How to become a certified (Pseudo) Free software Activist

My recent posts on the state of free software in Kerala,  have drawn flak from several pseudo free software activists.  Some of them have even called me an agent of Microsoft.  I think this post is going to generate some more heat and the pun is intentional.

Recently Kerala State IT mission and  C-DIT have launched a new initiative called Centre for advanced  training in free and open source software(CATFOSS).  You can read about the objectives of the centre in this lenghty article.  ( Google  cache here)

Last week CATFOSS  announced admission to a six  month training program in advanced free and open source software.  As an academic, I was interested in this novel program. I looked at the website and discovered  several interesting information.

<Quote from CATFOSS>

In order to resist this process, two decades back, Mr. Richard Stallman founded the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement in 1983. As the name FOSS itself implies, the ideology behind the FOSS movement has been that the fruits of the ICT revolution should flow freely among the users of this technology, the world over

<Quote from CATFOSS ends>

As far as I know, RMS has some objections to  Open Source  Software. Look at his article “why open source misses the point of free software” .

I was educated in a Government school and my English is not very good.  Still, I will recommend the website as an excellent model for precise writing . See this.

<Quote from CATFOSS>
One of the major problems the State government had to face in the process of to propogating FOSS was the lack of trained human reources and non-availability of FOSS based tools. Thus, the Centre for Advanced Training in Free and Open Source Software (CATFOSS), proposed to be initiated by the end of November 2008 at Ernakulam in the ITes Habitat in collaboration with Kerala State IT Mission (KSTIM) and Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) will unquestionably be a courageous step and perhaps the first of its kind in India to develop highly qualified manpower who can enrich the applications of FOSS based software tools in a time bound manner, thereby bridging a very crucial gap in the e-governance sector and IT industry in Kerala and elsewhere.

<Quote from CATFOSS ends>

Brochures and websites show you only the tip of the iceberg. Let us look at what else  CATFOSS offers.  If you are interested in the  recently announced  Advanced Training in Free and Open Source Software,   you can apply online here.   ( Google cache here). The course fee is only Rs50000/- and employment opportunities are very good  even during  the current recession.  The seats are limited,  so rush your application.

Let us see what you will learn. The prospectus is here.  (Google Cache here)

< Quote from Prospectus>

Curriculum
The curriculum at CATFOSS will have the following objectives :
a) Introduction to free software ecosystem, its philosophy and technical aspects.
b) Empowerment to spearhead free software projects.
c) Thorough knowledge in free software development work flow.
d) Indepth knowledge in designing, implementing, deploying and maintaining a free software
based solution for the society.
<< Quote from Prospectus ends>

Wow! Lot of advanced things to learn.  Is there any company recruiting  Free software activists? May be the  Kerala government can accommodate some. Who else ? God only knows . We, keralites  are living in God’s  own country.

There is a bonus. CATFOSS will teach you soft skills free of cost along with the course.  Look at the academic committe who formulated this crap.

Finally, how much public money is needed for this. Only  82 lakhs. 😀 .

Free software enthusiast of Kerala , wake up.  There is a new course designed for  you. You can become  a Free Software Activist in six months. Results assured. Rush the seats are limited.

Update: The  CATFOSS site has been take down. The google cache is here. I am adding relavant links from google cache.