Linux India - State of Linux in India at The Time

State of Linux in India At The Time

In the late 1990s Linux begun getting a lot of exposure in India through computer magazines and enthusiasts. Adoption of Linux was slow as bandwidth in India was prohibitively expensive at the time. Technology magazines like PCQuest, CHIP Magazine and others began bringing out Linux special issues including cover CDs containing full distributions. These CDs helped introduce Linux to many who could not afford the costs of downloading. These publications became an important source for Linux distributions in India.

A few formal and informal Linux User Groups had sprung up around the time. The best known one at the time was the Bharat Linux User Group, formed in early 1997 at the REC Surat (see for a description). Many academic institutions, including the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, National Centre for Software Technology in Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai were already heavy users of Linux at the time. Many of them had semi-formal user groups including mailing lists for support.