Awesome! +1 On Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 6:48 PM, Amarendra K Yadav <[email protected]>wrote:
> +1 > > > On Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 11:19 AM, Hempal Shrestha < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Dear FOSSians, >> >> Thanks to Emilia Terzon for carrying out this story in the Front page of >> the Republica Daily Newspaper. >> >> With kind regards >> >> Hempal Shrestha >> >> >> Story Link: >> http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=41759 >> Epaper Link: >> http://e.myrepublica.com/component/flippingbook/book/1007-republica-15-september-2012/1-republica.html >> >> FOSS fans hype up for Software Freedom Day >> >> * EMILIA TERZON * >> KATHMANDU, Sept 15: Pokhara´s Khom Raj Sharma is your typical free and >> open-source software (FOSS) enthusiast: he loves computers, browsing the >> Internet, and is a self-confessed IT geek. >> >> But he can´t see any of the information displayed on his computer >> monitor. “Disability is just diversity of the human race,” he said of his >> profound blindness. >> >> Born in a rural village where nobody else was blind, the 28-year-old is a >> major inspiration today to a niche IT community quietly growing across >> Nepal in the last 10 years. >> >> First coined globally in the 90s, FOSS promotes the use of computer >> software that is both free to download and use, and can be modified to suit >> an individual user´s needs. >> >> Unlike expensive market dominators - such as Adobe Photoshop and >> Microsoft Word - these programs have no pricetag or copyright licenses >> preventing their evolution. >> >> Hempal Shrestha, founder of FOSS Nepal, said its local active fan base is >> relatively small - in the thousands - and mostly comprised IT >> professionals, fanatics and students. >> >> Those participating unknowingly, however, are innumerable. Mozilla´s web >> browser and email software, Firefox and Thunderbird, are two widely >> downloaded examples of FOSS. >> >> For Pradeep Mahato, operator of the Bishwanath Institute of Computer >> (BIC) in Chitwan that opened this year, the founding “flossophy” >> (philosophy) behind it is “freedom”. >> >> Mahato, who teaches his students at BIC solely in FOSS, said the movement >> is all about “freedom to use, freedom to share, and freedom to modify”. >> >> Of course, for a country like Nepal, where piracy of software and illegal >> downloading is rampant, the “free” is this statement almost seems like a >> non-issue. >> >> Yet its followers say FOSS offers an alternative to illegal activity; >> giving poorer Nepalese access to more programs while encouraging creativity >> in the IT community. >> >> >> >> For instance, Mahato uses a version of the FOSS operating system, Linux, >> on his personal laptop that´s modified to display and navigate purely in >> Hindi and Nepali. >> >> Sharma also uses Linux, Firefox, and a FOSS screen reader for the >> visually impaired called Nonvisual Desktop Access (NVDA). >> >> “FOSS is especially important for the visually impaired in Nepal because >> most of them are from poor backgrounds,” said Sharma. >> >> “Having access to IT for reading is a big challenge. It´s beyond their >> expectations. FOSS makes it accessible and affordable for them.” >> >> Mahato said other benefits to his 50 students include software that´s >> free of computer viruses and general cost cutting. >> >> “They are always trying to make their custom desktop interface unique >> from other Linux desktops,” he said of his students. >> >> Yet there are setbacks to FOSS. Many of these programs require training >> to install and learn, and modifying software is something best left to >> those with IT skills. >> >> Some programs, like Linux affiliated software, are often incompatible >> with non-FOSS operating systems used widely, like Windows, making file >> sharing complicated. >> >> Shrestha, Mahato, and Sharma will be just some of those celebrating at IT >> events held across the world this Saturday for Software Freedom Day. >> >> Yet they said FOSS has a long way to go before it makes it into the >> mainstream as a common business and personal practice. >> >> “The business and government sectors need to be strong. They shouldn´t be >> using pirated software when they could save so much money with FOSS,” said >> Shrestha. >> >> Some NGOs, like the United Nations´ Nepalese wing, have been moving >> towards widespread implementation of this software within their >> administration. >> >> “The first advocates of this need to really put our efforts together and >> make it happen for a developing country,” said Sharma. >> >> Sharma is today dedicated to teaching other visually impaired Nepalese >> how to use NVDA via his non-profit Pokhara training centre. >> >> “When I went blind, I felt like I was the only person in the world facing >> that challenge. People were negative because they´d never seen people like >> me doing these things. >> >> “I made a decision to change that. The world is not limited. It is so >> important to encourage social initiatives that really empower people.” >> >> >> Published on 2012-09-15 07:00:23 >> >> -- >> With kind regards, >> >> Hempal Shrestha >> FOSS Nepal Community >> Putalisadak, Near Share Market, >> Kathmnadu, Nepal >> +977-1-4261459 (O) / +977-9851077031(M) >> >> -- >> FOSS Nepal mailing list: [email protected] >> http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] >> >> Mailing List Guidelines: >> http://wiki.fossnepal.org/index.php?title=Mailing_List_Guidelines >> Community website: http://www.fossnepal.org/ >> > > -- > FOSS Nepal mailing list: [email protected] > http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > > Mailing List Guidelines: > http://wiki.fossnepal.org/index.php?title=Mailing_List_Guidelines > Community website: http://www.fossnepal.org/ > -- FOSS Nepal mailing list: [email protected] http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] Mailing List Guidelines: http://wiki.fossnepal.org/index.php?title=Mailing_List_Guidelines Community website: http://www.fossnepal.org/
