[Assam] For Open Source Professionals

[Ankur Bora]

      Jayanta Sarma of UK has open a forum for Open source Professionals as below. Pls Join and contribute to the forum.
   
  Thanks,
   
  Ankur Bora
  Austin , Texas
   
  Hello Everybody
It is really nice to see the  enthusiasm and hope we will be able to sustain it. If it helps, I just set up a phpBB bulletin board for discussion which can be accessed through http://accb.net/phpbb. I propose we do not make the forum public and use for discussion within the group. A few volunteers are welcome to be moderators. I just created a few topics - 
  haedings are subjected to modification according to the suggestion of the group.   
  So please register so that everybody gets to know each other and to get the discussion going in earnest.
     
  Thanks.
     
  Dr Jayanta B Sarma, MBBS (Guwahati), MSc (Manchester) MRCPath (London)
Consultant Microbiologist
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust
North Shields, UK


   
   
   
  Hi,
First of all lets see how we define a doable open source project. According
to me:
1) already an initiative (main trunk) is going on. We can write modules
or branches
2) has some significance to the society and our NE in particular.
3) Already existing code base should be well documented and easy to
understand. Most open source codes r extremely well written and Full of
knowledge.

The Assamese/Manipuri Language support is a perfect example.

How to find projects and support:
The answer is google google and google. and of course google groups

How to get ideas
1) Discussion.and individual ideas
In our everyday life we do feel a need of things..like how good it
would have been if a simple sms would have told us which blood bank has O-
blood available at this point of time..So this needs translates into a
project idea

2) Talking to the local industry and business

Some of things I could think of

1) Localization
In the simplest of words this is customizing already existing
products for our local needs
a) Assamese character recognition
-------existing projects which can be used for this:::
1) LOCR== an initiative of northwestern
university
www.math.northwestern.edu/~mlerma/locr

2 )GOCR
jocr.sourceforge.net

b) n Speech synthasis
This is for visually challenged prople. The
program speaks out the typed text. We have loads of such softwares for
English. But none for Indian languages
1)linux-sound.org/speech.html
2) The Festival Speech Synthesis
System www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival/

c) n Speech recognition
Opposite of speech synthesis. can be used
by the hearing impaired so that speech is translated into character.. there
are thousands of other uses.
carnegie mellon university is the driver for these
initiatives www.cmu.edu

d)Manipuri fonts
My friend Ganesh Gudigara is a linux embedded
systems/networking guru. Initially he was with the Kannada localization
drive...He is visually impaired and so his artist family helped him make
the complex and beautiful kannada fonts. (shabdashilpa)
He can be a big help. I am leaving my company and so there is not much time
left for me to talk to him and get guidance.
Fonts can be made using PFE etc. membres.lycos.fr/pfeweb/
============================= '

Projects of social significance:
1) Only one example is striking my mind now.. Integrated Hospital
management.
There are lot of open source projects available for such things. We can
customize it for say Blood Banks in guwahati.
The end product may be that we can enquire availability of O- blood in
the area. It will be modularised into
1) GUI programming (java applet etc)
2) Database
---above for CS students
3) networking
4) GSM
---for EE students
====================
All government departments , lot of NGOs .. all need softwares..from
inventory management to database. Software companies charge heftily..
students can do it for a small fee
=======================
Education
1) LIbrary management
One of the most repeated projects in the world..still
significant
2) Software for primary education
Text books were very boring in my time and they are no
better now.. We can have interactive game based softwares (open source
available)
Gameing programming is one of the hottest fields now.. Such a thing
in your resume will take you to new heights
=========================
Mechanical/Civil Engineering students
The open source CAD is still underdeveloped . All cad softwares
are commertial and highly priced. Why dont u modify the open source and save
money for the college. There is a scope for lot of work+ to earn reputaion
internationally..

www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad.html
=====================
ECE EnT students
E-Cad
=====================
CS/EE students
Manager for My Sql
Gui front end for popular command line programs ( how about in
assamese!)
Hell lot of work can be done
in audio video synthasis. its a patent goldmine.. u hit upon something , u
turn a millionaire..

=======================================
Hi tech thing:

1) contribute to RFCs, Infiniband standard
...........
................the list goes on...

     
   
    
   

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/assam_assamnet.org/attachments/20060719/adde6e7e/attachment.htm