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My Blog post on National Conference & Boycott Novell Protest
by Anivar Aravind 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

I blogged about the national Conference & Boycott Novell Protest http://anivar.movingrepublic.org/2008/national-free-software-conference-boy… If you are any more questions to me. Leave a comment on the post . I will update the FAQ Anivar -- I am always happy when I am Protesting: Richard M. Stallman

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on FSF should distance itself from undemocratic????
by Rahul Computerwala 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

May I know the crime committed by me or FSF India ? *The clarity which is needed at this moment is the crime commited. Why one of the members from FSF-I says he will use the platform even if there is Microsoft conference while the other says why Novell???? If FSF-I is well communicated and transparent organization then why this DOUBLE SPEAK??? I have told this earlier also but some people aren't reading other mails except of posting their mails. Why is it FSFI folks take convenient personal positions and then different official positions and everything is confusing so much. * Why was the camera of students were captured and images were removed? *If anyone is trying to disrupt the peaceful and good conference and id you appease them naturally some people who may feel offended and I know its part of one of the mistakes done by volunteers. But noone will keep quiet as an individual if someone is trying to disrupt the functions in our house. I thought it was the same for them too.* Would this issue have been got out of control if the organizers allowed peaceful protest by putting some posters? * * *Being part of this conference I saw how peaceful the protestor was. I was there in the stall to witness it. Trying to put it up the stalls even though certain stall owners were quiet interested. And I could clearly see what the protestor/s could get when I saw the article in some magazines about these things. I could clearly see the mileage and as in Bangalore experience I know that Anivar is known for such stunts and now again as always he is using this platform which few others for there own personal gains. Condemn this intention and well preparedness of hampering such a positive conference.* * * *BOYCOTT NOVELL* *BOYCOTT CHEAP PUBLICITY STUNTS* Why Anil or other organisers did not respond when Anivar called him to come and resolve the issue? *My Question is, were protestors a bit patient enough to wait for the organizers to come, as they will naturally be busy in organising some or the other events???? Or was this protest a drama to create something for themselves. Some mileage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* Some people seems to have some interest in showing this as a CPIM - FSF India fight. It is very easy to create David and Goliath and derail the discussion. *First clear the double speak and then ask questions who is creating what. Without being clear themselves I don't see this statement having any relevance. And as far as fight with political party and FSF-I goes I have been regular reader and I think this was started by one of the FSF-I members isn't it???. Anivar, sasikumar and matthew are ones who create this fight. FSF-I and some whole free timers have created such a David – Goliath issues. * * * *That's why I say. Without being clear don't comment. This would not have any ground. These comments does nothing but creates confusion within FSF community*. * * *With lots of questions on some of very confusing answers* * * *Devils Advocate for free software movement* * * *Rahul Computerwala*

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FSF should distance itself from undemocratic, illegal, immoral and unjustifiable acts of protest.
by Arun M 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

> > 3.) what did arun do in his capacity as FSF Secretary to dissolve the > > situation during the conference. Was he organizing the protest? Was the > > protest with the knowledge of FSF india? > http://mm.gnu.org.in/pipermail/fsf-friends/2008-November/005649.html Anivar tried to contact Anil and I tried to contact Mr Kiranchandra, who were involved in organising this conference. Both of them could not come and resolve. If you want to know how organisers of exhibition treated us when we tried to resolve the issue you may also check up with Mr Vimal, SPACE or Mr Amarnath Raja, chairman IEEE, Kerala chapter (and an invited speaker). Request to put posters in two stalls by their owner were rejected. It is very sad that freedom of expression, in peaceful manner, was rejected in a conference on free software!!! Only because of that we decide for a peaceful protest by siting down in a corner, silent with posters in hand. When Sri. Joy Job Kulaveli and Sri. Chandramohankumar Registrar, CUSAT, demanded us to leave the place, (in a very undemocratic and arrogant manner), we left peacefully. May I know the crime committed by me or FSF India ? Why was the camera of students were captured and images were removed ? Why is Novell's name is still not there on conference website even when though they are the main sponsor of the event ? Would this issue have been got out of control if the organisers allowed peaceful protest by putting some posters ? Why did Anil or other organisers did not respond when Anivar called him to come and resolve the issue ? Some people seems to have some interest in showing this as a CPIM - FSF India fight. It is very easy to create David and Goliath and derail the discussion.

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [smc-discuss] Re: FSF should distance itself from undemocratic, illegal, immoral and unjustifiable acts of protest.
by haynes davis 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 4:08 PM, Nagarjuna G. <nagarjun(a)gnowledge.org>wrote: > On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM, haynes davis <haynesdavis(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> > >> > >> If CPI(M) supports Free Software, then why did the members of this > >> party attended a MS marketing event? IKM and related stories are > >> history. Here is the latest one: > >> http://k-mug.org/content/LaunchReport.aspx > > > > "FSF India or FSF has any untouchability to Novell as far as we know. > > Dr Nagarjuna was invited for a program and he spoke. I was invited, > > I participated. > > Even if Microsoft gives us a slot we will go and speak. > > There is no issue in that. > > > > I hope this answers your question." > > > > The above quote was not referring to my question. but some other > email, so it was not clear if you are referring to my question on > who was doing the double speak. > that was my reply to manilal. i had replied in fsug bangalore list. I will copy that. > who are the FSF people are doing the double speak? > > Second, please do not identify FSF and FSFI. These are two different > sister organizations. > i referred to fsf only in Indian context, ie. fsf india. Sorry for the confusion. Some people took part in the protest say Novell issue was due to the ignorance of organizers, while some say the organizers concealed it. People like Arun etc were at the conference, while some where protesting. Anivar Aravind, Member FSF was a speaker at the conference and also a protester. http://nfm2008.atps.in/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/speakers.html And also regarding cpim hijack issue. Why dont fsf india make the things clear. Do fsf india support those rumors? If not, why does not fsf india condemn such news, at least to show some gratitude towards cpim which supports our cause? to add some more 1.) http://www.mail-archive.com/fsf-friends@mm.gnu.org.in/msg00704.html I am writing this mail since my earlier mail is being interpreted to mean that the CPI(M) is trying to sabotage the Free Software Movement in the country. That was not at all what I meant. Since I wrote it in a hurry as I am on the verge of leaving on a rather longish journey. I don't think a large party like the CPM would try to capture a small organisation like FSF India. But the convention has several known CPM leaders (such as Dr. Debesh Das) and CPM supporters (such as Sri N. Ram). So it would appear that the people who are doing this have a CPM background. Why they would want to create such a problem, god only knows. I am sure the top brass in the party would never knowingly permit such activities. I am sorry if I sounded otherwise. Best -- V. Sasi Kumar Free Software Foundation of India * * 2.)* http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?no_d2=1&sid=08/11/17/0120203* James Mathew <james(a)gnu.org.in> writes *"This is an interesting story from Kerala, India, where the ruling Communist Party organized a national conference in its efforts to hijack the Free Software Movement, which has enviable roots in the state. They got Novell to sponsor it. On the second day of the conference, a few free software activists who displayed posters against Novell were manhandled by the organizers and police<http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com/2008/11/boycott-novell-protesters-man-ha…>— typical of what is expected from them. Most of the snaps taken during the scuffle were forcefully deleted by the organizers, after seizing the protesters' mobile phones. Still they couldn't delete all. * 3.) what did arun do in his capacity as FSF Secretary to dissolve the situation during the Kochi conference. Was he organizing the protest? Was the protest with the knowledge of FSF india? 4.) was anivar representing FSF? 5.) http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com/2008/11/boycott-novell-protesters-man-ha… പ്രവീണ്‍|Praveen aka j4v4m4n<http://www.blogger.com/profile/14632492539063886289>said... This clearly shows the organizers of this event are completely out of touch with the politics of Free Software. I am sure the community will reject any attempts by vested interests to hijack the Free Software community. Regards, Haynes.

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FSF should distance itself from undemocratic, illegal, immoral and unjustifiable acts of protest.
by haynes davis 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

"YOUR FREEDOM ENDS FROM WHERE MY NOSE BEGINS"* *The Boycott-Novell protest that was staged during the National Conference at Kochi was really unfortunate. Not because of the ideology of Boycott-Novell, but the the intentions of some of the protesters. Was it good to paste posters in other stalls and on someone else's posters? Was not it against the principles of freedom? Was it good enough to challenge the organizers that 10 posters will be pasted for each one removed? So the intentions seemed to be to interrupt the function rather than raising a cause. And the saddest part is that the protester himself was one of the organizer. The organizers gave us the opportunity to raise our concerns through open forum or posters, but with out infringing on others freedom,without disrupting the function. Why some among us is writing articles in news papers opposing such initiatives live Kochi Conference? Do you think it was journalist who dug up the issue of cpim hijack of FSF. Some among us are creating confusion regarding the GRAND HIJACK THEORY. Why does not the FSF people stop the double speak. Please make the things straight and clean. Cpim has supported free software the most. Does not we need its support. Or why should we accept its support and then accuse it of hijacking. if its true then please come forward with press release on FSF letter pad accusing cpim so that we can end the controversies. Why FSF still does not condemn the undemocratic, immoral way of protest that took place. Are these happening with the knowledge of FSF persons who were present in the venue. Are they supporting these. FSF should distance itself from undemocratic,illegal, immoral and unjustifiable acts of protest. Regards, Haynes.

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a clarification needed
by Senthil Sundaram (sensunda) 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

hi Arun , thanks for that personal note. Though I expressed solidarity immediately i knew of this. I need a clarification. 'Novell' signs were put up in the venue earlier. Dr Nagarjuna was on the dias. Did Anivar inform you folks earlier itself..which could have sorted out things peacefully or only things were informed after confrontation. However I did see in the venue and in slashdot that very senior free software foudation folks act without restraint and like any regular flamer which is unfortunate. my report and take on the incident in kochi conference and the frequent flames seen in the recent days. http://slumdweller.wikispaces.com/kochi+conference <http://slumdweller.wikispaces.com/kochi+conference> in solidarity S

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On National Conference on Free Software at Kochi
by Vikram Vincent 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

After a good experience at the First National Conference at Hyderabad I had been planning to attend the Second Conference at Kochi from the time of its announcement a couple of months ago. Even my serious ill-health could not keep me away from the conference as many will vouch. After two weeks of bad health of which 5 days were spent on a hospital bed I woke up from the hospital bed and came straight to Kochi. The Conference was well organised and the 1000+ delegate participation from all over the country was magnificent. It was a representation of the growing peoples' mass movement which cannot be stopped or controlled by vested interests or power centres. What is obvious is the conscious conversion of a developers' movement to a peoples' movement. THE PEOPLE ARE TAKING CHARGE. The resolutions brought out at the conference are important and I hope that they will be released soon. One of the most important talks was the one by Sri. Sitaram Yechury where the issue of the crisis in global capitalism and its impact on people and the role of the Free Software Movement in building the resistance was presented in terms that even a 10th standard student could understand. A couple of years ago when organising the GPLv3 conference I noticed that only a small group of people took responsibility and organised the 'event'. But now the dynamics has changed. Events are being replaced by processes. The Karnataka team (I am not referring to FSUG-Bangalore because though I am an integral part of it I know that it is not representative of Karnataka but only a miniscule part of the Movement. A single community. FSUG B'lore is just a mailing list.) comprising of ordinary people from the slums, computer technical trainers from villages, academicians, IT employees, engineering students and others participated in the conference. The conscious effort to build a mass movement in Karnataka is bearing fruit and this was clear when almost one and a half bus loads of activists from Karnataka reached Kochi. Even the efforts to sideline genuine work and at various important protests/programs could not/cannot dampen our spirits. What struck me as odd was why FSF-India which claims to be THE free software community was not a part of this important process. While we will support causes which are just irrespective of individuals and banners we will definitely not allow elements to disrupt the movement here in Karnataka or anywhere in India and we will continue to work to build the movement the best way we know -- as a mass movement. Join us and you will be assimilated. In solidarity with the Free Software Movement, -- Vikram Vincent +919448810822 http://swatantra.org/

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a clarification needed
by Rahul Computerwala 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

Dear All, Again a personal note, nothing related to FSF India(expect last para). > Though I expressed solidarity immediately i knew of this. I need a > clarification. 'Novell' signs were put up in the venue earlier. Dr Nagarjuna > was on the dias. FSF India or FSF has any untouchability to Novell as far as we know. Dr Nagarjuna was invited for a program and he spoke. I was invited, I participated. Even if Microsoft gives us a slot we will go and speak. There is no issue in that. I hope this answers your question. *On ARUN's Statement * * ok now comes the bigger picture. if arun says he ll go and talk in Microsoft platform y nt use NOVELL's money in Free software convention. they dint spread any NOVELL's ideology so y not use their money for our movement. * * i mean this statement was only to reply for wat ARUn said in the above mail. If they do use Microsoft platform if its available then why so much HALLA to show. Thats why i said was it only for personal gain. Is arun supporting wat Anivar did in Undemocratic way. I dont y people do Double standards. why cant they have clear picture. ths means all they are trying to is selfish and has very little reason. this wat concerns me most and dont like these people saying carriers of non monopolistic flame. I PITY THEM. * * * > Did Anivar inform you folks earlier itself..which could have sorted out > things peacefully or only things were informed after confrontation. I hope Anivar will respond to this. I would add that protest was completely peaceful expect for treatment Anivar and some students received. *ya the protest was completely peaceful except that he was putting up posters forecfully and wanted to gain mileage out of it. so if this is ok then i dont no wat is not good. i hope forcefully putting having no problem means manhandling shouldnt be condemned as they are doing now.* > However I did see in the venue and in slashdot that very senior free > software foudation folks act without restraint and like any regular flamer > which is unfortunate. If you are referring to James, he is an employee of FSF India and he does not have any capacity to talk on behalf of FSF India. So dont try to take put that in FSF India's name. Each member of FSF India board may have their own opinion. That can not become FSF India's opinion unless FSF India board approves it. I dont see any point in dragging FSF India into this discussion. FSF India was not part of the conference though some board members participated in the event. Our participation is no way an endorsement to the conference. FSF India do have its own stand on the conference. Please note that this has nothing to do with what happened. with regards, arun *As i see if some political party members are being of accused of hijacking only cos they support free software movement then there should be no problem in these statements. thats why i suggest people not to be speaking in DOUBLE STANDARDS. be open. adjust to everyone coming along ur way in support. dont shoo away people from this great movement by these speak.* * * * All i again say is dont support vested interests. one or two trivandrum people in FSF-India seem to want accolades only for them and not for the co n tributions from every free software activists - including others in FSF . they are trying to say that they are the most 'orthodox' free software tribe in the country - they are purposefully confusing the rest of the community - they can believe that they are the most orthodox - shudh ghee - but they need not come and create a scene everywhere - let them work * * * *FOR FREE SOFTWARE MOVEMENT AND AGAINST VESTED INTERESTS* * * *DEVILS ADVOCATE FOR FREE SOFTWARE MOVEMENT.*

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on Burning Topic
by Rahul Computerwala 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

Hello everybody, As i see it clearly from the mailing list that only handful of them in this group are trying to create a sense of darkness from one political party so as to gain from it. I dont know for wat reason they should feel feel alienated from it.One only feels alienated in a scene like this is when he/she wants to gain something out of it. See we should be happy that more people are participating in this. And we should also urge ohers to participate as we need everbody to be aware. Infact if more people join it will be more easier as it will strenghten the issue of free software. BUT IF SOME GUYS WANT TO HAVE TO GAIN ADVANTAGE BY HOLDING IT TO THEM JUST LIKE WAT PROPRITERY, MONOPOLISTIC PEOPLE WANT TO DO THEN I THINK THOSE THINGS SHOULSNT BE WELCOMED. AND AS I AM SEEING HERE IF ANIVAR IS ONE AMONG THE FEW GUY WHOSE IS HAVING PROBLEMS THEN HE BETTER GO TO MICROSOFT THAN BEING HERE WHICH WILL FETCH HIM MORE PERSONAL ACCOLADES AND MONEY AS WELL. If this is a community of mass liking and if we want to grow by accepting more people into this thus more ideas and early end to propritery and monopoistic people, we have to have a progressive positive attitude and eagerness to adjust and move in POSITIVE DIRECTION. With extra love care and advise to ANIVAR And a HOPEFUL who wants free sofware in nook and corner of INDIA DEVILS ADVOCATE

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Fwd: [ATPS] My views on the Anivar incident.
by achu.kulangara＠gmail.com 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: thomas joseph <thomasatps(a)gmail.com> Date: 2008/11/18 Subject: [ATPS] My views on the Anivar incident. I too am sorry for man handling Anivar, 'the spoke-person of free software movement'. But an anti-democrat has crept in him. May be due to emotional upsurge. When he tried upon the freedom of others they too reciprocated. This is what I could understand. Trespassing the limits of democratic rights, pasting posters inside the private property of another as also manhandling was not correct. Both should have been avoided. Then, the question of name of the conference. Both the names 'National conference on free software', the name given by the organisers as also Conference on NON-FREE SOFTWARE' the name given by the supporters of Anivar 'the spoke-person of free software movement' are meaningful and reflect the content of the conference. Non-free software also were exhibited. Those who use non-free software also were present. We invited every body because the conference was meant for promoting the use of free software. Unless they come how can we interact with them. It was not a meeting of users of free software to chalk out their program. It was the meeting of all who used, started using in the past, start using now and will use in future. So we called every body. Some came. Many did not come as they were using non free software. The stand taken by Anivar, 'the spoke-person of swathanthra software' is meant to drive away those who wants to come to the fold of free software movement. How will those people be attracted to the movement. Anivar has to review his fundamentalist stance. He should ponder over this issue in its depth. At least in Kerala, one of the major hurdles for the advancement of free software movement during the past 10 years is the fundamentalist stands taken by the self proclaimed spokespersons of swathanthra software, including FSF-India. They seems to be of the view that software was freed by them, that FSF liberated software all over the world, FSF-India did it in India and Anivar Aravind did it in Kerala. They should know that software was free earlier. Most of them are free even today. But still mass of the people could not use them due to other deprivations. Socially owned Software was appropriated by few and declared them proprietary. The greatness of FSF lies in the fact that it framed the legal frame work to prevent further appropriation of that created in social domain. The FSF-India is using its name and preventing the growth of free software movement by its company form of structure. This company structure is helpful for the purpose FSF was formed, to sustain the legal frame work. But it is a hurdle for a mass movement. At least in India, FSF-India is preventing the spread of the ideals of FSF and the free software movement. SMC is a very good collaborative effort. It has enriched Malayalam. Anivar is not alone in it. Anivar is a gentleman in many respects. Young. Better if he has a bit more historic sense and able to understand the crooked ones. My request to Anivar is to try not to be the tool in the hands of FSF-India. He has to shirk off the dependence due to his earlier employment with FSF-India. -- With warm greetings. Joseph Thomas, thomasatps(a)gmail.com, 9447738369. "DREAM IS NOT WHAT YOU SEE IN SLEEP, IS THE THING WHICH DOES NOT LET YOU SLEEP"

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Exhibition on Free Software
by Anoop Jacob Thomas 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Discussion on Free Software Exhibition, Although we are planning to conduct an Install Fest for the public for three days, and few workshops on these days, we also feel that the Install Fest as such will not do the job(to educate the public on Free Software), we need to add some spice to it. We have thought of having a small contest for the public, in which they may take a chit out of a box and if they can answer the question on the chit, they will be given something for free (a CD and few stickers), likewise we make sure they get to know the idea of Free Software. Still more ideas needed. Speakers who are willing to conduct a small workshop/lecture on these days are welcome, please send us the details. We cannot expect everyone who uses computers in their daily life to be technologically sound. So it is not the technology alone which actually matters. It is indeed important to educate the general public about the philosophy of Free Software. Because most of the people who switch to Free Software do not really understand what the great Movement is all about. They do not know their rights and privileges which they get along with Free Software. For many users, it is just another software like any other proprietary software, while it is not so. We have to make them understand that, technology is basically the same for both Free and proprietary software, but since Free Software is open to changes by each one of us, it can be made better to suit our needs and therefore, *Free Software is almost always superior in functioning to proprietary software.* We can put up some posters/charts which convey the basic idea of Free Software through cartoons, in such a way that even those who are not technologically sound in computers can understand the philosophical aspect of the Free Software Movement. Those who are interested to contribute as artists/cartoonists are always welcome. Or if you are not that confident about your artistic skills you can put in just your ideas on how to convey to the public the four main freedoms that Free Software gives and what Free Software ultimately is. If anyone has such kind of poster materials please forward it to my email id (anoopjt at gmail dot com). Please upload it to the community also. -- Anoop Jacob Thomas Volunteer, Free Software Community M: 9846670945

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[Free Software, Free Society] 2nd International Conference on Freedom in Computing, Development and Culture
by Anoop Jacob Thomas 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Hello Friends, All of you must be aware of the next biggest event happening in Kerala on Free Software. Free Software, Free Society, the 2nd International Conference on Freedom in Computing, Development and Culture on 9th, 10th and 11th of December, 2008. Website: www.fsfs.in The main events of the conference are talks by eminent personalities like: Richard Matthew Stallman (RMS)(Founder GNU and FSF), Jimmy Wales (Founder Wikipedia), Eben Moglen (Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center), NIIBE Yutaka (Chairman of the Free Software Initiative of Japan (FSIJ)), Neville "Roy" Singham (Founder and Chairman of ThoughtWorks, Inc), Georg C. F. Greve (Initiator and president of the Free Software Foundation Europe), Anand Babu (Board member of FSF-India. Cofounder and CTO of Z RESEARCHl Inc), they are just very few to mention. The talks will be held at Mascot Hotel Trivandrum and it will be restricted to registered participants because of space constraints. Then the major attraction of the conference will be exhibitions,workshops and a GNU/Linux Install Fest or a Free Software Exhibition which will include a Free Software Install Fest also, to be held open for the public at Kanakakunnu Palace, Trivandrum. Here as Free Software communities all of us have a great opportunity to be a part of the event and also the responsibility to give support to it in all ways we can. We need volunteers who can devote their time for this event. Do pour in your ideas and suggestions as to the contents of the exhibitions and workshops and also as to the different events that can be conducted in addition to the above mentioned ones (as part of Free Software Exhibition). Join the mailing list for further discussions, http://www.fsfs.in/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fsfs-discuss and http://fsfs.in/cgi-bin/mailman/subscribe/fsfs-announce for announcements to registered participants The main motto of this event is to educate the public about Free Software. So we the Free Software Community (not just any specific mailing list, but the entire community) has a great responsibility on our shoulders. Join the mailing lists and start discussing. -- Anoop Jacob Thomas Volunteer, Free Software Community

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National conference and related issues
by Arun M 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Dear Friends, This is a personal note form my side. What happened yesterday was really unfortunate. It was primarily a mistake committed by group of volunteers who had no clue of free software (they admitted that) or what is the issue being raised by Anivar and others. Aroun 12 pm (dont remember exactly) we got call from anivar saying that he was thrown out of exhibition and few other students managing stalls were treated badly. Amarnath Raja (IEEE Chair, Kerala), myself and Vimal tried to mediate with organisers of the exhibition, we requested them to allow protesters to put posters in two stalls which are managed by them. Our request was rejected and we were also treated badly. This forced us all to participate in a very peaceful protest near the venue. We sat down peacefully and then(may be after 1 hr) two organisers came and said they want to discuss and resolve. They said we can not sit there, we agreed.They also said they will enquire into what happened. Everything ended there. Dont make more stories around this. Students who were manhandled and threatened are going to give complaints. I hope organisers will take action to ensure that this is not repeated. It is a lesson for organisers of other similar events also. Had the organisers (of exhibition,) allowed putting up some small posters, none of this issue would have happened. (Exhibition seems to be done separately from main event. That is what i was told.) regards, arun.

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Experiences of National Conference at Cochin
by jaykumar hs 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Hi, Unperturbed by the continued fight over the mailing list, I would like to share my experience of participating in the National Conference at Cochin. We, some of the Kannada Bloggers from Bangalore, had joined the larger group which was heading to Cochin. It was inspiring for us to know that Kerala Government is the leading state in using free software in its departmental applications. Though some of us are not Software developers, we have been in this free software activities to make use of the power of freedom in promoting our Kannada language. Many of us have been working to put the Kannada literary works on the website like, kannada sahithya dotcom, samvaada dot com, etc. There were tens of technical sessions, many workshops from high-tech programs to language localization which helped us a lot. Exhibitions on Anti-war, fascism, poverty, ethnic conflict, CIA's role in destabilizing developing worlds, etc were the most inspiring and unforgettable components of the event. Exhibitions participated by about 80-100 stalls would surely highlight the true efforts of organizers in reaching the free software to thousands and thousands of people. It speaks that free software activities are not just limited to some Board-room meetings or class rooms. Let us salute the organizers, volunteers and CUSAT for their untiring efforts for providing such world class exposure for students, technocrats, and common people. May we look forward to FSF India for more of such events which empower the people with free software technologies? But let us not forget to avoid NOVEL or any other monopolies, atleast in future. Let us not forget to unite while fighting against such monopolies. Instead of hijacking "the efforts of boycotting" the monopolies, let us work together for united fight against Monopolies. Jaykumar

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Fwd: [smc-discuss] Statement on National Conference on Free Software Kochi - 2008
by Anivar Aravind 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Manilal K M <libregeek(a)gmail.com> Date: 2008/11/17 Subject: [smc-discuss] Statement on National Conference on Free Software Kochi - 2008 To: smc-discuss(a)googlegroups.com Hello all, Here is the statement by Swathanthra Malayalam Computing(SMC) on NCFS held on 15th and 16th of November. I hope this will clarify the stand of SMC as an organising member of this event. http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/SMC/StatementOnNCFS2008Kochi regards -- Manilal K M : മണിലാല്‍ കെ എം. http://libregeek.blogspot.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ സ്വതന്ത്ര മലയാളം കമ്പ്യൂട്ടിങ്ങ് - എന്റെ കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിനു് എന്റെ ഭാഷ സംരംഭം: https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/smc വെബ്‌സൈറ്റ് : http://smc.org.in IRC ചാനല്‍ : #smc-project @ freenode പിരിഞ്ഞു പോകാന്‍: smc-discuss-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- -- Any responsible politician should be encouraging a home grown Free Software industry because it creates the basis for future jobs. Learning Windows is like learning to eat every meal at McDonalds.

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Lets welcome every one
by renuka prasad 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Corporate patrons affiliate themselves with the FSF and the GNU project through financial support. The FSF does not endorse the activities of its corporate patrons........... http://www.fsf.org/donate/patron what do corporates get out of supporting ? Corporations show their support for the community and the mission of the FSF by giving financial help. Many of our Patrons come to the FSF because their employees ask them to recognize our work. At FSF, we recognize and appreciate our corporate patrons in a variety of ways. ......... http://www.fsf.org/donate/patron/benefits.html GNU Manifesto is very clear http://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html How can we help GNU http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html Those who are respecting themselves and who have understood the importance of the their freedom and other's freedom should really bother about the above issues Any individual / company / party / group / etc etc without affecting the interest of the FSF or GNU, can work together and help one another till the day where the code is considered as equally as free law, free society till then there is no freedom for anyone .. What if tomorrow our enemies ( those who are opposing the Free Society's ideologies ) accept the philosophy and release all their softwares under GPL ( or any other free software license ) , should we not welcome them. But that has to happen and they also have to have a firm stand where people wont get confused again like what has happened in history. About the recent development -- ( not respecting any one and at the same time not showing respect i am not even disrespecting any one) i think we all are responsible for it , If we all are with the Free Software Movement and if we all feel responsible for what ever things are happening -- i don't think we have to point at each one and talk today. let us correct ourself if we have made any mistake , if anybody helps in correcting other shows the free society culture GNU's Manifesto has not changed before we were part of FSM and it will not change if we get out of FSM tomorow Lets not forget our goal, if we are accepting and working towards achieving them then lets all work together....

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Clarification
by james mathew 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Friends, The slashdot post was an instinctive reaction, and needless to say, quite careless. The news of a long time friend being assaulted got my emotions to get the better of me which caused the huge mistake of me referring to the 'ill informed organizers' of the conference as CPIM in general, and using my official id to post the article. I also use this opportunity to clarify that FSF-India has nothing to do with this issue. James -- HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [FSUG-Bangalore] slashdot article "Boycott Novell Protesters Manhandled In India"
by Vikram Vincent 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

> James Mathew writes "This is an interesting story from Kerala, India, > where the ruling Communist Party organized a national conference in > its efforts to hijack the Free Software Movement, which has enviable > roots in the state. They got Novell to sponsor it. On the second day > of the conference, a few free software activists who displayed posters > against Novell were manhandled by the organizers and police — typical > of what is expected from them. Most of the snaps taken during the > scuffle were forcefully deleted by the organizers, after seizing the > protesters' mobile phones. Still they couldn't delete all. Here is > another low-by-blow account." > > It seems that "hijacking" is such a catchy phrase nowadays. - Hijacking means to take over by force.Hijacking may refer to: In property:* Aircraft hijacking or 'skyjacking'* Carjacking* Credit card hijacking en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijack<http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=10&oi=define&ei=whkhSb7cIYau6wOW4vCgCA…> HOW the hell can anyone hijack a peoples' movement? I saw that James Mathew used his gnu.org.in id to post this slashdot message. Why is FSF-India promoting this "hijack" theory everywhere? I remember seeing the important people of FSF-India sharing the dais with the Left, holding important positions in the Left Govt. in Kerala, using the Left whenever some help is needed and then this dual standards... FSF-India cannot even get an appointment with a Minister without the help of the Left. It was the Left backed school teachers' assn which promoted free software in Kerala. It was because of the Left that patents in software were not adopted in Parliament... What does FSF-India have to say for itself?

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Boycott Novell Protesters Man-handled at National Conference on Free Software 2008
by Rakesh 'arky' Ambati 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Hi, Boycott Novell Protesters Man-handled at National Conference on Free Software 2008 http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com/2008/11/boycott-novell-protesters-man-ha… Here is blow by blow account of trouble that brewed up on the second day of National Conference on Free Software 2008 in Cochin university. The activists put up posters against the Novell Corp (the main sponsor of this event) at the Free Software exhibition complex. The organisers called up Kochi police and man handled the Anivar Aravind a former student of the Cochin University and a well known free software activist. Cheers --arky Rakesh 'arky' Ambati Blog [ http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com ] Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Go to http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [Fsf-kerala] Fwd: [FSUG-Bangalore] Boycott Novell Protesters Man-handled at National Conference on Free Software 2008
by CK Raju 16 Nov '08

16 Nov '08

On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 2:04 PM, Praveen A <pravi.a(a)gmail.com> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Rakesh 'arky' Ambati <rakesh_ambati(a)yahoo.com> > Date: 2008/11/15 > Subject: [FSUG-Bangalore] Boycott Novell Protesters Man-handled at > National Conference on Free Software 2008 > To: fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in, fsug-bangalore(a)mm.gnu.org.in > *"Novell* offers enterprise infrastructure software and services that help customers leverage proprietary and *open* source solutions. These solutions lower cost *..." www.novell.com *It is evident that the services from Novell Corp do not respect nor appreciate "freedom", as conceived and promoted by Free Software Foundation. Whose agenda are being protected, when Free Software activists' are refused to register their disagreement through non-violent means of protest ? What is wrong in voicing objections to concerns about hijacking the services of Free Software communities where the ends and means do not justify any of the principles of Free Software ? CK Raju, IIT Kharagpur

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National Conference on Free Software 2008 (Day 1)
by Rakesh 'arky' Ambati 15 Nov '08

15 Nov '08

Hi, A brief blog post about day one of the National Conference on Free Software 2008 in Cochin (Kerala). Cheers --arky Rakesh 'arky' Ambati Blog [ http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com ] National Conference on Free Software 2008 :: Day 1 ------------------------------------------------ http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com/2008/11/national-conference-on-free-soft… The YMCA camp building is just a stone throw away from the Cochin backwaters, I spent some time looking the slow churning waters and the sun rise above green coconut groves beyond it. Time it seems has a different pace over here, it is a far cry from the bustling city life. My reverie was broken with the arrival of the delegates from Karnataka and I was glad to few familiar faces from my adopted city Bangalore. Its been almost two years since I attended any of the free software events, I least expected the National Conference on Free software here in Cochin, kerala would see such a large gathering from from all over India. If there is something experience thought me, it is best to beat the crowds to the common bathrooms first thing in the morning. The organisers of the event certainly messed up the event, this is evident to me standing outside the YMCA camp until 9:00 waiting for the transit bus to arrive, I had already downed couple of tea's while I waited. We were expected to reach the CUSAT campus for the morning breakfast and registration. Even after the bus arrived, things didn't improve, there wasn't any sign of volunteers, I went around asking people to get into the bus so that we can make it to the event and have some chow. The bus dropped us off near the building where the breakfast was arranged, the sight of idly, vada and puri renewed my hunger pangs. Its 9:35 AM and I am so hungry, but the catering staff is asking me for the food coupons, Darn!, a good samaritan in form of event volunteer came to our rescue in time and explained that we haven't registered yet and requested the catering team to let us have our breakfast first. Registration for the event was no different, it was packed with people. Thank god there were counters for different states. And by the time I reached the registration counter with a filled form, the cost of the event increased. I had to shell out Rs.300 for registration, food and accommodation. Its not that its a huge amount but perhaps the organisers could have clearly stated so on their website and subsequent correspondence when we registered online. Most of the fellow delegates just payed the registration fee and choice to eat at the canteen anyway. The registrations were stopped midway so that people can attended the inaugural ceremony at the CUSAT Open Air Auditorium. The events keynote address was delivered by the octogenarian Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer over a video link. I won't be surprised if the video link was setup with proprietary software solution. The Minister for Education and culture M.A. Baby , Government of kerala and the Vice Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) addressed the gathering. There were the usual gaffs about free software and apologies for having to leave early to catch a flight and rants about the political injustices, but not in that order :p . The most exciting part of any free software conference for me is on the sidelines, I had a wonderful time meeting old friends and make new friends and associating faces to their cyberspace avatars. We headed to the Indian Coffee house for quick lunch, Anivar treated us to nice lunch of vegetable rice and I quickly downed it with a dash of lemonade. I choose to attend the 'Swathanthra Software Philosophy and its Relevance' in the free software stream at the SMS Auditorium, CUSAT. The first lecture was delivered by Dr.Nagarjuna Chairman of Free Software Foundation of India (FSFI). The talk titled 'On right to decode and encode and copyleft politics' is perhaps the best one yet in this event. I think the talk begs its own separate post so I choose not to write much about it here. The second talk of the session was given by Sasi P.M of CDAC, he briefly talked about the history and some key points of the free software. Perhaps the slides were prepared for some other event since it was generously peppered with 'open source' phrases all over it. Later Dr.Nagarjuna and I traveled to the STIC Auditorium for his 'Gnowledge' talk, the schedule of the conference is so baldly prepared that it was totally chaos. Reaching the STIC building we saw that there were anybody there to attend the talk. Sameer who guided us to the STIC building saved the day by going back and sending few students over to attend the talk while we grappled with issue of getting an Internet connection using our wireless Datacards. The Gnowledge talk was more informal with Dr.Nagarjuna engaging the students at the end of main talk with a conversation about his work at the Gnowledge knowledge labs, the SELF project, OLPC XO children's machine and the Open Moko Free Runner. We barely had time to make it the exhibition area, most of the stall had already cleared when we reached there. I spent the next few hours talking to new breed of free software advocates who took over the reins of the free software activities in Bangalore. Meanwhile I missed the Plenary session in the due course. The first day of the conference ended with the cultural program. Watching the graceful performances I wished I could stay back but my day isn't over till I blog about it :) Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Go to http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/

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Free Software Free Society
by Arun M 14 Nov '08

14 Nov '08

Dear Friends, Kerala government is organising a conference on free software and free knowledge movements from 9th to 11th December. Please see http://fsfs.in for more details. We invite you to join us in this conference. Please inform other friends also about this conference. with warm regards, arun.

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Freedomwalk : The Freedom walk reaches Trivandrum
by Praveen A 13 Nov '08

13 Nov '08

Hi all, The Freedom walkers are reaching Trivandrum. This is an invitation extended to all to take part in the Freedom Walk in its final stage. The final leg of the walk will start from Sreekaryam tomorrow , at 12:30 PM and should reach Christ Nagar School , Vellayambalam by 5:00 where a public function will be held to mark the end of Freedom Walk's most active part. Do forward this to your friends and colleagues . Ask them to check http://freedomwalk.in for more info Regards, Praveen - പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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nfm_program_final
by anilankv＠gmail.com 12 Nov '08

12 Nov '08

I've shared a document with you called "nfm_program_final": http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pBfQgyVG21wDabud0zkTcYw&inv=fsf-frie… It's not an attachment -- it's stored online at Google Docs. To open this document, just click the link above. Program schedule of National Conference on Free Software is shared with you. - Anil

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FREE SOFTWARE : The Book!
by Anivar Aravind 11 Nov '08

11 Nov '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Patrice Riemens <patrice(a)xs4all.nl> Date: Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 8:20 PM Hi All, The SELF project (*) and the Open University of Catalonia have jointly produced the book "Introduction to Free Software", a really wonderful compendium of all you want to know, and to share, about Free Software (formerly 'F/OSS' or 'FLOSS') (**). It's 200p + 80 p appendixes. Free to download at: http://tinyurl.com/6f8xuo You must then go to (down the page, 'attachments'): Introduction_to_FS--SELF.pdf 2.09 MB for the book, and to: Introduction_to_FS--SELF_errata.pdf 38.18 KB for the errors (a few) A print version is also available, but even at costprice, pricey: Euro 11 + postage (add the same amount...). So what you could do is to print it on locale and distribute it around. The whole thing is of course copyleft! ------------------------- (*) Now formally terminated, and is being continued thru the Free Knowledge Institute (http://www.freeknowledge.eu/) (**) After that book I decided to do away with the cumbersome, confusing, and ill-defined 'Open Source'. For me it's now Free Software all the way. Never mind people who still think it's about beer... ;-) Cheers to all, patrizio & Diiiinooos! -- Any responsible politician should be encouraging a home grown Free Software industry because it creates the basis for future jobs. Learning Windows is like learning to eat every meal at McDonalds.

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Update FSUG Bangalore wiki
by Anivar Aravind 08 Nov '08

08 Nov '08

Dear Friends, Please Update Following Sections in our Wiki Users Help Users: Find a person in your area to help you with Free Software http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/index.php/FSUG-Bangalore:Users_Help_Users CD/DVDs to Grab http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/index.php/FSUG-Bangalore:CD/DVDs_to_Grab GNU/Linux Hardware Compatibility Database http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/index.php/FSUG-Bangalore:GNU/Linux_Hardware_Com… Write Reviews on hardware, Free Software Applications or Distributions at http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/index.php/FSUG-Bangalore:Reviews Anivar -- Any responsible politician should be encouraging a home grown Free Software industry because it creates the basis for future jobs. Learning Windows is like learning to eat every meal at McDonalds.

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [OT slightly] Rant .gvfs & gnome-clock issues (specifically libgweather)
by shirish 01 Nov '08

01 Nov '08

Hi all, A small mistake the suggestions for a new site/portal are asked on http://www.imd.gov.in/ And I know how ghastly it looks, really yucky. -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal This email is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://flossexperiences.wordpress.com 065C 6D79 A68C E7EA 52B3 8D70 950D 53FB 729A 8B17

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[OT slightly] Rant .gvfs & gnome-clock issues (specifically libgweather)
by shirish 01 Nov '08

01 Nov '08

Hi all, Sorry for the cross-post but this I felt is important enough to be sent to atleast the groups I need to. I made a rant at http://flossexperiences.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/rant-gvfs-gnome-clock-issu… Both of the issues outlined are upstream issues, i.e. both of them are GNOME issues. I also filed the bug at bugzilla http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=558568 This is when Pune is set to become part of Metro club. http://www.sakaaltimes.com/2008/10/31004015/Pune-set-to-become-seventh-mem.… So, if anybody knows how this can be done better please put some info. on the bug therein please. I think it might be good to also use the bug to update if there are details of your city but is not in the database they have. such as the coordinates. Not so sure about weather stuff though. Another interesting point through that journey is my stoppage at http://www.imd.ernet.in/ where they are thinking of overhauling the website. I do hope some of the people here or anywhere else make sure that these guys use open standards and the portal doesn't just become another one-way traffic but truly a two-way sorta communication from where we the indian public can use the data being generated (more so in villages and not so connected places) Comments, suggestions all invited. -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal This email is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://flossexperiences.wordpress.com 065C 6D79 A68C E7EA 52B3 8D70 950D 53FB 729A 8B17

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Fsf-friends Digest, Vol 13, Issue 15
by Anoop Krishnan G 30 Oct '08

30 Oct '08

This must be a topic of Discussion as the world is moving so fast than v think ________________________________ From: "fsf-friends-request(a)mm.gnu.org.in" <fsf-friends-request(a)mm.gnu.org.in> To: fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in Sent: Tuesday, 28 October, 2008 11:30:01 PM Subject: Fsf-friends Digest, Vol 13, Issue 15 Send Fsf-friends mailing list submissions to fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://mm.gnu.org.in/mailman/listinfo/fsf-friends or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to fsf-friends-request(a)mm.gnu.org.in You can reach the person managing the list at fsf-friends-owner(a)mm.gnu.org.in When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Fsf-friends digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: LINUX II (Linux Kernel having Microkernel Architecture) (Raj Mathur) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:51:36 +0530 From: Raj Mathur <raju(a)linux-delhi.org> Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] LINUX II (Linux Kernel having Microkernel Architecture) To: fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in Message-ID: <200810291051.36189.raju(a)linux-delhi.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" On Wednesday 29 Oct 2008, Anoop Krishnan G wrote: > Now its time for another revolution inside LINUX ..... lets call it > LINUX-II ..... The monolithic architecture had become age old now its > need a change , we can start this change before the COPYRIGHT people > starts this revolution , the COPYRIGHT people had already set for it Umm, Linux and all GNU programs are already copyrighted! > .... so lets begin this revolution ...... "A LINUX WITH MICROKERNEL > ARCHITECTURE" .............. lets celebrate freedom in a new domain of Isn't that what Hurd is supposed to achieve? Anyway, there are arguments both for and against the microkernel architecture, so why don't we first debate whether that architecture is actually a major step forward or not? In the immortal words of some anonymous genius: If it ain't broke don't fix it :) Regards, -- 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 ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Fsf-friends mailing list Fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in http://mm.gnu.org.in/mailman/listinfo/fsf-friends End of Fsf-friends Digest, Vol 13, Issue 15 ******************************************* Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Go to http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/

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Free Software and School Education
by Arun M 30 Oct '08

30 Oct '08

Dear Friends, In order to strengthen our campaigns to migrate schools in India to free software we must understand current situation. This mail is a request for volunteers from around the country to document current situation. We need to collect information from every state and document it is a public wiki. I suggest following format for collection of data. Feel free to modify. 1. State Name 2. Organisation setting the curriculum 3. Contact Details 4. Website 5. Curriculum details 5.a. Does curriculum includes IT/CS - Yes/No 5.b. Is IT/CS a compulsory subject - Yes/No 5.c. Does the curriculum specify any particular software - 5.d Is IT/CS an optional subject ? - Yes/No 6. IT/CS Syllabus 6.a. Does the syllabus specify software - Yes/No 6.b. Is it based on - Free Software/Proprietary Software/Both/ 7. Other information 7.a. Is there an external agency for IT training - Yes/No 7.b. Is there any training being provided to teachers - regards arun

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LINUX II (Linux Kernel having Microkernel Architecture)
by Anoop Krishnan G 29 Oct '08

29 Oct '08

Greetings to all freedom lovers !!! 10000 years ago man was not like this as he is now , a revolution had taken around him and in him , he had evolved these years ........... Now its time for another revolution inside LINUX ..... lets call it LINUX-II ..... The monolithic architecture had become age old now its need a change , we can start this change before the COPYRIGHT people starts this revolution , the COPYRIGHT people had already set for it .... so lets begin this revolution ...... "A LINUX WITH MICROKERNEL ARCHITECTURE" ............. lets celebrate freedom in a new domain of LINUX ..... Freedom lovers who is interested in this idea kindly contribute the vision ideas etc in my blog : http://anoopkrishnang.blogspot.com or feel free to contact me at anoopkrishnang(a)yahoo.in Greetings.............. Anoop Krishnan G ________________________________ Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! Invite them now. Connect with friends all over the world. Get Yahoo! India Messenger at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/?wm=n/

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"intellectual Property Rights" Centre to come in kerala!!
by mail＠swathanthran.in 28 Oct '08

28 Oct '08

Hi all, I just saw this http://www.thehindu.com/edu/2008/10/27/stories/2008102750630200.htm report about the kerala state government about to include mirages in Student syllabi. “The state will initially start five or six centres of excellence to provide degree-level classes to students in all five universities, and faculty will be provided in the universities and its affiliated institutions over a period of time,” said a senior official in the state education ministry who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media. snip... “The Kerala government’s move to include IPR in general education will also help overcome the severe shortage of professionals in the field of intellectual property rights and related areas in the country,” says R.S. Praveen Raj, a scientist at the Intellectual Property Management and Technology Transfer office, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, who played a key role in drafting the state policy. says, http://www.livemint.com/2008/08/26232915/Kerala-to-introduce-intellectu.htm… If the country need law experts, they should teach them law in its full vastness and details not some vague bush which is particularly designed to lead the reader to the wrong place as we all know. I think atleast the syllabii should clearly explain the difference in opinion against term and the parallel uprisings which clearly says about the absurdity of the term and concept. Students should not be moulded exclusively with the theories made by some established bad agendas... Its interesting to note, as we saw long before, the policy of the state about the same subject, points in a good direction as it comes in the knowledge commons way,i.e in between public domain and privatisation... http://www.kshec.kerala.gov.in/responses/resp_praveen.htm That link have the syllabus which i think atleast is to be edited to include the other side of the matter too.. Regards Shyam K

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [FSUG-Bangalore] Fwd: Indian political party turns to FOSS
by James Mathew 24 Oct '08

24 Oct '08

On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 6:49 AM, Aswin M. Sahadevan <aswinms(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Adopting Free software is certainly a good step for a political party. >> We need to hail BJP for this decision. >> > IMO, we must hail BJP but we should hail them as just another bunch of > users but not give them cult status. It should just be looked at as some > more users adopting free software and not as a political party. I mean, > we shouldn't be endorsing BJP at the end of the day. This is not the first time that a party has thrown its weight behind Free Software. (http://www.cxotoday.com/India/Interview/We_advocate_usage_of_free_software_…). James -- HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

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EU Report
by Mani A 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

A study on corruption in software procurement in EU See http://www.linux-magazine.com/online/news/eu_commission_open_bids_favor_pro… Best A. Mani -- A. Mani Member, Cal. Math. Soc

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Indian political party turns to FOSS
by Arun M 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is India's largest political party, with around 20 million Ordinary Members and about 4 million Active Members. In June, BJP announced its goal to become one of the most high-tech political parties in the next two years, and free and open source software (FOSS) will play an essential role in this project. http://www.linux.com/feature/150549

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National Conference on Free Software
by Mani A 22 Oct '08

22 Oct '08

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FREE SOFTWARE CUSAT CAMPUS, KOCHI UNIVERSITY PO, KOCHI-682022 —————————————————————————————————————————- A National Conference on FREE SOFTWARE is being held on the 15th & 16th of November, 2008 at the campus of Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi. The 2007 Conference was held in Hyderabad Say Yes to IT Information Technology (IT) has revolutionised the way people communicate and enterprises run their business. Internet has provided yet another space, the cyber space, facilitating people round the globe to organise themselves in newer forms. There is no debate that our country, its people and institutions need this technology for its progress. Understand Software Software is an important component of an IT application, if not the most important. Software remained in the public domain till nineteen eighties. In the eighties, it was taken over by business interests and is now a private property with Intellectual Property Right (IPR) restrictions. The impact of patents and copyrights which are various forms of IPR are basically two fold. On the one hand it has restricted the transfer and growth of knowledge in society through monopolisation, while on the other hand it has resulted in the siphoning of wealth from the brick and mortar economy to the cyber economy at alarming proportions. Free Software Movement The software professionals all over the world responded to this monopolisation by launching the FREE SOFTWARE movement and by legitimating General Public License (GPL) laws. The word Free relates to FREEDOM IN SOFTWARE. Software developed and distributed as per GPL laws ensures freedom to use, learn, modify, copy and distribute. Software development became a community effort. Individuals, social institutions and commercial enterprises are contributing to this effort. It has been an eventful journey for the FREE SOFTWARE movement, a tough one driven by self belief. What was perceived as an egalitarian and romantic concept slowly snowballed into a reality as GNU/LINUX took over the major space in the Information Technology Infrastructure domain in the global arena. Questions of user-friendliness were raised when it came to Application domain. The software professionals in Kerala have collaborated well with the global community to overcome these challenges. Respond to the Political Will What remained was the confidence of the political community and the administrators. The State Government of Kerala broke the ice with a visionary IT Policy which advocates the use of Free Software in Government offices and undertakings. As we turn into a user of IT it is necessary that we are not hijacked of our infrastructure and knowledge. FREE SOFTWARE embodies our freedom and self-reliance. Now the challenge is how quick and best the society imbibes and embraces this movement. We need to put in place the Human Resource and Delivery Channels. Conference Overview The Conference will be a milestone in the history of the Free Software movement in India. The event will comprise of * INAUGURAL & PLENARY SESSIONS * SEMINARS * OPEN FORUMS * WORKSHOPS * DEMONSTRATION OF PRODUCTS & TOOLS * EXHIBITIONS * SOUVENIR PUBLICATION * CULTURAL PROGRAMMES The Conference will be inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Minister of Kerala, Sri V.S. Achuthanandan and will be blessed by leaders of the Legislative Assembly and State and Central Ministers. The Conference will hear nearly 150 experts from the social, technological, industrial and educational domain. The Conference will debate nearly 50 topics of relevance. Activists working in free software and other philosophically related domains will deliberate in Open forums. Developers, Service providers & Users will demonstrate products and services. Educational Institutions will participate in exhibitions and contests. Souvenir will be a treasure in the archives. Cultural programmes will show case Kerala's rich heritage to delegates from outside Kerala. Nearly 1500 persons will participate in the 2 day deliberations. General public participation is expected to be close to 3000. The Organisers The dynamics of Free Software is multi-fold. It is academic, commercial, social and policy driven. The Conference will do justice to each of these streams as the Organisers of the Conference represent each of these streams. The prime organiser of the Conference is Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) which is the only University in the State dedicated to Science & Technology in toto. Open Software Solutions Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd owns one of the largest client base in Kerala in the Free Software sector. Appropriate Technology Promotion Society is a social organisation registered under Charitable Societies Act which has been functioning for the demystification of IT through publications and workshops. IT@School personifies a committed State policy and has drawn wide appreciation world wide for use of Free Software in education. There is an organising committee which is a broader platform of individuals representing all walks of life. The committee is blessed with the presence of Retired Justice Sri V.R. Krishnaiyer as the Chief Patron. Sri Dinesh Mani, MLA is the Chairman and Sri Joy Job Kulaveli, Syndicate member, CUSAT is the General Convenor. The Conference will be a preparatory ground towards establishing a Centre of Excellence in Free Software in Kochi. Join the Movement The Conference assures you a 2 day extravaganza of knowledge, partnership and motivation. Be a part of it. More at http://nfm2008.atps.in/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Best A. Mani -- A. Mani Member, Cal. Math. Soc

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Kerala woos IT sector investors
by CK Raju 20 Oct '08

20 Oct '08

"Dubai, Oct 20 (IANS) Even as the world is grappling with a financial crisis, Kerala has opened up investment in its IT industry with the target of generating over 200,000 jobs in the next five years. 'In these tumultuous times, there is a chance for smaller players to go up and we want to move up to the leader's spot,' Ajay Kumar, Kerala information technology secretary, told IANS during a visit here. Kumar is leading a high level delegation from Kerala at the ongoing Gitex 2008 show here, which is the Middle East's largest technology fair, to promote the south Indian state as an IT hub among prospective investors here..." Story at http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20081020/860/ttc-kerala-woos-it-sector-investor… CK Raju ------------ The fun never stops .....

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IT/ITES SEZs now a nightmare for investors
by CK Raju 20 Oct '08

20 Oct '08

Existence of financial black-hole now confirmed, the discipline that preached greed is now bent upon tasting the blood of its disciples - practising the philosophy itself. Most of those who invested in SEZs , particularly the IT/ITES ones are well-poised to lose their deposits - not to mention about the plight of those who took bigger risks off the Stock Markets. The giant Titanic is sinking ... Economic theories are now failing the discipline ... what a way to go !! Smart City would be smarter for the ones who preferred to be out of it. All other who burnt their fingers, can at least take solace that through their sacrifice, they were able to prevent others. My worry is this should be an occasion for the left parties to rejoice on the streets - no one's to be seen; where are they ... Were they capitalists wearing lamb's garbs ... Free Software communities will continue to focus on people, overriding corporates - why do we need them, when we can deliver it ourselves ... Cheers, lets continue the celebrations .... with more freedom walks, freedom races, freedom parties .... CK Raju

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [Fsf-kerala] IT/ITES SEZs now a nightmare for investors
by CK Raju 20 Oct '08

20 Oct '08

On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 10:18 AM, Anoop Ambika <anoop(a)kreara.com> wrote: > sense. This time through the slogan should be "produce what the majority > wants as opposed to produce what the rich minority wants" Suggesting a minor amendment. - not 'wants' but 'needs'. There's a subtle difference between the terms. CK Raju

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Schools in Andhra Pradesh to go Microsoft way...
by CK Raju 15 Oct '08

15 Oct '08

".. An NComputing system works on a shared basis wherein each student's monitor, keyboard and mouse are connected to a shared PC through a small NComputing access device. The device will help the school cut electricity costs as it uses one watt of electricity, which is very low compared to a normal PC, informed Chairman and CEO of NComputing, Stephen Dukker. The systems will have Microsoft Windows Server operating system and Microsoft Office Suite for students to learn in addition to acquiring computer skills and learning subjects such as maths, said Chairman and Corporate Vice- President of Microsoft India Ravi Venkatesan..." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101458480300.htm -------------- Somebody said Free Software Movement is active in Andhra Pradesh... CK Raju

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Working with IOTA, ILUG-Cal.ORG delivers FOSS-based Desktop Computing training to high school teachers
by Indranil Das Gupta 09 Oct '08

09 Oct '08

Dear all, Last year, we - the Indian GNU/Linux Users' Group - Kolkata Chapter, had conducted the highly successful [1] 2-month long weekend program on GCC programming workshops and tutorials at the Rajabazar Science College[2], University of Calcutta. Recently there was a call for support and collaboration from the Institute of Open Technology and Applications (IOTA), an autonomous society that has been recently set up under the aegis of Dept of Information Technology, Govt of West Bengal. IOTA's mandate, afaik, is to identify cases and espouse the use and adoption of FOSS in the state of West Bengal. Towards that end, training in FOSS based technologies of high school teachers across the state, has been identified by the society as one of the courses for immediate action. Several training programs are in the offing. The teachers' training program at West Bengal State University (WBSUB), Barasat was a part of that. Between 2nd and 4th October, 2008, 51 high school teachers belonging to 42 different schools from across the district of North 24 Parganas [3] attended the workshop. A team of six ILUG-CAL.ORG members gathered in Barasat (North 24 Parganas) from 4 different districts of WB, worked nearly against time to plan, execute and successfully deliver the program, with less that 20 hours of head-start before the event took off. It was the first time that ILUG-CAL has been involved in directly training the high school teachers in using FOSS. For the detailed report and the associated data please go to http://indradg.randomink.org/blog/archives/124 . cheers -indra References: [1] http://list.ilug-cal.org/pipermail/ilug-cal-discuss/2007-June/001363.html [2] http://santanu-sinha.blogspot.com/2007/06/workshop-on-gcc-at-rajabazar-scie… [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_24_Parganas

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Science progresses only if knowledge is shared - says US dept of energy ( Office of Scientific and Technical Information)
by renuka prasad 09 Oct '08

09 Oct '08

An interesting message --- To make great discoveries, researchers need scientific information, and they need it fast. Through a suite of innovative tools and resources<http://www.osti.gov/collections>, OSTI works to ensure scientists and the American public can readily find and share research so that science can advance. This requires expertise and innovation in both knowledge management and knowledge diffusion, critical components of the nation's science cyberinfrastructure<http://www.osti.gov/innovation/research/cyberinfrastructure> . to read more ---check the link below http://www.osti.gov/innovation/

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A Brief Report on National Public meeting on Software Patents
by Anivar Aravind 08 Oct '08

08 Oct '08

See http://cis-india.org/advocacy/floss/software-patents/blog/the-national-publ… Anivar -- Any responsible politician should be encouraging a home grown Free Software industry because it creates the basis for future jobs. Learning Windows is like learning to eat every meal at McDonalds.

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Microsoft entry through ACM
by CK Raju 07 Oct '08

07 Oct '08

"..Microsoft has signed a licensing agreement with ACM providing all ACM Student Members with access, at no charge, to a variety (~ 100) of software packages through its Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance (MSDNAA). The goal of this program is to get these tools into the hands of current students. All active ACM Student Members are eligible to participate in the ACM/MSDNAA Program..." http://www.acm.org/membership/student/msdnaa-faq CK Raju

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Re: [Fsf-friends] International Centre
by shirish 07 Oct '08

07 Oct '08

Hi all, I think Mr. Sreekumar was talking about this . http://english.mathrubhumi.com/news.php?id=4099&cat=1&sub=14&subit=0 Just have to say looking forward for the same :) -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal This email is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ 065C 6D79 A68C E7EA 52B3 8D70 950D 53FB 729A 8B17

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International Centre
by Sreekumar R 06 Oct '08

06 Oct '08

What more regarding the new "International Centre for Free and Open source software" which I came to know from todays news paper.sreekumar

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(R)e-Governance in Kochi Corporation !!
by CK Raju 06 Oct '08

06 Oct '08

"...The capital and initial costs, including those for hardware with software system cost, application software, creation of web portal, data digitisation and training and capacity building of personnel for the first two years of the commission, will be available from the Central government. The cost of the land and building, site preparation, civil infrastructure, employee cost, power and communication cost shall be borne by the State government or the urban local body. Wipro, one of the IT majors, is in the process of preparation of the detailed project report for the e-governance programme for Kochi. The agency is expected to complete the work within two months, Ms. Antony said. The Kochi Corporation had earlier made some attempts to computerise the office with the support of the Information Kerala Mission. A portion of the data in the possession of the Corporation was converted into electronic format earlier. .." Full story at http://www.thehindu.com/pp/2008/10/04/stories/2008100450510100.htm --------------- Are our activists in government aware of this new development ? Why aren't the platforms, mode of storage of public information, types of standards being deployed not mentioned here ? Is it another Microsoft back-door ? CK Raju

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Software Patenting
by Praveen A 06 Oct '08

06 Oct '08

"If formulaic Hindi films were protected by patent laws, we would be able to make only one film," joked Abraham. The system of software patenting wipes out smaller businesses and innovation, he said. "Software, like poetry and literary works, is already protected by copyright. After all, Bill Gates made his fortunes from copyright and not patents. But many software companies are trying to get additional protection." Copyright and patents are both part of intellectual property rights, but copyright restricts the expression of an idea while patents restrict the idea itself, according to Abraham. Under a patenting regime, even before a kid writes one line of code he has to read many patents." Full Coverage http://www.timeoutbengaluru.com/aroundtown/aroundtown_feature_details.asp?c… Another story by Hindu http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100559810400.htm Vote for it at FS Daily http://www.fsdaily.com/Legal/Software_patenting_will_harm_industry_consumer -- പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Software freedom? Why? (Derek Cordeiro's blog)
by Frederick Noronha [फ़र ेदरिक नोर ोनया] 04 Oct '08

04 Oct '08

01 October 2008 Software Freedom<http://www.derekcordeiro.com/2008/10/software-freedom.html> Software Freedom day is celebrated worldwide on the 3rd Saturday of September 1 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software%20Freedom%20Day>. But in Goa, it was celebrated at BITS Pilani, Goa Campus<http://www.bits-goa.ac.in/>on the 27th(or was it a 2 day event?). I have heard people define Free/Open Source Software time and again. There are endless discussions about which Open Source license is the best. One thing that should be known to all: Open Source Software is here to stay. Open Source even mentioned in textbooks e.g. Software Engineering books like Object-Oriented and Classical Software Engineering by Steven Schach. But what is the easiest way to adopt Free Software on your Desktop PC? If you already use GNU/Linux or *BSD or Solaris, you already have a whole lot of free software already installed. You probably have very little non-free software. The only thing you can do to contribute is to help others(could be help new users, or help developers, etc). If you use Microsoft Windows or Mac, follow some easy steps. Use Free Software as much as possible. 1. Firefox <http://getfirefox.com/> /Chrome/Flock <http://flock.com/> for browsing. 2. OpenOffice <http://openoffice.org/> for good quality formatted text documents/spreadsheets/presentations.(at the time of writing, OpenOffice 3.0 RC3 is available) extra: Check out the openoffice extensions like the template packs I and II 3. Pidgin <http://pidgin.im/> for Instant Messaging. 4. Thunderbird <http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/> for email. 5. Free Developer tools like Eclipse <http://eclipse.org/> , Netbeans<http://netbeans.org/>together with MinGW <http://www.mingw.org/> /MSYS <http://www.mingw.org/wiki/msys> and free libraries like wxWidgets <http://wxwidgets.org/> (If you know MFC, it is an excellent choice). 6. Java <http://java.sun.com/> is mostly Free software, use it. The most important thing though is not to discourage others from using it.(This goes out especially to fanboys who are pretty narrow minded). Sometimes I've heard people say that Linux sucks. I cannot disagree or agree -- Linux is far from perfect, but nothing really is perfect.(The same people say that Vista is awesome--I think Microsoft will not completely agree with that). Buzz up!<http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/pub/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.derekcordeiro.com%…> ShareThis <http://www.derekcordeiro.com/#> Posted by Derek J C at 3:15:00 PM<http://www.derekcordeiro.com/2008/10/software-freedom.html> in freedom <http://www.derekcordeiro.com/search/label/freedom> 2 comments<http://www.derekcordeiro.com/2008/10/software-freedom.html#comment-form> <http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=2174257787047055345&postID=25716…> http://www.derekcordeiro.com -- FN * Independent Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org Blog: http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com Tech links from South Asia: http://twitter.com/fn M: +91-9822122436 P: +91-832-2409490

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Freedom Walk started - Walking the Walk
by Praveen A 04 Oct '08

04 Oct '08

Hi, Freedom Walk organised by Zyxware and many Free Software communities have started on October 2nd as planned. I request everyone to try find some time to join this or at least talk about it with your friends and write about it if you maintain a blog. You can keep yourself updated with the latest happenings at http://www.freedomwalk.in/ Some photos of the walk started appearing on the website http://www.freedomwalk.in/content/17/freedom-walk-day-0-photos-departure-at… http://www.freedomwalk.in/content/15/freedom-walk-day-1-photos http://www.freedomwalk.in/content/16/freedom-walk-day-2-photos Cheers Praveen -- പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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