Over the last year, we've tracked the software dependencies and expenditure of public sector academic institutions in India(like the NITs, AIIMs, IIMs and IIITs).
So far, we've mapped a floor of INR 134 crores, with over 300 different tools(used for teaching, research and admin). Through our research, we've found out that most of these institutions run on software they can't own, can't audit and stand to lose access to at any time. For a significant share of these tools, mature FOSS alternatives already exist.
With curricula being built around proprietary tools, we are raising a generation of tool operators, instead of engineers who understand what’s underneath. We've got ourselves in a situation where institutions and students are locked-in consumers for life, with a looming sovereignty risk on our heads.
Through this talk, we hope to present our findings on software expenditure/usage and what institutions, FOSS vendors, and policymakers can do about it.