yatindra Singh on 20.09.2008 on the Software Freedom Day at the University of Allahabad, Allahabad.)

Two of my finest years have been spent roaming around the corridors of the science faculty of the Allahabad University. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to renew those memories. I am happy to be here to talk about open source,  open formats, and some popular open source programmes  on windows.

Mahatma Gandhi's   philosophy was,

'Means are more important than the end:  it is only with the right means that the desired end will follow.'

To the charge that  'means are after all means', he would say,

‘Means, after all, are everything’.

Gandhi's philosophy is still relevant today. In the context of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the end is dissemination and communication of information and the means are

• How to achieve and implement it?
• What kind of software to use?
• What kind of standard to employ?
• What kind of format to adopt?

Open source and open formats are good means and are key to the future. Let's see, why is it so. 

WHAT IS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

The software consists of two parts

• Source code; and
• Object code/ machine code.

   
Nowadays, computer programmes are written in high level computer languages using compact English words. This part is known as source code. The computer languages also have a programme called compiler. It compiles source code into machine language so that computers may understand it and run computer applications.  This is called object code or machine code.

Protection - Object Code
There was some debate as to how the object code is protected but Article 11 of the TRIPS mandates its members to protect it, as a copyright. The object code is so protected in our country as well as almost all other countries. In some countries, it is also protected as patents but this is debatable.

Protection - Source code
Source code is a kind of a description. Copyright lies in the description and source code of a computer programme—being description—is a literary work within the Copyright Act. 

Writers have a right to publish their work; they may or may not do so. No one else can publish their work. If it is published without the author's consent or if an unpublished work is stolen and published as someone else’s work—it is illegal. Nevertheless an independent work cannot infringe any other work unless the other work is published.

Trade secret or ‘undisclosed information’ is a secret that offers an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not know it. A work may purposely be not published as it is sought to be protected as a trade secret.

The object code of every software is available; it runs the computer or an application: it is always protected as a copyright (sometimes as a patents too).

The source code may or may not be published. In case it is published, it is protected as a copyright. In proprietary software, the source code is generally not published; it is a secret. In such an event, it is protected as undisclosed information or trade secret.

Copyleft and Open Source Software
Everyone is not using copyrights to hoard rights in software. Some are using copyrights so that no one is able to hoard them. They are copylefting it. In order to copyleft a software, the owner publishes/ discloses the source code; states that it is copyrighted; and grants permission to everyone to freely use, modify, and redistribute the computer programme in the original or modified form only if the similar permission is granted in redistribution or distribution of the modified version. Thus, copylefting ensures that:

• The software is royalty  free;
• The source code is disclosed;
• There is freedom to modify the software; and
• Anyone who redistributes the software, with or without changes, must pass along similar freedom to others i.e. disclose the source code and permit further modification.

Copylefted software is also called free software as there is freedom to modify it. In fact the term 'Free Software' was used much before the term open source software was used. It all started in 1984 when Richard Stallman started the GNU (a recursive acronym for GNU is Not Unix) project under the umbrella organisation of Free Software Foundation (FSF).

Richard Stallman, with the help of lawyers, drafted the General public licence (GPL). It contains a condition that copylefts software. Most of the software under the GNU Project are under GPL. Software, under a GPL licence, is also known as GPLed software. 

Software—where the source code is published—may or may not be copylefted and there can be degrees of copyleftness: it all depends on the terms of the licence under which it is released.

The philosophy of FSF conveyed an anti business message. In late 1990's, free software enthusiasts got together to start 'Open Source Initiative' a non profit public organisation. It has come out with ten guidelines. Software satisfying the guidelines is known as 'Open Source Software'(OSS). Software fulfilling the guidelines are marked OSI Certified and are called Open Source Software.  OSI has also created the following  graphic certification mark to mark it as an open source software.

(OSI Mark)

Anyone can copy, distribute or modify open source software. No one infringes copyright by merely using or modifying it. This does not mean that it is not copyrighted. There is copyright in OSS. In fact, OSS is copylefted by using copyright. Anyone who uses OSS contrary to the conditions governing the license not only breaches the contract but also infringes the copyright. This has been so held recently by US Federal Appellate Court in Robert Jacobsen vs. Matthew Katzer and Kamind Associates, Inc.

WHAT IS OPEN FORMAT

In the context of technology, standards broadly means specifications. In the digital world, they relate to the format. 

Format is a particular way of encoding information or a method of storing information so that a computer programme or a device may understand, reproduce, and render it for modification.  

Formats or the way of encoding information could be proprietary: it could be secret and protected as a trade secret or could be published and yet protected as a patent (as was the gif format for images). However, this is not true with the Open Formats. They are,

• Documented and published - sufficient to implement them in any computer programme or device;
• Made available to everyone without any royalty or fee;
• Maintained by neutral body with consensus or majority decisions so as to cater to the needs of all.

IMPORTANCE – OPEN SOURCE, OPEN FORMATS

The Tortoise and the Hare
The philosophy of Open Source and Open formats reminds me of a story from 'Panchtantra'.

The tortoise and the hare were friends. One day, they decided to race against each other. The hare obviously took the lead; he thought of relaxing and went off to sleep. The tortoise, walking slowly but steadily, overtook the hare and won the race. The moral is,

'Slow but steady wins the race'.

In recent time, some new chapters have been added to this story.

The hare was perturbed by the defeat. He asked the tortoise  to race again. This time he did not take rest and won the race easily. The moral is,

'It is better to be fast and reliable'.

But, this is not the end of the story.

After some days,  the tortoise asked the hare to race once again but  with a condition that the course will be chosen by him. The hare, who was confident of his victory, gave him free hand. This time the course included a river. The hare ran up to the river and then stopped. The tortoise came and swam across the river to win the race. The moral is,

'Every one has weak and strong points – play on your strong side'.

However, the story still does not end here. 

After some days, the tortoise and the hare repeated the race over the same course but the rules were changed. This time they decided run as a team. On the ground, the hare carried the tortoise on his back and on the river,  the tortoise carried the hare on his back. The result was that both of them reached the destination quickly, saved time and enjoyed the race too. The moral is,

'It is best to consolidate strong points.'  

This is, what the open source and open formats are about. They,

• Consolidate strong points;
• Use the IPR to prevent the hoarding of technology;
• Invite  others to participate in its development.

It is 'Make love, not war' in atypical way. They are good means and are key  to the future.

POPULAR OPEN SOURCE PROGRAMMES FOR WINDOWS

Before I finish, let me explain the software that are being distributed in the CD. All of them are Windows based. Cafe Hindi and Sun ODF plugin are freeeware; they are not required in Linux but are useful in Windows. Rest of them  (except for Infra recorder) run in the Linux too. It can export a document into pdf forman. Its latest beta version can modify pdf files too.

1. Audacity    (GPL version 2): It is programme for recording audio files. It permits editing of the audio files too. One can copy, paste, or mix the audio files.
2. OpenOffice.org suite (LGPL License): It provides bundle of software that are used in an office. It is similar to MS office suite and contains similar programmes.  The default format of different programmes of this suite are  Open Document Format maintained by Organisation for the Advancement of Structured information Standards (OASIS). It was approved by the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) on May 3, 2006. OpenOffice.org suite can open and save files in default format of MS Office suite or Power Point Presentation as well as in any other format too. It can export any file into pdf format. In the latest version (at present Beta) pdf files can also be modified.
3. Cafe Hindi (Freeware): Hindi is being standardised in Unicode. Cafe Hindi  is a window based tool for typing Unicode Hindi offline. It provides  Phonetic, Remington, Inscript and Shusha Keyboard.
4. Sun ODF Plugin (Freeware): This plugin is for MS Office so that ODF files may be read and saved in the MS Office. 
5. Firefox, Thunderbird, and Sunbird (all from Mozilla Foundation) (Mozilla Public License):  Firefox is a web browser: Window equivalent to Internet Explorer. Thundrbird is a program for sending and receiving emails. It can perform functions of Outlook express. Mozilla Sunbird is e-manager and manages C-calender. It is similar to Microsoft outlook and can be integrated with Thunderbird or Firefox.
6. GIMP (GPL License): It is GNU Image Manipulation Programme and is suitable for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It is similar to photoshop.
7. Infra Recorder    (GPL-2 License): It is programme for burning CDs and DVDs. It works in the windows only. However, K3B is a similar programme that works in linux.
8. VLC Media Player (GPL-2 License): It is media player. It can play audio and video files. Mplayer is another open source programme similar to it. It can play files of mp3 format (a proprietary format) as well as ogg format which is open format.

Do try them in Windows. They are easy to install and use: in fact easier then the other closed source programmes. Many say that they are not as good as windows. I do not wish to debate about it but they are sufficient for our needs. They are not only open but are free of cost and can be used without any guilt of copyright violation. Their functionality in Linux is similar.  There is no reason that you can't run them on Linux.  And you know, it is only in Linux that penguins can fly. You don't believe it – see for yourself :-)

All photographs are via Wikipedia

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