email address : indradg@icbic.com first name : Indranil last name : Das Gupta job title : Developer/Consultant company/organisation name : Ankur Bangla Group street address : B-27/4, Abhyudoy, street address (additional) : E.C.T.P. Phase -IV city/town : Kolkata state/province : West Bengal zip/pin code : 700107 country : INDIA phone number : 98300-20971 fax number : - photo : see attached file idg_mugshot.jpg brief biography : Indranil Das Gupta has been an active user and evangelist for Free and Open Source software for the past several years. Aside from his vocation as consultant helping in managing the adoption and migration to Free & Opensource technologies, he has been active in the area of Localization of Free/Opensource Software in Indian Languages. He is a student of the developments of unicode-based digital libraries and repositories aiming for management of Indic Language content, particularly for preservation & dissemination of traditional knowledge. As part of the IndLinux Group (www.indlinux.org), he is currently trying to create a model for productization of Indic FOSS initiatives for mass-scale adoption using the L2C2 (localised low-cost computing www.l2c2.org) framework. He is presently based in Kolkata and can be reached at indradg (at) icbic.com. Tell Us About Your Recent Speaking Engagements ============================================== [First] title : Enabling Indic Support in Library Information Systems date : 02/2005 venue : International CALIBER-2005, organised by INFLIBNET at CUSAT, Kochi description : I'm presenting the following paper titled "Enabling Indic Support in Library Information Systems - An Opensource Localizer's Perspective". ABSTRACT - This article looks into the unique nature of challenges and opportunities facing the Free and Opensource (FOSS) based software localizers' community when it comes to enabling support for Unicode-based Indic Scripts in the domain of Library and Information Science (LIS).It describes the early background of Indian language support in LIS domain in terms of technology used, and moves into the present-day scenario of Unicode and Open standard based method of universal archival and access to information repositories that modern libraries represent with their multi-media capabilities.Unicode addresses many of the problems that had plagued earlier systems which had little or no capabilities in terms of universal accessibility, it also brings its own set of problems that demand solutions – e.g. the issue of collation sequences which assume significance when looked at from the perspective of indexed search capabilities in library software. While Opensource provides an open, pro-active, collaborative platform for rapid development, it still has to answer for issues like availability of extensive Opentype fonts, collation sequences, less-than desired quality of rendering by Indic script layout engines, as well as varying levels of maturity of software components that make up the technology stack on which Indic Support enabled Library Information Systems can and are being developed. The authors will try to seek answers to these practical questions by looking into their localization experiences with Koha – the world's first Opensource library software into Bengali (this work is being followed by Hindi localization). Inputs will also include the experiences of the team from ISI, Kolkata which is working on localizing Greenstone Digital Library (GSDL) into Bengali. The article will draw upon the experiences of FOSS Indic Localizers' community to see whether cross-pollination of ideas can lead us towards the goal of bridging the Digital Divide. [Second] title : A Model Framework for Localisation Products and Localisation Services date : 12/2004 venue : INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON LOCALISATION, New Delhi description : [PRESENTATION ABSTRACT] A Model Framework for Localisation Products & Localisation Services -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Work on Indic Localization has often been identified with translation of the UI, font design, standardization of Unicode issues and rendering engines binding it together to deliver the L10N-ised graphical OS platform. In contrast, the Localised Low-Cost Computing (L2C2) initiative outlines a strategy for productization of what has been viewed as a niche service segment through an extensible framework for Localised Products and Localised Services models. As functional examples we present - CASTLE, primarily an open-ended "educational" content delivery platform based on L2C2 [1] and the GRIND (Grand Indic Distro/Desktop)[2]. The choice of products over a service model is deliberate as the software as product is well-understood and the Indic Developers are in general not yet mature enough to understand the nuances of service offerings. These "products" with their extensible component-based framework are ideal for consumption by Civil Society Organisations who in turn would offer innovative, customer-centric L10N-ised services to the utlimate end-users in high impact areas like - education (general, distance, adult, vocational and special) sector. For example CASTLE is being used to set up language laboratories. Other areas suited for CASTLE-ization are mass computer literacy, G2C initiatives etc. A Case for the business model ----------------------------- For the L2C2 model to take-off, there is a strong need for mass-scale adoption by CSOs. I would like to rest my case with two examples with close resonance - creation of 100+ LiTE (Linux Technology Extension) Centers by C-DIT in Kerala through extending computer training institutes [3]. The second is from Extremadura in Spain. The district has adapted GNU/Linux (Project LinEx) to bridge the digital divide in the region. Since 2002, the district now has the highest density of computers per student in Europe. The Vivernet program - started to foster the creation of companies in the region that offer support and solutions based on LinEx. has helped create 70 companies up to now. [4] On the service side, mention must be made of GLT-Madyamgram Unit [5] (glt-mad (at) ilug-cal.org) which has been conducting holistic Linux education [6] delivery using the service model of L2C2. References: [snipped] [Third] title : Migrating to Opensource : Application Matrix, Approaches and Lessons Learnt date : 10/2004 venue : Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, Calcutta University. description : IDSK is a high-power, economic policy think-tank, acting as advisor to Govt of WB among other things. A two-day seminar was organised by FSF West Bengal Chapter and IDSK. Speaking at the seminar to senior academics and policy makers, my talk provided an all-round exposure to Opensource Technologies (centered around the use of Linux) in academic and research environment, and worked towards breaking the various myths surrounding FOSS. Tell Us About Your Presentation For LinuxAsia 2005 ================================================== topic : Databases and Content Management Systems (Information Systems) title : Localisation and OpenSource in Library Information Systems abstract : This talk is an attempt to highlight the key role of FOSS in the development and implementation of modern Library Information Systems and Digital Repositories. These systems have acquired significance in view of their capability to preserve and disseminate both metadata and multi-media e-content, particularly as archives of traditional knowledge, as well as modern, up-to-date, multi-lingual information. The FOSS technology stack present an unique opportunity to create open-standards based, univerally accessible, cost-effective digital repositories and interactive, multi-lingual info-portals. Making these possible are Unicode compliant Opensource databases working in tandem with Library Information Systems - ranging from Integrated Library Systems like Koha, OpenBiblio etc. to full-blown Digital Library Systems like GSDL, DSpace and Fedora et. al. and exposing a plethora of web-services based on Z39.50, OAI-PMH etc. The talk will walk through these various options presented by the FOSS stack. Using actual implementation examples (including a brief demonstration of Localised Koha), the presentation will try to bring out how the synergies between ILS, CMS, Digital Library Systems and a Localized OS platform can help us in building a bridge across the digital divide.