FOSS.IN
Encyclopedia
FOSS.IN is a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
conference, held in India
. It is the successor of the FOSS conferences known as Linux Bangalore (2001–2004), and is one of the largest annual FOSS
events in Asia.
Originally designed to be a national FOSS conference for the FOSS community in India, it grew, over a span of five years, into an international event, attracting audiences and speakers from across the world, and now focuses on solely the technical and software side of FOSS, encouraging development and contribution to FOSS projects from India. The event is held in Bangalore
, India
, in late November or early December every year since 2001.
's premiere Free and Open Source Software event, held annually in Bangalore
, India
.
The event featured talks, discussions, workshops, round-table meetings and demonstrations by national and international speakers, and covers a diverse spectrum of FOSS
technologies, ranging from Kernel-programming and Embedded systems to Desktop Environments and Localisation to Databases and Web Applications to Gaming and Multimedia, to community and User Group Development.
First held in 2001, the event has seen the participation of thousands of delegates from across India and the world, and replicated its success in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Unlike commercial "Linux" events, Linux Bangalore is a community
-driven event, conceived, planned and built by the free
and open source
community of India, and facilitated
by the Bangalore Linux User Group
.
The event was seen as a touchstone of the success of FOSS
in the mainstream software world in India, and this was reflected heavily in the demographics of the event audiences, which show large participation by software developers.
At the conclusion of LB/2004, which saw some 3000 participants, it was announced that name of the event would be changing to reflect the fact that this was no longer a "small, regional event". The scope would also be expanded to cater to a wider range of topics.
On August 12, 2005, it was announced that the name of the event would be changed to FOSS.IN.
, but all Free and Open Source Software FOSS
technologies.
Traditionally held in Bangalore
, India
, this event is held in late November or early December every year. It is designed to be "portable" in scope, i.e. no longer limited to being held in Bangalore, though in practice, the event has always been conducted in Bangalore, as the team that sets up the event is based there, and also because Bangalore, being the software capital of India, is home to the largest number of developers in the country.
. It saw the participation of thousands of delegates, with more than 140 speakers presenting more than 180 talks, workshops, tutorials and BOF
s. International speakers included Alan Cox
, Harald Welte
, Jonathan Corbet, Rasmus Lerdorf
, Danese Cooper
and Volker Grassmuck
, among others.
However, the main attraction of the event was not the many talks by celebrity speakers, but the "conversations" between participants at the BOFs, which for the first time saw interaction between FOSS users, developers and promoters from across India and many parts of the world, and between the Government of India
, representatives of the Indian educational system
, students and decision makers. There were 2751 registrations
in Bangalore
, India. The sponsors included Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Government of India
), Sun Microsystems
, Google
, db4objects, Wipro, ABB India
, CDAC
among others.
For the first time in history of the event, the inaugural keynote address was delivered by an Indian developer, Suparna Bhattacharyahttp://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1226891.php of IBM
. Other speakers included Rasmus Lerdorf
, KDE developer Aaron Seigo, Russ Nelson
, Andrew Cowie, Christof Wittig of db4objects, Harald Welte
, German kernel expert Christoph Hellwig, Sulamita Garcia of LinuxChix
, Frederick Noronha
, Sunil Abraham of IOSN
and Sirtaj Singh Kang,.
in Bangalore
, India.
in Bangalore
, India.
Convention Centre, Bangalore, India.
Like its former "avataar", FOSS.IN focussed on providing knowledge to people at the grassroot level. The 2009 conference, as also that of 2008, have shifted focus away from evangelisation of FOSS to constructive contribution by developers to the FOSS community. The conference consists of lectures, workouts, Projects of the Day and especially informal engagement and interaction between the participants.
, the entire content (talks, workshops and tutorials) of the event is created by the FOSS community of India, as well as eminent international FOSS personalities. FOSS.IN is organized by the dedicated efforts of the linux-bangalore team, and is made possible by the contributions of their members.
, specifically the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, who have been increasing their efforts to popularise FOSS
in India as an alternative to proprietary software.
Similar, international grassroot FOSS conferences
FOSS communities in India
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
conference, held in 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...
. It is the successor of the FOSS conferences known as Linux Bangalore (2001–2004), and is one of the largest annual FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
events in Asia.
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, 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...
, in late November or early December every year since 2001.
Linux Bangalore
Linux Bangalore was IndiaIndia
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...
's premiere Free and Open Source Software event, held annually in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, 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...
.
The event featured talks, discussions, workshops, round-table meetings and demonstrations by national and international speakers, and covers a diverse spectrum of FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
technologies, ranging from Kernel-programming and Embedded systems to Desktop Environments and Localisation to Databases and Web Applications to Gaming and Multimedia, to community and User Group Development.
First held in 2001, the event has seen the participation of thousands of delegates from across India and the world, and replicated its success in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Unlike commercial "Linux" events, Linux Bangalore is a community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
-driven event, conceived, planned and built by the free
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and 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...
community of India, and facilitated
Facilitation (business)
Facilitation in business, organizational development and in consensus decision-making refers to the process of designing and running a successful meeting.Facilitation concerns itself with all the tasks needed to run a productive and impartial meeting...
by 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...
.
The event was seen as a touchstone of the success of FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
in the mainstream software world in India, and this was reflected heavily in the demographics of the event audiences, which show large participation by software developers.
At the conclusion of LB/2004, which saw some 3000 participants, it was announced that name of the event would be changing to reflect the fact that this was no longer a "small, regional event". The scope would also be expanded to cater to a wider range of topics.
On August 12, 2005, it was announced that the name of the event would be changed to FOSS.IN.
FOSS.IN
Unlike the Linux Bangalore conferences that it succeeded, FOSS.IN features a much widened scope, addressing not just LinuxLinux
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...
, but all Free and Open Source Software FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
technologies.
Traditionally held in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, 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...
, this event is held in late November or early December every year. It is designed to be "portable" in scope, i.e. no longer limited to being held in Bangalore, though in practice, the event has always been conducted in Bangalore, as the team that sets up the event is based there, and also because Bangalore, being the software capital of India, is home to the largest number of developers in the country.
FOSS.IN/2005
FOSS.IN/2005 was held from November 29 to December 2, 2005, at Bangalore PalaceBangalore Palace
Bangalore Palace, a palace located in the city of Bangalore, India, was built to look like a smaller replica of the Windsor Castle in England. It was built by Rev. Garrett, who was the first Principal of the Central High School in Bangalore, now known as Central College.The construction of the...
. It saw the participation of thousands of delegates, with more than 140 speakers presenting more than 180 talks, workshops, tutorials and BOF
Birds of a Feather (computing)
In computing, BoF can refer to:* An informal discussion group. Unlike special interest groups or working groups, BoFs are informal and often formed in an ad-hoc manner...
s. International speakers included Alan Cox
Alan Cox
Alan Cox is a British computer programmer who formerly maintained the 2.2 branch of the Linux kernel and continues to be heavily involved in the development of the Linux kernel, an association that dates back to 1991...
, Harald Welte
Harald Welte
Harald Welte is a programmer resident in Berlin, Germany. Within the free software community, Welte is well known as a hacker of the Linux kernel and for his activities in enforcing the GNU General Public License , the license that governs the use of much of free software.Welte is also involved in...
, Jonathan Corbet, Rasmus Lerdorf
Rasmus Lerdorf
Rasmus Lerdorf is a Danish programmer with Canadian citizenship and is most notable as the creator of the PHP scripting language. He authored the first two versions...
, Danese Cooper
Danese Cooper
Danese Cooper is an American programmer, computer scientist, and an advocate of open source software.- Career :"Open source allows people with a confluence of interesting ideas and an intellectual courage to really synthesize amazing newness...
and Volker Grassmuck
Volker Grassmuck
Volker Grassmuck is a German sociologist and media researcher.Volker Grassmuck visited Herschelschool in Hannover, spent a year at Ridgewood High in New Jersey and finished his Abitur back at Herschelschool in 1980....
, among others.
However, the main attraction of the event was not the many talks by celebrity speakers, but the "conversations" between participants at the BOFs, which for the first time saw interaction between FOSS users, developers and promoters from across India and many parts of the world, and between the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, representatives of the Indian educational system
Education in India
Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world...
, students and decision makers. There were 2751 registrations
FOSS.IN/2006
FOSS.IN/2006 was held from November 24 to 26 , 2006, at National Science Symposium Centre of the Indian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India. The sponsors included Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
), Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, db4objects, Wipro, ABB India
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 ....
, CDAC
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing is a research and development organization under the Department of Information Technology, India.-History:...
among others.
For the first time in history of the event, the inaugural keynote address was delivered by an Indian developer, Suparna Bhattacharyahttp://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1226891.php of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. Other speakers included Rasmus Lerdorf
Rasmus Lerdorf
Rasmus Lerdorf is a Danish programmer with Canadian citizenship and is most notable as the creator of the PHP scripting language. He authored the first two versions...
, KDE developer Aaron Seigo, Russ Nelson
Russ Nelson
Russell "Russ" Nelson is an American computer programmer. He was a founding board member of the Open Source Initiative and briefly served as its president in 2005.-Career:...
, Andrew Cowie, Christof Wittig of db4objects, Harald Welte
Harald Welte
Harald Welte is a programmer resident in Berlin, Germany. Within the free software community, Welte is well known as a hacker of the Linux kernel and for his activities in enforcing the GNU General Public License , the license that governs the use of much of free software.Welte is also involved in...
, German kernel expert Christoph Hellwig, Sulamita Garcia of LinuxChix
LinuxChix
LinuxChix is a women-oriented Linux community. It is designed to provide both technical and social support for women Linux users, although men are encouraged to help and contribute...
, Frederick Noronha
Frederick Noronha
Frederick Noronha is an independent journalist based in Saligao in the Bardez taluka of Goa. He is active in cyberspace and involved with e-ventures involving Goa, developmental concerns and free software. He writes mostly on free software / open source issues, technology, and computing issues in...
, Sunil Abraham of IOSN
International Open Source Network
The International Open Source Network has as its slogan "software freedom for all". It is a Centre of Excellence for free software in the Asia-Pacific region....
and Sirtaj Singh Kang,.
FOSS.IN/2007
FOSS.IN/2007 was held 4–8 December 2007, at National Science Symposium Centre of the Indian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India.
FOSS.IN/2008
FOSS.IN/2008 was held 25–29 November 2008, at National Science Symposium Centre of the Indian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India.
FOSS.IN/2009
The dates and venue for FOSS.IN/2009 was announced on 31 March, 2009. The conference took place on 1–5 December 2009 at the NIMHANSNIMHANS
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences is located in Bangalore, and is the premier neuroscience institute of India. It is recognised by the Government of India as a 'medical institute of national importance'...
Convention Centre, Bangalore, India.
Like its former "avataar", FOSS.IN focussed on providing knowledge to people at the grassroot level. The 2009 conference, as also that of 2008, have shifted focus away from evangelisation of FOSS to constructive contribution by developers to the FOSS community. The conference consists of lectures, workouts, Projects of the Day and especially informal engagement and interaction between the participants.
Role of the community
While coordination of the event is handled by a core team led by Atul ChitnisAtul Chitnis
Atul Chitnis is an Indian consulting technologist. He is also the founder of FOSS.IN , one of Asia's largest FOSS conferences.-Biography:...
, the entire content (talks, workshops and tutorials) of the event is created by the FOSS community of India, as well as eminent international FOSS personalities. FOSS.IN is organized by the dedicated efforts of the linux-bangalore team, and is made possible by the contributions of their members.
Funding
The event is funded through sponsorships received from the industry. Delegates to the event pay a small fee which is used to pay for food and T-Shirts.Role of Indian Government
The event enjoys the endorsement and patronship of the Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, specifically the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, who have been increasing their efforts to popularise FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
in India as an alternative to proprietary software.
See also
Other Indian FOSS conferences- Freed.in
- Gnunify
- OSScamp
Similar, international grassroot FOSS conferences
- FOSDEMFOSDEMFOSDEM is a non-commercial volunteer organized European event centered around free and open source software development. It is aimed at developers and anyone interested in the free and open source software movement...
- linux.conf.auLinux.conf.aulinux.conf.au is Australasia's regional Linux and Open Source conference. It is a roaming conference, held in a different city every year, coordinated by Linux Australia and organised by local volunteers....
- Ottawa Linux Symposium
- Linux KongressLinux KongressThe Linux Kongress is an annual two-day conference of Linux developers from around the world. It has taken place since 1994, when Linux was in the early stages of development, and has except 2001 and 2007 always occurred in Germany. Linux-Kongress is one of the three major international...
FOSS communities in India
- Linux IndiaLinux IndiaLinux India is an informally organized community of and a . It was founded by Arun Sharma and Karra Dakshinamurthy circa 1997 to help newcomers to the Linux Operating System and as a discussion forum for Linux enthusiasts in India...
- LUG@IITD