Re: Draft of letter requesting a (Indian) college to host a mini debconf
at bottom :-
On 8/28/14, Justin B Rye <justin.byam.rye@gmail.com> wrote:
> So my revised version:
> ###########################################################################
>
> Subject: Hosting a mini Debian conference at your Institute
>
> Debian is a Free Software operating system, developed by volunteers
> across the world, and used on machines of all sorts from mainframes to
> desktops to mobile devices. The project was founded in 1993; today
> (according to the W3Techs survey[1]) 58.5% of web servers run on
> Debian or its derivative Ubuntu. You can learn more about the Debian
> project at www.debian.org.
>
> The Debian community is reaching out to students to offer them a
> chance to learn by working with us on various aspects of the operating
> system. We have been organizing mini Debian conferences since 2010 in
> various cities, including Pune (COEP, VIT), Mangalore (NITTE), Calicut
> (NIT), and Kuttippuram (MESCE). We are reaching out to more colleges
> so as many students as possible will benefit.
>
> Software engineering students are privileged above those in many other
> fields, in that they can study how widely-used and state-of-the-art
> software like an operating system works. A mechanical engineering
> student will rarely have the chance to see a BMW, Mercedes Benz, or a
> Ferrari being designed and manufactured, let alone have the chance to
> work with designers and manufacturers. Thanks to the Free Software
> revolution, any software engineering student can see how software is
> designed, including the Linux kernel and thousands of other free
> programs, and can work with developers to make new innovations. Just
> as it is critical for a medical student to gain familiarity with the
> human body, it is similarly important for a software engineering
> student to learn how software is written, maintained, used, and
> improved in the real world. Most of the time students learn only
> theoretical concepts or trivial software as part of their curriculum.
> Working with Free Software projects gives students an opportunity to
> work on software which is used in production all over the world.
>
> Advantages of contributing to Free Software projects include:
>
> 1. learning how software is produced in the real world
>
> 2. learning how to solve real world problems
>
> 3. learning with some of the best programmers in the world
>
> 4. learning tools and processes used in software development
>
> 5. learning how to work collaboratively in teams
>
> 6. learning to communicate technical problems effectively while
> working remotely.
>
> In a mini Debian conference, members of the Debian community share the
> work they do in the community and guide students to take up projects
> to improve the Project. This includes talks and workshops on basic
> topics like “Introduction to Free Software”, “Securing communications
> on the Internet”, or advanced topics like “Maintaining Debian
> packages”, “Version Control with Git” (or Mercurial), “Bug squashing
> parties”, etc.
>
> A mini Debian conference requires class rooms/lecture halls with
> projectors for talks and labs for hands-on workshops. It is better for
> the conference to last more than a day, to allow more time for talks
> and for participants to interact with each other. In this case, we
> also request accommodation for speakers and delegates, and also for
> students from outside the host institution, to enable them to
> participate.
>
> [1] W3Techs survey of Web Servers
> http://w3techs.com/blog/entry/debian_ubuntu_extend_the_dominance_in_the_linux_web_server_market_at_the_expense_of_red_hat_centos
> ###########################################################################
>
> --
> JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
> sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
The letter was worked upon by Faheem, Praveen, Shirish and now Justin
so in that it has truly become a community letter.
While the previous version wasn't really working and looked a bit
rough, Justin has tweaked it enough so that it can be used and re-used
in various educational institutions. And the idea of the letter is
that it opens the door for future engagements so it doesn't have to be
very long as well.
So, all in all +1 from me.
--
Regards,
Shirish Agarwal शिरीष अग्रवाल
My quotes in this email licensed under CC 3.0
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