Fsf-friends April 2003

fsf-friends@gnu.org.in

27 participants
61 discussions

Imagine you are putting water pumps in villages of Africa... (fwd)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 20 Apr '03

20 Apr '03

http://danny.oz.au/free-software/advocacy/appropriate.html [1]Danny Yee >> [2]Free Software Advocacy Free Software as Appropriate Technology Imagine you are putting water pumps into a village in Africa. You have a choice between two products: Product A vs Product B _________________________________________________________________ Designed by a worldwide community development process open to anyone. Sold and supported by thousands of companies, large and small. [vs] Produced and sold by a single vendor, a large multinational with a long history of unethical business practices. Control maintained by aggressive use of intellectual property law. _________________________________________________________________ Comes with complete schematics and a set of tools for making custom modifications. If you can't do this yourself, there are hundreds of different organisations and companies worldwide who offer customisation as a service. [vs] Is a sealed unit. Not only is access to its internal workings difficult, but international and national laws have been used to make it illegal to even look inside the casing, let alone modify the contents. _________________________________________________________________ Uses standard pipe fittings; designed to connect with equipment from all suppliers. [vs] Uses proprietary and poorly documented pipe fittings - often deliberately designed to prevent connection with equipment from other suppliers. _________________________________________________________________ There are no additional licensing costs on top of the cost of the equipment. [vs] As well as buying the product itself, you have to licence the right to use it. The licence fee increases with the amount of water you pump. _________________________________________________________________ A growing number of add-ons are available. [vs] A wider range of add-ons are available. _________________________________________________________________ Has maybe 1% of the consumer mass-market, but is used by perhaps 30% of specialists in the field. [vs] Has more than 90% of the consumer mass-market. _________________________________________________________________ Has a highly configurable control system. [vs] Has a simple standard set of controls which are easier to learn. _________________________________________________________________ Is highly resource-efficient; works with older power sources. [vs] Requires a large, modern power source. _________________________________________________________________ Often runs for years without any problems. [vs] Is notoriously prone to malfunction. It is clear that Product A has to be the choice in this situation, under any criteria for appropriate technology (or ethical purchasing). But this is an analogy - the actual comparison is, of course, between GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows.

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Reprinting GFDL'd books in India
by The GNU/Linuxer 19 Apr '03

19 Apr '03

Hello Friends, I was thinking about reprinting GFDL'd books like the ``Emacs Manual'' by RMS, ``Free as in Freedom'' by Sam Williams etc. in India. Could we at FSF-India do something about it? We can arrange for discounted paper, etc. from some Govt./Private organisations etc. for that. I think that'd be of great help to us users and also those who want to learn [GNU]Linux especially since there are no [or very less for that matter] good and cheap books available in India. What do you think ? Bhaskar Ghose --------------------------------- Microsoft is not the answer. Microsoft is the question. No[or GNU/Linux] is the answer. --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

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TCP/IP book
by Suraj Kumar 16 Apr '03

16 Apr '03

dear all, Demo@Schools, Chennai is glad to announce the release of its first book, a GNU/Linux TCP/IP networking tutorial written by Mr.M.K.Saravanan. The book is released under the GNU Free Documentation License. http://savannah.nongnu.org/download/demo-schools/gnu-linux-nw-tutorial-0.3.… coming soon... more books from Demo@Schools... :) -Suraj -- +--------------------------------------------<suraj(a)symonds.net>---+ | When my beloved was bound in affection, I had no occasion | | to know that the eve could be paining in separation | | (distress of the evening - 6), Thirukkural | +---<http://symonds.net/~suraj/>-----------------------------------+

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Malappuram : IT@School and Akshaya
by CK Raju 15 Apr '03

15 Apr '03

Sorry for that error, the number is 0494 2680977 On Friday 14 March 2003 05:32 pm, M.Balakrishna Pillai wrote: > CK Raju wrote: > >The teacher is PP Ramachandran 0494 2680997. > >CK Raju > > Dear Mr Raju, > I seems the number is worng. Error may be in the STD CODE. > Kindly advise the correct one. > > M.Balakrishna Pillai

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Re: [Fsf-friends] And now the Kerala Electricity Board goes Microsoft
by Raj Shekhar 15 Apr '03

15 Apr '03

Suraj Kumar > We definitely have to act against this. What are we going to do? Instead of crying soar on this list, we can write articles/letters to various newspapers. The articles will have to be backed up with considerable proof/charts & tables that will be hard to ignore. And we will have to get them into mainstream press. Can you imagine a Director in some ministry reading Slashdot or newsforge. The points that we can point out in favor of Free Software - We are free to make changes and hence customize it to our needs. We can also audit the software for security flaws and errors. - Less cost - Generates employment (as the software needs maintainance, training and modifaction) - the money of the state/country remains inside the countryy and does not go to foriegen countries I would also like to respond to a quote from CkRaju (in a different post). He said that ` Someone advised me the other day, that spending time in learning to live with such a condition, would be a much better option, than attempting to challenge or change the views of the 'bureaucracy'. ' Imagine if RMS had said that. Sometimes it just takes one man to make a stand. -- Raj Shekhar http://geocities.com/lunatech/

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FSUGS and other ideas
by Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay 15 Apr '03

15 Apr '03

hi members of the list, of late there has been a thread that started off with discussion(s) on the semantic correctness of *intellectual capital* and then veered towards the role to be played by FSF especially FSF-India. Arkoprovo, Nagarjuna G and a few others have already laid down some ideas. i feel that i too should have my say. Over the past 18 months, some hectic development and r&d activity on the GNU/Linux front has ensured that the media glare is fully on this movement. day after day we are bombarded with media stories on this issue. as a subscriber to various GNU/Linux related mailing lists, a pattern seems to be emerging, in as much as my limited understanding of it goes. the (G)LUGs across the country are more into the implementation and execution aspect of the movement. while this is good and desired, what however is not so desirable is that the conceptual aspect of the movement is getting diluted. as all (G)LUG coordinators will admit, most of the new members (i mean the newbies and not the old hands who are subscribing) are keen on getting onto the bandwagon enticed by the technical aspect/side of the GNU/linux implementations. meeting themes at these (G)LUGs generally do not touch upon the theosophy (if it can be termed as such) of the movement. it is my firmly held belief that besides the obvious merit of the movement over proprietary or non-free software, the beauty lies in the philosophy it espouses. the idea of a common shared pool of knowledge from which societal benefit could occur. one of the major characteristics of the post 17th century societies has been the unbridled enthusiasm for science as a vehicle for enabling common good. ICT must be seen as an enabler and as a driving force. currently we are faced with a crisis of shrinking spaces to voice our thoughts and our ideas. our fears and our hopes. technology, which was supposed to provide such fora has been subverted (sometimes brazenly) so as to curb such sharing of knowledge. In such a scenario, i think that FSF has a larger role to play. (G)LUGs being inward looking in a technological sort of way, the onus is upon FSUGs to form and spearhead the philosophical bulwark of the movement. FSUGs should, i believe, work in tandem with (G)LUGs to propagate, promote, nurture and further the reach of the Free Software Movement. i have often heard that such synergy and symbiotic relationship is untenable "that is against the basic tenets of both groups" - but is it ? willing or unwilling to name the OS as GNU/linux has long been the subject of mighty flames on different lists, but in the end it does boil down to personal choice. the freedom to choose is one of the most abused and most revoked freedoms in these times. in the mails between Raj Mathur (RM) and RMS, the latter stated beautifully - 'what you want the OS to be called is your choice and your liking, but you'd be doing us wrong if you do not give us credit' [or words to that effect, my mail archive is backed up and so i have to rely on memory]. that is what FSUGs must build on. an active and sustained campaign to create an upswing of public awareness. hold meetings and seminars relevant to the locus of the FSF idea and revolving around the central theme of FSF philosophy. lobbying for space and collecting, collating and presenting an knowledge base towards the benefit of all. greater good for the greatest number is never an unattainable goal, one only has to try that much harder. officially writing to (G)LUGs might just pose some amount of problems though. as far as i know, a majority of them are not registered as societies/bodies/bodies corporate [my home www.ilug-cal.org is not ] and thus the legal formality of a location arises. in that event, having region-based/state based FSUGs that act in sync with FSF-india's policies and aims as well as form a nodal point of contact towards developmental activities is most desirable. in west bengal, fsf-westbengal has been conceived with that singular aim in mind. strengthening the reach and sensitivity of FSF-india while providing a rich resource base of developers, activists and enthusiasts. tathagata banerjee (tathagatabanerjee(a)softhome.net) has taken the on the responsibilty of being the coordinator of such a group (fsf-westbengal(a)yahoogroups.com) and as RMS, NG and others will be aware (he is, i believe in mail communication with them) he plans to develop the group into a strong platform for Free Software Advocacy under the aegis of FSF-India thanks for your patience in going through this mail, with today being the bengali new year, i can only hope and pray that the coming year be one of success and achievements for us all warm regards sankarshan ----------------------- http://www.ilug-cal.org - A Brave Gnu world http://www.asiaosc.org - Open Source & Free Software ----------------------- --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.471 / Virus Database: 269 - Release Date: 4/10/03

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Re: Bangalore Consultation
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 14 Apr '03

14 Apr '03

Free Software is going to be the subject of a consultation being organised by UNDP. Please get in touch with shruti.gupta(a)undp.org with your suggestions. Thanks! FN On Mon, 14 Apr 2003, Shruti Gupta wrote: > Dear all, > > The report of the Bangalore Consultation on ICTs for Development (11-12 > March 2003) is ready and up on our website. > > You can access it at the UNDP website > <http://www.undp.org.in/events/ict-bglr/> > > The website also hosts speakers' presentations. So all of those who > have not sent us their presentations in the soft format, please do so > now! > > Work is now on for the second consultation. We are looking at the > themes of 'Open Source and Free Software' and the 'Role of the Media in > Promoting ICTs for Development'. Please feel free to send us your ideas > and comments for the same. > > We look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you all soon for the > next event! > > Best regards, > > > > > Shruti Gupta > Junior co-ordinator > Project on ICTs for Development > > -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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SITEWATCH: glugt.linuxisle.com (Trichy)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 14 Apr '03

14 Apr '03

URL : http://glugt.linuxisle.com tux GNU/Linux User Group - Trichy GNU * Main Menu * [1]GLUG Home [2]Projects [3]Downloads [4]GNU/Linux Links [5]Meetings [6]Mailing Lists [7]Credits * GNU/Linux Docs * [8]GNU/Linux Workshop [9]Tips/HOWTOS * Reminder * GLUG-T Meeting Date: 20th April, Sunday Time: 9:30 to 12:30pm Venue: Accel IT Academy Thillainagar [10]* Help Needed * LCD Projector Domain Name & Web Space Meeting Place Welcome to GNU/Linux User Group - Trichy The GLUG-T is based at Trichy, a small city at the heart of Tamil Nadu, a state in India. The user group aims to promote free software in its spirit. We meet every 3rd Sunday on a decided place. (Check out our [11]meetings page for the next meeting's venue.) In our meetings we discuss both technical and philosophical issues related to free software. We welcome everybody interested in free software and the GNU/Linux OS to join our user group. Joining the GLUG-T: You can join us by subscribing to our mailing list glug_t(a)freelists.org and attending our meetings. To subscribe to the mailing list send a mail to [12]glug_t-request(a)freelists.org with 'subscribe' as subject. Contacting Us: .In case the information you are looking for is not in this website you can mail to [13]glug_t(a)linuxmail.org. * Cookie * * Poll * Which is your favourite Desktop Environment? (_) Gnome (_) KDE (_) Text Mode (_) Others [14][ Results ] Vote Powered By * GNU/Linux * EMACS * pHp * GIMP * Apache * Site Maintained by [15]Web Admin glugt_webadmin(a)linuxmail.org

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Re: [fsug-kochi-discuss] Fwd:[Re: [Fsf-friends] Re: Forming FSUGs in the country]
by Raghavendra Bhat 13 Apr '03

13 Apr '03

Dileep posts : >> We are the 1st FSUG in India Sure, we are. The 1st FSUG in India which has a majority of GNUheads. The GNU angle is more important to us. >>--Forwarded message from "Nagarjuna G." <nagarjun(a)hbcse.tifr.res.in> -- >> >>>>>Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 09:39:28 +0530 >>>>>From: "Nagarjuna G." <nagarjun(a)hbcse.tifr.res.in> >>>>>Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] Re: Forming FSUGs in the country >>>>>To: Arko Provo Mukherjee <arkoprovo(a)peacefulaction.org> >>>>>> We are not going against GLUG if we form FSUG. We can go hand >>>>>> in hand with them. If it is FSF, it should be FSUG. I have seen RMS insist that if possible, the Group be named as a GNU/Linux User Group instead of calling it as a Free Software User Group. That way, the idea of freedom in computing can be conveyed much easily. >>>>> pass a resolution in one of their meetings and announces on >>>>> their web page Existing `Linux' User Groups should move away and rename themselves as GNU/Linux User Groups and resolve in their meetings to refuse to support `non-free' software. This need be reflected in their Web Pages too. >>>>> Such groups will not encourage the promotion of non-free >>>>> software under any free operating system, while promoting the >>>>> use of free software anywhere. The Group should stress the importance of the GNU Project first. Such groups should discuss the ethical aspects of Free Software and the finer nuances of `what free really means to a computer user ?'. Licensing issues should be discussed as well. They may even discuss how free software can help businesses and stress that free GNU software was born mainly for preserving user freedoms rather than to help businesses..... -- ragOO, VU2RGU :: Visit us at http://symonds.net/~fsug-kochi/ Helping to keep the Air-Waves FREE Amateur GNU Radio Helping to keep your Software FREE the GNU Project Helping to keep the W W W FREE Debian GNU/${kernel}

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LFY April issue
by Arun M 13 Apr '03

13 Apr '03

Hi, It is very sad that LFY doesnt get a clue of what Free Software all about. See the article on 'IDE Tools for Linux'(April issue), it talks of 6 IDE tools, only 2 of them are Free Software or even `open' source. LFY ignored even the IDE from India, Anjuta. Now looking into CD. It comes with 5 OSs and two of them clearly proprietary. CD says that all of them are Freeware no clear distinction. Hope that LFY will correct the situation and clear distinction will be made about Free and Proprietary softwares in GNU/Linux. Confusing between Free and non-Free is worser than supporting proprietary. software. Arun. -- "Freedom received through the efforts of others, however benevolent, cannot be retained when such efforts are withdrawn." -- Mahatma Gandhi

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Fsf-friends April 2003