On 08/05/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
hi, as you know, NRC-FOSS (http://nrcfosshelpline.in/web/) is planning to start a node at Mumbai. This node will help to coordinate/facilitate foss related activities in Mumbai especially in the following areas:
that's a nice idea.
1. promoting foss in formal and non-formal education 2. popularising foss in schools, colleges, industry and ngos in the maharashtra region
I hope that such kind of thing will happen in reality because we often see that so called advocates of FOSS only talk about it and themselves tell organisations and industry to stay away from it. I will be very happy that we start doing things at practical level and make people use it rather than just hear it and then "ok we will try it some time ".
3. fostering the writing and development of foss code in the area.
this can only happen if the above mentioned situation is corrected.
To this end we hope to facilitate at least a couple of meetings/installfests or linux demo days a month in various establishments as well as help coordinate activities. It goes without saying that we cant achieve anything without active participation of the LUG.
My word for this. I will be there for the kind of work I can do. I can help on seminars and demos of FOSS in day to day use. we can also go to art colleges and show them how powerful Inkscape and gimpe is. I can do demos on gnome desktop for starters and newbees to gnu/linux. we can have experts to talk on varius issues like vifi etc. there are so many aspects to education and FOSS. we need to do things like hands-on seminars on writing c code using linux. people still believe that c is only used on windows "believe me this is the case ", and terbo c is the only compiler and for practical perpus vc must be used. this is the general case. Nagarjun, if you are reading this or happen to read this, please express your thoughts on the points I have raised as you are driving the FOSS moment very strongly.
The node will in all probability be hosted by VJTI and we are having a meeting with the management and the managements of other colleges on the 17th morning at VJTI. We would like to discuss the scope and functioning of the node with members of the community in the afternoon/evening. I know it is a working day, but I hope a good number of members will take some time off to participate.
I will be there by all means. I appeal to all the FOSS promoters and users to try as far as possible to come over. again forgive me for chiming about the same things but please help this let go beyond just talking and false praising of FOSS and gnu/linux, and then softly telling the interested people "well, foss is ok but better stick with the so called professional non-free software". People who are doing their best to support foss get disturbed by such things. let's get together and bring FOSS to the forfront and help people achieve freedom in Information technology. and yes I am also happy that accessibility of the gnome desktop has improved by leeps and bouns. so no issues for handicap people as well. I believe that people may as well pay for free software. any ways microsoft is soon to anounce the release of package to give windows xp for $3 to all schools. so it is time for us to stop chattering about only the cost aspect. regards, Krishnakant. -- http://mm.glug-bom.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxers
