[FSUG-Bangalore] GNU grazing on the 22nd November

[renuka prasad]

On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 8:50 PM, Vikram Vincent <vincentvikram at gmail.com>wrote:

> Meeting attended by:
> Senthil
> Vikram
> Balaji
> Justin
> Rakesh
> Arun
> Rafeek
> Rasinesh
> Krishna Kumar
> Nidhin
> Nirmal
>
> Surendra
>
> Minutes of the meeting:
> The agenda discussed was the VTU-Microsoft tie up.
> Equivalent to providing free tobacco to students and getting them hooked.
> NRCFOSS and other syllabus focussing on free sofware and open standards are
> already available.
> Many institutions like IISc and IITs are also good examples.
> Free software alternates to be suggested to VTU instead of proprietary
> software.
> "Say no to vendor lock-in in education" campaign
> Alternate catchy titles:
> Today's dreamspark tomorrow's dark dreams
> etc...
>
> Awareness campaign vigil on the 29th of September at 5PM at either Town
> Hall or Gandhi statue, MG road.
>
> Ideas for the campaign:
> -- tying hands and books with hand cuffs
> -- humourous posters.
>
>
>  Since multiple groups and teams will collaborate on this campaign it was
> decided to have all participate under the joint banner of "Volunteers for
> Free Software – Karnataka"
>
> The participating groups are:
>
> -- Swatantra.Org
>
> -- Kannada bloggers
>
> -- C3 computing centre
>
> -- FSUG Bangalore
>
> -- Anybody else
>

Where are the people who are associated with VTU?

The above plan and below things looks very nice for a general protest
against the tie ups mentioned above, but without a single concern for all
those who are associated with VTU i think this will not be very effective
w.r.t VTU-M$ tie-up.

First all of us have to understand how university is functioning.

Where are the Management , Priciapals,BOE chairmans, Representation from
Different colleges , BOE committee members , Syllabus Board ,  (policy
makers / enforcing authorities / applying bodies ) without having a single
person associated with the protest i feel it would not be very effective ...

Whatever / whoever approaches finally it is voice from the people who are
associated with the university has to be raised and we have to find a way of
involving those first .

We are already late -------- problem is we are lazy ( i am referring myself
and others within VTU like me )
Microsoft / IBM /Sun / Infosys / Wipro /Adobe ...etc etc has already
identified representatives in each college and are paid as par to the
industries for imparting the proprietary technologies with and also apart
from curriculum.....

I am seeing regular circulars where by default each college has to depute
faculties / colleges for thier regular workshops and all those circulars are
coming under VC -letter pad

Two satellites regularly braodcasts tutorials / courses about the
proprietary technologies ---

What are the ways left for us to tackle
............................................????????

So my suggestion is to make first students / faculties /
HOD/Pricipals/Management associated with VTU aware about the problems of
having proprietary technologies in the curriculum , and awareness has to
happen in each and every campus

( if we suggest the changes ----------------- who are the people who will
train the trainers and who will give any support whenever required , these
are the question i have already faced when i previously approached for using
the alternate for TALLY -- we should be ready with answers - is what i
meant.....

First of all we should see that free software community representatives are
invloved in syllabus framing commitee --- without that how will any one even
look at the posssibilities......................who are the people whom they
can involve  in the board of syllabus framing commitee....
How can any one invlove a stranger in the commitee --------these are the
challenges that we need to face ------------Thats why first we should take
people associated with the university in to confidence and then proceed ...

Involving people who are associated with VTU is as important as having a
awareness program / protest / syllabus review .............

Think abt this and lets work keeping this important point in
mind---------------is my suggestion ..



>
> Responsibilities:
> Press meet: Jaykumar, Justin
> Try to involve Girish Karnad or UR Ananta Murthy, CK Meena, Nemichandra,
> Arundathi Nag -- Senthil, Balaji
> DTP and design: Arun and Rakesh
> Police permission: Vikram
> Prepare team to meet VTU special officer to give representation: SurendraPlease fill in any details I may have missed out.
>
Vikram Vincent
>
> _______________________________________________
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> FSUG-Bangalore at mm.gnu.org.in
> http://mm.gnu.org.in/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fsug-bangalore
>
>
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