My mail is not appearing in the list archive
Posting it again ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anivar Aravind anivar.aravind@gmail.com Date: Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 12:02 PM Subject: A CPIM Hijack of Free Software Foundation? To: Principal Support List of FSF-India fsf-friends@mm.gnu.org.in Cc: rms@gnu.org, "Nagarjuna G." nagarjun@gnowledge.org, "Nagarjuna G." nagarjunag@gmail.com
Today I came to know about an event called freedom and software happening in Chennai on 21st September through a blog. The event website is a google site http://sites.google.com/site/freedomandsoftware/ Most of the friends participating are our friends. But this mail is for some clarifications
The invitation text says following
<quote> M. Subramanian - The Mayor, N. Ram - Editor, The Hindu, Debesh Das - Minister of Information Technology, West Bengal, Kiran Chandra - Director, Free Software Foundation India & Prabir Purkayastha - Secretary, Delhi Science Forum, have been confirmed to be the panel of speakers.
The objective of the event will be the launch of the project for the development of a Tamil Version of the GNU/ Linux operating system. The launch will be made by the Mayor, M.Subramanian. The project will be developed by engineering students with able technical support from the IT professionals & professors, and infrastructural support by the entrepreneurs.
The logo and caption for the Free Software Foundation, Tamil Nadu will be launched by Mr. N. Ram.
The event will be attended by the IT professionals, Entrepreneurs, Researchers and professors of reputed colleges, from all over the country and the registration will be open to all, so you can bring all your friends as well. There will be no entry fee for the same. </quote>
My questions are Following
1.Is this event anyway related with Free Software Foundation?
2. This news is not announced in any Free Software Mailing lists, like FSF-Friends, FSF-Tn(http://mm.gnu.org.in//pipermail/fsf-tn/) ILUG Chennai etc . It is not announced yet in gnu.org.in also. Why This much secrecy around this?
3.. The above invitation text says "logo and caption for the Free Software Foundation, Tamil Nadu will be launched" in the function. Is FSF India decided to start regional FSFs? If yes why this is organising in a a secret maner?
3. The Invitation text says "The objective of the event will be the launch of the project for the development of a Tamil Version of the GNU/ Linux operating system", why there is a need of another distribution when tamil is well supported in most of the upstream distributions? . Let it be the work of Tamil Localisation groups.
4. The contacts provided in the website contact page is not at all familiar in Free Software Community. And There is no information on who is organising this event.
On a quick checkup with friends in Chennai, they says it is an event Organised by Communist Party of India (Marxist) . Thats why the secrecy. I don't have a problem in a political party supporting free software cause. But If it is the case i am very suspicious on following points 1. The exclusion of the Free Software Movement in Chennai in Organising it, 2. Creating a body with power structure before Contributing anything . I dont think a free software Foundation is not needed for releasing a Localised GNU/Linux Distribution 3. Secrecy in whole process of a Public event
I am expecting a reply from FSF India on this
Anivar
On Fri, 2008-09-19 at 12:43 +0530, Anivar Aravind wrote:
My questions are Following
1.Is this event anyway related with Free Software Foundation?
FSF India has not been formally informed of this meeting or the formation of FSF-TN. We came to know only through the website
- This news is not announced in any Free Software Mailing lists,
like FSF-Friends, FSF-Tn(http://mm.gnu.org.in//pipermail/fsf-tn/) ILUG Chennai etc . It is not announced yet in gnu.org.in also. Why This much secrecy around this?
This meeting has nothing to do with FSF India. They have not informed us anything about the meeting, or even about the people who are organising it. I guess they are not interested in getting support from the Free Software community either.
3.. The above invitation text says "logo and caption for the Free Software Foundation, Tamil Nadu will be launched" in the function. Is FSF India decided to start regional FSFs? If yes why this is organising in a a secret maner?
There is no decision to start regional FSFs. They have used the logo of FSF India in their Newsletter which is downloadable. Their use of the logo is, actually, illegal. They have not even informed FSF India
- The Invitation text says "The objective of the event will be the
launch of the project for the development of a Tamil Version of the GNU/ Linux operating system", why there is a need of another distribution when tamil is well supported in most of the upstream distributions? . Let it be the work of Tamil Localisation groups.
This remains a mystery in view of the surreptitious manner in which they are organising the event.
- The contacts provided in the website contact page is not at all
familiar in Free Software Community. And There is no information on who is organising this event.
No one seems to know. We have sent mails to the known addresses to find out who these people are.
On a quick checkup with friends in Chennai, they says it is an event Organised by Communist Party of India (Marxist) . Thats why the secrecy.
That seems to be true. This is a CPM event and the objective god only knows.
I don't have a problem in a political party supporting free software cause. But If it is the case i am very suspicious on following points
- The exclusion of the Free Software Movement in Chennai in Organising it,
- Creating a body with power structure before Contributing anything .
I dont think a free software Foundation is not needed for releasing a Localised GNU/Linux Distribution 3. Secrecy in whole process of a Public event
This would appear to be part of an attempt to float a parallel process to take over the Free Software movement in the country. While I too have no objection to anyone helping the Free Software movement in the country or even independently promoting Free Software (as many groups are already doing), what this group is doing is really sabotaging the whole movement itself by causing confusion among FS supporters. This is unethical and could even be illegal (using our logo without our permission). This is very unfortunate.
Best
On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 1:32 PM, V. Sasi Kumar sasi.fsf@gmail.com wrote:
On Fri, 2008-09-19 at 12:43 +0530, Anivar Aravind wrote:
My questions are Following
1.Is this event anyway related with Free Software Foundation?
FSF India has not been formally informed of this meeting or the formation of FSF-TN. We came to know only through the website
- This news is not announced in any Free Software Mailing lists,
like FSF-Friends, FSF-Tn(http://mm.gnu.org.in//pipermail/fsf-tn/) ILUG Chennai etc . It is not announced yet in gnu.org.in also. Why This much secrecy around this?
This meeting has nothing to do with FSF India. They have not informed us anything about the meeting, or even about the people who are organising it. I guess they are not interested in getting support from the Free Software community either.
3.. The above invitation text says "logo and caption for the Free Software Foundation, Tamil Nadu will be launched" in the function. Is FSF India decided to start regional FSFs? If yes why this is organising in a a secret maner?
There is no decision to start regional FSFs. They have used the logo of FSF India in their Newsletter which is downloadable. Their use of the logo is, actually, illegal. They have not even informed FSF India
- The Invitation text says "The objective of the event will be the
launch of the project for the development of a Tamil Version of the GNU/ Linux operating system", why there is a need of another distribution when tamil is well supported in most of the upstream distributions? . Let it be the work of Tamil Localisation groups.
This remains a mystery in view of the surreptitious manner in which they are organising the event.
- The contacts provided in the website contact page is not at all
familiar in Free Software Community. And There is no information on who is organising this event.
No one seems to know. We have sent mails to the known addresses to find out who these people are.
On a quick checkup with friends in Chennai, they says it is an event Organised by Communist Party of India (Marxist) . Thats why the secrecy.
That seems to be true. This is a CPM event and the objective god only knows.
I don't have a problem in a political party supporting free software cause. But If it is the case i am very suspicious on following points
- The exclusion of the Free Software Movement in Chennai in Organising it,
- Creating a body with power structure before Contributing anything .
I dont think a free software Foundation is not needed for releasing a Localised GNU/Linux Distribution 3. Secrecy in whole process of a Public event
This would appear to be part of an attempt to float a parallel process to take over the Free Software movement in the country. While I too have no objection to anyone helping the Free Software movement in the country or even independently promoting Free Software (as many groups are already doing), what this group is doing is really sabotaging the whole movement itself by causing confusion among FS supporters. This is unethical and could even be illegal (using our logo without our permission). This is very unfortunate.
Dear Nagarjuna and Saskumar sir, Thanks for Clarifying this
I request FSF India to Clarify this with Our Longterm Friends Participating in the event. N. Ram, Prabir Pukayasta, Debeesh etc are good supporters of Free Software Movement . It will be worth to inform them about this. Kiran Chandra's name (Member, Board of Directors, FSF India) is used for getting legitimacy to this negative effort, I request kiran to not participate in this programme and inform Organisors and Other speakers about this negative move.
warmly Anivar Aravind
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Anivar Aravind -
V. Sasi Kumar