[Reader-list] GNU/Linux in India... an interim update

[Frederick Noronha]

GNU/LINUX IN INDIA... AN INTERIM UPDATE
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Doing something you love is anyway fun. Realising that your work is of
quite some potential value is an even more of a reward. And getting paid 
to do it... well, makes you feel guilty about wanting to do a job that
justifies it.

That, in brief, is the situation about my project 'India's Contribution to
GNU/Linux', which was one of those selected by www,sarai.net.

GNU/Linux has been something of a passion. It was something I feel in love
with ideologically even before I (being a non-techie, journalist) started
using this alternative computer Operating System. It doesn't take enormous
perception to realise that Free Software has enormous implications for a
country like India. It could make a critical difference in (i) making
software more affordable here (ii) allowing Indian software talent to do
work which is far more relevant to Indian needs (iii) challenging
restrictive concepts like copyright that end up terming the large bulk of
the human race as "pirates" (iv) unleashing the true software potential of
"talent-rich, resource-poor" regions of the globe ... and in other ways.

Since I've been involved in the GNULinux campaign (largely watching,
amazed from the bylines), getting started was not too tough. 

But over the past few months, since the boost from Sarai's choice, I've
been able to immerse myself much more deeply into the subject.

A few contributions to the 'cause', made by way of my
research-writing-participation contribution, which could be listed (this
is work-in-progress, and in some areas the contribution is only nominal to
slight, or moderate): 

	* Haphazardly beginning to document the contributions
	  being made by Indians to GNU/Linux. Contrary to the
	  earlier pessimism, the contribution is actually quite
	  interesting... and growing. Such success stories could
	  inspire a lot of others, to encourage Indian
	  and South Asian creativity to burst forth on the 
	  Free Software/Open Source scene globally. For a
	  tentative needing-to-be-updated list please
	  visit http://linuxinindia.pitas.net. (The clumsy
	  website, done using a blogger's tool, is testimony
	  to my poor HTML skills. But the point still holds.)

	* I've tried to network GNULinux campaigners through a
	  number of mailing lists, in India, in South Asia... and
	  in a few cases, beyond. Anyone wanting a list of
	  Third World / Asian Linux groups (obviously not
	  complete) could request me.

	* Am working to network three vital actors (i) Free Software
	  or Open Source proponents (ii) the ICT-for-development
	  campaigners and (iii) NGOs or the development sector,
	  all of which have strengths that could gain in a 
	  major way from one another.

	* In an effort to cut across political biases, am
	  particularly trying to link up information across
	  South Asia, including in Pakistan (through PLUC, the
	  Pakistan Linux users' network; Dawn's pages, and
	  also through the Internet magazine SPIDER). 

	* In collaboration with SandipBhattacharya of New Delhi,
	  I'm working to support http://opennews.indianissues.org
	  which is a site focussing on Open Source and Free
	  Software news from India. This is in a very preliminary
	  stage.

	* In a quest to higlight the Indian involvement with
	  GNULinux, I have just begun contributing to 
	  linuxgazette.com
	
	* To practise what one preaches, am also trying to
	  unleash the potential of Free Software in my
	  own personal work. Please see www.indialists.org
	  (link to Indian mailing lists, those being set up
	  by me are mostly on GNU/Linux's Mailman) and also
	  http://www.freenewsgoa.net (an attempt to build a
	  journalist-cooperative run news site for Goa).

	* Most importantly, I'm trying to explore the concept
	  of what the term 'Free' as in Free Software means
	  in a South Asian or Third World context. (In the West,
 	  particularly the US, it implies free speech, not
	  free beer. But what sort of freedom it is that
	  excludes nine-tenths by the mere logic of high
	  costs? A debate on this issue has been heatedly taken
	  up on the Free Software Foundation-India mailing
	  list, and my dream is to push for a South Asian
	  understanding of the context. FN
--
Frederick Noronha * Freelance Journalist * Goa * India 832.409490 / 409783
BYTESFORALL www.bytesforall.org  * GNU-LINUX http://linuxinindia.pitas.com
Email fred at bytesforall.org * SMS 9822122436 at attcell.net * Saligao Goa India
Writing with a difference... on what makes *the* difference