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Techno
Page - By Harendra Alwis The income
of a villager is very low. The income of the average Sri Lankan
is below the average income level of their counterparts in the developed
world. People in a developing country like Sri Lanka cannot afford
to buy the software they need at their original rates. Even books
which come as low priced editions for countries like Sri Lanka,
India, Nepal, Malaysia and Pakistan are sold at a concessionary
rate. Students may
not be able to carry on their studies in IT to improve on various
applications, which is very essential in the ever-changing computer
field. No computer institution teaches all the applications that
are used in companies simply because it's not a feasible option.
It is the student's responsibility to familiarise himself with various
software packages that are being used in industry. With the current
price of this software it is possible for him to buy them and install
them in his computer and to learn how to make optimal use of them.
Usually any student who's doing computer studies will require dozens
of software application packages for his studies; for undergraduates
the requirement is even more. But if they were sold at sky-high
prices, it would just not be possible and this would have a very
bad effect on the future generation. Sri Lanka has
quite a recognition for skilled IT professionals, but companies
will not be able to sustain this image in future if these unreasonable
rules are to be enforced. Note: Another frequent
argument made by those who talk against the implementation of copyright
and intellectual property laws in countries such as ours is the
fact that piracy does not cause any loss of business for the software
companies since people here can't afford to buy them in the first
place. So if there were no specific production or sales cost related
to selling their software in the third world, pirating them would
not cause any financial loss or profit deprivation to those companies
anyway. But as I have reiterated on many occasions, there is also
another side to the story. Firstly, piracy
is essentially another word for stealing, and it is difficult to
justify theft of any form or under any circumstances in a civilised
and lawful society. People who engage in selling pirated copies
make a profit by doing so and thus it may not be possible to argue
that; 'piracy is done to help the poor'. So it is clear that unlike
'Robin of Sherwood', the software 'pirates' do not just steal from
the rich and give the poor, but they steal from the rich and sell
it to the poor. Secondly, the
view that the enforcement of copyright and intellectual property
laws will be detrimental for students and industry is put forward.
While this argument does carry some weight, it cannot be ignored
that there are alternative solutions for this problem too. As in
the question of the Windows Operating system, we have an alternate
solution in Linux, which is practically free for all. It is true
that Linux is not as user-friendly as Windows, but it is true that
there are more user-friendly distributions of Linux at far more
affordable prices and it is much more efficient and stable as an
operating system. The point I am making here is that there are high
quality software available for free or at very affordable prices
that could be viable alternatives for those that cause copyright
issues. In most of the cases, these software are ideal and more
suited for students of IT as they give the user a better understanding
of the inner workings of computers. Finally, the
enactment of these laws will benefit the local IT industry rather
than hinder their progress. Currently, there are no IT companies
in Sri Lanka who markets their products locally, mainly due to the
threat of piracy. On the ground
level, these laws will provide companies with the safety they require
to produce software and market them locally without any fears of
piracy threats. This in-turn will create more business and job opportunities
for IT professionals within the country while encouraging larger
foreign software companies to invest their resources in our IT industry
as well. This in turn could help the local IT companies grow in
a competitive environment. Yet, as Viraj
points out, once these laws are brought in, it may be necessary
that these products be sold at a 'concessionary' price that the
average user could afford. If not, it will be practically impossible
to implement the law in a society that has been enjoying the benefits
of piracy for such a long time. Have you got anything more to say about software piracy and copyright laws? It is a debate that still has not reached a conclusion. Have your say and be heard, by writing into technopage_lk@yahoo.com Bluetooth
technology Bluetooth makes
wireless communication and networking between devices in a small,
localised area of a room or a small office as easy as switching
on the light. Bluetooth technology eliminates the need for numerous
and inconvenient cable attachments for connecting fixed computers,
mobile phones, mobile computers, handheld devices, digital cameras
and even a new breed of digital appliances. It will enable users
to connect a wide range of computing and telecommunications devices
easily and simply, without the need to buy, carry, or connect cables
- quite often proprietary to a specific device. It delivers opportunities
for rapid ad hoc connections, and the possibility of automatic,
unconscious, connections between devices. It creates the possibility
of using mobile data in a variety of applications. In Bluetooth
all the connections between devices are instantaneous and invisible
and the devices can talk even if they are not in line of sight because
Bluetooth utilises a radio-based link. Your laptop could send information
to a printer in the next room, or your microwave could send a message
to your mobile phone telling you that your meal is ready. Technical
features Bluetooth wireless
technology is designed to be as secure as a wire with up to 128-bit
public/private key authentication, and streaming cipher up to 64
bit based on A5 security. The encryption strength can be very robust
which is good for establishing a secure link, but there may be export
problems when shipping from the US. Different hardware with smaller
encryption key lengths may be required to meet US export control. Piconet: Sent in by
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