Yesterday, there was a FOSS Awareness Program at Shri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, for 3rd year students, and I gave a short talk on Free Software User Groups as member of ILUGC and FSF-India. The Principal of the College was very enthusiastic about the NRC plans and highlighted the self-employment possibilities and other opportunities available with free software. Less than 10 students knew about Gnu/Linux OS, and much less had even heard of RMS or Linus Torvalds. At the end, about half of them raised their hands when asked if they would opt for the FOSS Elective the next semester :)
I wish NRC could organise these awareness programs on the style of LDD's organised by ilugc as one day events more like an open house for one and all, including the public also. Notes about one such LDD is at: http://www.chennailug.org/meeting/minutes/yr2004/momlf2004.html and the archives have more such stories.
If there is atleast one Free Software User Group, in each Engineering College, it could benefit many.
Rick Moen has written an excellent and useful user group HOWTO at: http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/User-Group-HOWTO.html
<quote> "[The] movement has no central structure, bureaucracy, or other entity to direct its affairs. While this situation has advantages, it poses challenges for allocation of human resources, effective advocacy, public relations, user education, and training." </quote>
Again,
<quote> Linux works precisely because people are free to come and go as they please: Free programmers are happy programmers are effective programmers. </quote>
Academic freedom and coding freedom make good companions. User Groups when organised in Colleges maintaining the core essence of the movement, it could solve many other problems too:
-Education would become directly relevant to needs in society -Enables life-long continuity for students to update themselves -Better interaction with Public is possible -Knowledge based societies would become a reality
That apart, many colleges are using proprietary packages and there is a need to replace existing proprietary software with free software. Let us please have a wiki page at ILUGC to list "equivalents". HTH.
Thanks, Ramanraj.