[ubuntu-in] Delhi University sells out to M$

[Vickram Crishna]

Thanks Ram

On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 12:16 PM, Ramnarayan.K <ramnarayan.k at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi Arjun,
>
> Sorry for the top post , however it is a reposne to the issue and not
> your mail per se.
> Strategy :
>
> First:
> I think rather than individual emails we need a large collective
> response , a single letter should be drafted and we should get this
> signed - digital signs with names and / or physically signed and this
> then should be posted to all the authorities. Thebiggest / seniromost
> ones as well. Post it registered.
>

First, to define 'all the authorities' - someone (in Delhi, obviously) needs
to do the work of identifying who this includes, and get the email/physical
addresses. Such suggestions, while being valid, are not really helpful
unless you yourself can do some or all of this work yourself. I hope this is
what you meant.

>
> A copy of the letter should be posted to all / as many national and
> international LUG / OPen Source user groups. We can decide who posts
> to which list
> i can post to India GII (am CC'ing Arun Mehta, Vickram Crishna)
>

With due respect, it is OT for the India-GII list. I have instead copied the
FOSSCOMM list, where it is already under discussion under the same subject
line, and where your suggestions will be considered and developed wherever
feasible - and which you may therefore want to consider joining.

>
> A copy should be sent to IT / Software journalists to high light the
> issue. Again we can decie who posts where (i can post - alreafdy have
> cc'ed Fredrick Noromha. Send a copy of the mail to Linux for your.
>
> Also consult  leading open source and Linux advocates (Raj Mathur,
> Kishore Bhargava ) and linux friends (Vivek Iyyer)
>

...who are probably already on the FOSSCOMM list.

>
> Consult the FSF india people (any one on this list from there)
>

ditto


>
> Second
>
> and we have to argue / protest on the basis of some facts. Not on
> emotion, argue the case - the economic, the proprietary nature is not
> conducive to freee learning and experimentation.
>

Ram, this is to a large extent reinventing the wheel. Not only are the
relevant arguments fairly completely developed in writing, but they draw
attention to specific guidelines/policies currently existing of both the GoI
and Education Ministry regarding support for open software and
documentation.

>
> Do some research on how and why other Univs adopted open source and
> contact them for more details and experience and use their arguements
> as well.
>

Also done: but of course this is an ongoing process as more and more
universities adopt this approach.

Personally, I have seen that agreements or discussions between MS and other
proprietary companies and representatives of public bodies such as
universities tend to get publicised even before any real work or commitment
has taken place. Which is not to minimise the danger - quite the opposite,
it is as if such an announcement forces the hand of the public body, which
then carries on as though it is fait accompli.

This means, therefore, that quick action can ameliorate much of the genuine
negativity of the announcement, and that the university can be persuaded to
move away from this approach, although it may not result in announcements to
that effect. In fact, imho there are only a handful of journalists currently
capable (which includes getting such stories past their editors) of
reporting regularly and in an unbiased fashion on FOSS/proprietary
developments.



> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Arjun Ghosh অর্জুন
> <arjunghosh at gmail.com> wrote:
> > We should do what we can.
> > For now I think we should send the following to ILLL at the following
> > address to let the people at ILLL know that their actions have been
> noticed
> > by the FOSS community.
> http://www.illl.ac.in/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=105
> > The email could also be sent to:
> > Dr. Vimal Rarh
> > Academic Secretary, ILLL-ICT
> > vimalrarh at yahoo.com
> > "We who are members of the FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) community
> > wish to register our extreme anguish about the ongoing partnership of the
> > ILLL-ICT with Microsoft Corporation.
> > Ostensibly, designed to promote computer awareness among the Delhi
> > University faculty, this course promotes Microsoft and proprietorial
> options
> > as the only computing options available. Though on paper the course
> content
> > does include some Open Source tools, it has been reported that in
> practice
> > attention is focused only on proprietorial software particularly those
> > designed by Microsoft.
> > Delhi University being a publicly funded, publicly owned institution,
> this
> > initiative of ILLL to promote Microsoft can be termed 'unethical' in the
> > least. The ILLL-ICT-Microsoft initiative is also subvertive of earlier
> > attempts of the Delhi University Computer Centre which had taken
> significant
> > measures to promote the use of Free and Open Source Software in the
> > university.
> > We call upon the ILLL to shun such blatant Microsoft-propaganda in the
> > future and would be only too willing to help the ILLL meet its commitment
> to
> > spreading computer awareness through FOSS alternatives."
> > PLease feel free to reword the mail.
> > --
> > ubuntu-in mailing list
> > ubuntu-in at lists.ubuntu.com
> > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-in
> >
> >
>



-- 
Vickram
http://communicall.wordpress.com
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