Raju,

This is in response to your post (archived at 
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg12581.html), 
where you state:

> [I personally do not agree with participating in foss.in, since it
> will be demonstrating and promoting proprietary software too.
> However, ILUG-Delhi can make its own decision whether to participate
> in the event or not.  I will not be a part of it either way.
> 
> -- Raju]

You aren't the only one who lurks on lists, so let me also say something, 
because you certainly took things massively out of context.

Here's your solitary post on the event list (the first in I think 3 
years):

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/linux-bangalore-2005/message/2294

where you listed a number of scenarios, and asked which of these would be 
acceptable at FOSS.IN.

And here was my reply:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/linux-bangalore-2005/message/2296

The key in that answer of mine was this:

> From my perspective, all of them are acceptable, as long as they
> 
> - show FOSS in action
> - show FOSS:non-FOSS interop
> - answer questions that people may have about FOSS
> - get people to participate in FOSS projects/groups

In short, I clearly did *not* say that we would be "demonstrating and 
promoting proprietary software too" - I said that they are acceptable AS 
LONG AS they meet the above mentioned criteria.

I then proceded to demonstrate how we are very much capable of "weeding 
out" unsuitable talks from the event, by giving examples.

Would anyone care to have a look at

http://linux-bangalore.org/2004/schedules
http://linux-bangalore.org/2003/schedules
http://linux-bangalore.org/2002/schedules
http://linux-bangalore.org/2001/schedules

and point out which talk meets your definition of "demonstrating and 
promoting proprietary software too" outside the context of demonstrating 
inter-op (e.g. A windows machine shown logging into a Samba controlled 
domain, or OpenOffice.org running on Windows, etc.)?

FOSS.IN is about promoting FOSS, getting people involved in FOSS, and 
showing people that FOSS is feasible.

It is not about showing FOSS to be fanatic, isolationary, disconnected 
from the rest of the world, or totally useless to enterprise because they 
can't see it inter-operating with the heterogenous environments they work 
with.

You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion.

Even if you are completely wrong.

FYI - people like Wietse Venema, Harald Welte, Brian Behlendorf, Andi 
Klein, Volker Grassmuck, Deepak Saxena, Scott Wheeler, Werner Almesberger, 
Andrew Cowie, Bdale Garbee, Rasmus Lerdorf, Jeremy Zawodny, Miguel de 
Icaza, Nat Friedman, etc. are just as savvy about FOSS as you are.

Some of them (like Harald Welte) would not ever participate in a 
high-priced commercial "Linux" event that locks out the community, (apart 
from throwing them a few patronising scraps), and that demonstrates and 
promotes proprietary software, basically following the corporate eyball 
trap principle (http://atulchitnis.net/writings/eyeballtrap.php) to make a 
lot of money for (who else) the proprietary software guys. They have all 
spoken at our events, some of them many years in a row, and many of them 
will be at the event again this year.

Even greater FOSS promoters are scheduled to speak at FOSS.IN this year, 
and they are all coming because they are convinced that we are "the real 
thing", not something like LinuxWorld.

I believe that your statement was designed to influence others (your LUG, 
but also others who will have your message forwarded to them) into staying 
away from FOSS.IN, which I find grossly unfair - not to us, but to members 
of your community.

Atul

-- 
-----------------------------------------
Atul Chitnis     | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bangalore, India | http://atulchitnis.net
-----------------------------------------

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