The Hindu reported that IBM is in pact with C-DAT, IIT Bombay <quote> Chennai: The Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAT), IIT Bombay and IBM India signed a co-operation agreement to institute an open source software resource centre. With an investment of over Rs. 5 crores, the centre will mark the beginning of a series of inititatives to develop OSS activities in India. </quote>
Open source is an open process, and probably we would know more the initiatives soon.
Chennai: The Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAT),
Did you mean C-DAC or did they change names (like ER&DCI and NCST)?
The Hindu reported "C-DAT" and I am not sure if CDAC has some sub-division that is called C-DAT or if it is a mere spelling mistake.
The good thing is that such initiatives are happening. It would be much better if the initiatives are more open. Keeping track of events happening should help to avoid duplicating free and open projects, initiatives and drives.
Are you really sure? CDAC stands for the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. I wonder what the hyphen is doing in C-DAC. If needless hyphens are ok, I prefer to call it C-DA-C :) The CDAC website seems to be ncst.ernet.in. So, the ghost of NCST: National Centre for Software Technology is still around.
Sivasankar wrote: <quote> On acronyms: CDAC was originally called C-DACT from 1986-1988, before getting a name change to CDAC, when 18 months of their original time-bound mission had elapsed without anything concrete having been accomplished.
NCST is the organization orginally called NCSDCT, and they're the grand-daddies of Unix adoption in India. In short, it's good to have NCST involved, but of course, it's even better to just give the money to the LUGs :-). We can do a better job popularizing FLOSS.
</quote> I whole heartedly agree with Sivasankar :)
Ramanraj K said on Sun, Oct 10, 2004 at 10:00:02AM +0530,:
NCST involved, but of course, it's even better to just give the money to the LUGs :-). We can do a better job popularizing FLOSS.
^^^^
I do not want the C-DAC to be tied down to kernel development, and rather have them support the free software hackers and hacker communities. Advocacy is an entirely different area, and I am not sure that the C-DaC will be itnerested in that.
Hmmm ... I am open to suggestions all the same.
In fact, in light of this event, I think the time is right now ripe for this community to take the initiative and ask them to open up their previous works in localisation field. The IBM sponsored project will provide resources for the future. I am afraid that the past works might remain locked, and we need to ensure that it is publicly available.
In light of the recent opportunity I had to interact with the NCST division of C-DAC, I notice an enthusiasm among its staff and officers who are well aware of the underlying philosophy and community building aspects of the Free Software movement. All that is required is only a small nudge and a bit of push to institutionalise the approach, for the bureaucrats and the babus are no push overs. Hence, we need to to guide them in the right direction.
How do we go about it?
In fact, in light of this event, I think the time is right now ripe for this community to take the initiative and ask them to open up their previous works in localisation field. The IBM sponsored project will provide resources for the future. I am afraid that the past works might remain locked, and we need to ensure that it is publicly available.
One of the most important resources this centre should nurture is good resource perosns of free software community.
The leaders of this group are known to be free software enthusiasts. Therefore I do have hope that community can ask what we expect from a resource centre like that. Govt and TDIL are willing to consider transforming their software resources into free software. But, this task is very big, for we need to study them carefully. This must be done by a resource centre like this. If they plan to create only a lab which will be used by the students of CDAC and NCST and their work getting into public access, this process doesnt actually need any seperate centre.
In the recent past we managed to create several contacts. I really wish we have at least two very articulate full timers to take this responsibility of pursuing the relationships and managing. Eventually FSF India or another organization will be able to compensate such people. Please do a soul search. I want to suggest their names to the people who keep asking us for resource persons.
Nagarjuna
Mahesh T. Pai wrote:
In fact, in light of this event, I think the time is right now ripe for this community to take the initiative and ask them to open up their previous works in localisation field. The IBM sponsored project will provide resources for the future. I am afraid that the past works might remain locked, and we need to ensure that it is publicly available.
In light of the recent opportunity I had to interact with the NCST division of C-DAC, I notice an enthusiasm among its staff and officers who are well aware of the underlying philosophy and community building aspects of the Free Software movement. All that is required is only a small nudge and a bit of push to institutionalise the approach, for the bureaucrats and the babus are no push overs. Hence, we need to to guide them in the right direction.
How do we go about it?
Raj Mathur has been asking for publication of accounts etc. If we could dispose such requests first, then we should be able to ask others to do the same, with more conviction. Having access to information would help us to act upon it in a better way.
FSF India could play a major role in channelising dev and advocacy efforts. Drafting petitions and memorandums to have our requests processed, would be the main channel of making suitable requests.
Yesterday, Raman.P., of ILUGC, suggested that free software user groups in India join together to form an association. While software cos. have NASSCOM, software user groups have no corresponding association that could effectively air their views and needs. In the free software community, the line between developers and users is virtually non-existent, and FSF India could lead in co-ordinating all the free software user groups, including LUGs that are willing to join. Most user groups meet once a month, and discuss over mailing lists also, and hence important issues could be discussed at all LUGS and based on consensus, better representations could be sent to authorities.
Ramanraj K said on Sat, Oct 09, 2004 at 06:24:35AM +0530,:
The Hindu reported that IBM is in pact with C-DAT, IIT Bombay
FWIW, IBM sees nothing newsworthy in this event. See the `latest' on
Mahesh T. Pai wrote:
Ramanraj K said on Sat, Oct 09, 2004 at 06:24:35AM +0530,:
The Hindu reported that IBM is in pact with C-DAT, IIT Bombay
FWIW, IBM sees nothing newsworthy in this event. See the `latest' on
It is newsworthy to us with only ~40k in the kitty. Recently, we have been reading about the Bangla book project that could use 100k, and at a meet I recently attended, atleast one free software project dev was sincerely asking for funds to continue with the good work being done.
Gandhi once said that agricultural universities worth their salt would earn from their produce. Free software is public wealth, and no less a source of income for FSF India. We could have a few distros for sale so that they would earn revenue. Gov. institutions and many others may want to obtain source files of free software from a source they can trust, and FSF India may be the only real option. Mature software could be used to earn revenue to bridge the gap between production and usability.
Until we have our own rich revenue streams, linking those who can provide funds with those in need of it to complete projects my be of some help.
-
Mahesh T. Pai -
Nagarjuna G. -
Rajkumar S -
Ramanraj K