Atul Chitnis
Encyclopedia
Atul Chitnis is an India
n consulting technologist. He is also the founder of FOSS.IN
(formerly Linux Bangalore), one of Asia's largest FOSS
conferences.
, Germany
in 1962, he completed his primary schooling there, before migrating to India in 1972. He completed his secondary schooling at the Belgaum Military School
, and graduated in Mechanical engineering
from the Gogte Institute of Technology
in 1985.
technology. The system was used by many large corporate house, such as Asea Brown Boveri
, Associated Cement Companies
, Cyber Media India, Indian Aluminium, and several financial institutions, including the Coimbatore
Stock Exchange. He continued developing and supporting Cybernet and associated solutions until he ceased development activity in 1994.
called "CiX", which was based on his product, CyberNet. This BBS provided an entry point for many newcomers to the field, allowing them to experience the concept of online communication and online communities.
From 1993 to 1997, he chronicled his experiences in the field in his PCQuest
column COMversations. He soon became involved in many efforts to popularize data communication in Indian industry. These efforts included nationwide speaking tours, where he and Kishore Bhargava provided information and practical solutions on topics related to data communications, the internet and intranets.
It was during this period that Chitnis first got involved with was then known as "electronic activism". In early 1994, he was made aware of a move by the Government of India to tax BBSs, and he wrote publicly about this impending move. This article appeared before the Government was actually able to release the regulations. Chitnis, along with other sysop
s, such as Ashish Gulhati
, Kishore Bhargava, Suchit Nanda, created an online campaign - the first of its kind in the Indian subcontinent - spreading via the various BBSs that had just begun spreading in India.
The result of this was that days before the issue of the Guidelines to Value Added Services http://www.eff.org/Infrastructure/Foreign_and_local/India/india_dot_vas.guidelines, the government physically removed the relevant pages from the document (covering sections 8.0 to 8.2.2 in that document).
Chitnis has worked extensively to promote Linux
and Free and Open Source Software
.
As Consulting Editor for PCQuest
from 1996 to 2002, he was responsible for the PCQuest Linux Initiative, a successful effort to introduce FOSS
and Linux
to readers of the popular magazine.
Working with the FOSS community (most prominently the Bangalore Linux User Group
that he had helped create in 1998), seminars and articles, he encouraged people to try out and use FOSS technologies. He also encouraged the FOSS community to participate in large technology events such as Bangalore IT.in. The exposure from these events gained the community more visibility and credibility in industry and government.
In 2001, Chitnis, along with a group of like-minded friends http://linux-bangalore.org/2001/team/, created and ran the Linux Bangalore
series of FOSS community driven conferences. Now known as FOSS.IN
, the conference has become one of Asia's largest annual FOSS events.
and the MCIT.http://www.au-kbc.org/nrcf/people.htm. He is on the faculty committee of the NRC-FOSS. http://www.nrcfoss.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=2
In 2003, Chitnis was invited by the National Computer Board, Government of Mauritius
, to speak to government, industry and academia about FOSS.
He often speaks to students and faculty at universities, colleges and schools. As a keen supporter of Indian innovation, he uses FOSS as a platform to get students to think beyond the technical curriculum in India, and to experiment with technologies as tools, not as ends in themselves.
technologies, such as wireless, GPRS/CDMA, PDAs, notebooks etc. Himself a heavy user of these technologies, he repeated his formula from a decade earlier, and in 2003 began writing about these technologies in various publications, as well as on his websites. http://comversations.com/2003/09/17/personal-digital-adventure-part-1/
He is also part of DataQuest India's "Project Mobility" http://www.dqindia.com/content/wifi/default.asp - a project to promote awareness and deployment of mobile computing technologies.
During 2004 and 2005, he was also involved with the Simputer
project, helping its developers with design and licensing decisions, which eventually resulted in the release of the SDK of the Simputer under an Open Source
license.
He is currently involved in efforts to help people understand the differences in technology and applications required for effective mobility product designs and usage. http://atulchitnis.net/talks/mobile.pdf
In 2006, he joined Geodesic Limited (developers of the Mundu range of applications for mobile devices, and who had recently acquired Simputer
creator PicoPeta) as Senior Vice President, and in 2008 became the company's Chief Products Officer. He left Geodesic in 2010, citing a desire to work on other things of interest.
, an Internet radio
station known for its promotion of independent music from India.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n consulting technologist. He is also the founder of FOSS.IN
FOSS.IN
FOSS.IN is a Free and Open Source Software conference, held in India. It is the successor of the FOSS conferences known as Linux Bangalore , and is one of the largest annual FOSS events in Asia...
(formerly Linux Bangalore), one of Asia's largest FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
conferences.
Biography
Born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1962, he completed his primary schooling there, before migrating to India in 1972. He completed his secondary schooling at the Belgaum Military School
Belgaum Military School
Rashtriya Military School, Belgaum is one of five military schools in India. Entrance tests for the military schools are held each year in December. About 70,000 to 80,000 students attend this test and around 350 students are selected. The selected candidates have to go through a medical check up....
, and graduated in Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the Gogte Institute of Technology
Gogte Institute of Technology
K.L.S. Gogte Institute of Technology is an engineering college affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University. The college campus is situated at Belgaum-Goa Highway also known as Khanapur Road...
in 1985.
Software development
Eventually, he moved into the development and marketing of datacommunication and networking solutions. In 1990, he released CyberNet, a corporate communication host, based on BBSBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
technology. The system was used by many large corporate house, such as Asea Brown Boveri
Asea Brown Boveri
ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....
, Associated Cement Companies
Associated Cement Companies
ACC Limited is the largest producer of cement in India based in Mumbai. It's registered office is called Cement House. It is located on Maharishi Karve Road, Mumbai. The stock price of company contributes in calculating BSE Sensex.The management control of company was taken over by Swiss cement...
, Cyber Media India, Indian Aluminium, and several financial institutions, including the Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
Stock Exchange. He continued developing and supporting Cybernet and associated solutions until he ceased development activity in 1994.
Data communication and networking
In 1989, as part of his development work on data communications software, Chitnis set up India's first online service - a Bulletin Board SystemBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
called "CiX", which was based on his product, CyberNet. This BBS provided an entry point for many newcomers to the field, allowing them to experience the concept of online communication and online communities.
From 1993 to 1997, he chronicled his experiences in the field in his PCQuest
PCQuest
PCQuest is an Indian technology publication, and part of the Cyber Media group of publications that also publish Dataquest.Founded in 1982, the magazine was originally called PC World, and was one of the earliest technology magazines published in India...
column COMversations. He soon became involved in many efforts to popularize data communication in Indian industry. These efforts included nationwide speaking tours, where he and Kishore Bhargava provided information and practical solutions on topics related to data communications, the internet and intranets.
It was during this period that Chitnis first got involved with was then known as "electronic activism". In early 1994, he was made aware of a move by the Government of India to tax BBSs, and he wrote publicly about this impending move. This article appeared before the Government was actually able to release the regulations. Chitnis, along with other sysop
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
s, such as Ashish Gulhati
Ashish Gulhati
Ashish Gulhati is notable for being one of India's first online activists and open source hackers.-Open source:As one of India's original hackers, Ashish has worked to raise awareness about FOSS in India...
, Kishore Bhargava, Suchit Nanda, created an online campaign - the first of its kind in the Indian subcontinent - spreading via the various BBSs that had just begun spreading in India.
The result of this was that days before the issue of the Guidelines to Value Added Services http://www.eff.org/Infrastructure/Foreign_and_local/India/india_dot_vas.guidelines, the government physically removed the relevant pages from the document (covering sections 8.0 to 8.2.2 in that document).
Free and Open Source Software
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Free and Open Source Software
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
.
As Consulting Editor for PCQuest
PCQuest
PCQuest is an Indian technology publication, and part of the Cyber Media group of publications that also publish Dataquest.Founded in 1982, the magazine was originally called PC World, and was one of the earliest technology magazines published in India...
from 1996 to 2002, he was responsible for the PCQuest Linux Initiative, a successful effort to introduce FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
to readers of the popular magazine.
Working with the FOSS community (most prominently the Bangalore Linux User Group
Bangalore Linux User Group
The Bangalore Linux Users Group is a Free and Open Source Software user group.Formed in 1998, it jumped into the public eye with its participation at Bangalore IT.COM, now known as Bangalore IT.in '99 - then India's largest and most prominent technology event...
that he had helped create in 1998), seminars and articles, he encouraged people to try out and use FOSS technologies. He also encouraged the FOSS community to participate in large technology events such as Bangalore IT.in. The exposure from these events gained the community more visibility and credibility in industry and government.
In 2001, Chitnis, along with a group of like-minded friends http://linux-bangalore.org/2001/team/, created and ran the Linux Bangalore
FOSS.IN
FOSS.IN is a Free and Open Source Software conference, held in India. It is the successor of the FOSS conferences known as Linux Bangalore , and is one of the largest annual FOSS events in Asia...
series of FOSS community driven conferences. Now known as FOSS.IN
FOSS.IN
FOSS.IN is a Free and Open Source Software conference, held in India. It is the successor of the FOSS conferences known as Linux Bangalore , and is one of the largest annual FOSS events in Asia...
, the conference has become one of Asia's largest annual FOSS events.
Government and education
One of these projects led to the establishment of the National Resource Centre for FOSS (NRC-FOSS), established jointly by the Anna UniversityAnna University
Anna University was a premier technical university in Tamil Nadu, India. Anna University was formed on September 4, 1978, as a unitary university that integrated four technical institutions in the city of Chennai , including the College of Engineering, Guindy, Alagappa College of Technology,...
and the MCIT.http://www.au-kbc.org/nrcf/people.htm. He is on the faculty committee of the NRC-FOSS. http://www.nrcfoss.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=2
In 2003, Chitnis was invited by the National Computer Board, Government of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, to speak to government, industry and academia about FOSS.
He often speaks to students and faculty at universities, colleges and schools. As a keen supporter of Indian innovation, he uses FOSS as a platform to get students to think beyond the technical curriculum in India, and to experiment with technologies as tools, not as ends in themselves.
Mobile computing
Beginning in the late 1990s, Chitnis became increasingly involved with mobile computingMobile computing
Mobile computing is a form of human–computer interaction by which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage. Mobile computing has three aspects: mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software...
technologies, such as wireless, GPRS/CDMA, PDAs, notebooks etc. Himself a heavy user of these technologies, he repeated his formula from a decade earlier, and in 2003 began writing about these technologies in various publications, as well as on his websites. http://comversations.com/2003/09/17/personal-digital-adventure-part-1/
He is also part of DataQuest India's "Project Mobility" http://www.dqindia.com/content/wifi/default.asp - a project to promote awareness and deployment of mobile computing technologies.
During 2004 and 2005, he was also involved with the Simputer
Simputer
The Simputer is a self-contained, open hardware Linux-based handheld computer, first released in 2002. Developed in, and primarily distributed within India, the product was envisioned as a low-cost alternative to personal computers...
project, helping its developers with design and licensing decisions, which eventually resulted in the release of the SDK of the Simputer under an Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
license.
He is currently involved in efforts to help people understand the differences in technology and applications required for effective mobility product designs and usage. http://atulchitnis.net/talks/mobile.pdf
In 2006, he joined Geodesic Limited (developers of the Mundu range of applications for mobile devices, and who had recently acquired Simputer
Simputer
The Simputer is a self-contained, open hardware Linux-based handheld computer, first released in 2002. Developed in, and primarily distributed within India, the product was envisioned as a low-cost alternative to personal computers...
creator PicoPeta) as Senior Vice President, and in 2008 became the company's Chief Products Officer. He left Geodesic in 2010, citing a desire to work on other things of interest.
Music and Entertainment
Atul works with music groups such as Phenom and the Raghu Dixit Project, explores and writes about entertainment technologies He is actively involved in RadioVeRVeRadioVeRVe
RadioVeRVe is an internet radio station operating out of Bangalore, India. It differentiates itself from other FM and internet radio stations by focusing exclusively on independent music from India....
, an Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
station known for its promotion of independent music from India.
External links
- http://atulchitnis.net Personal Website
- http://atulchitnis.com Professional Website