FAQs

FAQ

We do recieve lots of questions directly or via mailing lists, so here is an FAQ answering all of them in one place.

1. What is the need for a new distro?

Before we go to this question, first let us explain what a distro. or distribution is. A GNU/Linux distribution is nothing but a set of packages which is defined by some people for general purpose or specific tasks so those people are served.

While there are many distributions which do a wonderful job for the respective niche they are based for, the complexity and uniqueness that India has needs a tailor-made solution.

You cannot have people from outside telling us what is good, we need Indian people who are both benefited by the Indian culture as well as who have seen the disadvantages in the technologies abroad. For e.g. most of the distributions rely on the premise that both power and connectivity are there whereas the Indian situation is far different. Even in a prosperous state like Maharashtra, in times of extreme summer, the power deficit is almost 30%. It is also a known fact that most of our telecom infrastructure is also at it's full capacity and for reasons we don't wish to go in now, the status quo is going to remain for quite sometime. This is where Hamara with its unique offerings should not just shine but also pave a path for other individuals to follow as well.

2. How hamara is different from distribution 'X'

Apart from the theme changes that are there, most distributions use English as their main medium of instruction and usage. We are in the process of making the top 5 Indian most-spoken languages at the same stage, same sphere as English. We also hope to bring out manuals in Indian languages as well and usher in lot of Indian content. For e.g. in today's scenario, let's say an artist can draw a nice theme, a nice design but knows only Hindi. For him/her to share his/her art either on any GNU/Linux distribution or elsewhere he needs to know the English language, we want to break that barrier so that a person sitting in rural U.P. or Bihar is able to share his/her art first on his system and then slowly through the world-wide web. It is because of such language barriers that you do not see more Indian content in other languages on the web. If we are able to make a person be comfortable using GNU/Linux in his or her language, there is a much larger possibility that he will create more content on the web which is what the web was created for in the first place.

3. How can you say that the Usability,accessibility are better in Hamara when it uses the same, stock gnome 3 and LXDE ?

4. Are you adding any extra features to the gnome 3 and LXDE?

There are none planned, but we are in the very early stages of creating this distro and expect many suggestions from the user community that will most likey guide development.

5. Why can't you take the localization stuff for UI and Documentation from the mainstream?

We do where it exists. Where is does not, we will push these changes upstream to gnome / lxde etc

6. Why should someone contribute to hamara when a company reaps the benefits?

The model of commercial and community works well. The company creates the commercial model that funds the needs of the community. It's very difficult to maintain a project like hamara using the community alone. People need to earn money to survive and we do not expect everyone to contibute there time for free.

We have paid positions for experienced linux admins, freshers and internships.

7. Ubuntu seems available for ARM and Raspberry etc. How hamara differs here?

The local focus is paramount and with regard to arm, the hamara project will be making available the distribution along with access to low cost arm hardware via the hamara store. It's not easy to get all of this in one place in the Indian market, we are aiming to change that.

8. How can anyone see what are the changes you are making to upstream code and applications you are adding, with the code?

All Source packages are available in the repo at archive.hamara.org

Our git repo is available at https://git.hamaralinux.org

9. What are the supported software in hamara? Do you support for a custom software someone write? or all packages in the ubuntu repo?

We support all packages that are supplied with the hamara distribution.

10. Tell us about your company and the team behind it.

Tech Blue Software is the company behind Hamara Linux. We are 100+ strong working in software development and open source software / infrastructure support. We already provide support to companies using Linux in India and around the world.

11. what are the contribution activities anyone can do?

From documentation, translation to testing, packaging and developing. In particular improving support for low cost hardware will be very helpful.

13. If i contribute for ubuntu/fedora I get global recognition and ubuntu/fedora team membersip. What are the give backs for anyone for contributions?

Of course you get Hamara team membership, but we're also offering employment oppourtunities in both hamara development and building out support networks.

Many people will also value domestic recognition and to help people in their local communities. We hope the hamara distribution will bring that. 14. Will your provide support If I plan to use Hamara Linux?

Yes, ofcourse. We have made a lots of resources available online on our wiki site where you can find help. If still you get stuck somewhere and need more support drop us an email on our mailing list or drop into our irc. We will be happy to assist you. 15. I want to use Hamara Linux for my business but am worried about the support.

We, at Hamara Linux, are fully commited to provide you the best support and solutions for you business and when it comes to support for Hamara Linux who can provide you better support than us. We have various commercial support contracts which takes care of your response times, SLA's and guarantees. All you need to do is just fill a short form here