[FSF India] Talking about free software in schools

[Nagarjuna G.]

On 6 Nov 2001, Khuzaima A. Lakdawala wrote:

->Friends,
->
->Last month I had posted a draft proposal for an advocacy project on
->fsf-edu (http://gnu.org.in/pipermail/fsf-edu/2001-October/000010.html)
->to which there was an overwhelming response (none :)
->
->I point you to it again in the hope of eliciting some inputs,
->comments, suggestions or pointers to similar projects which may be
->already going on and which I could join.
->

   We are not doing in a systematic manner, as you have
   suggested, in Mumbai, but we are doing for the last three
   years, workshops, giving lectures etc.  There are effects.
   There is also greater demand.  Presently it looks like if we
   could harness merely the demand created, we are already doing
   what we should be doing.  But I do agree with you that we
   should do it professionally.  However the problem is that we
   are functioning mostly as individuals, though we sometimes
   exhibit good coordination, I should admit that we are a
   heterogenous group.  May be we need more ideas about how we
   impliment this in a larger country like ours.

   There is another problem.  The Mumbai group particularly
   started as a GNU/Linux Users Group, and not as FSF - India.
   When we went out and started talking about Freesoftware we
   talked about everything under the sun, such as Free/Open RH,
   SuSE, Caldera, Mandrake etc, including of course GNU/Debian.
   We do have a big group, but if we start an explicit campaign
   under the banner of FSF-I, I am afraid, I may be excluding a
   few of the core members.  So the numbers that remain may not
   be sufficient to support a movement.  On the otherhand, it is
   wise to be with the heterogenous group and continue to talk
   about the ethics and politics of free software as and when the
   opportunity arises.  E.g., I dont refuse to install RH or SuSE
   in a workshop, though I would love to show them Debian.  I do
   make use of the opportunity to talk about the differences both
   in substance and spirit.  I want to know whether others also
   face similar situations.

   Nagarjuna