February 7, 2011
School of Arts & Sciences, Mysore
 

Enlightening young minds at the Amrita School of Arts and Sciences in Mysore, Mr. Amal Mathai, Technical Consultant, Red Hat Linux, recently spoke about latest trends in open source technology.
 

Mr. Mathai is one of five people in all of the Indian sub-continent, who is qualified in RHCA. In other words, he is a Red Hat Certified Architect.
 

In his seminar on Red Hat Linux, an open source software solution, he explained the characteristics, advantages and the role of open source software in today’s IT industry.
 

“Open source software is that in which the source code is freely available to all, as compared to, say, Microsoft software, where the source code does not come with the software.”
 

“The primary advantage is that when the source code is available, any user can modify the software to his/her liking and remove unnecessary bugs without much difficulty. Whereas, proprietor-based software such as Microsoft may have certain problems that can only be solved by a Microsoft team.”
 

Distinguishing between open source software and proprietor-based software further, he highlighted the fact that both follow a different development model.
 

Mr. Mathai showed that the current world of technocrats is increasingly preferring the open source software model.
 

Discussing what brought about this change of trend, and the gradual embracing of open source software, he quoted Mahatma Gandhi words. “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight with you, then you win.”
 

The Red Hat Linux operating system is very popular among developers and software professionals today and has taken away a significant market share from Microsoft.
 

Next, Mr. Mathai provided an overview of Red Hat’s certified courses and various opportunities in the industry.
 

“You are the budding technocrats of the future,” he told the students in the gathering.
 

Br. Sunil Dharmapal, Director, Mysore campus, shared how the seminar inspired the students.
 

“We want to encourage our students to gain hands-on experience in system administration and networking areas,” he said.
 

“Some students studying for their BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) degrees have expressed an interest in registering for their certification course,” added Mrs. Radha Sudharshan, Head of the Department of Computer Science.
 

A few months ago, a similar seminar was conducted at the Amritapuri campus, where students also had the opportunity learn about this area.