History of Free Software Movement in India Silent, Vibrant and Distributed

(1991-2000)

Early bird

●Sarai : 95, GNU India

●Various LUGs, Academic community, TUG ●TVM, ILUG Cochin, BLUG, ILUGD, Linux Bangalore, ILUG Chennai, GLUG Bombay

●Slow spreading of philosophy and free software (in CDs/Floppy)

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(2000-2004)

Rise of awareness

●FSF India

●Birth of Free Software User groups (FSUG Kochi, FSUG Calicut) FSF-AP, ILUG-goa, Ankur Bengla, Gnowledge, IndLinux, Indictrans, ATPS, OSSIC

●Focus on Localisation,

●Start of free software evangelism, media distributions

●LB->FOSS.IN, Free Del, Start of Central Govt adoption & support

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●Increase in Indian Contribution

●Local Self Governance : the Free Software Challenge in Kerala

●Public sector adoptions

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(2004-2006)

Spreading Freedom

●Start of Free Software Activism

●World Social Forum 2004,

●Free Map & Free GIS Initiatives

●School Projects: IT@School, L2C2,

●More User Groups : FSUG-Bangalore, FSF-kerala, FSF-tn, PLUS, s2s2, swecha,

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●More Events● Asiasource● Gnunify● Free Software Free Society Conference,● Software Freedom Day● National Free Software Convention● FSFI Annual Day● freed.in● FOSSMeet@NITC

●More Support: Support from Left Parties,● NRCFOSS, UNDP-APDIP, Eprimers, MIT,● Abdul Kalam, KSTA, WB University,● SPACE, Utkarsh, Celebrating Freedom

●More Developers

●Defending Freedom: Preventing Software Patents, Playfair

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(2007-2008)

Free Software as a

Social Movement

●More Activists, Policy activism, Free Standards, Public Sector Adoptions

●Policies: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Alahabad High Court, NEGP, Knowledge Commission, 11th Five year Plan, National Policy on Open Standards

●More User Groups: GLUG-TVM, Durgapur LUG,● FSUG Thrissur, SSUG-Malappuram

●More Institutions/Platforms: SMC, GNULabs, Swatanthra, ICFOSS-Kerala, CATFOSS, CDIT

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●Events: 3rd International Conference on GPLv3, mukth.in, Freed.in, National Conference on Software Freedom, Free software Free Society

●Philosophy: Local language translations of Free Software Philosophy.

●Campaigns: Document Freedom (NOOOXML), Say No to Software patents, Freedom Walk, Software Freedom Day

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Anivar Aravind

anivar at movingrepublic.orghttp://anivar.in

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