Fsf-friends September 2009

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Internet, tech skills growing quietly in Goa...
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 02 Sep '24

02 Sep '24

INTERNET, TECH SKILLS GROWING QUIETLY IN GOA PANJIM, April 30: Goa's BSNL internet service provider is already providing some 3000 broadband connections in the state, and roughly another 24,000 people dial-up to get access the Net using this central government-run service. These figures emerged during an informal discussion at the monthly meeting of the India Linux Users Group (Goa), a network promoting Free Software and Open Source in the state. ILUG-Goa, which holds its meetings usually on the fourth Saturday of each month at the Goa Science Centre at Miramar, sees a range of tech issues -- usually directly related to Free Software and Open Source in Goa. During it's meet on April 29, a range of issues came up for discussion, from how to partition your hard-disk (to install GNU/Linux side-by-side with Windows), to software tools to ehance productivity, and various internet and broadband options available to users in diverse parts of Goa. For instance, there are some useful Free Software tools to monitor your bandwidth usage on BSNL's broadband. One such tool is available for free download at http://tinyurl.com/qgu9p Called the Data One Broadband Statistics, this is a screen-scraper written using Perl to download usage statistics of BSNL's Data One (www.bsnl.co.in/service/dataone.htm) broadband service and total it. Generally, BSNL (www.bsnl.co.in) allows only the Microsoft-based IE and has no monthly total. But trust Indian software talent to find a work-around. This solution comes from the Free Software/Open Source network in Chennai. Meanwhile, the Goa free software network stays connected and announces its event via http://iluggoaannounce.notlong.com There are no fees for joining, all are welcome, and encouraged to form parallel user-groups in diverse parts of the state. Meanwhile, the Fedora Core 5 Free Software distribution has just become available on DVD in Goa. Number of foreign magazines are also available. Members of ILUG-Goa such as engineer Bijon Shaha and software pro Arvind Yadav gave diverse views on techies-only distros like 'Gentoo'. Debopriyo 'DP' Sarkar pointed to a 'mindmap' of various Free Software distributions or 'distros' available, which was illustrated at linuxhelp.blogspot.com Earlier, there was a brief presentation on FreeMind. FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping software written in Java. It has the potential of playing the role of a high productivity tool. Operation and navigation of FreeMind is faster because of one-click "fold/unfold" and "follow link" operations. Other members raised a range of issues -- from how to get started in GNU/Linux, to playing around with tools like StumbleUpon, and how to encourage Free Software usage in schools and educational institutions. Remy Furtado of Rosary College, Navelim expressed an interest in working on the Free Software tool Moodle, ideal for distance education, as the Goa University moves to a pattern of semisterisation. Goa Engineering College's Prof George Easaw has done work on this platform, as have others. Reacting unofficially, BSNL officials said Goa now had six STMS 155 MBps connectivity, which was resulting in a speedy expansion of broadband to many parts of the state. But for broadband facilities to become available in village areas, at least 60 subscribers were needed to make operations viable. So far, broadband from BSNL is available in a growing number of areas in Goa: Panjim, Vasco (except Cortalim, but including Sada, Mangor, Bogmalo, Sancoale and other areas), Ponda, Bambolim, Merces, Dona Paula, Porvorim, Mapusa town, Calangute-Candolim, and Saligao, among others. Equipment has already been installed in Aldona exchange, and broadband facilities are expected to go functional -- ------------------------------------------------------------- | India Linux Users' Group, Goa | | Join the friendly user group | | Mail list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ilug-goa/join | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teach-yourself-linux | | http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ilug-goa-announce | | http://www.iosn.net/country/india/organizations/ilug-goa/ | ------------------------------------------------------------- , , / \ .-. * SOFTWARE ((__-^^-,-^^-__)) (. .) * FREEDOM `-_---' `---_-' / V \ * SHARING `--|o` 'o|--' // \\ \ ` / /( )\ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER ): :( '.^^_^^.' SHARE IT EQUITABLY :o_o: \_/ \_/ "-"

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Careers in FLOSS... (Dec 2003 issue of LFY)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 06 Jun '24

06 Jun '24

=========================================== LINUXForYou * Dec 2003 (Vol 1 No 10) In India Rs 50 (with CD) http://www.linuxforu.com Pages 102 * US$7.95 0 74470584957 =========================================== THIS ISSUE has probably reached your city. Saw it in Bangalore, and also got a complimentary copy from the LFY team at LinuxBangalore2003. But when I reached back to Goa on Dec 4, it wasn't in as yet. So it might take time to reach 'small town' India... FN REVIEWED: Mandrake 9.2 * PhProjekt * StarOffice 7.0 COMPUTERS AT TIS HAZARI, the session courts for the city of New Delhi, are being shifted over to Linux, courtesy the National Informatics Centre. - Rahul Chopra in this month's editorial. LINUX LEARNING CENTRE at Bangalore is offering courses in administration, security, development (internals and programming essentials, programming with Qt, device driver programming, MySQL & PHP), RHCE and Red Hat rapid track certification. www.linuxlearningcentre.com DotGNU RELEASES CD: It can now be used to implement application programs and Web services in C# and C applications under multiple operating systems, including GNU/Linux, FreeBSC, MacOS, MS Windows. The 219 MB release 0.1 CD is available as a free download at http://download.freedom.biz/dotgnu/dotgnu-0.1-cdrom.iso.gz.torrent e-Bridge calls itself "the new state-of-art training facility from eSpark Infotech is now open in the heart of Bangalore". It's offering embedded Linux courses (Linux fundamentals, programming Linux, embedded C & Linux, realtime C & Linux, Linux internals, device drivers, networking) and DSP courses (DSP fundamentals, TI/analog dev programming, audio/video, image processing, bio-medical systems). www.ebridgesolutions.net Linux.net provides a free e-mail service to those who want an e-mail address that ends in '@linux.net' MAJOR UPDATES and releases: OpenNA Linux 1.0, Gibraltar Firewall 1.0, Xandros Desktop 2.0, Onebase Linux 2.0, CUPS 1.120rc6. CAN YOU MAKE money with open source? Registration entails a "nominal fee" of Rs 5000 for a three-day conference. http://www.linuxasia2004.com/attendees/ February 11-13, 2004, New Delhi. SEND IN YOUR favourite slogans for a tee-shirt, and win five free copies of the shirt... LFYedit at efyindia.com MONEY CAN't buy respect, says Robert Adkins. Some of us might have met this guy at LB2003 in Bangalore. He's the CTO of Technetra Corp, and an advocate and implementer of FLOSS solutions for government. He can be contacted at radkins at technetra.com CAREERS WITH FLOSS: The number of students opting for courses in Open Source is growing steadily, even as industry experts predict a growing need for trained professionals in this expanding field. EXIT RED HAT, ENTER FEDORA: It's official now; the free (of cost) version of Red Hat Linux will not be available anymore. This has created a lot of FUD in an already unstable environment, thanks to the SCO episode. But is Red Hat closed for good? WEB-BASED COLLABORATION SOFTWARE: PHProjekt is an easy-to-install collaboration suite, which runs on the open source platform and databases. As the design of the system is developer-friendly, adding new features and components is a piece of cake. STAROFFICE: The latest version of Sun's office suite, StarOffice 7, may just be the right solution for the cost-conscious user. It loads faster than the earlier version, and sports some noticeable improvements. IN THE LFY CD THIS MONTH: Slackware (the "oldest Linux distro") and a range of GNU software for Windows users. FALLING BACK on backup systems. MAKING ADOPTION OF Linux in the enterprise easy. www.linux4e.com Business partners required: http://wwww.linux4e.com/partners ooWRITER HELPS YOU create your own templates and styles so that you can work with documents easily. Open Source is key to IBM's vision of computing. User empowerment is key to Microsoft's, writes Alolita Sharma USING DATABASE functions in Calc, a tutorial. (Wish there were more how-tos for the user in this mag! --FN) HALDIA DOCKS: it has a uniquely designed Linux installation with an active-active cluster set up, which is considered the best of its kind. This has ensured efficiency and cost-effectiveness. BASIC UNIX commands and concepts: an extract from *Running Linux* (Shroff Publishers, Pp 674 only Rs 425 in India). VxWorks and LynxOS are definitely the biggest embedded operating systems in use today. But slowly they are acknowledging the power of GNU/Linux and how it can help them maximise deployments. HELP LINUX GO INDIAN: By using various translation tools, you can join Language translation groups working across India to help translate GNU/Linux into your language. EXPERT INTRODUCTION: Multi-threaded programming under Linux. KICKSTART YOUR Linux installation (Part I): Installing Red Hat Linux on multiple machines one after another can be quite tedious. To avoid answering the same question over and over again, try the KickStart method, as it does not need any user intervention. WRITE CHEQUES. NOT JUST BOOKS: Niyam Bhushan on how anybody can turn thoughts into words, and words into wealth. NFS CLIENTS for Windows. OpenSSL PACKAGE offers a vast crypto library of algorithms WAIT QUEUES in Linux device drivers UNDERSTANDING recursive sub-routines INDIA-RELATED NEWS: HP launches GNU/Linux laptop Mandrake's latest distribution Oracle announces 10g for GNU/Linux Delixus offers India Linux CxProtect anti-virus mailing solution for mail-servers Trade management system from Network Programs Netweb Technologies unveils Tyrone MRO-Tek rolls out Network Management Systems Review of FLOSS at BangaloreIT.com =========================================== DISCLOSURE: This journalist (FN) writes a monthly column for LFY and gets paid for it. Promoting awareness about the content of LFY however is not part of the job, and is carried on with the intention spreading awareness about FLOSS among different GNU/Linux user groups in India. -- Frederick Noronha : http://www.fredericknoronha.net : When we speak of free Freelance Journalist : http://www.bytesforall.org : software we refer to Ph 0091.832.2409490 : Cell 0 9822 122436 : freedom, not price.

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Kerala school training material
by Raj Mathur 14 Oct '09

14 Oct '09

Hi, Can someone point me to a comprehensive collection of materials used for training in Free Software in schools in Kerala? Any and all of these would be appreciated: - Teachers' training material - Teachers' training curricula and time frames - Ditto for the Train the Trainers programme - School curricula on and using FS - Accompanying textbooks, training guides, etc. Anything else that is available apart from this would be great. Thanks, -- Raju -- Raj Mathur raju(a)kandalaya.org http://kandalaya.org/ GPG: 78D4 FC67 367F 40E2 0DD5 0FEF C968 D0EF CC68 D17F PsyTrance & Chill: http://schizoid.in/ || It is the mind that moves

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Check out my photos on Facebook
by Siva Kumar Epari 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

Hi fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in, I set up a Facebook profile where I can post my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile. Thanks, Siva To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=821098587&k=S4D3PVRSRT6E2EFGQCZ42USVWWJK6X2… fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in was invited to join Facebook by Siva Kumar Epari. If you do not wish to receive this type of email from Facebook in the future, please click on the link below to unsubscribe. http://www.facebook.com/o.php?k=6c5737&u=1247270151&mid=12d0f04G4a57d507G0G8 Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

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NEWS: RMS comes under attack again
by Frederick Noronha [फ़रेदरिक नोरो नया] فريدريك نورونيا 27 Sep '09

27 Sep '09

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/27980/1090/ RMS comes under attack again by Sam Varghese Thursday, 24 September 2009 It appears to be open season for launching attacks on the head of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Matthew Stallman, the man who is in large measure responsible for the status that free and open source software enjoys today. Featured Whitepaper Legacy Tools: Not For Today’s Helpdesk The latest attack on Stallman is a lengthy post by ZDNet blogger Jason Perlow and is based on remarks that Stallman is said to have made during the Free Software Day celebrations in Boston. There is no audio or video file of the remarks, just the one blog post by Ubuntu developer and Ubuntu evangelist Martin Owens whom Perlow quotes. The relevant portion of Owens' blog post which Perlow uses as the basis for his attack is the claim that Stallman called Miguel de Icaza, the current vice-president of Novell, a traitor to the free software community. I asked the FSF for a transcript of Stallman's remarks; this was the reply I got from operations manager John Sullivan: "His talk was primarily answering questions, so there's no draft or transcript. I can't confirm those comments as a whole, but if you want to ask about specific ones I will do my best." Let's assume that Stallman did make the remarks. Is he mischaracterising de Icaza's current position? The short answer is no. The software activities that de Icaza is involved in right now serve the ends of Microsoft. Read about it here. And here. The one thing that amazes me about Perlow's post is that he has made no mention of de Icaza's current billet at Novell, the company that signed a patent licensing deal with Microsoft, a deal that sold out the entire FOSS community, and made Novell some kind of a pariah. Add to that his tendency to tell half the story to build his argument and you have a classic case of spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt. Page 2 and 3 http://www.itwire.com/content/view/27980/1090/1/1/ http://www.itwire.com/content/view/27980/1090/1/2/ Miguel snuggles closer to Microsoft http://www.itwire.com/content/view/27785/1090/ CodePlex Foundation will help spread use of Mono http://www.itwire.com/content/view/27941/1090/ -- FN +91-9822122436 P +91-832-2409490 Updated: http://goabooks.wordpress.com

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Free software best suited for UI card project (Vivek Varghese Cherian)
by Roopesh P Raj 26 Sep '09

26 Sep '09

Hi Cherian, I would invite your attention to RMS' blog : http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/rms-entry-20041128/view?searchterm=PDVSA RMS' words : *[I spent a week in Venezuela, giving a speech and some interviews at an event which invited speakers from all across Latin America. During the event, the state oil company PDVSA announced its decision to switch 100% to free software. Their decision is not based on convenience or cost; it is based on sovereignty. Their computers used to be handled by a US company, SAIC. When opponents of President Chavez tried to drive him from office by shutting down oil protection, the US government helped out by telling SAIC to prevent them from using their computers. PDVSA therefore knows from experience that using non-free software means you are at the mercy of the developers, and has decided to solve the problem for good and all.*] Now I invite your attention to another an RMS interview : http://www.itnews.com.au/News/128452,qa-richard-stallman-founder-of-the-gnu… In which RMS was asked the following question : *[Qn. Do you think public authorities should be leading the way with free software? Ans: Every public agency has a duty to maintain its control over its computing, as a matter of sovereignty. Using a non-free program means giving the program's developer control over that computing. Thus, public agencies must reject proprietary software and move to free software. Venezuela and Ecuador are on the right track.]* Cherian, In PDVSA case SAIC acted an arm of Amerian establishment. UID project is a project which involves the security of our nation. Microsoft is a US company, what is the guaranty Microsoft will not follow the SAIC way? As far as I know FSMK followed what Richard Stallman has said regarding use of proprietary software in public agencies, which is nothing but compromising our country's soveriegnity. Now, is it a crime to follow Richard Stallman? No, for sure. So kindly stop making stupid comments, and I request you to apologise for doing the same. Last time you posted what you do in your home, helping your wife and all, for posting a BBC news link which revealed Microsoft's racist hind side. My friend sent me the following link, which will give you a clearer picture of Microsoft. Do read it : http://www.ecis.eu/documents/Finalversion_Consumerchoicepaper.pdf Warm Regards, Roopesh

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Free software best suited for UI card project
by haynes davis 26 Sep '09

26 Sep '09

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/26913/free-software-suited-ui-card.html There are compelling arguments to support the use of a free software, but advocates of free software doubt if the government would decide on one, given the money involved and the weight the companies owning proprietary software carry. But use of proprietary system, they feel, would be tantamount to compromising national security. “A software can be termed as secure only if the freedom to examine or modify the code lies with its user, in this case, the Government of India,” proclaims the Free Software Movement of Karnataka (FSMK), a body that supports use of free software and propagates its usage in various spheres of activities. Naturally, the movement finds Microsoft’s proposal to undertake the project ‘disturbing.’ While on one hand — a write up in the FSMK newsletter claims — Microsoft’s involvement would sabotage a state’s, and by default its citizen’s, right to control the software on which the most crucial data would sit, it also paints an alarming picture of the IT giant’s associations with the US government and slips in the suggestion that it would let the Americans sabotage the whole network as a part of a cyber attack if things come down to that.

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Fwd: [IndiChix] [ann] Free Software Foundation's Women in Free Software
by Anivar Aravind 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: vid <vid(a)svaksha.com> Date: Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 11:18 AM Subject: [IndiChix] [ann] Free Software Foundation's Women in Free Software To: LinuxChix - India <indichix(a)linuxchix.org> Folks, Earlier FSF had announced a mini-summit[0] on Women in Free Software. The MoM[1] has been released and they have also created a mailing list (Yeah, YAML :)) for women in free software[2]. [0] http://www.fsf.org/news/summit-on-women-in-free-software [1] http://groups.fsf.org/wiki/Womenscaucus/9.19.2009 [2] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/womeninfreesoftware -- vid http://vid.svaksha.com || _______________________________________________ IndiChix mailing list IndiChix(a)linuxchix.org http://mailman.linuxchix.org/mailman/listinfo/indichix -- "The resources of the world are for us all to share. Let us affirm our faith in that common cause" - Dr. Ilina Sen

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Petition to Cancel Proprietary Tender by NIC
by Siva Kumar Epari 24 Sep '09

24 Sep '09

Swecha appeals to the community, organizations and individuals to sign the following petition to cancel the proprietary tender issued by the NIC for procuring laptops for the Supreme Court of India. Organizations can add their name in the wiki<http://www.swecha.org/wiki/index.php?title=Petition>page provided and individuals can sign the petition <http://www.swecha.org/node/23#form>. All the respective organizations are requested to host the petition and gather the signatures of members associated with them. Swecha would gladly provide the space for petitions of the respective organizations. The tender is available at http://tenders.gov.in/ <http://tenders.gov.in/details.asp?tempid=1&tid=del242328&work=1&cno=0> Regards Siva Swecha

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FOSS implementation @ University of Calicut
by Vimal Joseph 24 Sep '09

24 Sep '09

The Univeristy of Calicut, Kerala set a model by implementing their software in FOSS and later sharing it with other universities. http://www.thehindu.com/edu/2009/09/08/stories/2009090850120300.htm contact: madhuvt at gmail dot com Note: They use GNU/Linux/Python/postgresql combination. Details are available in the book "Free Software Projects in Public Enterprises of Kerala" http://space-kerala.org/downloads/foss.pdf Another interesting news is that the university is also including Free Software in their curriculum. See : http://pramode.net/2009/09/19/report-on-python-and-free-software-for-scient… regards, ~vimal

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Fsf-friends September 2009