FSUG-Bangalore April 2008

fsug-bangalore@mm.gnu.org.in

20 participants
37 discussions

Fwd: Belenix 0.7 is available !
by S h i v 15 Apr '08

15 Apr '08

Hi All, It is a pleasure to announce the release of the BeleniX 0.7 after a gap of close ~11 months. The features that is packed have needed the time. We look forward to the foss community members to use it, provide us feedback, and contribute... People interested in using it should consider joining belenix-discuss(a)opensolaris.org People interested in contributing should join belenix-dev(a)opensolaris.org #belenix at freenode.net is a common space for both. best regards Shiv ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: S h i v <shivakumar.gn(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 12:15 PM Subject: Belenix 0.7 is available ! To: opensolaris-announce(a)opensolaris.org, distribution-discuss(a)opensolaris.org, opensolaris-discuss(a)opensolaris.org, OpenSolaris Advocacy <advocacy-discuss(a)opensolaris.org>, Belenix Discuss <belenix-discuss(a)opensolaris.org>, BeleniX Development <belenix-dev(a)opensolaris.org>, Bangalore OpenSolaris User Group <ug-bosug(a)opensolaris.org> Hello All, After a long gap and lots of things happening behind the scenes, we are pleased to announce the availability of BeleniX 0.7. This release marks a considerable change in the evolution of BeleniX. With 0.7, BeleniX is now a source level derivative of Project Indiana. As such it has most of the Indiana features except for Image Packaging which is still in the works. V0.7 is installable to the harddisk and supports ZFS root. Following are the highlights of the release: * Re-branded Caiman Installer installs BeleniX to ZFS root. * The Distro Constructor is adapted as the BeleniX Constructor. * Fully packaged. All software in BeleniX are delivered via SVR4 packages unlike the previous releases. * BeleniX now includes the full 64Bit Kernel and libraries. The LiveCD is still 32Bit, but the 64Bit kernel is booted on 64Bit CPUs after installation to harddisk. * Properly integrated and themed KDE 3.5.8. BeleniX now includes the K Display Manager SMF service which comes up by default while booting from harddisk. People familiar with the legacy DTlogin will welcome its ability to drop down to Console Login unlike GDM and the seamless desktop login (again unlike GDM!). * Synced up with ON Build 81. * 0.7 Includes packages from various other OpenSolaris consolidations: Fully Open X, SFWNV, JDS, NWS, Docs (man pages), Developer Product Tools etc. BeleniX includes some 650+ software packages in the LiveCD with more via a separate download. * Additional software can be downloaded via the /usr/bin/get-pkgs utility. Please see the Release Notes for more details. This is a temporary measure till BeleniX migrates to Image Packaging with its own repository. * The bundled in Gtk-Qt theme engine provides Qt theming support for GTk apps running under KDE. * The Firefox form widgets look better thanks to KDEwidgets from Kde-Look.org. * The BeleniX Development project is now hosted off SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/belenix. The SVN repository hosts all the SPEC files used to build additional FOSS packages for BeleniX and sources and packages of all BeleniX tools utilities, BeleniX Constructor and Branding stuff - check it out. The Release Notes contain other important info and is a must read: http://www.genunix.org/distributions/belenix_site/?q=ReleaseNotes_0.7 The belenix 0.7 download information is available at http://www.genunix.org/distributions/belenix_site/?q=download Overall, we hope this release has a reached a level of usability where you can actually install and use it as regular desktop environment and enjoy KDE on OpenSolaris. This announcement with a few additional points is available at http://www.genunix.org/distributions/belenix_site/?q=node/69 best regards Shiv

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Groklaw picked up NITC Students Open Letter & Todays Hindu Report
by Anivar Aravind 15 Apr '08

15 Apr '08

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080414181840439 Anyway, the protests continue, for the simple reason that people are disgusted by what they saw, I gather, and they understand what's at stake. In India there was an Open Letter to Wipro, Infosys and TCS published recently by students at the National Institute of Technology. It begins like this: This letter is to express our deep disappointment over your open support to the OOXML format forced through ISO by Microsoft. Being the top IT giants and thus the representatives of the IT industry in the country, it is a great shock to us that you do not stand with academia of the country and its representatives like the IITs, IIMs and IISc in supporting the Open Document Format (ODF) which is a true Free and Open Standard already recognised as an ISO Standard. Of course, India voted against OOXML, but the students noticed the vote breakdown: 1. National Informatics Center - NO 2. Center for Development of Advanced Computing - NO 3. Computer Society of India - NO 4. Department of IT - NO 5. IBM - NO 6. Institute for Electronic Governance - Absent 7. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad - NO 8. Indian Institute of Science - NO 9. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi - NO 10. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay - NO 11. Infosys - YES 12. Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkatta - NO 13. Manufacturers Association of IT - Abstain 14. Microsoft - YES 15. National Association of Software and Services Companies - YES 16. National Institute of Smart Governance - Absent 17. Reserve Bank of India - Absent 18. Red Hat - No 19. Standardization Testing and Quality Certification Directorate - NO 20. Sun - NO 21. Tata Computer Services - YES 22. Wipro - YES (for changing India's vote from NO to Abstain) The students noticed such fine details, and their letter was a request for an explanation. By the way, did you notice that Sun voted No? Just to put to rest the conspiracy theorists out there busily spinning some fables. Todays Hindu Report doesn't get all the details right, but they noticed the same thing the students did: The BIS, which represents India at ISO, had 19 members of which 13 voted against Microsoft’s OOXML. Many academics and colleges (NIT-Calicut among others) have written open letters to TCS, Infosys, NASSCOM, Wipro (that voted to abstain) and Microsoft (voted in favour of OOXML). There is a rising fear among academics and advocates of free software standards that BIS will come under pressure in the absence of any national policy. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the only two States who have a policy in place. “Very big voices like NASSCOM and Infosys that have not participated in even one meeting have voted irresponsibly. We fear that if such lobbying continues, academics and individuals like us will be put on the defensive, unless there is a policy in place,” said Nagarjuna G., professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, who was part of the technical committee of BIS. This committee alone identified 200-odd technical flaws in OOXML’s 7,000 page document — the Open Document Format is 600 pages — and more than 1,000 others were identified internationally. I see I am not alone in viewing OOXML as a move of aggression. Microsoft must be realizing by now by the outpouring of dismay all over the world that this isn't just a typical vendor fight, where winner takes all and everyone shakes hands and moves on. The public cares about ODF, because it realizes it will impact every one of us directly, and we see the obvious, that OOXML is a spoiler. This has nothing to do with market share.

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Todays Hindu News on Candle Light Vigil for Document freedom
by Anivar Aravind 14 Apr '08

14 Apr '08

http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/15/stories/2008041554380500.htm Techies protest proprietary standards; seek policy Deepa Kurup ISO adopts Microsoft’s Office Open XML as a document standard 13 of 19 members of BIS voted against Microsoft’s OOXML More than technical flaws identified in OOXML’s document BANGALORE: Ever since the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) vote on April 2 adopted Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) as a document standard, techie blogs and websites have been inundated with posts and articles voicing their opposition to proprietary software and technical issues with the new standard. Organisations and online communities — such as the Free Software User Group and the Free and Open Source Software — are looking to raise the issue more aggressively in the public domain. “We call the OOXML format a “banana standard.” Besides raising awareness, we want the Government to formulate a policy supporting Open Standards and also appeal the ISO mandate,” said Anivar Aravind, a software consultant who will participate in a rally in front of the Town Hall on Tuesday to raise awareness about Open Document formats and demand a national policy on standardisation and use of Open Software. In simple words, the problem is one of compatibility, an important issue in this digital world. For example, take the much hyped e-governance. If the Government maintains its land records in a certain digital format, and the documentation uses a proprietary format, then a user will have to keep upgrading his operating system to access the record. Proponents of Free Software argue that even with Microsoft’s old document format (.doc), a file created seven to eight years ago may not be recognised by a modern operating systems such as XP. “This is like being sold a house without being given the key to it. We need public support to take it to the policy level,” says Venkatesh Hariharan, who was part of a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) committee. The BIS, which represents India at ISO, had 19 members of which 13 voted against Microsoft’s OOXML. Many academics and colleges (NIT-Calicut among others) have written open letters to TCS, Infosys, NASSCOM, Wipro (that voted to abstain) and Microsoft (voted in favour of OOXML). There is a rising fear among academics and advocates of free software standards that BIS will come under pressure in the absence of any national policy. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the only two States who have a policy in place. “Very big voices like NASSCOM and Infosys that have not participated in even one meeting have voted irresponsibly. We fear that if such lobbying continues, academics and individuals like us will be put on the defensive, unless there is a policy in place,” said Nagarjuna G., professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, who was part of the technical committee of BIS. This committee alone identified 200-odd technical flaws in OOXML’s 7,000 page document — the Open Document Format is 600 pages — and more than 1,000 others were identified internationally. The National Knowledge Commission Report 2006 and the Eleventh Five Year plan for Information Technology recommend Free Software.

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SMPADA GNU/Linux Install Fest
by Anivar Aravind 14 Apr '08

14 Apr '08

Kannada on your computer, the easy way Special Correspondent Volunteers will help you install the programme on your PC http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/15/stories/2008041550490200.htm Bangalore: Do you wish you could use Kannada on your computer with the same ease as English? Then there is help for you from a group of Free and Open Source Software enthusiasts associated with the online community, Sampada. AGNU/Linux Habba will have qualified volunteers helping you install Linux on your computer, on April 26, at the Super Computer Research Centre at the Indian Institute of Science. They will show you how to type in Kannada and configure and optimise your system for Kannada. Take an empty CD along and they will copy your favourite GNU/Linux distribution on it for you. The experts will answer any question you may have on its usage. The edit on Sampada.net explains the need for such a festival: “Many users who are new to Linux find it difficult to install Linux on their systems. Several users who have started out with GNU/Linux, after reading articles about it in the community, have come back with roadblocks they faced configuring the installation for Kannada rendering and usage. We are planning this fest to address these issues and spend an afternoon having fun installing GNU/Linux.” Volunteers attended a day-long workshop on Sunday at Bangalore to prepare for the festival. “Some people have come all the way from Mysore,” says Hariprasad Nadig, the man behind the Sampada initiative. Those who want to participate in the festival can register at http://kannada.sampada.net/habba.

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Candle light Vigil for Document freedom
by Anivar Aravind 11 Apr '08

11 Apr '08

On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 11:18 AM, tb dinesh <dinesh(a)servelots.com> wrote: > Maybe we can continue this at IIMB on 19/20 barcamp? > > Maybe also have a session on the OOXML - politics and technology. sure. What about a title "Technopolitrics : The ooxml way" Renuka prasad called me now and said that nearly 50 students from RV college will participate in Candle light Vigil for Document freedom he also suggested about changing the venue to Townhall , which will give more visibility than gandhi park (if number of participants are high.) what others think? we need to finalize it today itself Anivar > > On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 8:33 AM, Anivar Aravind > <anivar.aravind(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Dear vikram > > I think all points we discussed yesterday didn't came on your in mail > > > > As per yesterdays discussion it is a candle light vigil for Document freedom > > Venue:gandhi park, MG road > > Date: 15th April 2008 > > Time : 6.00 PM > > > > The Candle light vigil demands BIS to appeal ISO approval of ooxml based > > on its comments and no vote. > > More than ooxml , The programme is planned as a starting point for > > various events & awareness campaigns on Document freedom > > > > Anivar Aravind > >

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Demonstration against approval of OOXML by ISO amid huge irregularities
by Vikram Vincent 11 Apr '08

11 Apr '08

Hello, Today evening 10 of us from FSUG, BMSCE, RVCE, Christ College, HP.... had a meeting and we decided to have a candle light vigil to pressurise BIS to appeal against OOXML being given ISO status amid huge irregularities. As rightly observed somewhere on cyberspace, this campaign has now moved from being technical into being very political. Date:15th April, 2008 Time: 18:00hrs Venue: Mahatma Gandhi statue, MG road, Bangalore We request all to please participate and also support in any way possible. -> For instance, maybe Sun can sponsor a nice huge flex/banner and a couple hundred CDs/DVDs of OO.o apart from stirring up the media... Joe.. hope you are listening... -> Get some NGOs involved. Senthil and Balaji What say you?(Since I saw quite a few mails in this regard). -> Campaign at some educational institutions that do not have exams. -> Keep a huge stock of candles before M$ cleans out the market. -> Contact media -> Get police permission(I'll handle this) -> maybe create an OOXML banner made of bananas (as in Banana republic ;)) -> Others that may have been forgotten but are absolutely necessary... -- Vikram Vincent +919448810822 http://www.swatantra.org/ http://translate.swatantra.org/

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Re: [FSUG-Bangalore] Joomla
by Frederick Noronha [फ़र ेदरिक नोर ोनया] 10 Apr '08

10 Apr '08

Hi Ranjan, How about roping in people from the FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) network? FN On 10/04/2008, Dwivedi, Ranjan <dwivedir(a)unaids.org> wrote: > > > > > Hi Frederick, > > How have you been and it's been a long time. > > While responses come from BFA members, if there are any contacts on this > issue you know of, great if you can send them. > > The www.ngogateway.org site is currently hosted in Bangalore, so even good > people there may be of help. > > Regards, > > Ranjan > > +91-9810505068 > > > > > Ranjan Dwivedi > > Technical Advisor, UNAIDS > > A2/35 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi, India-110029 > > Tel +91-11-41354545 Ext. 317; Fax +91-11-41354534 > > dwivedir(a)unaids.org; ranjandwivedi(a)gmail.com > > www.unaids.org.in > > www.ngogateway.org > > -- ---------------------------------------------------------- Frederick 'FN' Noronha | Ym/Gmailtalk: fredericknoronha http://fn.goa-india.org | fred(a)bytesforall.org Independent Journalist | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9970157402 ----------------------------------------------------------

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An Open Letter to Wipro, Infosys and TCS
by Praveen A 09 Apr '08

09 Apr '08

http://www.fossmeet.in/node/128 6th April 2008 This letter is to express our deep disappointment over your open support to the OOXML format forced through ISO by Microsoft. Being the top IT giants and thus the representatives of the IT industry in the country, it is a great shock to us that you do not stand with academia of the country and its representatives like the IITs, IIMs and IISc in supporting the Open Document Format (ODF) which is a true Free and Open Standard already recognised as an ISO Standard. Considering that a major portion of your employees come from such institutions, it is a wonder to us that you have decided to go ahead with this decisions. We would like to hear your explanation with respect to these points :-(quoted from www.noooxml.org/petition) 1. There is already a standard ISO26300 named Open Document Format (ODF): a dual standard adds costs, uncertainty and confusion to industry, government and citizens; 2. There is no provable implementation of the OOXML specification: Microsoft Office 2007 produces a special version of OOXML, not a file format which complies with the OOXML specification; 3. There is information missing from the specification document, for example how to do a ´autoSpaceLikeWord95´ or ´useWord97LineBreakRules´; 4. More than 10% of the examples mentioned in the proposed standard do not validate as XML; 5. There is no guarantee that anybody can write software that fully or partially implements the OOXML specification without being liable to patent lawsuits or patent license fees by Microsoft; 6. This format conflicts with existing ISO standards, such as ISO 8601 (Representation of dates and times), ISO 639 (Codes for the Representation of Names and Languages) or ISO/IEC 10118-3 (cryptographic hash); 7. There is a bug in the spreadsheet file format which forbids any date before the year 1900: such bugs affect the OOXML specification as well as software applications like Microsoft Excel 2000, XP, 2003 and 2007. 8. This standard proposal was not created by bringing together the experience and expertise of all interested parties (such as the producers, sellers, buyers, users and regulators), but by Microsoft alone. With this decision, the impression you are making on your future employees in the academia is not a very pretty one. In fact, the development of OOXML receiving ISO´s approval has devalued our confidence in the standards setting process itself. We hope that you will put self-profit behind our country´s needs, change your decision, and stand with the rest of the country on this issue. PS: Please forward this to the groups you are in... -- പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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OOXML - what next? planning meet tomorrow 6.30 pm 10 April
by Praveen A 09 Apr '08

09 Apr '08

Hi, Come to Cubbon Park (Victoria Statue entrance, circle at the end of MG Road) at 6.30 pm tomorrow to discuss plans about OOXML campaign. We should let the people know of those who sold the country out for some bucks and put pressure on BIS to go for a an appeal. See you there. Cheers Praveen -- പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Meeting Sun's open source evangelist
by Balaji Kutty 06 Apr '08

06 Apr '08

Hi all, Some time back I sent an email about meeting with Sun's open source evangelist David Marr. More about him on http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/media/ceo/bio.jsp?name=Dave%20Marr. David wants to discuss: (a) Current trends in India in the area of Free software (b) Sun's approach to free and open source software from a vendor perspective (c) feedback if they have any. Date and time: April 14th at 3:30pm Venue: Sun Microsystems, Divyashree Chambers, Near hockey stadium, Off Langford road, Shantinagar, Bangalore. Please confirm your presence by sending an email directly to me. We would like to have first 15 people. So, please do not mistake if we are not able to accomodate you. Thanks Balaji

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FSUG-Bangalore April 2008