C-DAC Launches BOSS-Bharat Operating Systems Solutions Linux Version 3.0
BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions) is a GNU/Linux distribution developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) for enhancing the use of Free/ Open Source Software throughout India. BOSS Linux - a key deliverable of NRCFOSS is an Indian GNU/Linux distribution & currently localized to Tamil / Hindi. Targeting Indian user it is designed as a user-friendly Desktop environment coupled with Indian language support and other packages that are highly relevant for use in the government domain.Subsequent version will support the educational domain as well. The ultimate goal is to localize into all 22 official Indian regional languages. So this benefits non-english speakers to reach technology that bridge digital divide in India.

The BOSS Linux project has given rise to an Indian distribution of GNU/Linux targeted at the government and first-time user. In spite of the constraints on human resources, the team was able to build this Linux distribution in a relatively short time. As BOSS Linux is localized and uses the Indian languages, it should result in getting more local people exposed to ICT and the Internet thereby helping to bridge the digital divide. The project is ongoing and the next release of the software is currently being worked on. Further the repository for BOSS Linux will make it easier to build customized distros based on it as well as by application developers.
The Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has launched its Bharat Operating Systems Solutions (BOSS) Linux software version 3.0 developed by the National Resource Center for Free/Open Source Software (NRCFOSS). BOSS is a GNU/Linux distribution for enhancing the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in the country.
BOSS version 3.0 is coupled with GNOME, KDE desktop environment, bulk document converter, GIMP image editor, wide Indian language support and packages that are relevant for use in the government domain. The software comes with Bluetooth support for short range of communications along with features like RSS Feed Reader and PDF Viewer to edit documents.
BOSS, which can be easily localized to meet local needs and language, is also relatively immune to common computer viruses, worms and spyware. BOSS Linux is targeted at the government user initially. The ultimate objective of creating BOSS Linux is to enable the non-English literate people of India, to be exposed to the benefits of FOSS and GNU/Linux. With the BOSS 3.0, which has been localized to 18 Indian languages, more people will turn to FOSS as an alternative to using illegal unlicensed proprietary software.
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NRCFOSS has been promoted by the Department of information technology, MCIT, Government of India to address the issues related to FOSS in the Indian context and to explore how FOSS can play the twin roles of helping to bridge the digital divide as well as strengthening the Indian software industry.

For further information visit the NRCFOSS portal at http://nrcfoss.org.in.

Also visit bosslinux.in/