Software Freedom Day 2008
Contents
1 Background
2 Statistics
3 Theme
4 Preparation
5 Teams
6 Inaguration
7 Launch of Nirvikalpa and Prasfutan
8 GNU's 25th Birthday
9 Movie Shows
10 CD/DVDs Distribution
11 Open Hardware and Robotics Workshop
13 Educational Applications demonstration
14 The Rally and The Candlelight vigil
15 Documentary
16 Media Coverage
17 Internet Coverage
Background
Software Freedom Day, 2008 in Nepal was held in Yalamaya Kendra, PatanDhoka on 20th of September, 2008. The event was supported by various educational institutions, government bodies, civil society, media and FOSS IT comminities. The non-profit organization Software Freedom International provided guidance in organizing SFD and some material support.Following a highly successful SFD 2008 - with 50% more teams registered than in 2007, SFD 2008 was won by FOSS Nepal Community leaded by an aspiring team leader, Subir Pradhanang. The team report for the event can be found here.
This year, for the first time, SFD was also observed outside Kathmandu, in Dharan and Bharatpur. FOSS Nepal community has issued a “Kathmandu Declaration”, that can be considered an important milestone in Nepal's free software movement. A collection of free softwares named “Nirvikalpa” and a web portal named “Prasfutan” were two products launched by FOSS Nepal on the occasion of the SFD.
Statistics
Dedicated team members: 50
Duration of the events: 12 hours
Number of visitors (approx): 760 (Kathmandu only) + 300 (approx, outside Kathmandu)
Number of Ubuntu 8.10 CDs distributed (approx): 200 pcs
Number of Ubuntu Ultimate 1.8 DVDs disributed (approx): 800 pcs
Theme
In Nepal, most people who "create" still haven't been able to harness the real power of such tools, the internet and technologies like 2.0. web SFD 08 was used to raise awareness about the freedom to create and to provide a method/platform for such people. The theme “Create, Share, Collaborate” was thus chosen for this year's SFD. The decision to launch the web portal (Sec 6.2) “Prasfutan,” (a Nepali word that means “bloosoming”) to help foster such talents was aimed to support the purpose of this theme.
Preparation
This year, the preparations for the main SFD celebration started several months ago. FOSS Nepal volunteers visited three districts to raise awareness on FOSS, get in touch with local volunteers and help form local communities. Similarly, volunteers visited some college inside Kathmandu to inform about SFD and call for colunteers. About 50 volunteers from various colleges and institutions joined in for the preparation of the celebration. Several teams were formed from among the volunteers for better organization and coordination of efforts. After August, the teams met twice a week.
Teams
1.Artwork
2.Finance
3.Marketing/Public Relation
4.Orientation
5.Documentation
6.Events Coordination Team
7.Volunteers Coordination Team
Inaguration
Honourable Minister Ganesh Saha explained his journey for freedom and pledged full support to all the FOSSians of Nepal.
Senior Journalist, Mr. Kanak Mani Dixit pointed out the necessity of Free/Open Source Softwares to minimize the digital divide that's building up in developing countries. Talking on how Free Softwares can help achieve Free Media, he pointed out the need for Nepalese press to vigorously advocate the proliferation of such softwares.
Member Secretary of High Level Commission for Information Technology (HLCIT) Dr. Madan Pariyar, said that he was very happy about FOSS events being organized. He informed about the activities of HLCIT especially in context of FOSS. Saying that bridging the digital divide was a big challenge, he stressed on joint efforts of everybody concerned to make it possible by spreading the use of FOSS.
Mr Mahohar Bhattarai, Full Time Member of HLCIT elaborated the use cases of FOSS. Explaining about OER, Open Content, Document Management Systems and other useful technologies for our country, he expressed concern about the methods of procurement, support and deployment of Free/Open Source Softwares in Nepal.
Launch of Nirvikalpa and Prasfutan
Honourable Minister of Environment, Science and Technology Ganesh Saha unveiled the collection of Free/Open Source Softwares that can be used in Microsoft Windows. The CD collection, aptly named “Nivikalpa” (one that has no option) ismeant to facilitate the migration of desktop users to a Free Operating systems by providing them tools they can use in the environment they are familiar in. The name “Nirvikalpa” was chosen as FOSS is the way to go, not just an option.
During the occassion, the launch of a web portal named “Prasfutan” (bloosoming) was also announced. To be released within two months, the portal aims to equip the countless writers, poets, musicians, photographers and artists at local level in Nepal with the power of the internet and technologies like web 2.0 and other tools developed in the free software community. It will provide a platform and methods to such talents to help them create, collaborate and share.
GNU's 25th Birthday
A short movie where famous British comedian Stephen Fry talks about Free Softwares and wishes GNU a happy 25th birthday was shown during the ceremony. A Nepali subtitle translation of the same video has been made and the videio was shown with the subtitle which can be available here.
Movie Shows
LTSP deployment in Sindhupalchok district in Nepal
CodeBreakers, a BBC documentary on FOSS
Big Buck Bunny, an animated movie produced using free softwares only.
CD/DVDs Distribution
Lots of CDs and flyers containing information on FOSS was distributed among the
visitors. The CDs distributed were as follows:
Ubuntu 8.10 Cds (200pcs)
Ultimate 1.8 Edition DVDs (based on Ubuntu Hardy Heron) (800 pcs)
Nirvikalpa 1.0 (1500pcs)
Open Hardware and Robotics Workshop
Nepalese students recently bagged the prestigious "Best Autonomous machine" award in the annual ABU Robocon 2008 contest. Nepal has a history of good performances in international robotics competitions. Keeping this in view, an workshop on Open Hardware and Robotics was organized. The team the that participated in ABU Robocon 2008 and other experts talked about the emerging concept of Open Hardware, getting started in robotics and using GNU/Linux as the development platform in robotics applications.
Experts' Session
A two-hour long experts' session was organized during the SFD 2008. Bibek Shrestha gave a hands-on demo on web-development using Drupal CMS. He demonstrated how to install and use Drupal to design a news website. Following that, Jwalanta Shrestha demonstrated the different uses of the command line tools like ImageMagick and ffmpeg. A question-answer session followed. The participants were briefed about various free software development practices and resources for further help.
Educational Applications demonstration
Parallel to all other events of the day, a demonstration of various free/open source educational applications was organized. Some computers with such applications installed were placed in a room. Visitors were informed about various applications, their usage, advantages and other information by volunteers during the event.
The Rally and The Candlelight vigil
A rally was organized on the day prior to SFD, on september the 19th, Friday. The proposed time was 5pm and there were people gathered at Tinkune, Kathmandu for the commencement of rally. About 100 people rallyed for the SFD 08 with a live Tux heading it. It took place on the side walk without disturbing the vehicular movement. Pamphlets on SFD 08 theme was carried by the participants. Pedestrains even stopped to ask us about the "free software." The rally included a feature called "free or freeze". So it frooze at three palces,viz Minbhawan, Baneshwor, Buddhanagar for about a minute each. After about an hour and half of walking, the rally reached at Maitighar Mandala where the rally culminated in a mass.
Many people from the rally and a few more already present there at Maitighar Mandala made it a big enough gathering to celebrate the SFD 08 eve. It also got some media coverage. And in the twilight started the candle light vigil. The vigil lasted for about two hours in the evening. Every body held a burning candle in their hand.And in the paved floor, burning candles were used to write foss nepal in nepali. The live tux's presence made the environment really jolly and added celebration mood in the programme.
Documentary
A one hour prime-time show on Free Softwares was broadcast in a national television channel of Nepal on 24th September 2008. The show was repeated on 25th September. It was the first main stream media coverage in Nepal about FOSS.
"Khabar Bhitra ko Khabar", a programme broadcast by Avenews TV every night at 8, did the programme on FOSS. Avenews TV being one of Nepal's most popular TV channel, the documentary was widely watched and it had its immediate impact on people. Consequently, other media coverages about the events realting FOSS has highly increased. Keeping in mind the people's enthusiasm to know more about FOSS, a follow-up documentary is being prepared. The Documentary team of FOSS-Nepal worked with the TV crew for a period of a few weeks to prepare the documentary.
Media Coverage
10th October 2008 - Interview with Bibek Paudel, 8:30-8:45 PM (Hamro FM, Bharatpur, Chitwan)
26th September 2008 - Interview with Bibek Paudel, 8:30-8:45 PM (Hamro FM, Bharatpur, Chitwan)
26th September 2008 - Coverage on "Free or Freeze" by Saptahik weekly.
25th September 2008 - Repeat telecast from 8-9 AM of the FOSS special "Khabar Bhitra ko Khabar" in Avenues TV (worked upon by the Documentary Team)
24th September 2008 - A special one hour show on Free Software from 8-9 PM at "Khabar Bhitra ko Khabar" in Avenues TV(worked upon by the Documentary Team)
22nd September 2008 - Software Freedom Day observed (The Kathmandu Post/City Post)
21st September 2008 - Fifeh international Software Freedom Day held (Nepalnews.com)
20th september 2008 - Aired in Gorkha FM from morning till the night in hourly news bulletin
20th september 2008 - Ujyalo FM
20th September 2008 - Free Software Freedom day celebrated in Nepal (ekantipur)
20th september 2008 - Sagarmatha TV News
20th september 2008 - Avneues TV Nepali News - nicely presented- Prime Time News
20th September 2008 - ABC TV Nepali News
20th September 2008 - Kantipur TV Nepali News (Prime Time)
20th September 2008 - FOSS come, FOSS served (The Kathmandu Post)
20th September 2008 - Interview with Kulchandra Adhikari (Radio Sagarmatha)
20th September 2008 - Interview with Bibek Paudel (Kantipur FM, CyberTime)
19th September 2008 - FOSS activists organise rally, candlelight vigil (ekantipur)
