Plug n’ Serve

“We started out in the year 1998,” says current chief coordinator of PLUG Sudhanva Joglekar. He adds,that the community,was originally formed by a colleague Gautam Godse,in 1998 and now it has swelled to over 1000 members. Speaking more about it he adds,“The community basically consists of members who are advocates of Free Open Source Software (FOSS). We aim to spread the usage of free operating systems (OS) that run on Linux,which are far better than other OS available in the market,” he adds.

Ever since its inception in 1998,the community has a steady range of members that include programme developers,common citizens,and even software developing enthusiasts. Aditya Godbole,who runs his own company,which specialises in video restoration says,“I have been a member since 2002. The main advantage that one has from working on Open Source softwares is that one has the freedom to customise them according to the needs. So,for someone working on operating systems designed by companies such Microsoft or Apple,the choice of modifying the software according to their needs is not there,we can create use,modify,and most importantly share our softwares with other community members.”

The members meet once a month on the first Saturday to discuss,the new applications,problems,and even new techniques of using new softwares that are based on Linux. In addition they also conduct seminars and lectures for students who are studying in college,college professors,as well as provide training for those who are interested in learning how to design FOSS. Speaking about its successful implementation,Manjusha Joshi,a Mathematics professor,says,“I learnt of the club while I was working on LaTeX,a technical documentation system,that is used to document research and mathematical papers. Infact as a group-PLUG,we were even consulted while open source softwares were incorporated into the BSc computers course.”

In addition to conducting the seminars,the group also distributes the various softwares created,at a nominal price of burning it to a CD or DVD. “It is a reason as to why even our membership fees is kept at a minimum of Rs 25. We aim to not only educate people about using Linux,but also aim to generate the freedom for developers to create more viable and practical softwares,” says Joglekar.