[Fsf-friends] a preliminary draft of how to extend the reach of FSF-India

[Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay]

hi,

attached please find a preliminary draft of how to extend the reach of
FSF-I so as to ensure that greater number of volunteers join the fold.

it is a bit hurried and slap-dash in nature, but i do await some review
of the same.

warm regards
sankarshan



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Everything that has a beginning, has an end - free your mind.
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A VISION FOR THE FUTURE :: WHERE DOES FSF-INDIA GO FROM HERE ?
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Sometime back a newsgroup posting was abuzz with the (then) odd proposal that the year 2005 would see a greater amount of involvement and contributions to the Free Software Movement (and the Open Source paradigm) by volunteers, enthusiasts and developers from India, SE-Asia and the APAC region in general.

We are standing at the end of 2003 and already the fact is evident. Growing number of hackers and supports, tribes of evangelists have provided the movement a momentum hitherto lacking and pumped in renewed vigor.

In India, the spearhead for the movement is FSF-India, thus it is ideal that a well publicised and concerted policy document is made available that analyses the long-term vision as well as the short term strategic goals of the organisation. In his numerous posts to various newsgroups and magazines, Frederick Noronha raises some very important questions on the direction and aim of the 'Free' model of software development in India (thanks FN !). Based on introspection and his interaction with the community at large, FN tries to provide a glimpse into the directions and champion the cause.

The Free Software Foundation has an unique place in the annals of organisations involved in the domain of software. At one end it is the philosophical touchstone of a legion of software 'hackers' and at the other it is a very effective body engaged in lobbying about software deployment and implementation models. Thus, any policy document should incorporate and enrich these important aims of the Foundation. By 'Foundation' in this case I refer to the FSF-India.

(Before reading any further, I feel that it would be pertinent and relevant to add a caveat - what follows below is a personal opinion. I have not interacted with the Board members of  the Foundation and this means that as on date I do not know if a document like this already is in place. However, I consider myself and Free Software enthusiast and proudly declare myself to be one. As such, I believe that this document might provoke discussion and debate, but the integrity and sincerity will not be placed under the scanner. )

In the coming 12 months, the country will see various state governments undertaking enterprise scale deployment of IT. Effusively termed as 'e-governance initiatives', these efforts are aimed at optimising cost while providing for a healthy Return on Investment (ROI). These are terms of economics and thus using different models will lead to arrival at varied figures, but this is not the crux of the idea.

The Foundation is an extremely aggressive (and I am proud of that fact) and effective lobbying organisation, capable of providing fact-based commentary while interacting with state governments. Thus -

[1] one of the primary aims of the Foundation should be the dissemination of information to state level representatives who can interact with the concerned ministries and raise issues of interest. This translates into the fact that a repository of case studies, analysis reports and business models need to conveyed in a seamless manner to ensure that updated information is always at hand.

[2] subsequent to this there is a need to create a ground-level movement in order to attract fresh faces into the FSF fold. This means that a sustained and active campaign is required to be pursued at entry levels in colleges and technical institutions so as to ensure that the philosophical moorings are put in place.

[3] an ongoing project entails the creation of a 'Free Software Directory' on a global scale. We have an emerging opportunity to contribute to that by encouraging volunteers as well as creating our own pool of software developers (and perhaps hackers-to-be). A strategy of coordinating with institutes aligned to such a concept by providing 'micro-grants' (a term coined by FN) so as to encourage/sponsor a developer would go a long way. By putting in clauses that ensure to check 're-invention of wheels' as well as social relevance, a vibrant community could perhaps be created for the future.

[4] while keeping 'freedom' in software as our main aim, we need to look into areas where the freedom so cherished by us would find greater relevance and resonance. perhaps in the domain of publishing of scientific works, preservation of public domain literature, promotion of indigenous culture - these are areas that might benefit immediately from the technical expertise that the hacker community brings to the table.

[5] last but not the least, maintain high visibility through a presence on the web by means of Freedom Matters - the journal. Used in conjunction with various FSF-India 'roadshows' the journal has the potential to become the center point of discussions and analysis.




December 07, 2003