THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tracing the footsteps of a large community outside who believe in living and sharing in a free world, the students of Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology (MBCET) here have decided to swear allegiance to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).
The Computer and IT Departments of the college will completely shift to Free Software in a week’s time. The process began on Monday, as part of which a seminar on FOSS was conducted in the college. Teachers, nearly 25 of them, and students are being given training in FOSS to enable them to be part of the change.
“The proprietary software that students are using now is outdated. It’s time for a shift, making it to free software will benefit them and the institution,’’ said Anoop Jacob Thomas, a faculty of the college and a member of fsug-tvm (free software users group-trivandrum).
He has proposed FOSS Transition Strategy and Adaptation for the institution and is of the opinion that FOSS transition would increase the professional capability of students. The college is being helped out by the fsug-tvm and Computer Society of India (CSI) in shifting to open sources. However, FOSS replacements are currently being identified.
During the beginning of this year, MBCET had included a free software campaign in their annual college tech day celebrations. They had conducted FOSS seminars too, but a complete shift has been thought of for the first time.
Barton Hill Engineering College, SET Pappanamcode and a couple of other engineering institutions have also come to the way of free software. But it has been limited to open source user groups, seminars and install fests.
MBCET has five other departments, which too are expected to shift to Free Software.
trivandrum@expressbuzz.com