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It is quite important for ALL developers - no matter where in the world they live and work, and no matter what their country of origin - to visit the IndicZone and contribute.

The IndicZone will bring out the best in everybody who is communicating there. This is the information age, and constructive thoughts are always going to be welcome - no matter where and when they are expressed.

Progress is a law of Nature, and this is a sign of progress. Free expression in writing or saying is greatly appreciated and is necessary today. Take advantage of the IndicZone resource just as any other part of the DZone network.

Best regards,
Abhay Bakshi

Since my *both* comments on the original entry were not accepted, i'll post it here.

I don't really follow your logic. How is this specific zone more important for the developers than any other zone? How is this specific zone different in bringing out the best in the contributors? How is this zone a sign of progress? Have we seen any oppression on any-nationality based content on the developer-oriented Internet? What does this zone bring to justify your invocation of free expression?

Kirill, I don't understand what you mean about comments that were not accepted? Further, where is this language about oppression and free expression coming from?

Indian developers and IT pros are a large, economically significant and technologically significant group with more than enough scale to justify a focused area of their own. Are you taking issue with this for some reason? If so, please explain - I would like to know your objections.

Thanks,
Rick

OK, I have read the comments here and over at IndicZone more carefully, and now I see where you're coming from. Abhay's comments are indeed difficult to connect to my original statement, and I am confused about the basis for some of what he said.

Also, although I have no idea why, there *are* two comments visible from you that are in some kind of weird state. If I try to reply to either of them, I get an error message that the comment I am trying to reply to does not exist.

So, I guess I know what the Friday morning bug hunt is going to be about! Sorry for the frustration of the code not operating correctly. We will find and fix the commenting problem.

Rick

PS - I would NOT characterize IndicZone as more important than any other zone. Although I certainly hope it thrives and serves a useful purpose, I would expect it to do so on equal terms as any other. The new site neither suggests nor should be involved in any matters of oppression.

Kirill,

I understand your comments. I know where you are coming from after reading my post here and also on the IndicZone.

First, sorry for "any" kind of confusion. I will keep it simple: I get excited about the some of the major sites such as TheServerSide, InfoQ, DZone etc (like the most of us do). So, to keep it simple, replace the word "IndicZone" in my post with "any other specific zone" on DZone, and read. How does that feel? Here, we are talking about new, innovative, progressive thing, and every other zone at DZone is going to be "equally" progressive, constructive, and the best. :)

Hope you had a great Valentine's day.

Abhay - so this brings me to my original question. What is so special that it deserves a separate zone? If i replace "IndicZone" with "any other specific zone", then why do we need it at all?

I won't presume to know Abhay's response to this, but I know my own. There are plenty of news outlets and blogs that focus on covering the Silicon Valley community. It's understandable, since there's a lot of activity in that community, and it often has impact much more far-reaching than the geographical locale in which it occurs. Sometimes the coverage is even specialized, making less sense to those of us on the outside that it does to Silicon Valley insiders. Silicon Valley has a culture and an economy that are unique and significant, if somewhat peculiar to a guy who lives in North Carolina :)

Likewise, there's an incredible amount of activity happening in the global community of Indian developers. India, itself, is a rising power in terms of both economic and intellectual capital. Further, there are significant referents that would be recognizable to any reasonably informed Indian, but which are unfamiliar to most of the rest of us. Names like Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee, and Isha Koppikar are likely familiar to as large an audience of moviegoers as names like Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslett and Penelope Cruz. To many readers, however, these will be completely unfamiliar names.

So, what are the Indian names that compare similarly to Andy Grove, Sam Palmisano and Tim O'Reilly? Although each of those names will be familiar to the Western reader, what about a name like Shri Ramadorai? Who's that? Ask any Indian developer or IT professional :)

Rick

Yep, I didn't know what Rick was going to say. My response was (going to be) as below. :)

Kirill,

That's a good question. Let's be friends here and talk. :)

To me, every zone on the DZone network is important - there is no question about that. My first name may sound Indian, but I don't have a bias towards IndicZone. I hope you see what I mean.

My point would be: to wait and see, and not have gray hair over an issue of why a zone exists on DZone or doesn't. Why jump to conclusions now? As sensible readers on DZone, we can watch and see how a zone is growing. At a certain point over a period of time, we can always look back and decide how the growth has happened.

I am not worried about whether IndicZone grows faster or SOAZone does or XYZZone does as long as it provides value. The introduction of zones has happened so recently.

Moreover, to me, if an XYZZone grows faster over some other zone, I am willing to take it as a positive sign to make sure that other zones also catch up, grow similar, or even exceed. That's progress, and wherever there is progress, I am there (so are you and many other developers on DZone, I believe).

Patience will prevail. Thank you for your comments.

Best regards,
Abhay Bakshi