Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu (or FSFTN in short) () is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 2008 as a part of Free Software Movement of India (FSMI). This organisation is a social movement that works towards enlightening the masses with the essence of

free software Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...

and to liberate knowledge. FSFTN organises different workshops and seminars in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

among the youth to spread the idea of knowledge liberation. Presently FSFTN is active in campuses like

Indian Institute of Technology Madras The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras or IIT-M) is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the eight public Institutes of Eminence of India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), ...

Anna University Anna University is a public state university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Guindy. It was originally established on 4 September 1978 and is named after C. N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Histor ...

, and Madras Institute of Technology in and around

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Name

Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu is the body working as a part of Free Software Movement of India and not the Free Software Foundation of India. It is often believed that FSFTN is the official chapter of

Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985. The organisation supports the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed ...

or Free Software Foundation of India. Recent

disclaimer A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship. In contrast to other terms for legally operative langua ...

of Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu makes clear that FSFTN is a part of Free Software Movement of India and they are not associated with either

or Free Software Foundation of India anyway other than the

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...

Objectives

As per the FSFTN site the main objectives of the organisation are as follows: * To take forward free software and its

ideological An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...

implications to all corners of our country from the developed domains to the underprivileged. * To create awareness among computer users in the use of free software. * To work towards usage of free software in all stream of

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

s and

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

. * To take forward implementation and usage of free software in school education, academics and higher education. * To work towards e-literacy and bridging

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...

based on free software and mobilising the underprivileged. * To work among developers on solutions catering to societal & national requirements. * To work towards a policy change favoring free software in all walks of life.

GNU/Linux Users Group (GLUG)

The GNU/Linux Users Group (GLUG) are the essential place for Knowledge sharing activities for Colleges and Regions co-ordinated by FSFTN. FSFTN has both Regional and College GLUGs. The GLUGs operate at various levels and is guided by the Core Committee Members of FSFTN. The functionalities and structure of GLUG are as follows, * Each GLUG will have a Representative who will co-ordinate the GLUG and take care of the activities of the GLUG * The College GLUG consists of only the College Students and a Staff Representative * The College GLUG organises activities and events inside the college and will aim to bring people involving them in Community Contributions, Projects, etc. * The Regional GLUG consists of members from the locality and gets involved in Knowledge Sharing sessions and bring in new people from various colleges in and around the region * GLUGs are the main point of contact for

FOSS Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

related activities and events in the locality * Each College and Regional will plan for

Software Freedom Day Software Freedom Day (SFD) is an annual list of minor secular observances#September, worldwide celebration of Free Software organized by the Digital Freedom Foundation (DFF). SFD is a public education effort with the aim of awareness raising, i ...

(SFD), Education Freedom Day (EFD) and many such activities in a year. * GLUG members will represent their GLUG in the Summer Camp organised by FSFTN every year.

Activism

The Free Software Foundation Tamil Nadu was in the forefront of the protests against the inclusion of

proprietary software Proprietary software is computer software, software that grants its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner a legal monopoly by modern copyright and intellectual property law to exclude the recipient from freely sharing t ...

in the free laptop scheme by the Government of Tamil Nadu. On 6 February 2012, FSFTN organised a lecture on "Freedom, Free Software and Education" by the founder of

- Richard Matthew Stallman at IIT Madras in

. On 19 February 2012, a

Mozilla Mozilla is a free software community founded in 1998 by members of Netscape. The Mozilla community uses, develops, publishes and supports Mozilla products, thereby promoting free software and open standards. The community is supported institution ...

localisation seminar was organised by the Free Software Foundation, Tamil Nadu at

IIT Madras The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras or IIT-M) is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the eight public Institutes of Eminence of India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), ...

. On 9 June 2012, FSFTN conducted a

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

against Intermediaries Guidelines Rules and spread awareness about the importance of a free Internet through posters, distribution of pamphlets and speeches by some of the volunteers at Besant Nagar

Beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

. In June 2013, FSFTN conducted 5 days workshop in collaboration with ILUGC at IIT-Madras on various technologies and discussed about social issues like "Internet Democracy","Gender Biasing" etc. On 23 April 2015, as part of Free Software Movement of India's call for campaign in support of NetNeutrality, FSFTN organised a walkathon in Besant Nagar Beach

References

External links