Q. How did Linux.com.np start?
Hemanta
Sharma:
Linux.com.np
started when I felt that there aren't
any active Nepal Linux User Group
to support the Linux users here in
Nepal. Linux is still very new for
this country and there is lots of
IT professionals, students and other
users who are interested
but don't have a complete site to
support them, or need to search the
internet and spend a huge amount of
time to get what they want. NLUG supports
beginners to professional users and
all the resources are found in this
single site.
The another purpose to build this
site is to bring the Linux users in
Nepal closer to each other and have
a virtual community formed. This way
people get to know each other better.
Q. On a personal
level, how were you first introduced,
and how did you first get involved
with Linux?
Hemanta:
I
have been using Linux since 1998 when
I used to work at an ISP. There were
only 4 ISPs at that time and only
limited people used Linux. When I
first knew that Linux was one of the
most powerful operating system, which
came complete free and an Open Source
then few of my colleagues decided
to do a project on making an Intranet
for an Organization completely on
Linux. It started then, we were 5
of us, working on different modules
to make the project complete. I was
to work on the Mail Server part. It
was tough in beginning as there were
no place where we could actually learn
Linux. We were guided by Ranjan Koirala,
who was then working as a System administrator
for 2 ISPs. With his help we were
able to configure the Intranet for
the Organization and deliver it. That
is how I got involved into it.
Q. What are
the benefits of using Linux in Nepal?
What type of future do you see for
Linux in Nepal?
Hemanta:
Linux
has very big benefit especially in
a country like Nepal. The first benefit
is that, Nepal still being very little
exposed to the IT field compared to
the western world, most of the organizations
don't have much fund to buy systems
like that of Windows Servers to make
their system computerized, they can
easily go for Linux which is completely
free.
Secondly, Organizations don't have
to keep upgrading their hardware to
keep up with the heavy and resource
hungry OS like of Windows.
Linux has a very good future in Nepal
if it's researched and implemented
correctly and people give a serious
thought about Linux.
Q. If you had
to persuade a non-Linux user to use
Linux, how would you do so in a few
sentences?
Hemanta:
There are lots of things in Linux
that could be of
interest to non-Linux users:
- Many people I have
met have a wrong conception about
Linux that it's hard to learn and
use it in a daily basis like Windows.
Initially, Linux was difficult,
it didn't have any Graphical User
Interface, but now Linux is so developed
that in the Western countries, people
have started using Linux as their
daily use, just like Windows.
- Another issue that
I found in non-Linux users is the
compatibility of Hardwares found
in the market. Linux today, supports
most of the hardwares, and has the
capability of Plug & Play like
that of Windows.
- The another most
pointed out difference is that Linux
is virus free.
- The best part of
Linux is it's free and the source
code are accessible by anyone. This
means that a programmer can program
the whole Operating system by the
way he want it.
- Linux is not resource
hungry, meaning, to operate it doesn't
need latest hardwares and need only
a very few upgrades to work.
With all these good sides of Linux
I guess any non-Linux users will
think once that they should learn
and know Linux better. That is what
NLUG is for.
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