Dear All,

In order to spread awareness about Free Software Camp, I need a write up which I will email to people. I have written the following and would like to ask for suggestions to improve the write up. Thanks.

Write up:

“Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer”. We sometimes call it “libre software,” borrowing the French or Spanish word for “free” as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software is gratis. Currently, many people use proprietary software that denies users these freedoms and benefits.

The corporations behind proprietary software will often spy on your activities and restrict you from sharing with others. And because our computers control much of our personal information and daily activities, proprietary software represents an unacceptable danger to a free society.

Announcing Free Software Camp

I am glad to announce that the Free Software Foundation of India is launching 'Free Software Camp 2020'. The Free Software Camp is an online mentorship camp on free software and will start in October and run till end of February. There is no fees to join the camp. Anyone can join and learn about Free Software.

The Free Software Camp will be a valuable opportunity for anyone who wishes to become a contributor to free software projects but feels like they need structured mentorship and a learning environment to get started. It will also be an opportunity for existing free software contributors to get new contributors to their project and facilitate their entry into the free software community.

Application links for learners and mentors are open now on the camp website and will be so till October 15. For more details please visit: https://camp.fsf.org.in/.

Useful Links:

  1. Free Software Camp 2020 Launches On Software Freedom Day: https://fsf.org.in/news/free-software-camp-2020-announcement/
  2. Free Software Camp website: https://camp.fsf.org.in/
  3. What is Free Software? https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
  4. Why we must insist on free software https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html
  5. Free Software Foundation of India: https://fsf.org.in/
  6. Why “Open Source” misses the point of Free Software https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html
-- 
Ravi Dwivedi