FOSS Industry Roundtable

[Anand]

It is impossible to think of any technology company without Free and Open Source Software. Indian tech industry consumes a lot of FOSS, but their contributions to FOSS are not that great. What can we do to nurture the FOSS ecosystem in India? What role can the industry play?

FOSS United would like to organize a round table inviting the engineering leaders from in the tech industry from India to have a discussion around this topic.

The tentative date for the round table is Feb 20th 6:00-7:00 PM. Expecting about 6 panelists.

We would like to keep the panel as diverse as possible, including gender, location, and industry.

Please respond to this thread if you would like to suggest someone be on the panel.

[Neil_Shroff]

What can we do to nurture the FOSS ecosystem in India? What role can the industry play?

I don’t think many people know that and to what extent the Indian tech industry as a whole consumes FOSS. I’d think awareness is the first step before mobilization.

So I’d recommend encouraging companies to put a Thanks FOSS (something like this but catchy) page linked in their footer which acts as disclosure of sorts. If FOSS U has enough partners who’d be willing to start, then can kickstart it that way and get more and more companies to do it.

Will gradually (1) spread awareness of the pervasiveness of FOSS, (2) reduce taboo (if any) about using FOSS as a non-OS company, (3) show and tell enthu developers what are these useful FOSS things which they can start contributing to.

[knadh]

@Neil_Shroff

So I’d recommend encouraging companies to put a Thanks FOSS (something like this but catchy) page linked in their footer which acts as disclosure of sorts. If FOSS U has enough partners who’d be willing to start, then can kickstart it that way and get more and more companies to do it.

This is a nice idea. Come up with a social media campaign for tech companies to “thank FOSS”. As cheesy as it sounds, given the current state of things, it does make sense.

[Neil_Shroff]

Yeah, can take the more cheesy route, or take a more ~formal route. Framing it as a moral imperative to “disclose” rather than thank. I think it’s a little more common for companies to now put in a line like this in the footer; can create a campaign around that (maybe more trad companies will be more hesitant, not sure), or put in a 1-pager in the footer with privacy, etc.

[WishArya]

Join us live on Saturday, Feb 20 at 6 PM

FOSS+Industry Roundtable 2021