VGLUG: An Inspiring Community-Driven FOSS Education Story
A DECADE STORY OF A FOSS COMMUNITY IN TAMIL NADU
SATHISH
Volunteer
VGLUG FOUNDATION
Viluppuram GNU/Linux Users Group (VGLUG) is a non profit organization started in 2013, Impression of worldwide Free and Open Source Software movement.
This organization is a social movement that works towards enlightening the masses with the essence of free software and to liberate knowledge.
VGLUG
"FOSS was specifically chosen as a subject on which to educate students..
... FOSS knowledge is akin to scientific
facts"
‘We are using FOSS as a tool for poverty eradication.’
Karkee Udhayan, Founder, VGLUG
FOSS
into the
MASS
WEEKLY
MEETUPS
SOFTWARE FREEDOM DAY
We celebrate SFD every year which helps us to take FOSS into general public. Through this event, we are training the students to learn more about foss tools, alternatives, etc., and how to out reach importance of foss among the general public
Despite working with limited resources, VGLUG’s work has put Villupuram on
the world stage. This was due to organising of two global events in the town, the
2022 Wikipedia meet-up and the International Debian Conference in 2023
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Wikimedia Hackathon
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Summer Camp
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Python Hackathon
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Winter Camp
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Kids camp
EVENTS
Mini Debian Conference Tamil nadu
"VGLUG plans to establish GNU Linux User Groups (GLUGs) in each village, in
true grassroots fashion, where residents of that village would serve as volunteers."
100 Villages 100 GLUGS
Students actively contribute to FOSS as part of their engagement with VGLUG.
They have developed applications for Linux distributions in addition to four
tools for Wikipedia
MASS INTO THE FOSS
SPELL FOR WIKI
SANGA ILAKKIYAM
SpotWikiEdit
QuickWikitionary
WikiBulky
FreeTamilLibrary
DrRavikumarMP
GETMYEBOOK
FOSS becoming as BOSS
Ensuring the livelihood of under privileged people
Engineering students
Python
linux admin
Arts and science students
python
What we can provide to the people with FOSS
PYTHON TRAINING - 2024
VGLUG specifically aims to serve needy students, i.e., those who are marginalised
in many ways. It has accordingly set an eligibility criteria and devised a process to
select students who can attend their meet-ups.