Microsoft is the most familiar term in the proprietary software industry. The company's penetration in people's minds is so deep that it is often considered the only player in the market. It is even mistaken as a software. But this scenario could be changing. The world over free and open source software (FOSS) is being adopted as an alternative. Mindgames apart, the propelling force is the market itself. Looking into this scenario, archita bhatta finds that although states such as Kerala are fully converted, the centre lags behind.