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National Workshops on "Empowering Librarianship in IT Applications", Smt.HM Library, MSU, Vadodara
by Puttaraj Choukimath 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Dear Friends, Greetings! FYI: National Workshops on "Empowering Librarianship in IT Applications" at Smt.Hansa Mehta Library, MSU, Vadodara (Calender 2006). Please Visit (Click on National Workshops for the brochure in pdf): http://www.hmlibrary.ac.in Best Wishes, Puttaraj. Mr.Puttaraj, A. C. Asst. Librarian (Periodicals) SDTM Library, TATA Institute of Social Sciences, P.B. No.8313, Deonar, MUMBAI - 400 088 INDIA Tel: +91-22-2556 3290, Ext.285 (O) Fax: +91-22-2556 2912 Email: puttuc(a)yahoo.com, choukimath(a)tiss.edu URL: www.tiss.edu --------------------------------- Open multiple messages at once with the all new Yahoo! Mail Beta. Dear Friends, Greetings! FYI: National Workshops on "Empowering Librarianship in IT Applications" at Smt.Hansa Mehta Library, MSU, Vadodara (Calender 2006). Please Visit (Click on National Workshops for the brochure in pdf): http://www.hmlibrary.ac.in http://www.hmlibrary.ac.in Best Wishes, Puttaraj. Mr.Puttaraj, A. C. Asst. Librarian (Periodicals) SDTM Library, TATA Institute of Social Sciences, P.B. No.8313, Deonar, MUMBAI - 400 088 INDIA Tel: +91-22-2556 3290, Ext.285 (O) Fax: +91-22-2556 2912 Email: mailto:puttuc@yahoo.com puttuc(a)yahoo.com , mailto:choukimath@tiss.edu choukimath(a)tiss.edu URL: http://www.tiss.edu www.tiss.edu Open multiple messages at once with the http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40787/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/handr… all new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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advt in parliament library
by shashi jena 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Dear professional all, some post in House of pople and council os state. POST NO. 12: Senior Library Assistant in Lok Sabha Secretariat VACANCIES: 6 (5 UR: 1 OBC) PAY SCALE: Rs.6500-10500 QLFNS. AND EXPERIENCE: (i) Graduation; (ii) Degree in Library Science; and (iii) At least 03 years experience of Library work. Desirable: Knowledge and experience in Microfilming processes, computer programming etc. NOTE: Preference will be given to persons with qualifications/ experience in Documentation, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, Foreign Languages museum archives etc. UPPER AGE LIMIT: 30 years. POST NO. 14: Junior Library Assistant VACANCIES: 7 ( UR) in Lok Sabha Secretariat and 2 (1 UR; 1 OBC) in Rajya Sabha Secretariat PAY SCALE: Rs.5500-9000 QLFNS: (i) Graduation; and (ii) Degree or Diploma in Library Science. UPPER AGE LIMIT: 27 years. POST No. 7: Research/Reference Assistant* VACANCIES: 1 (ST) in Lok Sabha Secretariat and 3 (2 UR; 1 OBC) in Rajya Sabha Secretariat PAY SCALE: Rs.7450-11500 QLFNS: Master's Degree in any discipline or bachelor's degree in any discipline with Law degree. Desirable: Degree or diploma in Library Science. UPPER AGE LIMIT: 27 years. SHASHIKANTA JENA GRADUATE TRAINEE CENTRAL LIBRARY IIT CHENNAI __________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new http://in.answers.yahoo.com/

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Alliance to promote Open Document Format
by raghavendra patil 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

FYI_____ IT firms push for common PC lingo Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | Business (Mumbai Mirror 25th Jul, 2006.) http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=13&ar… Five IT companies, IIT and IIM form alliance to promote Open Document Format; educate centre, state governments about its economic benefits Sanjiv Kumar New Delhi: The common problem of being unable to open documents due to their being incompatible with the office suite on a computer, especially after exchanging files of various formats across different systems and software, may soon become a distant dream. At least thats what awaits the authorities if they listen to the five IT majors and two apex institutional bodies who have joined hands to resolve the issue. After all, the problem is quite persistent amongst government agencies causing inconvenience and delay due to different computers working with different operating systems. Sun Microsystems, IBM, Red Hat, Novell and CDAC in association with the IITs of Delhi and Bombay and even IIM, Ahmedabad have forged an alliance to spread the use of Open Document Format (ODF) in the country which could and would change the pattern of documents, storage, retrieval and sharing of data. What is ODF? ODF is an open XML-based (eXtensible Markup Language) document file format that enables the retrieval of information and exchange of documents including spreadsheets, charts, and presentations without regard to the application or platform in which the document was created, both now and in the future. Notably, ODF, designed to challenge the proprietary data formats from Microsoft, was developed as an application-independent file format by Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, a vendor-neutral standards organisation. Cost-cutting galore... Currently, 13 nations across the globe are planning to adapt to ODF standards which are also gaining ground in India as they entail cost-cutting measures. With ODFs growth, Indian government agencies and businesses are realising the need of this technology. We will approach the governments and its constituents and spread awareness about ODF, IBM India Country Manager Satish Kaushal told Mumbai Mirror. Regards @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Raghavendra Patil Librarian K J Somaiya Institute of Engineering and Information Technology Somaiya Ayurvihar Complex, Near Everard Nagar, Eastern Express Highway, Sion, MUMBAI - 400 022 (INDIA) Mobile:+919892428221 Telephone: 91-22-2402 8801/2408 0331/2404 2797 Ext:114 Fax: 91-22-2402 8804 --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta. FYI_____ IT firms push for common PC lingo Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | Business (Mumbai Mirror 25th Jul, 2006.) http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=13&ar… http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=13&ar… Five IT companies, IIT and IIM form alliance to promote Open Document Format; educate centre, state governments about its economic benefits Sanjiv Kumar New Delhi: The common problem of being unable to open documents due to their being incompatible with the office suite on a computer, especially after exchanging files of various formats across different systems and software, may soon become a distant dream. At least thats what awaits the authorities if they listen to the five IT majors and two apex institutional bodies who have joined hands to resolve the issue. After all, the problem is quite persistent amongst government agencies causing inconvenience and delay due to different computers working with different operating systems. Sun Microsystems, IBM, Red Hat, Novell and CDAC in association with the IITs of Delhi and Bombay and even IIM, Ahmedabad have forged an alliance to spread the use of Open Document Format (ODF) in the country which could and would change the pattern of documents, storage, retrieval and sharing of data. What is ODF? ODF is an open XML-based (eXtensible Markup Language) document file format that enables the retrieval of information and exchange of documents including spreadsheets, charts, and presentations without regard to the application or platform in which the document was created, both now and in the future. Notably, ODF, designed to challenge the proprietary data formats from Microsoft, was developed as an application-independent file format by Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, a vendor-neutral standards organisation. Cost-cutting galore... Currently, 13 nations across the globe are planning to adapt to ODF standards which are also gaining ground in India as they entail cost-cutting measures. With ODFs growth, Indian government agencies and businesses are realising the need of this technology. We will approach the governments and its constituents and spread awareness about ODF, IBM India Country Manager Satish Kaushal told Mumbai Mirror. Regards @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Raghavendra Patil Librarian K J Somaiya Institute of Engineering and Information Technology Somaiya Ayurvihar Complex, Near Everard Nagar, Eastern Express Highway, Sion, MUMBAI - 400 022 (INDIA) Mobile:+919892428221 Telephone: 91-22-2402 8801/2408 0331/2404 2797 Ext:114 Fax: 91-22-2402 8804 Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40791/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/handr… You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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Are Indian parliamentarians not interested in science?
by Subbiah Arunachalam 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Here is an excerpt from a news report in The Hindustan Times, New Delhi Prof. C N R Rao, FRS, the Chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, had recently expressed reservations about "excessive" bureaucratic interference in scientific institutions. He had also aired his concerns in an article titled "Science in Crisis". He had warned that if the present situation continued, India could lose its eminent position in the scientific arena. "Bureaucracy today is unbearable. We cannot have the Department of Personnel in Delhi deciding on who is a good scientist or who is able to head an institution," Rao told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a recent meeting of the Scientific Advisory Council in New Delhi. Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology, on Tuesday (25 July 2006) said there was an urgent need to promote scientific temper. At a recent interaction with journalists and members of a leading think tank, he had expressed his exasperation at being unsuccessful in organising a debate on science in Parliament. "For the past two years I have been trying to organise a debate on science in Parliament but have been unsuccessful," he said. "This speaks volumes about the awareness of science in the country." Here is an excerpt from a news report in The Hindustan Times, New Delhi Prof. C N R Rao, FRS, the Chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, had recently expressed reservations about "excessive" bureaucratic interference in scientific institutions. He had also aired his concerns in an article titled "Science in Crisis". He had warned that if the present situation continued, India could lose its eminent position in the scientific arena. "Bureaucracy today is unbearable. We cannot have the Department of Personnel in Delhi deciding on who is a good scientist or who is able to head an institution," Rao told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a recent meeting of the Scientific Advisory Council in New Delhi. Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology, on Tuesday (25 July 2006) said there was an urgent need to promote scientific temper. At a recent interaction with journalists and members of a leading think tank, he had expressed his exasperation at being unsuccessful in organising a debate on science in Parliament. "For the past two years I have been trying to organise a debate on science in Parliament but have been unsuccessful," he said. "This speaks volumes about the awareness of science in the country."

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SRELS Publication
by SRELS 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Dear Sir : Kindly arrange to insert the following announcement by the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science for the benefit of Members. Yours sincerely, K.N. Prasad Executive Officer Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science 702, 42nd Cross, III Block, Rajajianagar, Bangalore 560 010 -------- Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science has been publishing the quarterly journal 'Library Science with a slant to Documentation' since 1964. It was founded by Dr.S.R.Ranganathan. The title of the journal was changed to Library Science with a slant to Documentation and Information Studies from Vol.25 in 1988 and to 'SRELS Journal of Information Management' from Vol.37(2000). The journal has been publishing scholarly articles and articles of practical use in the fields of library and information science and services. The journal will be entering 44th year of publication in 2007. The rate of subscription for Vol.44(2007) is Rs.1,000.00 (Rupees One thousand) only. The rate for foreign subscribers is US$ 125.00. We appeal for your cooperation and continued support to the journal. For subscription details you may contact : Executive Officer, Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, 702, 42nd Cross, III Block, Rajajinagar, Bangalore 560 010. Ph: (080) 23305109 ; E-mail: srels(a)vsnl.com Dear Sir : Kindly arrange to insert the following announcement by the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science for the benefit of Members. Yours sincerely, K.N. Prasad Executive Officer Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science 702, 42 nd Cross, III Block, Rajajianagar, Bangalore 560 010 -------- Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science has been publishing the quarterly journal Library Science with a slant to Documentation since 1964. It was founded by Dr.S.R.Ranganathan. The title of the journal was changed to Library Science with a slant to Documentation and Information Studies from Vol.25 in 1988 and to SRELS Journal of Information Management from Vol.37(2000). The journal has been publishing scholarly articles and articles of practical use in the fields of library and information science and services. The journal will be entering 44 th year of publication in 2007. The rate of subscription for Vol.44(2007) is Rs.1,000.00 (Rupees One thousand) only. The rate for foreign subscribers is US$ 125.00. We appeal for your cooperation and continued support to the journal. For subscription details you may contact : Executive Officer, Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, 702, 42 nd Cross, III Block, Rajajinagar, Bangalore 560 010. Ph: (080) 23305109 ; E-mail: mailto:srels@vsnl.com srels(a)vsnl.com

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Open-source science
by Mailing List Manager 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:48:11 +0530 From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in> Here is a news story from Peter Suber's blog on open source science (scientists in far off places collaborating using open source software). The Internet and the web provide new opportunities and we must take advantage of them. Arun ------ More on open-source science Sarah Everts, Open-Source Science, Chemical & Engineering News, July 24, 2006. Excerpt: Scientists from Sydney to San Francisco have created an online research collaboration to develop cures for tropical diseases, using the "open source" programming model that produced freeware like Linux and Firefox, the award-winning Web browser. The motivation is straightforward: Tropical diseases are low priority for big pharma because the return on drug development is so small. Patients in developing nations just don't have the financial ability to pay for patented drugs. The structure is radical: Online discussions will prioritize a list of experiments that anyone can take on. Raw data will be posted online and discussed. Members of the consortium will solicit further ideas and expertise, hoping the greater research community steps up to the plate. The group, which operates under an umbrella website called Synaptic Leap [blogged here 6/3/06], hopes that volunteered time, computer power, and reagents will eventually result in a portfolio of drug leads that will be made freely available for development. Currently, members of Synaptic Leap are describing projects online and asking others for help and advice. Participants in open-source collaborations give up their ability to patent discoveries by definition, because their data are public as soon as they are posted. But some argue that when it comes to neglected diseases, there's nothing to lose, because there was never any income to gain.... If the group publishes raw data online in the pursuit of virtuous science, does this negate the ability to publish in a peer-reviewed journal? Will scientists put their raw data, and possibly their reputations, online? These and other issues were raised by University of Sydney chemist Matthew H. Todd and his Synaptic Leap colleagues in a recent essay entitled "Open-Source Research - The Power of Us" (Aust. J. Chem. 2006, 59, 291).... When it comes to the issue of publishing, [Jean-Claude] Bradley [who blogs his research data] argues that open-source discussions are similar to conferences, where people openly discuss unpublished research and do not fear being denied the right to publish in a journal, assuming the science is good. Todd says the biggest misconception is that proponents of open source are antagonists of peer review. "I think the value of peer review is clear, and I would want to publish whatever work came out of the open-source research. The question is whether the journals will allow it."

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Free access to journals help Brazil do better in science
by Mailing List Manager 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:35:08 +0530 From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in> Friends: Brazilian scientists in 180 institutions get FREE ACCESS to more than 10,000 journals and 16 databases. That has helped Brazil do better in science. Please read the news item appended below and download the full article as well. Every developing country should find a way to provide such access to a very large number of journals and databases to its scientists and research students. In many developing countries people talk endlessly about digital libraries but in Brazil there was some action. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] -------------------------------- CAPES Journal Portal and the growth of Brazilian science The Brazilian scientific research growth by 19% in 2005, and by about 50% in the past five, was celebrated by the President of CAPES, Jorge Guimar�es, in a collective interview given in the SBPC annual meeting. Measured by the number of publications indexed in the Thomsom-ISI database, the Brazilian scientific production in 2005 represented 1.8% of the world production and ranks 17th in the list of countries. Access to scientific information is one of the main lines of action promoted by CAPES to support the development of graduate courses and scientific research in Brazil. The CAPES Journal Portal has been in continuous operation since its launching in 2000; it provides, to over 180 academic institutions, free access to more than 10 thousand titles of scientific journals and to a selection of 16 major international referential databases. Roughly 5.5 million articles were downloaded in the first 5 months in 2006. The crucial role played by the portal to promote democratic access to scientific information is publicly acknowledged by the UNIFESP and BIREME read the full article

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One laptop per child - India has reservations
by Mailing List Manager 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:03:50 +0530 From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in> One laptop per kid not feasible for India! 20 July 2006 India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education. Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman. A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks. Source: Economic Times Why not examine the feasibility of using Simputers instead of the Negroponte computers?

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Researcher attitudes to open access
by Subbiah Arunachalam 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Friends: Please spread the word. Pass this on to publishing scientists - professors, research associates, Ph D students, laboratory scientists and so on. The world should know that Indian (and developing country) researchers are overwhelmingly in favour of open access and free and unfettered flow of knowledge! Best wishes. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] ----------------------------------- Online survey of researcher attitudes toward OA A research team from University of Arkansas and the University of Munich has launched an online survey on Open Access & Science Publishing. You can take it, in English or German, until August 11. (Thanks to Yong Liu.) From the background page: Our research interest is with the attitudes toward and perceptions of Open Access of scientists in their double role as readers and authors of scientific publications.... Following a pragmatic as well as a theoretical approach, we are interested in identifying underlying barriers to the adoption of Open Access publications by individuals and in finding ways to overcome these barriers. At the same time we want to be alert to emerging business models for publishers and institutions in the future. More specifically, we are exploring: [1] Scientists' attitudes toward and current practices of Open Access, [2] Identification of the barriers that are mostly responsible for the relatively low diffusion and adoption of Open Access publications, [3] Identification of opportunities and ways to overcome these barriers, and [4] Research of country/subject specific-differences. Friends: Please spread the word. Pass this on to publishing scientists - professors, research associates, Ph D students, laboratory scientists and so on. The world should know that Indian (and developing country) researchers are overwhelmingly in favour of open access and free and unfettered flow of knowledge! Best wishes. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] ----------------------------------- Online survey of researcher attitudes toward OA A http://openaccess-study.com/en_authors.html research team from University of Arkansas and the University of Munich has launched an online survey on http://openaccess-study.com/ Open Access & Science Publishing . You can take it, in English or German, until August 11. (Thanks to Yong Liu.) From the http://openaccess-study.com/en_project.html background page : Our research interest is with the attitudes toward and perceptions of Open Access of scientists in their double role as readers and authors of scientific publications.... Following a pragmatic as well as a theoretical approach, we are interested in identifying underlying barriers to the adoption of Open Access publications by individuals and in finding ways to overcome these barriers. At the same time we want to be alert to emerging business models for publishers and institutions in the future. More specifically, we are exploring: [1] Scientists' attitudes toward and current practices of Open Access, [2] Identification of the barriers that are mostly responsible for the relatively low diffusion and adoption of Open Access publications, [3] Identification of opportunities and ways to overcome these barriers, and [4] Research of country/subject specific-differences.

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One laptop per child - India has reservations
by Subbiah Arunachalam 24 Jul '06

24 Jul '06

One laptop per kid not feasible for India! 20 July 2006 India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education. Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman. A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks. Source: Economic Times Why not examine the feasibility of using Simputers instead of the Negroponte computers? One laptop per kid not feasible for India! 20 July 2006 India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education. Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman. A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshowcnews/1779354.cms Economic Times Why not examine the feasibility of using Simputers instead of the Negroponte computers?

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