The document summarizes the history and growth of the free and open source software movement in India from the early 1990s to 2008. It describes the initial spread of free software philosophy through Linux user groups and academic communities in the early period from 1991-2000. It then discusses the rise of awareness and advocacy from 2000-2004 through the formation of organizations like FSF India and user groups across various cities. From 2004-2006 it discusses how the movement further spread through activism, public sector adoption, and more developer contributions. Finally from 2007-2008 it characterizes the movement as a social movement with growing numbers of activists and policy work around open standards and public sector adoption.

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

2. Early bird
(1991-2000)

3. 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)

4. Rise of awareness
(2000-2004)

5. 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

6. RISE OF AWARENESS
Increase in Indian Contribution
●
Local Self Governance : the Free Software
●
Challenge in Kerala
Public sector adoptions
●

7. Spreading Freedom
(2004-2006)

8. 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,

9. SPREADING FREEDOM
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

10. Free Software as a
Social Movement
(2007-2008)

11. SOCIAL MOVEMENT
FREE SOFTWARE AS A
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

12. SOCIAL MOVEMENT
FREE SOFTWARE AS A
●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

13. CONTACT
Anivar Aravind
anivar at movingrepublic.org
http://anivar.in