Volume 8, Issue 12, December – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Open Source Software: A Spoken Tutorial Case Study

Dr. Rajendra Kumar Mahto
Assistant Professor
Department Of Information Technology,
Dr Shayama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi

Abstract:- This paper describes the use of Spoken most widely used source license, permits practically whole
Tutorials, which are provided through structured self- and repeated usage of the source code.
learning workshops, to promote IT literacy in India. It
also describes open source technology. The measures that II. OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE'S PAST
were taken to further clarify and make the Spoken
Tutorials appropriate for self-study are explained. Since the dawn of electronic computing, there has been
Practice-based learning is possible because the Spoken open source software. When information technology first
Tutorial activity is limited to open-source software, started to take off, it made perfect financial sense for
making it just as effective as active learning. This study programmers to share source code among a relatively small
also discusses the benefits and drawbacks of open source number of highly expensive computing machines. The
software in various business and educational domains. number of developers increased and the source code
Open-source software is also encouraged by Digital India generally got more complex as the machines got smaller,
in its applications. The Indian government has also more varied, and cheaper. Free software development was
taken the lead in implementing open source software, particularly thriving in academic settings. According to
integrating it with current applications, and offering an Raymond (2001), Barkley Software Distribution (BSD) is a
interface for users to access these programs. There are license created for the distribution of the BSD version of the
several factors that contribute to spoken tutorials' Unix operating system, which was developed by the
popularity. University of California Berkeley in cooperation with AT&T
labs from 1977 to 1995. At AT&T and Berkeley shared code
The user is unaware that open-source code is at the start of the development. It became an exclusive
accessible, and the developers are not offering any AT&T product in 1984 as a result of a divestment.
assistance. These tutorials are only available in Indian
languages for the spoken portion, which helps a lot of The concept of closed-source/proprietary software
students who struggle with the English language despite gained popularity in the early 1980s, replacing the long-
its widespread usage in India. India spends a lot of standing practice of free software sharing. Supporters of
money on personal computers and proprietary software open source went on to start their own groups, such as the
like Windows, Microsoft Office, and the like, even Richard Stallman-founded Free Software Foundation (FSF),
though free software like Linux and other operating as reported by Weber (2004).
systems benefit the nation's economy. Information
gathered from various sources to characterize spoken The FSF's efforts to reintroduce open source software
tutorial accessibility. Approximately 22 lakh educators development into the mainstream did not have the desired
and students from every state in India have participated effect. Nevertheless, with the successful release of the Linux
in this software training. Students hailing from remote kernel, things were going to change.
areas have gained from this instruction as well.
The system was first created by Linux Torvalds as a
Keywords:- Open Source Program, Spoken Instruction. part of a research project, with funding from the developer
community produced extremely intricate, sophisticated
I. INTRODUCTION software that was available to all users for free. Eric
Raymond was so moved by this series of events that he
With the advancement of ICT came the creation of discussed the significance of Linux in his now-famous book
Open Source Software (OSS). Software that has the original "The Cathedral and the Bazaar." This was the first time the
source code included allows users to modify it to suit their open source developer community demonstrated that not
needs. This type of software is known as "open source." only could sophisticated and complex software be developed
There may be products that are based on other open source in this manner, but that business models could also be based
products because it also includes the right of redistribution. on this kind of software development and distribution.
A developer or distributor may charge for services like Raymond was a major contributor to the Open Source
installation, training, technical support, and special Initiative (OSI) in 1998. OSI is intended to be an advocacy
programming even though the software might be free. OSS and educational organization for open source software.
source code is typically freely available, reusable, and Many businesses have decided to follow suit and release an
widely accessible. The General Public License (GPL), the open source a portion of their in-house developed software
as a tactic to counter the competition. Hence, Netscape

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Volume 8, Issue 12, December – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
Corporation is one of the earliest suitors. It attempted to can quickly fix these defects and many pairs of eyes can
compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which was keep an eye out for the presence of bugs. These two
distributed freely and was closed source, by open-sourcing elements combine to create goods with superior quality,
the Netscape web browser (Raymond, 2001). Using some of practical features, and effective performance.
Raymond (2001)'s suggested business models, numerous
companies have entered the open source business space in E. Liberty
the last ten years. Unacquainted with the surroundings, Any developer with access to the source code can add
businesses had to swiftly modify their methods of operation to and modify open source software (OSS), in contrast to
to capitalize on some perceived advantages of open source closed proprietary software. As a result, organizations are
trends. In addition to providing software for free, businesses released from "vendor lock-in" and ensures sustainability
frequently take part in and contribute to open-source over time.
initiatives and use software development techniques like
voluntary and distributed development community as it F. Absence of Dependency
applies open source. Open source does not rely on the organization or writer
that contributed to its creation. The code is still alive and
III. SOURCE CODE VERSUS EXCLUSIVE being developed by its users even in the event that the
SOURCE company fails.

The foundation of open source software is the notion V. DRAWBACKS WITH OPEN SOURCE
that users can alter the source code of an existing application
in addition to being able to view it. Open source licenses A. Required Training
have an impact on the distribution, modification, study, and The primary drawback of open-source software is its
use of software. Open source software can be used for any lack of simplicity in usage. Learning how to use an open-
purpose by computer users according to the terms of most source operating system such as Linux takes time. Before
open source licenses. Closed source software allows only its you are able to master them, you will need to put in effort
original creators to lawfully copy, examine, and modify the and possibly undergo some training. To make things easier,
program. Additionally, in order to use proprietary software, you might need to hire a trained individual, but this will
users must consent to using it only for the purposes for come with extra expenses.
which it was created (usually by signing a license that is
displayed the first time the software is used). B. Harmony
There aren't many programs that work with both open
IV. BENEFITS OF SOFTWARE THAT IS OPEN source and proprietary software, so moving to an open-
SOURCE source platform entails evaluating each piece of software
that is used and runs on a proprietary platform for
A. Reduced Price compatibility. You are forced to use third-party drivers
It costs less, though usually only a small portion of because a large number of modern pieces of hardware are
what it would otherwise cost. Studies show that using open incompatible with the open-source platform.
source software can save companies' owners about $60
billion annually. VI. OPEN SOURCE UTILIZATION IN TEACHING

B. No cost to utilize Open source software has several advantages for

Because open-source software is free to use, distribute, educators, learners, and educational institutions. Your
and modify, open source is a relatively new idea that has college or school can take charge of its IT future and
become extremely popular in the IT industry in recent years. computer resources with the help of open source software.
It is created by a community that is non-profit.
A. Reduced Total Ownership Cost
C. Safeguard For educational purposes, the majority of open source
Since everyone can access the code, open-source operating systems are free or very inexpensive. They include
software is more secure. Bugs can be fixed by anyone, and a wide range of practical administration and user
users don't have to wait for the next release to be fixed. The applications. Nonetheless, from an administrative
fact that is regularly examined by a sizable community perspective, these operating systems resemble Microsoft
generates stable and safe code. Windows or Microsoft NT quite a bit. These variations
frequently necessitate hiring a system administrator or hiring
D. Extremely Dependable a trained outside contractor to handle the system
Open source software is dependable for two main administration. It might seem that hiring an outside system
reasons. administrator will strain the IT budget.

First of all, they are primarily created by But bear in mind that you wouldn't have to pay high
knowledgeable professionals who strive to produce top- licensing costs for the operating system of each computer if
notch programs. Second, they are worked on by dozens or you used an open source operating system. Furthermore, a
even hundreds of people, meaning that many pairs of hands plethora of open-source software packages exist that offer

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Volume 8, Issue 12, December – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
comparable functionality to proprietary alternatives, albeit at Parents can save money by opting to run open source
a lower cost. For instance, the word processing assignments software on school computers instead of forcing them to
OpenOffice a multiplatform office productivity suite that is upgrade their hardware and software just to enable the use of
free. It comes with all of the essential desktop apps, files from home and the classroom.
including a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation
manager, and Microsoft Word-like drawing program. D. Performs admirably on older hardware
As we've already discussed, a lot of open source
B. Increased Concept Learning Instead of Items software works well on older computers. Although schools
Long-term effects of exposing students to Linux will rarely have the funds to purchase the newest hardware,
include effects on its expansion into other domains. People hardware upgrades are usually necessary for software
are aware of Microsoft software, which is the main reason updates to function as intended. Many companies frequently
why numerous businesses have invested millions of dollars swap out their outdated equipment for new ones in order to
in it. Today's ninth graders will be employed in five years. maintain meet the hardware needs of their software.
Although these computers are generally in good operating
It will be much simpler for open source software to order, they are practically worthless in the Microsoft world.
spread to new industries if people are already accustomed to The Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) offers assistance
using it. Regretfully, proprietary software has unfortunately in avoiding this issue. Labs can be set up using LTSP, and
taken over as the industry standard everywhere at this point. the majority of the machines can be configured as diskless
Because it is not a skill that will be useful in the business workstations that boot from a network server. A school or
world, people are reluctant to learn how to utilize alternative college can quickly increase the number of workstations
products. available for students by utilizing LTSP without having to
pay a significant amount of money for hardware or software
Because switching to alternative products would licensing.
require retraining expenses, businesses are reluctant to do
so. This means that teaching students how to use specific Once LTSP is installed, a few quicker computers may
products will take precedence over teaching them the be set up as servers—possibly one for each lab. Networked
fundamental ideas that underpin those products' use in the home directories are possible to set up if sufficient hardware
classroom. is available. Users would effortlessly possess a browser,
email, and office suite.
Teachers frequently wind up teaching students how to
arrange their essays using a specific product rather than the Admin expenses related to software There is less risk
fundamentals of a good essay layout. Teachers frequently from viruses and worms, updates are decreased because of
wind up teaching students how to use a specific product for centralized control and virus updating, and hardware and
presentations rather than teaching them the fundamentals of software licensing expenses are decreased.
computer presentations. Although these lessons are helpful,
their original goal was not met. E. Personalization
When a piece of software is open source, its source
C. Less expensive home systems for students code is available for viewing. You are allowed to make
Utilizing the most recent version of the Microsoft changes to the software, fix any issues you are having, add
Office suite in class has negative effects on students whose new features, or remove existing ones. Additionally, you are
home computers are too outdated to run these programs. free to ask others to make these changes for you if you lack
Those without the means to upgrade. Previous versions of the necessary skills.
Microsoft Word are unable to open files saved in the most
recent version. When opened in the most recent version of It is allowed for you to duplicate your modified
Microsoft Word, files saved in earlier versions lose a lot of software and set it up wherever you require it. Indeed, as
their meticulous formatting. long as you adhere to a few fairly basic guidelines, you are
even allowed to distribute fresh copies of the software from
A family may have to pay to upgrade their software all over. Since you can always alter it if you don't like it,
multiple times and likely their hardware once or twice open source software is far more customizable than
during the education of one student because Microsoft propriety software. Changing the software might not always
updates its Office suite frequently and none of these are be feasible, but in many situations, entire systems can be
especially backwards compatible with the earlier versions. assembled to meet the unique needs of your school by
Thankfully, a lot of open-source software applications simply joining open source components.
function fairly well on less powerful computers. Moreover,
files can be transferred between various versions of VII. WHAT MAKES IT SIGNIFICANT FOR INDIA?
numerous products because they are saved in open formats.
(and occasionally even between different products) with A. Economic India
essentially no data loss. A lot of free and open-source word Economic India spends a lot of money on computers
processing programs can read and store documents in and proprietary software, such as Windows XP, Microsoft
Microsoft Word format. Office, and others, even though similar software is available
for free and boosts the nation's economy.

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 Volume 8, Issue 12, December – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
available for the community, adopter, or end-user to study
B. Assistance with Localization and modify the software and to redistribute copies of either
Adoption is greatly influenced by localization since the original or modified software," according to the terms
government can interact with citizens through technology. in "Closed Source Software."
their mother tongue.
"Source code shall be free from any royalty," it adds.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop, for instance, is
offered in eleven Indian languages. B. Collaborative Application Development Policy by
releasing the Government Application Source Code This
C. E-Government's Power is yet another crucial regulation pertaining to the open
The E-Governance spends money and resources on source ideology.
software development. If it uses the open source paradigm, The Indian government hopes to encourage the reuse
which encourages the sharing of software code, it can be of already-developed applications through this policy. The
made more effective. Government departments in various Indian government wants successful, scalable, high-quality
states have similar needs, so rather than having each one e-Government applications to be developed collaboratively,
create a unique program for the same job, they could share a which is why they are making the source code available.
common code base and make small adjustments to meet the Additionally, it wants new applications to be created to
specific requirements of each state. promote creativity by fostering joint development between
entities inside and outside the government.
D. Increased Safety
Since open source software allows for source Departments and agencies of the government, as well
evaluation and correction, it offers increased security and as businesses, individuals, and developers, to produce
protection for the personal data used by e-governance cutting-edge e-Government products and services.
systems. by the open-source community and the system
flaws that are frequently found by the community rather Through greater transparency and widespread peer
than by hackers. review, an open source approach that uses and releases
application source code to the public can lower costs and
E. Independence from Western Nations development times while improving overall quality and
Our nation can become independent of Western nations security. To accomplish the same C. Policy on Open
through the use of open source software. Because open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for Government
source software is available for free download, modification, of India, a Collaborative Application Development Platform
and use for any purpose without cost, we do not have to rely is being created.
on the software companies they represent.
The Government of India intends to make all
VIII. HOW CAN INDIA GET DIGITAL HELP? government services digitally accessible to citizens via a
variety of channels, including the web, mobile, and common
Open Source policies are part of the Government of service delivery outlets, in accordance with the overarching
India's flagship initiative, Digital India. Three significant vision of Digital India. An ecosystem of data, apps, and
open source policies were published in 2015 by the Ministry processes that are interoperable is required to achieve this
of Communication & Information Technology's Department goal. which will enable the appropriate user to access the
of Electronics & Information Technology. These regulations appropriate information at the appropriate moment. The
could change the game because they are very extensive. Government of India has already notified the "Policy on
Open Standards for e-Governance" and "Technical
A. Adoption of Open Source Software Policy for the Indian Standards on Interoperability Framework for e-Governance"
Government in order to promote Open Standards for software
The Policy on Adoption of Open Source Software for interoperability across various Government departments and
Government of India is the most significant of these. agencies. Open APIs are a key component of global "Open
Government" initiatives, providing easy access to data
To promote the official adoption and use of Open gathered by government agencies. The official use of Open
Source Software in government organizations, the "Policy APIs in government organizations is encouraged by this
on Adoption of Open Source Software for Government of policy. This policy lays out how the government will use
India (GoI)" was released. The policy's main goals are to "Open APIs" to facilitate software interoperability across all
lower the total cost of ownership, establish a framework for e-Government systems and applications, as well as to give
the adoption of open source software, and guarantee citizens and other stakeholders access to data and services
strategic control over e-Gov applications and systems. There that will encourage their participation. noteworthy
is already a framework in place for the adoption of open contributions to the field of open While similar incidents
source software in e-government systems. "Government of have previously occurred in India, this is the first instance
India shall endeavor to adopt Open Source Software in all e- where the government of India's agencies are being directed
Governance systems implemented by various Government by clear, comprehensive policies. The policy's
organizations, as a preferred option in comparison to," the implementation has begun, and we anticipate that open
policy statement states clearly. "The source code shall be

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Volume 8, Issue 12, December – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
source—as it has in other regions of the world—will play a Both C and C++ Programmers choose C because of its
significant and fruitful role in closing India's digital divide. robust features, easy syntax, and portability. Drupal
beneficial for developing websites and web apps.
IX. THE FOSS PROMOTION INITIATIVE
Firefox is a widely used, free, and open-source web
The Indian government has also taken the initiative to browser.
engage in the DIGITAL INDIA project and encourage the
use of FOSS in order to accomplish the previously stated Net beans and Java Learn to program in Java using free
goals. It has done this by asking the nation's top institutes and open-source, object-oriented, high-level, and simple
for assistance. The idea of spoken tutorials has been initiated programming. With the Netbeans IDE, creating desktop,
by the IITs to reach students and institutions in order to mobile, and web applications is simple.
promote FOSS. It has been effective in reaching the
intended goals. We are attempting to present the data that TuxTyping: Free operating systems for Linux and
demonstrates the "Spoken Tutorials" project's effectiveness. Ubuntu typing software designed primarily for kids (Source:
SpokenTutorial.com)
It's common knowledge that comprehension is
considerably increased when one witnesses or hears The courses began in July 2011. These are now present
someone explain a procedure. Demonstrations that combine in a number of establishments, including schools, NGOs,
audio and video can best convey features. Launched by the government offices, polytechnics, ITIs, degree colleges, and
Ministry of Human Resources and Development, some corporations. According to the current survey, about
Government of India, the Spoken Tutorial project (January 22 lakh teachers and students from all of India's states have
26, 2010) is an initiative of the 'Talk to a Teacher' activity of completed this software training. This training has also
the National Mission on Education through Information and helped students from rural areas. A college or university can
Communication Technology (ICT). Presenting narration and become a RESOURCE (Robust Extensions for Spoken
animation at the same time enhances learning. The goal is to Tutorial project on Open Source Software Usage for
educate the millions of people in our nation who lack Recruitment, Community, and Education) center if it wants
opportunities about technology and free and open source to promote IT literacy and awareness. A Resource Center
software (FOSS) via this website. and/or availability to has the ability to train other colleges and schools in the
acquire any software. delivery of Spoken Tutorial SELF training, in addition to
offering remote SELF workshops for other colleges within
The Spoken Tutorial Project seeks to provide spoken its own college.
tutorials on FOSS in multiple Indian languages so that
learners can access the material in a language that suits them X. CONCLUSION
best.
The use of open source software in various government
Spoken tutorials are popular for a variety of reasons. departments is covered in the current study. Different
research studies are used to determine the benefits and
Ignorance of accessibility1. Inadequate direction 2. drawbacks of open sources. Open source software also
Absence of infrastructure facilities3. Having trouble benefits the educational system. Furthermore, it explains
understanding English 4. The intention is to make spoken how spoken tutorial uses a free training program to promote
tutorials available for use in teaching any Indian language to open source software.
students at any proficiency level, be it beginner,
intermediate, or advanced. Additionally, state that the objective is to make it
possible for spoken tutorials to be taught to students at all
The entire community is the target audience, which proficiency levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—
includes kids in school, college students, working adults, in any Indian language.
retired adults, housewives, instructors, trainers, researchers,
software developers, and users. They also carry out software REFERENCES
training classes that use spoken tutorials and award
certificates to students who successfully complete an online [1]. Pedagogical and Organizational Challenges in Kannan
exam. M. Moudgalya's Spoken Tutorials-Based IT Literacy
Campaign
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knowledge of a specific FOSS (Free and Open Source through Spoken Instruction in virtual learning
Software). environments by Kiran L. N. Eranki, Kannan M.
Moudgalya
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http://aakashlabs.org/builds/Aakash_brochure_outside_
20_11_2013.pdf is the URL that is accessible online.

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Volume 8, Issue 12, December – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
[4]. Human Resource Development Ministry. national
initiative on ICT-enhanced education. [Virtual] The
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[6]. Portal for spoken tutorials. [Online] Talking-
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[7]. James Steinberg's Introduction to Open Office Basic
[8]. The free encyclopedia Wikipedia
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