The Fedora Community in India - plans and proposals

[Debarshi Ray]

> I would have been happier to read your ideas that expand what can be done,
> but I guess that's coming in a later mail :)

I wanted to be sure that we were on the same wavelength. So here we go.

>>> # Campus and institutional tie-ups

> [1] Work with various institutions to have a relationship built that allows
> us to use their facilities for talks, meets and various related activities

The free software community already has such a relationship with
places like TIFR, IISc, NIT Calicut. Maybe we can explore them from a
Fedora specific view point. For example, an event which showcases
upcoming or new features, and has a hands-on workshop with sufficient
academic or technical content. Things like SELinux, IPv6, Ext4,
Systemtap, PolicyKit, Qt4/KDE4, etc. could be some of the upcoming or
new features we can consider.

We may even consider something like a workshop on UML using BOUML
(available as a package); or one on GCC/GDB/Make (like the one in
Calcutta University bu ILug-Cal).

> [2] Enable us to access their students, faculties and persons interested in
> education and FOSS to help us work in their community

The distinction between "us" and "them" would be very fuzzy, at best,
because students, faculties and persons interested in education and
FOSS would be a part of the larger community too.

>> For the sake of an example, lets consider a GSoC candidate working for
>> the Fedora project. What can she expect from us, or what can we expect
>> from her?

> If you were a GSoC candidate, what would you expect ? You were such not so
> long back, what would you have expected from Fedora and from NIT-H (say) ?

I would have expected the Fedora (or the larger free software)
community to somehow convince NIT-H that allowing CVS/GIT/IRC/SSH/SVN
connections to outside servers is a good thing and not an evil one.
This brainless restriction on SSH, IRC, etc. is quite common in Indian
institutes, even the "good" ones. I have undergone the torture in
NIT-H and seen this in Bengal Engineering and Science University too.

Just look at what IIT Kanpur did to restrict Internet timings, and our
Director uses that as an example to enforce the same madness in NIT-H
too.

(How we still managed to be on IRC for the most part of the day is a
trade secret, not to be shared on a public mailing list. ;-))

>> Would existing student contributors be able to work on Fedora during
>> the summers, which could be passed off as "a summer internship"
>> effort?

> I'd like to see that happen. If that requires that RHT as an organization
> needs to be involved, I'd like to make that possible (since my day job
> allows that).
>
> One of the side effects of the campus alliance should be this.

Having such alliances would be a good step forward in solving the "SSH
impasse" I mentioned earlier.

>>> # Swag - Live CD, stickers etc and use them for release events

> As on date we are not going to able to sell swag / merchandise.
> [...]
> in place and I (this is a personal opinion) tend to think that it would be a
> good idea to spend this year in working towards a healthy tribe of Fedora
> enthusiasts before saddling ourselves with the usual admin bits of a society

That is true.

Regards,
Debarshi
-- 
"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life."
 -- Arthur Ashe