[Fsf-friends] [Press Release/Announce] Knowledge based initiative of iLUG-Kolkata

[Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay]

**PRESS RELEASE**
A new knowledge-based initiative from iLUG-Kolkata
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For the Kolkata chapter of the Indian Linux Users Group (iLUG-Kolkata),
2003 has been one of the best years till date. With the commendable and
much commented upon presence at COMPASS 2003, a spanking new-look website
with lots of nifty features and an upward swing in the membership
(currently at over 325), it seems that things are looking good and as the
ditty goes they can only get better.

The Study Resource Group Initiative

iLUG-Kolkata has managed to notch up another first - the Study Resource
Group initiative (or SRGi). Based on the concept of sharing knowledge by
proper collation and classification techniques, SRGi aims to be the nodal
point of dissemination of focussed knowledge as well as become a well
thumbed information resource.

Every person who tinkers around with a computer becomes in due course of
time, a store of some amount of knowledge and information distilled with
the touch of personal experience. More often than not, such tips are shared
amongst a close circle of friends and/or kept to oneself. It is this
knowledge base that SRGi desires to tap and publish. Thus SRGi is aimed at
being an open-ended informational matrix of these work-notes, observations,
first-person accounts, mini-HOWTOs, notes/remarks on quality of
documentation on specific topics etc

SRGi members are Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in their chosen area of
expertise. Along with volunteers from iLUG-Kolkata, SMEs aim to create a
rich knowledge base available for perusal under convenient licensing
regimes. The authors writing constructive articles on various topics in
their respective areas of expertise will definitely be one of the
cornerstones of SRGi, however it will not be the *only* stone in the
structure.

The SRGi will comprise of Articles, Reviews, Tutorials, Notes, Pointers to
useful resources on various topics. By having the capability to easily
allow people add to existing information can help a long way in tapping
into the latent informational resources available with individuals and
publishing it for the benefit of all and sundry. More than a single
volunteer may wish to work together at a time of a segment/article in a
collaborative manner (e.g. the Newbie FAQ Collaborative Book at the
website).

At a "micro-level" aspect, the SRGi is also looking into the possibility of
assisting in Bengali Translations of available Linux Documentation (a huge
task by any standard). The SRGi is actively looking at the inputs and
lessons to be learnt from the on-going Gnome-Bangla Translation Project.

The ultimate idea is the SRG to be a collaborative, community based, open
documentation/informational matrix, with the value proposition being the
wealth of personal experience of the SRGi members, that may or may not
always fall in the category of the typical HOWTOs, but are highly useful
resources none-the-less!

In it's endeavor to evolve as a truly open, community-based information
matrix, the SRGi has undertaken a bold step which makes it stand out among
all other projects of similar aim and/or nature. With its deep commitment
to FLOSS philosophy, the project will attempt to foster a inclusive social
environment.

By allowing SRGi authors/contributors to choose from among a basket of 4
basic licenses (all of which are FLOSS friendly in nature) to publish their
content, the project expects to empower the contributor(s) and ensure
inclusive participation at all levels of the project.

To be a part of this Initiative, you need to join the
srg-discuss@ilug-cal.org mailing list, by sending a plain-text ASCII e-mail
to majordomo@ilug-cal.org with "subscribe srg-discuss" in the body (without
the quotes). The list requires to you confirm your subscription, this is
done to prevent unauthorised subscription and spam bots as well as ensure
the address provided is a working one.

The SRGi functioning is facilitated by its Working Group, constituting of
SMEs and other active volunteers of the Group. Membership to SRGi Working
Group is based on a strict meritocracy and on the level of contribution to
the community. Members are inducted by invitation after a nomination is
passed as per SRGi Charter.



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