Linux Journal: Free Software Makes Telephone Users’ Lives Easier in India

“Thanks to free software, one-third of a million telephone users
living in Southern India will no longer find locating phone numbers
such a complex process. Telephone directories often take a
notoriously long time to be published in India, meaning phone
subscribers are lost when trying to locate numbers they need.

“Linux increasingly is attracting attention in Corporate India,
not only for its usually lower costs but also because of its high
quality products. Last weekend, the latest edition of the
Thiruvananthapuram telephone directory–from the regional capital
of the south-western province of Kerala–was processed and typeset
using a range of free software tools. These tools provided
substantial savings in cost and time, while producing a neatly
laid-out and elegant publication ahead of schedule.

“The two-volume directory, to be distributed to all subscribers
of the Thiruvananthapuram secondary switching area as of March 25,
contains 1,200 pages and 320,000 entries. Some 400,000 copies of
the directory currently are being printed by the locally based St.
Joseph’s Press, using typesetting software and programs provided by
River Valley Technologies (RVT), also based in the Kerala capital.
RVT specialises in typesetting and publishing solutions using free
and open-source software…”

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