[GNU/LinuxInIndia] Some very interesting arguments up here... favouring FLOSS (long)

http://bangalore.gnu.org.in/?VTU-FLOSS_Campaign

FSUG-Bangalore | RecentChanges
VTU-FLOSS Campaign
Please Sign This Petition

If you have any relevant points that could be added, and useful details, =
please=20
include it at the bottom of the appeal. Don't forget to sign your name! P=
lease=20
pass this text around, urging your friends and fellow-students (other wel=
come=20
too!) to sign-up. We need as many voices as possible.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Respected Sir, an appeal from the world of Free Software

The Vice Chancellor Visvesvaraya Technological University Belgaum - 590 0=
14=20
Karnataka State, India

Respected Sir,

Re: Opening wider software avenues for your students through Free Softwar=
e.

There are thousands of engineering and polytechnic colleges in India. Eac=
h=20
year, a few hundred thousands of graduates and diploma holders earn their=
=20
degree. They pay thousands of rupees as fees to get the best facilities. =
A part=20
of this goes to buying the softwares which they use either in college lab=
 or=20
for doing their assignments at home.

For every software which India's engineering students use; there is an=20
alternate Free Software program available. Free=20
Software(http://www.gnu.org/philosophy) offers freedom, accelerated=20
possibilities and wider vistas to our students. But in a 'talent rich, re=
source=20
poor' country like India, it is also an issue of costs. Huge amounts of=20
resources will be saved, and productivity gained, while deploying Free=20
Software. This will not only make engineering education more cost-effecti=
ve,=20
but also more productive.

Free/Libre and Open Source Software has many other advantages such as=20
reliability, performance and security; building up of long-term capacity =
within=20
the state and country itself; the Free (as in freedom) philosophy; encour=
aging=20
innovations; offering alternatives to illegal copying; throwing up many=20
possibilities in localisation; helping students vastly by allowing them t=
o=20
learn from the source code; getting access to literally thousands of tool=
s; in=20
addition, of course, to lower costs.

Issues related to Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) in educatio=
n are=20
outlined very well at http://www.iosn.net/education/foss-education-primer=
/

Other than cost benefits, Free Software has other extremely pertinent=20
advantages. We would urge you to serious consider the following:

     * No-fee licensing
     * Ease of license fee management
     * Better large-scale programmability
     * Easier integration
     * Better performance
     * Development convenience
* Better support

Niranjan Rajani in a study on FLOSS in the developing world, notes, "FLOS=
S has=20
a complementary and reciprocal relationship to education. One needs an ed=
ucated=20
section of the population to fulfil the full potential of FLOSS, and at t=
he=20
same time FLOSS helps, enhances, and complements education by providing t=
ools=20
to promote education."

In the case of education in computer sciences, FLOSS provides opportuniti=
es=20
which nothing else can, as the Finland-based researcher Rajani points out=
:

     * Unrestricted access to the source code.
     * An environment of unlimited experimentation and tinkering.
* Collaboration and interaction with a community of programmers, coders a=
nd=20
users around the world.

In addition to providing ready and available tools, Free Software provide=
s=20
positive examples from projects around the globe. In practice, this means=
 that=20
if someone in some other place has created a tool to reach a specific=20
educational goal, one can take it as a starting point and build on it, wi=
thout=20
the need to "reinvent the wheel". The Dspace project and the Koha library=
=20
software, mentioned earlier, are but two simple examples of such possibil=
ities.=20
As far as collaboration is concerned, Sourceforge is perhaps the biggest=20
collaboration project ever created, uniting tens of thousands of software=
=20
projects and hundreds of thousands of people around the world. "FLOSS its=
elf=20
has been called the most collaborative human effort ever," as Rajani poin=
ts=20
out.

In addition to the above, the inherent qualities of FLOSS make it a prime=
 tool=20
for achieving local language educational software, especially for languag=
es=20
which are not deemed commercially viable for proprietary software vendors=
. This=20
has the scope of offering both relevance and employment to so many of you=
r=20
bright young students.

There are literally hundreds of Free Software's programs which colleges o=
r=20
universities can adopt. As Vishweshwaraiah Technological University is on=
e of=20
the biggest engineering-related universities in India, its time for VTU t=
o give=20
the lead and move towards using Free Software. This would encourage other=
=20
Universities to follow suit. Let the VTU have the pride to be the first o=
ne to=20
adopt Free Software in educational curriculum, on a scale significant eno=
ugh to=20
make a difference to the future of VTU, its many students, and India itse=
lf.

Here we submit some examples of few such alternative Free Software progra=
ms=20
which can be used for technical education.

* (1) Operating System: Windows v/s GNU/Linux

Because of the software tools prescribed in the colleges, and also a gene=
ral=20
lack of awareness of Free Software options, most colleges use Microsoft W=
indows=20
based operating system. Yet, in terms of technological features, stabilit=
y,=20
learning possibilities, the GNU/Linux is increasingly being recognised as=
 the=20
best available globally. It is the best suited for any educational instit=
ution.=20
Students can not only use it, but also can study its source code to under=
stand=20
its internal workings. Likewise, they can easily get in touch with the ma=
ny=20
volunteers who have put together this amazing set of tools, and collabora=
te=20
internationally to created more suitable products and also hike their own=
=20
skill-sets.

But many of the colleges use or have started adopting GNU/ Linux, startin=
g with=20
the server room, where it is well known for its stability and security no=
w it=20
has entered our labs and desktops.

* (2) Simulation: Matlab v/s Octave

Matlab is used in communication and electronics lab. Matlab for an indivi=
dual=20
license for use in a university (academic use) costs $500. Any college wi=
ll=20
have to buy a minimum of 25 licenses. This means shelling out Rs.537,500.

Octave, which is a simulation software written by university professors. =
This=20
usually comes, along and as part of, the GNU/Linux Operating System. The=20
advantage to students is that they don't have to buy a limited student ve=
rsion=20
to use at home. They can use Octave both at lab and at home.

SciLab? is another Free Software competitor for Matlab. It uses sophistic=
ated=20
algorithms to analyse data and produce aesthetic graphics.

NG-SPICE is another GPLd Circuit Simulator which is based on the Universi=
ty of=20
Berkeley's Spice Version 3f5.

* (3) Office software's: MS Office v/s Open Office

Currently, we all used Microsoft Word to submit our project documents for=
=20
review and for other academic purposes. Recent technological developments=
 now=20
mean that we have Open Office which is as good as Microsoft Office and ha=
s the=20
same, if not better, features. Microsoft Office in fact lacks some featur=
es=20
like PDF (Portable Document Format) support, compatibility with older ver=
sions=20
of Microsoft Office, lack a vector drawing application, etc. Open Office =
gives=20
you everything starting from a word processor, to presentation software t=
o PDF=20
generator. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Office -- so already exi=
sting=20
data in those formats can be used. Don't you think it's the right time to=
 save=20
money and enhance efficiency of technological education in our country?

The above are just examples. There are many such software programs from w=
hich=20
the students can benefit. We hope the university understands the urgency =
and=20
the need. We would be happy to give the university any information/help t=
hat is=20
needed. Currently, India has a wide range of volunteer GNU/Linux support=20
groups, a list of which can be found at http://wikiwikiweb.de/LugsList

* (4) Computer Networks Subject Teaching: Ethereal, tcpdump, NS2 etc

We use the above mentioned tools for the teaching of Computer Networks an=
d Data=20
Communication subjects. There are a number of other GNU GPLed tools which=
 can=20
be used in a number of other labs for teaching and learning.

* (5) Content Management Systems: Drupal, PHP-Nuke etc

For building websites and info portals for students to make online learni=
ng=20
possible. In the world of online forums, Free Software have a number of f=
ree=20
options. You could well imagine the impact that the accelerated spread of=
 such=20
easily-reachable and usable tools would have, not just on the engineers o=
f=20
tomorrow, but on the wider Indian society as a whole.

* (6) VHDL : Xilinx v/s Alliance 5.0, gEDA

the Xilinx software for VHDL simulation is available for individual syste=
ms,the=20
Xilinx lacks in VLSI CAD systems, but the Alliance 5.0 is an EDA VLSI CAD=
, and=20
has set of tools which meets the needs of academics and gives complete to=
ols=20
for VLSI design including support for VHDL as well as verilog support. gE=
DA is=20
another set of free software which helps in complete design of electronic=
s=20
system. We thank you for your patient hearing, and urge your reputed univ=
ersity=20
to take speedy and decisive steps in this direction.

Thanking you, We remain, Yours sincerely,

Please sign this petition

     * click this link [1] to enter your comments.
     * Enter your Signature in Text Box right below the _Start Here_ line=
.
     * Give your name in the 'Username' and Short 'comment' in summary bo=
x.
     * Kindly don't edit any other contents.
* Click Save button.

Start Here Please add you signature at the end of this list

1. Thejesh GN. Milwaukee USA. Former student of VTU [1BT98EC047]. March 0=
1 2005

2. Rakesh 'arky' Ambati (Bangalore India) Fri Mar 11 11:19:57 IST 2005

3. Praveen Arimbrathodiyil (National Instititute of Technology, Calicut) =
Fri=20
Mar 11 17:34:50 IST 2005. We use GNU/Linux in our main Computer center. I=
t=20
saves a lot of money of the college as there is no licence fee to be paid=
 for=20
each users. Since the source code of the softwares are available many com=
puter=20
science students do projects based on Linux kernel and other such project=
s. The=20
possibility of use of thin-clients (which our computer center use) reduce=
s the=20
cost of hardware dramatically. It has proved to be beneficial to our coll=
ege=20
and I urge you to chose Free Software for giving a better alternative for=
=20
students.

4. Frederick Noronha, Freelance Journalist, Goa, supporter and user of Fr=
ee=20
Software. Because sharing is a great idea, specially when it comes to=20
easy-to-reproduce knowledge products! Please see FN's FLOSS links for lin=
ks to=20
some of my work in the field of Free/Libre and Open Source Software.

5. Benjamin Rualthanzauva , Chennai

6. Sridhar Ratna, Final year CSE student of CEG, Anna University, Chennai=
.

7. Krishna Pagadala, San Jose, USA. I have benefitted highly from the Fre=
e=20
Software movement and the Freedoms it has provided. Specifically the Free=
dom to=20
learn from the source code has helped me in getting a high-technology job=
 in=20
the US. I wish that all students enjoy the all the Software Freedoms.

8. shashidhar b desai ,6th sem E&C, B.V.Bhoomaraddi College of Engineerin=
g &=20
Technology Hubli, Karnataka, India, FLOSS is an excellent alternative for=
 the=20
existing commercial softwares Academics(colleges and univ) is the best wa=
y to=20
promote and support "Free Software".It will be a great initiative if the =
univ=20
adopts it(it will become an example for other univ & institutes). News ab=
out=20
open source and gnu/linux tuff---Indian Inside . Let's get Liberated.LONG=
 LIVE=20
OPEN SOURCE.

9. Pramode C.E, IC Software

I would like to add that there are efforts under way to develop innovativ=
e=20
hardware experimentation platforms using GNU/Linux to improve the quality=
 of=20
Physics (as well as Engineering) education; and the best part is that it'=
s=20
being done in India. Please visit http://www.nsc.res.in/~elab/phoenix/ to=
 know=20
more about the `Phoenix Project' being developed by Ajith Kumar at the Nu=
clear=20
Science Centre, India. The wealth of high quality tools and the open natu=
re of=20
the platform is of immense value to young engineers and scientists raring=
 to=20
unleash their creativity; the lessons in freedom and sharing that student=
s=20
learn by using GNU/Linux will also go a long way in shaping their charact=
er as=20
caring and responsible human beings.

10. Mairu Gupta, Ottawa (www.bluesprint.com)

11. Vivek Varghese Cherian, Bachelor of Engineering (Mech), former studen=
t of=20
Kuvempu University, Shimoga, Karnataka.

Free Software helps us to study, modify and distribute the source code re=
leased=20
under the GNU General Public Licence(GNU GPL) which is a copyleft license=
 which=20
will help the student community learn how operating systems and applicati=
ons=20
work better than closed source code implementations. Moreover sharing of=20
software will make more responsible technocrats who value free sharing of=
=20
knowledge over narrow profit motives.

You could also encourage students to release their project reports under =
the=20
GNU Free Documentation Licence(GNU FDL), so that the entire student commu=
nity=20
can learn, modify and build up on existing projects reports submitted to =
the=20
VTU under this license.

12. Debapriyo Sarkar. Final year student of BCA, Goa. As a student, I ple=
ad to=20
every university, to adopt, encourage and spread the use of Free/Libre Op=
en=20
Source Software (FLOSS). The benefits are clearly far-more significant th=
an=20
cost savings (which of course is a huge motivating factor). The quality o=
f=20
software reviewed and worked on by virtually the entire developer communi=
ty of=20
the world is definitely at least world-class if nothing else. It is possi=
ble to=20
save on costs with $0 priced closed source software often termed as freew=
are,=20
but the limited resources of the single developer or the couple of develo=
pers=20
behind the software makes future of such software bleak. Compared to that=
,=20
software released under an open source license, helps user as well as dev=
eloper=20
involvement to happen as deeply and transparent as no other licensing mod=
el can=20
support. As the letter includes the following (stripped) statement "...Oc=
tave,=20
which is simulation software written by University professors. This usual=
ly=20
comes with the GNU/Linux Operating System." which clearly shows that prof=
essors=20
of universities elsewhere have contributed to the solution of making qual=
ity=20
software available to the students and colleges alike under a license tha=
t=20
welcomes further contributions to improve the project virtually endlessly=
. As a=20
personal experience, I often have used open source alternatives whenever=20
acquiring the proprietary packages meant depending on the lab assistant t=
o=20
provide the CD for illegal copying or genuinely going out and shelling ou=
t all=20
those huge wads of cash for functionality that was already at my disposal=
 with=20
added advantage of continuing development and a long-life (of the softwar=
e). As=20
universities use and recommend use of open source software,rate of develo=
pment=20
is bound to grow with more and more students using the same version of so=
ftware=20
both at college and home (no limited cheap "student" edition which are "c=
heap"=20
imitations with myriad "limitations"). Also professors' contributions in =
the=20
form of bug reports, bug fixes, new functionality patches and their work =
in=20
increasing awareness about the benefits of using open source software wou=
ld=20
help improve quality of free software to an enormous extent.

13. Suraj Kumar, Bangalore, India.

14. Vijay Kumar, Chennai, India. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.ht=
ml

15. Prashanth Mohan, Second year CSE student of CEG, Anna University, Che=
nnai.

16.P.Sujeevan,Project leader, S2S2, Kerala .Here at kerala at school leve=
l more=20
than 50 of schools are still using GNU/Linux.Also SSLC IT practical exami=
nation=20
has successfully done under the linux operating system.Some schools are s=
till=20
using the Linux terminal server systems.Next year aggressive work is plan=
ning=20
to implement complete linux environment in schools.http://s2s2net.netfirm=
s.com

17.S.Varun, studying at MIT Chrompet, Chennai, India.

18. Joe Steeve, ME CSE (Thiagarajar College of Engg., Madurai). Free Soft=
ware=20
is a _must_ at Educational Institutions. When reputed institutions like y=
ours=20
acknowledge Free Software, other institutions would take you are a role m=
odel=20
and follow.

19. Raman Krishnan, BE Final Year CSE, CEG, Anna University,Chennai, Indi=
a.

20. Krishnakumar G [2], Bangalore, India

21. Syed Mazhar Mahdi, Bangalore, India

22. Toji Leon. http://tojileon.blogspot.com

23. Suraj Kumar Nair, Palo Alto, California, USA

24. Raghu Kodali, Bangalore, India

25. Shishir Alva, Toronto Canada. Former student of VTU. March 13 2005

26. Vasudevan Thrikkazhippurath, Bangalore - INDIA

27. Fajar Priyanto, from Indonesia. Why spend money on things that have t=
heir=20
superior subtitution? I support this campaign wholly. Pls visit my linux=20
website at http://linux2.arinet.org

28. Dong Calmada, Philippines. Vice-President of Philippine Linux Users G=
roup=20
(circa 1994). Free/Open Source Software is a solution for=20
developing/underdeveloped countries to level the playing field internatio=
nally.=20
http://foss.peace.net.ph.

29. Bejoy Abraham Mathews, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Network Engineer=20
(GNU/Linux) at a company called US Technology. Even though I'm not a stud=
ent I=20
would love to support this movement for all the students willing to learn=
 Free=20
Software. I have struggled the time that I wanted to learn this great con=
cept=20
but there was no one to guide me. God make this great thing happen in=20
Bangalore. I've started a group site for the people from Qatar(Gulf). If =
anyone=20
is willing they could join in and pool in their knowledge.=20
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qglug

30. Nesmel Hussain E&C Engr - _ If u can Open your minds so y not the Sou=
rce !=20
_

31.Niteen kole Sr.system administrator ,I think it is one of the best opt=
ion to=20
go for linux,we have full network with five servers all working on linux =
,with=20
clients also working on linux,they are normal office people,we use open o=
ffice=20
,mails,printers ....... every thing is going fine for last seven years wi=
th=20
minimum down time.

32. Sunil Mohan Adapa, Hyderabad. Alumnus of IIIT - Hyderabad. Cost is ju=
st a=20
small factor compared to the other factors like freedom. If students use =
a=20
proprietory software, they can only learn just that - to *use* a software=
.=20
Where as students using a free software have the freedom to learn the int=
ernals=20
and modify the software for their own needs. Let us just take an example.=
=20
Operating systems is one of the main courses in any cirriculam. Let us sa=
y, a=20
student gets and idea for a new scheduling algorithm and he wants to try =
and=20
implement it. If the world were to be filled with proprietory software, h=
e will=20
have to write an entire OS to test his own schedular. But in case of free=
=20
software, he can take one of the free kernels (Linux, Herd, BSD etc.) and=
 add=20
his own schedular. To learn, there is no choise but to use free software.

33. Arjun Jain CSE Engineer, RV College of Engineering - The amount of FO=
SS we=20
had in our syllabus (5th sem ncurses graphics editor, 7th sem networking)=
 and=20
the freedom to choose the platform in the other projects like Data base p=
roject=20
where we could chose b/w MySQL? and Oracle was amazing. It was helped us =
a lot=20
and now that we are doing our internship in the real industry, we realize=
 how=20
much important it was. I request you to increase the FOSS content instead=
 to=20
decreasing it!

34. Seow Yoke May, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

35.Devesh

36.A. Chiremba Zimbabwe. I have not used Open/Free Source software but I=20
anticipate to use it very soon. The workshops I have attended hosted by I=
TDG=20
Africa have been an eye-opener.

37. Ramanraj. K. Chennai

Using Free Software and open standards is rather a very elementary basic =
need=20
for Institutions in pursuit of knowledge. Non free software have serious=20
artificial blocks that prevent understanding and learning. In fact, it is=
=20
anti-social and immoral to be teaching or exposing students to non-free=20
software.

The free software philosophy is even bringing in a sea of change, opennes=
s and=20
honesty in the way curriculums are designed, research output is generated=
 and=20
published. It would be a very backward and retrograde step to even think =
of=20
prescribing the use of non-free software in educational institutions. Ple=
ase=20
rectify the mistake as soon as possible, by rejecting non-free software,=20
allowing full access to knowledge, skill and learning through free softwa=
re.

38. Rahula Sharma, Programmer, India

39. Shashank Ashtikar, Team Leader, Pune, India

Free Software is very necessary in schools and colleges since free softwa=
re=20
facilitates students to study and understand the software, rather than ju=
st be=20
the end users of the software without knowing its underlying implementati=
on=20
details. With free access to source code and ability to modify and share =
the=20
source code students can learn how software works, test their theories by=
=20
making changes to the software, distribute and redstribute the modified=20
software within peers and spread the knowledge This will help students in=
=20
becoming far more knowledgable.

40. Pradeep Kumar N, Student Programmer, RVCE, Bangalore Free software is=
=20
essential for us. It helps curb piracy too...to some extent... COnsider o=
ur=20
needs.

41.Hitesh K Maisheri, Govt. Engg. College, Thrissur. We have been using=20
GNU/Linux in our college labs for quite some time now. There are many stu=
dents=20
(including me) who are reaping the benefits in their career with this ini=
tial=20
set up of GNU/Linux at college. GNU/Linux combination is real great. It o=
ffers=20
you many advantages and no disadvantages at all. FLOSS (FOSS) both moveme=
nts=20
are here to live longest. Cheers for all these movements !!

42. This is the right way to go!!! Gaurav, RVCE

43. Go India Go!!! Ajay Soni

44.Sandep Garg, Student Programmer, RVCE, Bangalore

45. India can win software race only with free software DHarmendra Gupta

46.Banwari Lal Sharma (Software Developer, Bhopal) -- Yes It should be do=
ne.=20
After all Open Source/FLOSS is the Community which can diminish the MONOP=
OLY of=20
organizations such as Microsoft. They are sucking the world in terms of L=
icense=20
Fee and other Fees.

47. Shakthi Kannan, Software Engineer, Specsoft, Hexaware Technologies, C=
hennai=20
(http://www.geocities.com/shakthimaan). The industry has been using GNU/L=
inux=20
for a long time. By bringing it to the academia on a large-scale it will =
help=20
them and the industry in research and development. I strongly support the=
=20
cause.

48.Vinay.V (Friend and ex-classmate of Thejesh at BTL Institute of Techno=
logy,=20
Bangalore)Villingen, Germany

49. Baishampayan Ghose Student, Shivaji University, Maharashtra

I completely / whole-heartedly support this campaign. I have used GNU/Lin=
ux and=20
OpenOffice? whenever possible during my college. This helped me a lot whe=
n I=20
got a job as a Embedded Systems Programmer at Siemens, Bangalore, which i=
s=20
using linux in many of its projects.

Currently VTU is letting the students select the software required for an=
y=20
particular subject. But this is not enough. The problem is that not much =
of the=20
teaching fraternity in VTU know about available FLOSS tools. I would requ=
est=20
VTU to direct their colleges to train their faculties in FLOSS tools.

50. Vinay Yadav, CTO, vinayRas Infotech, Nagpur (http://www.vinayras.com/=
)=20
Linux is the best solution for our country. Govt should come forward to s=
upport=20
this. Education should not be bounded by any boundary - It should be Open=
.

51. Keshav V, 6th semister CS Student VTU. recomendation of FLOSS in syll=
abus=20
will definetely reduce the investment in software in colleges. Also the f=
reely=20
available source code makes the students to understand how practically th=
e=20
theoritical concepts are implemented, let it be memory management in OS o=
r 3D=20
transformation of graphics object in a graphics package.

52. Gabin Kattukaran, General Manager, Mechelonic Engineers Pvt Ltd, Bomb=
ay I=20
think software lincensing issues are relevant to everyone from Universiti=
es to=20
Colleges to Students to Corporates just as they are to Individuals. In a =
time=20
when India is striving to become a IT Major, it would be extremely unwise=
 to be=20
locked down to closed source solutions that force us to wear blinkers and=
 see=20
the world only as the mega-corporates of the USA want us to. This is espe=
cially=20
true for students in their formative years when the limitations imposed o=
n them=20
will shackle them down for the rest of their carreers.

53. Vaibhav Prakash, post-graduate dept. of Space Sciences, Pune. any sof=
tware=20
should be free(as in freedom).One should have all the rights to change th=
e=20
software according to his needs. free Software is like Science, Einstien =
didn't=20
pay Newton when he modified the laws according to the modern needs!!!

54. Thanikachalam Ananthakrishnan, Mumbai. Software should be *free* (fre=
e as=20
in free speech). It has ample advantages. More references from=20
http://www.gnu.org/

55.Chetan Anand,CSE,RVCE."The Future is OPEN" - so goes a catchline of a=20
worldwide software major which is now pioneering efforts in making FOSS p=
opular=20
as well as the adoption of FOSS as an industry wide standard.VTU, with it=
s=20
Vision 2020 outlined very clearly, now has to take the lead in becoming t=
he=20
first University in India to adopt,encourage and proactively support the =
Free=20
Software Revolution,which will be an unparalleled pioneering step.

56. Zabil C.M, Bangalore (Alma mater NIT Calicut) I use Linux at work. Th=
e=20
introduction to linux happened at my college, where we used linux for=20
pratically everything. Now we have recently made the switch to linux at o=
ur=20
workplace also. The benefits are inherent higher productivity, excellent=20
community support, virtually all kinds of applications at absolutely no c=
ost.=20
For colleges and university Linux should be de-facto.

57. G. Sivakumar, Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, IIT Bombay. =
I=20
fully endorse this petition. Along with CDAC and IBM, IIT Bombay is worki=
ng=20
towards a Resource Centre (OSSRC - http://ossrc.org.in/) that will help i=
n such=20
efforts.

58. Shailesh Mathur, System Administrator. We are using Linux at work for=
 both=20
servers and desktops. We feel more powerful when doing administration of =
Linux=20
as it gives us complete freedom for making changes in any package accordi=
ng to=20
our need and that also without paying anything to anyone. Whereas in Wind=
ows=20
environment, we need to pay everytime, whether we are going for a new pac=
kage,=20
for its upgradation and even for their maintenance. Due to power of Linux=
 most=20
beggest companies have migrated and we have a good example of Om Logistic=
s with=20
us, who have saved around INR 200 crore per annum by migrating to Linux=20
completely.

59. Anish Mathew, System Administrator, I have been using linux for the p=
ast 4=20
years both at work and at home. I struggled very hard to learn the nuance=
s of=20
this flexible OS. No one was there to guide me except the online support =
from=20
websites and mailing lists. Thanks to Free Software Foundation and the wo=
rld=20
wide developer/user community for the extraordinary support and developme=
nt of=20
good competitor for windows applications. Let the coming generation get t=
he=20
chance to learn and grow with this huge software community.

60. Ajay Pal Singh Atwal, Lecturer, BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab=20
(http://www.bbsbec.org): We use GNU/ Linux and related software for teach=
ing=20
and learning and for our various servers for our internet proxy (squid),=20
websites (Content Management Systems: Drupal, Post-Nuke, PHPNuke, PHP-BB =
etc),=20
email (sendmail, qmail, squirrelmail, courier), filesharing (samba) etc. =
I=20
personally use DevC?++ (a GNU GPLed S/W) for teaching Windows Programming=
, and=20
ethreal and tcpdum for teaching Computer Networks. I am very much satisfi=
ed and=20
recommend the use of GNU GPL software.

61. Sameer Niphadkar, BE-CSE KJSCE Mumbai and SCLP Novell Inc : I have be=
en=20
using and advocationg to use GNU/Linux for the last 5 years now. I am mys=
elf=20
very much satisfied by the performance of the OS as well as other FLOSS=20
products. It would really be a positive step if the government and partic=
ularly=20
the academicia adopts Free Software.

62. Ajit N. BE-CSE (RCETM, Madurai,TN) Using GNU/LINUX nurtures the engin=
eering=20
spirit. It is an industry grade operating system.It allows the user to le=
arn=20
about Operating systems and computer programming. Free software developme=
nt=20
projects enable a student to gain hands on experience in developing softw=
are.=20
The guidance available is plenty and the Industry is already moving along=
 the=20
Free(as in Freedom) software way. It would be very helpful and a matter o=
f=20
pride to the students of this university if they are allowed to practise =
their=20
trade in GNU/LINUX instead of the technically inferior, socially disrupti=
ve and=20
market greedy MS WINDOWS and other restrictive licensed software in gener=
al.

63. Aveek Bhattacharya, BE Electronics, Final Year (RVCE Bangalore). I be=
lieve=20
GNU/Linux is the epitome of the spirit of engineering. It allows you to t=
inker=20
with the OS internals, as well as understand how it works. Besides, Free/=
Open=20
Source software is generally available for a large variety of platforms,=20
including MS Windows. A first step would be to move from commercial packa=
ges,=20
costing quite a lot of money, to equivalent Free/Open Source software pac=
kages,=20
while retaining the OS. This phased transition allows the system=20
administrators, faculty and students to get familiar with the software.=20
Incidentaly, I run only GNU/Linux on my PC.

64. I insist using free softwares at centres, which also helps the studen=
t in=20
his career and work place to use free softwares which also reduces his=20
individual expenses

65. I have benifitted from open source. I am a student and i cannot affor=
d to=20
pay exhauburant sum for a propritery software. Please sir do consider ope=
n=20
source/free software also in our curriculum.=20
Jenkin(http://holyghostexpress.com)

66. V. Sasi Kumar, Scientist, Centre for Earth Science Studies,=20
Thiruvananthapuram. Proprietary software prevents society from taking ful=
l=20
advantage of this wonderful technology. It could seriously threaten our f=
reedom=20
in other aspects of our lives also, in its attempt to prevent people from=
=20
freely copying and using the software. Free Software empowers people, hel=
ps=20
society make full use of IT for its benefits.

67. A.Sivakumar B.E. CSE (KLNCE, Madurai). 68. Terry Machado,Scientist, C=
entre=20
for Earth Science studies, Thiruvananthapuram

69. Shiju Paul N., Quality Controller/Electrical Engineer, ASC, Riyadh, S=
audi=20
Arabia. I think our public institutions need not act as the marketing per=
sonnel=20
of any particular company.

70. Zaheer Mohamed K., native of Kochi, Kerala, currently pursuing M.Tech=
=20
Automotive Engg. at VIT, Vellore, Tamilnadu. Strive for Software Freedom!=
 Go=20
for the GNU/Linux OS and Get GNUing!

71. ND, IMHO - FOSS completely fulfils the definition of democracy - of t=
he=20
people, for the people, by the people! Today the support you can get for =
FOSS=20
is terrific - comparable and sometimes even better than most paid softwar=
e. All=20
you need is to join good FOSS groups on the internet - and the FOSS suppo=
rters=20
are more than willing to help with your queries/problems. I support FOSS =
- & I=20
feel everyone should too!

72. Hemanth.G, student (ECE- 6th sem) BTLIT, bangalore- FOSS has provided=
 an=20
every alternative tool for most liscenced tools, in a college like ours w=
e have=20
seen the difficulties in labs, any slight problems in the liscenced tools=
 the=20
company has to come and rectify till then no labs, in case of opensource =
tools=20
any student well worsed with the tools can rectify it, using liscenced to=
ols=20
mean a less no of systems with the tools installed, that means the whole =
batch=20
has to work on limited no of systems, no freedom in lab to experiment you=
r=20
ideas due to time constraints that others are waiting for their turn. my =
PC=20
runs only GNU/Linux and tools i use are mostly Open source tools.

73. Arun K. Khan, B. Tech (IITM, 1979), M.S. (Univ. of Illinois, 1981). I=
 have=20
been using Open Source Software (GNU tools and Linux) since 1994. I have=20
implemented Linux solutions in the Small/Medium Enterprise market with=20
satisfied clients. While *big* enterprises have taken advantage of this=20
technology, most small/medium businesses shy away from adopting Linux in =
their=20
IT department with the excuse "It is hard to find trained Linux=20
developers/administrators." I firmly believe that educational institution=
s such=20
as yours can play a very *significant* role by introducing OSS/Linux rela=
ted=20
courses and *remove* this major "road block" excuse to Linux adoption. I=20
strongly urge educational program directors to introduce this technology =
into=20
their curriculum. From a business perspective, if one can find an OSS/Lin=
ux=20
Administrator/Developer as easily as the guy who can write VB programs or=
=20
develop sites using FrontPage?, I am sure he/she would be more receptive =
to=20
OSS/Linux solutions. Besides, not having to pay for licenses would be a t=
hick=20
icing on the cake. The other significatnt advantage of OSS/Linux is that=20
students have access to source code and can experiment with their ideas a=
nd=20
gain insight into concepts of software design. For a country like India, =
the=20
more qualified/trained OSS/Linux graduates we have, the better it will be=
 for=20
the software development industry, e.g. coming up with new concepts in s/=
w=20
desgin, in the country. Thank you.

74. Sanjay Arora, Managing Director, Transcontinental Impex Pvt. Ltd, Amr=
itsar.=20
I am owner of a North Indian SME. I am using Linux/FOSS Software since la=
st six=20
years. As a businessman, I don't give in to emotional issues, such as try=
ing to=20
promote anything due to idealogy. Franky, FOSS makes Economic Sence. Toda=
y I=20
use a FOSS Intranet, an Extranet, Inhouse E-mail Servers and many other F=
OSS=20
Softwares. Had I used expensive propritory systems, it would have broken =
the=20
back of my IT deptt. To me, FOSS means empowerment. However, we need tale=
nt to=20
augment implementation of FOSS Systems. That's why I whole-heartedly endo=
rse=20
this issue. As a nation, we cannot afford to ignore this issue.

75. Nijanand Mathur,Software Engineer,Hyderabad( Ex- Student of VTU,2003 =
batch)

76. Rashid Kunhi R.H.C.E.

77. Toby Joseph, B.Tech(IT) India simply cannot afford the licensing cost=
s=20
associated with proprietary software. The only solution is to use free=20
software, which is no way inferior to proprietary software, if not superi=
or. As=20
a technologist, haven't you yet noted the fact that the students who use =
Linux=20
are more well versed with operating system concepts and the programming=20
language C/C++? Is that such a bad thing to be avoided? Please encourage =
the=20
use of Linux and other free software and ensure that VTU sets an example =
for=20
other engineering instutions and universities throughout the length and b=
readth=20
of the country.

78. G Karunakar, Project Coordinator, IndLinux?.org ( http://www.indlinux=
.org )=20
. Students should not be just users of software, they should creators. Ev=
en if=20
they are not in Computer Science stream, there is a lot they can do with=20
computers. Using free software, makes a big difference here, it helps the=
m=20
learn how things work and allows creativity , to make useful derivatives =
out of=20
existing software. Also it helps a lot in skill building, since one can g=
o=20
through well written code of others & learn from it faster, all live soft=
ware=20
than just dummy demo ones. It would also help them learn to think differe=
nt,=20
and not just follow the usual route of just study to get a job. Being in =
free=20
software world gives you more than just a job.

79. Ajith B. Use of FLOSS in educational institutions makes a lot of sens=
e -=20
lower costs, flexibility and above all, it allows the students to learn f=
rom=20
the source code.

80. From Richard Stallman <rms at gnu.org>: Schools of all levels should =
insist=20
on Free Software, because proprietary software prohibits learning and bui=
lds=20
dependency. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.html

81. Anand Babu (http://freedom.freeshell.org): "Learn, Improve and Share"=
 is=20
very fundamental to the education system. With proprietary software, stud=
ents=20
can only learn how to use it but can never learn how it works, can never=20
improve it or share it. They need free software. Visit http://www.gnu.org=
 for=20
more info.

82. Ragavan S -- India would do well to take a leaf out of Brazil's noteb=
ook in=20
adopting and encouraging the use of and contributions to free and open so=
urce=20
software. Educational institutions need to play a leadership role in help=
ing to=20
raise awareness of free and open source software.

83. Rohit Patil, California, USA: The petition and comments above spell i=
t out=20
clearly. Here're my comments - FOSS (Free Open Source Software) is good f=
or=20
India, period, and the VTU adopting it would be a step in the right direc=
tion.=20
I wish we had access to this software and documentation when I was in col=
lege,=20
besides access to some useful/helpful lab assistants of course! I hope th=
is=20
Open Source trend spreads to the rest of the scientific fields as well,=20
especially energy research, bio-technology, and the medical and pharmaceu=
tical=20
industry, at least to some extent. Technology is pretty much useless if i=
t=20
doesn't reach the common man, and it's not reaching the common man as of =
now,=20
not in India, and not in the rest of the "developed" world either. Extrem=
ely=20
greedy monopolies aren't good either; most of them are into making money =
for=20
themselves with very little to zero contribution to the field, which has=20
brought us to the state we are in today - hogging off off research done b=
y very=20
few in the in the 19th & 20th (until the '70s and '80s) centuries, and hy=
ping=20
up the rest (remember the dot com fiasco and the mess the Wall Street & C=
o. has=20
created?). FOSS allows people to go after how-things-work instead of acce=
pting=20
this-is-how-it-works-take-it-or-leave-it. FOSS allows people to make it w=
ork=20
better instead of this-is-how-it-works-take-it-or-leave-it. FOSS reduces=20
software piracy =3D> less pressure from the "developed" world on such mat=
ters.=20
And FOSS doesn't cost a paisa! All it requires is the right attitude. FOS=
S IS=20
the right attitude.

84. Nagarjuna G., Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institut=
e of=20
Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India (Free Software Foundation of India,=20
nagarjun at gnu.org.in): Schools and colleges are social and cultural=20
institutions helping in the process of social inheritance from one genera=
tion=20
to the other. It is therefore required that knowledge transmission must b=
e kept=20
free from any proprietary agencies. Free software development, like scein=
tific=20
development, happens as a cultural and social process. All knowledge must=
 be=20
encoded in an open standard and must be kept away from the evil proprieta=
ry=20
agencies. Educational institutions are mightier and have a more important=
=20
social role to play than any multi-national agency, therefore they should=
 not=20
be subjugated by the selfish corporate agencies. It is a pity that a govt=
=20
organization tries to engage in private contracts with a multi-national a=
gency=20
whose motivations are clearly to further only their business. Let us reca=
ll=20
that education is a state subject, and not a corporate subject. People wh=
o are=20
trying to make room for such agencies are slapping on the face of indepen=
dent=20
India. Let us defend our swatantram. Please revoke this MOU and keep educ=
ation=20
free. http://www.gnowledge.org/.

85. Laxminarayan Kamath Ammembal., Bangalore, India : I believe, Free Lib=
re and=20
Open Source Software and the *ideology* behind it being implemented in=20
educational institutions is one of the crucial tasks for India in order t=
o=20
reach our beloved President's vision "2020". And my request goes not just=
 to=20
the Vice-Chancellor of the VTU, but to every person involved in the devel=
opment=20
of the nation, be it education or otherwise, to accept and uplift the spi=
rits=20
of FLOSS as a means to help develop this great nation, and truely stand o=
n its=20
own feet. Till now, It has shown lots of promise to me. But I suggest you=
 dont=20
wait for others to, but, set an example, yourself.

I can say being in the FLOSS world has helped me realise my responsibilit=
ies=20
towards the society. It has taught me true Social Science, in a practical=
 way.=20
And I would like to emphasize an important point: There is a huge differe=
nce=20
between *just using* Open Source Software and being involved in it as a p=
art of=20
the FLOSS community. Again, getting involved is a state of mind. It may b=
e that=20
we still *use* the software, but having the "involved" state of mind help=
s a=20
lot.

I always was sad that current education standards completely lacked moral=
 and=20
practical social science. But it has come from an unlikely source - the w=
orld=20
of software development in the form of FLOSS!

86. Vimal Joseph, Kochi, Kerala.

87. Chandrashekhar Mullaparthi, India. I fully endorse the use of Free an=
d Open=20
Source Software in schools and universities.

88. Aaditya Sood, Bangalore, India. Whole heartedly for free software!

89. Atul Chitnis, Bangalore, India. Goes without saying that FOSS is the =
only=20
way to learn about software. Learning about software by using proprietary=
=20
software is like learning to drive a bicycle by reading a book.

90. Arpit Sud <arpit04 at gmail dot com>, BE ECE Thiagarajar College of E=
ngg.,=20
Madurai. You must lead the way, so that others will follow suit. Adoption=
 of=20
Free Software in schools and colleges is favourable to both the administr=
ators=20
and the student community.

91.Madhavi Ramarao

92. Vaibhav Bora, Bangalore Great institutes like the IITs are majorly in=
to=20
Linux and free software. I really don't know what is stopping so many col=
leges=20
today to go for more expensive proprietary software which actually curtai=
ls=20
learning by abstracting so much.

93. Guys the market in in open source lets go for it - Murali Sriram

One more suggestion, please make this petition to all the universities in=
 India=20
and the world.

94. Mahesh T. Pai, Advocate, Ernakulam. It is important that students lea=
rn to=20
use Free Software, because Freesoftware gives them freedom, and frees the=
ir=20
minds from the clutches of vendors who seek to lock in minds of future=20
developers and users.

95. Sayamindu Dasgupta, Developer and student - Institute of Technology a=
nd=20
Marine Engineering (under the West Bengal University of Technology)

96. R.Balasubramanyam - Bangalore University
FSUG-Bangalore | RecentChanges
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