Why Ubuntu has not caught on in India

[sadicote]

With several million PC (home) users in India alone, one would have thought that Ubuntu would have driven Microsoft out of business here, what with it's being free, to say nothing about it's great features and higher performance to resource ratio--the main problem that i see is Internet penetration and connectivity. Canonical will have to address this problem by coming out with a basic software preloaded version which has the capability of having hardware drivers installed on it by some other means than through the Internet, as does Windows, somehow--if it hopes to see it's vision through in India.

[swoll1980]

With several million PC (home) users in India alone, one would have thought that Ubuntu would have driven Microsoft out of business here, what with it's being free, to say nothing about it's great features and higher performance to resource ratio--the main problem that i see is Internet penetration and connectivity. Canonical will have to address this problem by coming out with a basic software preloaded version which has the capability of having hardware drivers installed on it by some other means than through the Internet, as does Windows, somehow--if it hopes to see it's vision through in India.

You can buy a 3rd party repo DVD that should have 99% of the drivers most people need on it.

[MikeTheC]

Why would the lack of an Internet connection cause Indians to choose Windows over any particular distro of Linux? I'm not sure how you get from A to B on that one.

[JPtux]

Because distros usually depend heavily on an internet connection to get some packages. Whereas you can find windows software being sold on a CD at a store.

[swoll1980]

Why would the lack of an Internet connection cause Indians to choose Windows over any particular distro of Linux? I'm not sure how you get from A to B on that one.

Drivers. When you buy hardware you get a cd with a windows driver on it. If you have hardware, that needs a Linux driver, and you don't have an Internet connection, it could cause a problem.

[sadicote]

You can buy a 3rd party repo DVD that should have 99% of the drivers most people need on it.

Huh! Sorry, I am a little new at this, (PCs), even though i swear by Ubuntu with what little i know.:smile:

[3rdalbum]

India is a big place. I don't know if Ubuntu is in use much in India, but there are parts of India where Linux commands a desktop market share of 30% of more.

[Ticketoride]

With several million PC (home) users in India alone, one would have thought that Ubuntu would have driven Microsoft out of business here, what with it's being free,

Because distros usually depend heavily on an internet connection to get some packages. Whereas you can find windows software being sold on a CD at a store.

They don´t care what is or isn´t free, it all comes down the Torrent Pipe free anyways.

They download, burn and distribute Software among themselves.

[utnubuuser]

Are computers marketed with OS pre-installed in India?

In the West, when a consumer goes to a retail shop to buy a computer, there's a 95% chance that the only OS offered is MS Windows.

Some years ago, in America, demonstrations were held in front of PC manufacturers'
HQs to insist on and ensure the availability of un-bundled PCs because enthusiasts were tired of having to pay for an OS they neither liked nor wanted. -They got their way, but it was an exception. Nowadays, in the West, you can't even buy a Thinkpad without the bundled software.

[amitabhishek]

the main problem that i see is Internet penetration and connectivity.

Surprisingly that's not the case. On last count there were at least 44 service providers in the country with data plans starting as low as $4. I think its more about habit and lack of awareness. OEMs can make a big difference. Bundle OS with all the codecs and configured internet connection & people will use it.
One exception can be government offices where I have seen lot of Redhat(s)and Suse(S).

[sulekha]

thats not true as far as the state of kerala is concerned where linux is being taught in classes 8,9,10 in schools which are under state syllabus.

See:-

http://www.ilug-cochin.org/
http://pramode.net/

[shuttleworthwannabe]

Why Ubuntu has not caught on in India? Simple, Windows Piracy big time; why use Linux (free as in free beer) when you can get Windows free as in free beer from my cousin, street corner. China is a good example.

S

[kpkeerthi]

With several million PC (home) users in India alone, one would have thought that Ubuntu would have driven Microsoft out of business here, what with it's being free, to say nothing about it's great features and higher performance to resource ratio--the main problem that i see is Internet penetration and connectivity. Canonical will have to address this problem by coming out with a basic software preloaded version which has the capability of having hardware drivers installed on it by some other means than through the Internet, as does Windows, somehow--if it hopes to see it's vision through in India.

Except for remote villages, almost all towns and cities have broadband access these days (thanks to BSNL (http://www.bsnl.co.in/)).

[sadicote]

Why Ubuntu has not caught on in India? Simple, Windows Piracy big time; why use Linux (free as in free beer) when you can get Windows free as in free beer from my cousin, street corner. China is a good example.

S

I hear you, my friend...

[bigbrovar]

I think much has been made about the ubuntu+internet connection. which is now making it seem like FUD. for a fact a vanilla install ubuntu gives u richer app compared to a plain install of windows xp or vista. for a start u get an office suits, an advance photo editing app, better hardware support right out of the box, and when u install a distro like linux mint (which is what we use in my LUG for beginners) u even get multimedia support right out of the box. ubuntu and FOSS is an ecosystem that encourages sharing .. while u may not find apps for it in computer stores. its easy to find (in my case i go to an internet cafe) internet connection and download what is needed, make an aptoncd (http://aptoncd.sourceforge.net/) and share and share with people with no internet connection. This is how we operate in my LUG i have made many aptoncds .. one containing everything in medibuntu repo, one conataining some cool PPAs like AWN,Gnome DO, etc, and one containing essential apps from the ubuntu repo .. which we freely distribute across the country. Linux is not windows. and linux ways is different from windows. Ubuntu is now popular in India because of XP piracy, and also because many people dont even know it exist. it has nothing to do with internet or lack off

[frodon]

Linux Mint ?

[shuttleworthwannabe]

I think much has been made about the ubuntu+internet connection. which is now making it seem like FUD. for a fact a vanilla install ubuntu gives u richer app compared to a plain install of windows xp or vista. for a start u get an office suits, an advance photo editing app, better hardware support right out of the box, and when u install a distro like linux mint (which is what we use in my LUG for beginners) u even get multimedia support right out of the box. ubuntu and FOSS is an ecosystem that encourages sharing .. while u may not find apps for it in computer stores. its easy to find (in my case i go to an internet cafe) internet connection and download what is needed, make an aptoncd (http://aptoncd.sourceforge.net/) and share and share with people with no internet connection. This is how we operate in my LUG i have made many aptoncds .. one containing everything in medibuntu repo, one conataining some cool PPAs like AWN,Gnome DO, etc, and one containing essential apps from the ubuntu repo .. which we freely distribute across the country. Linux is not windows. and linux ways is different from windows. Ubuntu is now popular in India because of XP piracy, and also because many people dont even know it exist. it has nothing to do with internet or lack off

Where there is a WILL there is a WAY.

[MikeTheC]

Where there is a WILL there is a WAY.

No...

Where there's a WILL there's a BENEFICIARY.

[ashmew2]

I am a citizen of India :P.
And Here , what counts is what works. People are frightened of Linux. They charge you thousands of rupees (Indian Currency) to "teach" YOU linux when YOU are the person who has 24/7 access to the internet as well as myriads of tutorials on the internet.
They teach Linux in college and most of them (as far as i know) are scared out of their wits and come running to me even though i am 2 yrs junior than them.

If people outside India think that Ubuntu should have caught on because its free , you are mistaken. In india , you can get ANY (and i mean ANY) software/game/Operating System/ANYTHING at 15 Rupees a Disk.(that is 30 cents USD). And considering the internet connection people have here (90% of home users) , 64-512 kbps , spending 15 Rupees is far better than letting your computer run and of course waiting for 3.5 - 25 hours for downloading an OS via sources.

Windows is Advertised. People know what Windows is , what Microsoft is. Even if they have never seen a computer before , theyll always know that something like Windows/Microsoft exists because everyone watches TV.Plus , the computer vendors here do not charge you for installing an operating system (they do if you are adamant on getting genuine software , RARE CASE) , so its the same cost of a computer whether you get XP home or XP PRo or Vista Ultimate or Win 95 or WinNT.

None of the broadband companies support Linux(not in the major part of the cuontry anyways), for example , BSNL and AIRTEL (both ISPs) in my city.
Lack of built in support for playing MP3s , watching movies etc.

Lack of eXe support (I know Linux is NOT and please..SHOULD NOT BE windows) : People play games , kids play games , you buy a CD/DVD , its written on the BOX : Vista Supported , XP Compliant , Windows Supported . I have never seen a game supported on Linux , I am talking about the ones ive bought.

Have you seen a Counter Strike 1.6 for Linux lately ?

There are various reasons , the main being rampant piracy of Windows.If people had to pay 100 $ (4500 Rupees) for an OS like Vista and then get poor technical support for something they "bought" , they would be driven towards alternatives like Linux.Until then , I see a dark road ahead..At least in India..

Just my 812631683715361523 cents.:lolflag:

(Pun Intended : Just my 2 cents)


No...

Where there's a WILL there's a BENEFICIARY.

Where there's Bill , There's MONOPOLY..

[wildman4god]

Yeah unfortunately Linux in general was made to run on the net, I know because I am in a situation where I can't get Ubuntu on the net and believe me Linux with out the internet is a pain in the ***. But I would like to know where I can buy a third party dvd with drivers on it, I know where i can get a download that will install vlc and all codecs, including dvd playback, with no internet connection, I just need drivers now.

[brijith]

thats not true as far as the state of kerala is concerned where linux is being taught in classes 8,9,10 in schools which are under state syllabus.

See:-

http://www.ilug-cochin.org/
http://pramode.net/

I am also from kerala. I would like to add a link. Please read this

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/09/stories/2008030953940500.htm

[jeyaganesh]

Most of the Indian computers run only pirated Windows. Majority of Indians (at least in big non-metropolitan cities) go for assembled PCs than buying from the companies. If Indians would buy genuine Windows, Bill Gates would get several more billions.

Regarding Linux, even before 10 years some of the prominent journalists wrote about open source in popular magazines. From them only I heard about Linux for the first time. They used to praise about Linux's capability.

In India internet is popular only among educated people and students. It is not yet spread widely like in Europe or China. For the last few years only 'internet' entered some homes.

I am living in Europe for 5 years, I dont know much about internet speed in India. That might also affect downloading big files. You might read in newspapers about Google did some campaign in India. You see, even software giant like Google had to do campaign to show their existence in India. So It may take few more years for Linux to spread in India.

One interesting News is currently 350 million Indians have cell phones. It is going to be 500 million in coming years.:)

[Invincible23]

Most people stick with the OS which their geek neighbour or relative can troubleshoot when it goes kaput. All over the world the default OS is windows and india is no exception to this fact. People who seriously want to increase penetration of linux/ubuntu in their lands need to read up more on linux and then dissemiate it to other potential users in their community. It's no use learning about linux and not sharing it with a person who needs it.

Right now i'm in india and as a poster mentioned before redhat and suse linux are more in use here than any other linux distro. Even CentOS is gaining popularity compared to ubuntu. Redhat in particular seems to have major following. People trust it more than any other distro here. I've even found a person who uses a old version of redhat when it came in 3 CD's case. It cost him 200 bucks in those days. It has all the applications, games one will ever need. This person is so confident about the secure environment provided by redhat that he wont upgrade even when thou today redhat is free.

Ubuntu thou has less visibilty here which might be changing if one goes by the recent Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter which mentions the launch of the ubuntu india forum. So all the best to ubuntu and it's users in India.

[jeyaganesh]

People who seriously want to increase penetration of linux/ubuntu in their lands need to read up more on linux and then dissemiate it to other potential users in their community.

Right now i'm in india and as a poster mentioned before redhat and suse linux are more in use here than any other linux distro.

Absolutely true. In last decade in India, Redhat was synonymous with Linux. It was like Michael Jackson to Pop music.

When I first wanted to try Linux 3/4 years back, I was looking for Redhat, then found Suse. I first heard about Ubuntu from Yahoo Computer chat room.

If Indians get to know about Ubuntu, they definitely use it. Lot of Indians are interested in Ubuntu. You can see them in LoCo Team forums. :)

[jeyaganesh]

In india , you can get ANY (and i mean ANY) software/game/Operating System/ANYTHING at 15 Rupees a Disk.(that is 30 cents USD).
Windows is Advertised.
None of the broadband companies support Linux


Nowadays few Indians are little bit aware of Apple Mac. Because in some movies, they are showing Mac books. Indians are crazy about iPod and iPhone.

I afraid computer vendors and ISP are not much aware of Linux themselves. On the whole, common Indian has less view about the World trend.

[ashmew2]

Well that's the scene here in India.Redhat and SUSE etc have a major following because they follow RedHat in colleges..This is one of the main reasons, if not the only one, for a large Redhat Users.

If people in India were to buy genuine Windows , i am pretty sure Bill Gates wouldnt be so much richer...But i am sure that Open Source Software/Applications etc would have been more popular among the people than it is now..Because people here are "freeloaders" , if u know what i mean..But , what's their fault.?

If you're getting the services you had to pay <insert 4-digit figure here> for , and you're getting it for free , wouldnt you take it ?

[fdrake]

i think the reason why it didn't catch up is in the purpose or function people give to their pcs.

If the majority of the professionals work in the web-design field,programming-field for windows-based-applications well then they need to use Adobe programs(dreamweaver-flash), and windows-corporate-development-applications.All very expensive software,especially the customised ones specifically for the corporations.

For people that stay home and use the pc to surf the net, play games, send video to youtube-myspace-or-facebook, well there is lack of knowledge and necessity to try ubuntu.

Being free and free to code doesn't matter to people if they have to create a web-site for work or play halo online.

Windows controls the user market because it controls the softwares and applications that people necessitate to work or kill time. If ubuntu can get a deal or some kind of partnership with these private software companies and convince them to create linux version of their software, that would be another story. But I doubt linux would be free as it is now.
Anyway I think linux will probably have a good chance in the future with web-based applications getting always more popular,because they are universal and run independently from the os you use . Other then that i don't think linux will and needs to be a popular os.

[praveesh]

In India no one will use linux unless the pirated windowsXP is strictly prohibited.If we get windows preinstalled with computer with which we can do everything including gaming who will bother about installing another os.But still there are some hopeful facts. Some of my friends use Ubuntu only for browsing since it is less infected by virus. Since many of my friends are good gamers, it is difficult for them to move to linux which lacks good games. Another important fact is that about 90% of computer science students in my college (probably in every engineering colleges in Kerala state)use linux in their pc. When left parties came in to power in Kerala state they removed the windows from government computers and installed linux. In Kerala there is a subject called IT in high school classes . In this class students learn how to use linux and other free apps like GIMP,openoffice etc. Earlier the students were taught the windows &apps like msoffice. All the computers of electricity board now run Ubuntu .the mainstream newspapers write in favour of FSF and linux . Still home and enterprise users dont use linux due to the above reason and due to the misunderstanding that linux is crap. When a student who studied linux (debian which use Gnome )sees an eye candy windows xp or vista he will think windows is better