Update: VTU-FLOSS Campaign

As you know VTU FLOSS Petition was handed over to VTU registrar since we couldn't meet the VC . Many of my friends blogged about this. The message in the blogs has reached VTU. Yesterday I got a call from VTU registrar inquiring me about this post. He was not very happy about me using the words "The VC didn't keep his word....". According him VC's appointment book doesn't have an entry for my appointment ( For 6 Aug. 2005) . But I made him sure that I have mail by VC's secretary, giving me the appointment. His thought was "may be the secretary has forgotten to put an entry into VC's book or he forgot to update me on the cancellation of the appointment". Well I agree on this.But a day went wasted for us.Whom should I blame for that?

On the call. The registrar assured me, he will help us in possible ways to create awareness about FLOSS in students. Its an encourage factor. I am sure I can believe him after VTU released a notice allowing its students to attend FOSS.IN/2005. I hope VTU will look into our petition atleast now.
Anyway after coming back from VTU we started to approach colleges/students. And conducted few seminars on FLOSS at BMS College of Engineering, PESIT etc.
We have plans to go to as many colleges as possible. If you want to conduct/arrange similar seminar in your college, please contact either me ( thej at techmag dot biz ) or Praveen (pravi --dot-- a --at-- gmail --dot-- com) by mail or leave a comment here. We will surely make it possible. Probably now we can take a letter from VC, so that we can conduct such seminars across Karnataka. Any ideas?

Update:
The issue is taken up by Times Of India. You can see it here. I just want to highlight the following point from the article

VTU vice-chancellor K Balaveera Reddy, said: “In principle, we are against singlevendor policy. We are not favouring only Microsoft. The syllabus was framed in 2002, and when we take it up for revision in 2006 we will change it.’’

Interesting. We need to think about 2006 syllabus.