Fedora Education Spin
Contact Information
- Email Address: kumaran@kums.in
- Telephone: +91-97505-25555
- Blog URL: http://kums.in/blog
- Freenode IRC Nick: kumaran
Why do you want to work with the Fedora Project?
Fedora means a lot to me. I first got introduced into the world of Free and Open Source Software with my RHCE (Redhat Certified Engineer) exam. I probably was the youngest in the world to clear it at that time (around 12 years.) For preparation of my RHCE exam, I used Fedora Core 1. From that time, I have been in love with Fedora and it has remained my primary distribution of choice ever since. I’m emotionally attached to Fedora because it has allowed me to explore not only the many FOSS tools available, but also the ideology and philosophy of FOSS, and the workings of the Open Source community.
I am happy to note that my dad’s office has been running on 100% Fedora, without any issues for the past 7 years. I am also fairly experienced in the process of creating remixes. Being a school student, I thought that my school should run on 100% FOSS, so I’ve persuaded my school’s management to go for a 100% FOSS conversion. I have started on this project, and I am using Fedora extensively, especially for the CS lab. I have created a Fedora remix, tailor-made to my school’s requirements, with lots of educational and programming tools that we use regularly. I have also undertaken a project of converting a Orthopedic hospital to Linux. Here again, I am using Fedora heavily. I’ve also created a lite version of Fedora, to be used by the thin-client architecture which is available there. I have also created a Fedora remix with a few proprietary bits to help ease a lot of my friends’ transition to Linux.
Since, I have been using Fedora to a great extent in most of my computing endavours, I thought I need to give something back to The Fedora Project. So, I thought of using GSoC to ‘kick-start’ my contributions to The Fedora Project.
Do you have any past involvement with the Fedora project or with any another open source project as a contributor (if possible please add some references as well)?
No, I don’t have any past involvement with the Fedora project or another open source project as a contributor. But I’ve used Fedora to create a few downstream remixes. I also have a good rapport with The Free Software Foundation, and especially Richard M. Stallman, who had dinner at my home at Chennai a couple of months back.
Did you participate with the past GSoC programs, if so which years, which organizations?
No, I’ve not participated with any of the past GSoC programs. In fact, this is the first year that I’m eligible to apply.
Will you continue contributing/ supporting the Fedora project after the GSoC 2012 program, if yes, which team(s)/area(s), you are interested with?
Absolutely! For now, I would like to contribute to the spins maintanance SIGs. I’m interested in developing a India-specific spin, which has all the language packs and common free software that most people in India use.
Why should we choose you over the other applicants?
I think I’m a better candidate primarily because of my interest, experience and commitment towards Fedora. I’ve always wanted to contribute something back to The Fedora Project. I’ve also been a keen observer of what goes on with Fedora, version by version. I also love the way Fedora and its contributors work, right from the release naming elections. I think my knowledge of creating working remixes and the experience of deploying Fedora in many real-world applications would help me a lot.
Proposal Description
An overview of the proposal
With this project, I intend to create a Fedora Education Spin (like Edubuntu).This should be a showcase of all the wonderful educational tools available in the Linux world.
The need I believe it fulfils
Fedora still does not have a dedicated Education spin (like Edubuntu). I believe that it needs one, simply because Fedora would be excellent in a educational set-up. Most students don't know that there is much more to FOSS than just coding. The variety of educational apps like GCompris in the Linux platform is just amazing. I want Fedora to showcase this to the world in a easy-to-use CD/DVD.
The existing SoaS spin is targeted at primary school kids. I am thinking of something that will be useful for middle and high school children.
Relevant experience that I have
As I have already mentioned, I am experienced in creating remixes. I also have some experience in packaging various tools. I also love bash scripting. I am implementing a custom Educational remix in my school.
How I intend to implement the proposal
Steps I’d like to follow to create the Fedora Education spin:
1. Create a working kick-start file including all the existing Education packages in Fedora repos.
2. Package/port other useful Educational applications not found in the Fedora repos. (like SciLab)
3. Create a kick-start file with all the newly packaged tools.
4. Integrate the spin to easily work with LTSP, to make it easier to manage school labs.
5. Get the finished remix approved by the Spins SIG to put it in the Get Fedora page for Fedora 18 release.
Keep in touch with the Education SIG to help review the packages and the kick-start files as and when they are ready.
A rough timeline for the progress
The first step should be over in no time. Packaging might take a few weeks. Integration with LTSP might take more than a month, depending on the level of functionality that we want.
Have you communicated with a potential mentor? If so, who?
Yes. I have sent a mail to Mr. Tim Niemueller