have been reading with interest everyon'es response on the FSF mailing list on how to tackle the microsoft university challenge: here's my take a) welcome microsoft to education, and let them spend their resources and energies into building what could be a showcase of education worldwide. b) lobby very very hard for a mandate that *all* education at university-level across india must be: 1) platform-neutral for IT-education. 2) conducted using muft and mukt syllabus and courses. am sure nagarjuna can provide more details regarding point 2), right? :-) 3) allow for multiple-industry-players to education interaction. 4) recommend to fsf-friends worldwide to lobby very hard with their respective govts to adopt the above points, so we also have precedents to follow and finetune. 5) and while the above things take their slow, dragged-feet time, and assuming the university launches with overwhelming applications for enrolment (i hope so), work hard to contact students and parents at an individual level, and ask them to lobby from inside to balance their education. 6) lobby with other education institutions in india, to set up the example "to become the change you want to see in the world". hey! we've got thousands of colleges and universities across india. if over time enough create a juggernaut of mukt education, i hope parents and students feel rather silly to pay for education that will probably give them shop-talk. personally, i have started to believe real-education in india is possible, unlike any other in the world, if we just wake up and remember who we are. but that's another story. you see, education is always a two-way process. the educator gets further educated in sharing knowledge with students. time for some education for microsoft as well. why do you think they're setting up the university, eh? :-) niyam

I dont think expressing your point of view and talking about it in press should be called as destructive way of opposing.

Vikram Vincent <vincentvikram@...> writes: Exactly no doubt. But i said, it will make them "think"... Yes we do oppose..when FDI is leaglly possible how will government or how can government stop it? It was possible with auditors.. When all auditors came forth to oppose it unitedly.. that isn't visible.. here.. will infosys & wipro come and support the cause..?? putting petitions.. conducting siganture campaings.. when porridge, water & food are still the concerns and m$ and others of such kind have "enough" to address them.. .. will have little impact... We have good bureaucrats, like Uma Shankar IAS, who supports the cause of free software.. we need to approach them.. ask them.. even on political front.. Cheif minister of Kerala.. Our own President of India.. [glad he is retiring ;- )] to take it on the government side... slowly... so slowly... too much of a fore sight ;-) and why are we expecting FSF all time to do this.. ?? together we have to pull.. burden not on FSF alone.. :-) now if we put forth a petition of such kind.. that we need resources to set up such university.. that too in bangalore... all just to draw attention... and that too, if the news that M$ is going to set-up up a Univ is true.. to draw the attention we need to forge the petition atleast in this fashion.. all others not at this moment... this is beginning... i think free software is also a political movement ;-)