http://mm.gnu.org.in/pipermail/fsf-friends/2008-September/005460.html
My mail is not appearing in the list archive
Posting it again ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anivar Aravind <anivar.aravind at 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 at mm.gnu.org.in> Cc: rms at gnu.org, "Nagarjuna G." <nagarjun at gnowledge.org>, "Nagarjuna G." <nagarjunag at 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