Microsoft’s anti-piracy drive: PCA comes up with open source operating systems

ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: In an attempt to find out an easy solution to piracy and in response to Microsoft’s campaign against software piracy, Pakistan Computer Association (PCA) has come up with a programme to promote and market ‘open source operating systems’ as an alternative to Microsoft computer programmes.

At first stage, the systems would be made available to thousands of computer vendors associated with PCA across the country. The PCA has also launched an extensive free training programme for IT professionals, students and computer vendors for learning and understanding the systems.
Open source operating systems are software like Windows or Linux that are used for operating a computer and are available in the market with genuine source code of the software for free.
Microsoft has been aggressively pursuing its campaign against pirated software and in April this year it lodged a written complaint with Federal Investigation Authority (FIA)’s crime circle, Karachi, against numerous computer vendors selling pirated software.
FIA made several arrests that threatened the business of thousands besides flaring up the prices of pirated software.
As part of the training series, the first three-day workshop would be held at Mohammad Ali Jinnah University. The participants would be given detailed orientation sessions about the operating systems which would be available almost free of cost to the stakeholders.

President PCA Munawar Iqbal told Dawn that after the aggressive campaign by the expensive software manufacturers, the association had devised a genuine solution to piracy and brazenness of leading software manufacturers.
He said the training programme of the open source operating systems was first of its kind in Pakistan where IT professionals had been provided with an opportunity to learn about low cost operating systems genuinely available in the local market.
He said Microsoft should also keep in mind that Pakistan was a Third World country and enforcing the same rates as were in the developed countries would decrease their market share. If Microsoft releases some special version for under-developed countries which people can buy at $5-$10, then it would be fair enough, he added.


source:/www.pakcomputerassociation.com