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+# BOSS - Barath Operating System Solutions
+
+[[!meta date="2016-01-26"]]
+[[!tag debian blog]]
+
+Siri and I are on a journey through India and Nepal,
+with the aim of learning about needs of Debian derivatives,
+to improve Debian and encourage closer integration.
+
+
+## C-DAC and BOSS
+
+Centre for Development of Advanced Computing ([C-DAC][]) is a large organization
+serving country- and state-level institutions in India,
+with offices and training facilities several major cities.
+In Chennai, C-DAC has a staff of 25 developers
+working full time on Barath Operating System Solutions ([BOSS][]).
+
+BOSS is a Debian derivative with several flavors
+- a desktop for use at primary schools (EduBOSS),
+a desktop for governmental offices (BOSS),
+and a range of server-oriented use cases using same core as the desktops
+with various (non-packaged) code and configuration on top.
+
+The core common to all BOSS flavors is a derivative of Debian.
+Major work has been in strengthening localization and related code
+- including the development of a font
+covering all officially supported indic scripts,
+tuning input methods configuration,
+and bugfixing LibreOffice handling of complex scripts.
+All that work is all passed directly to upstream code projects
+(some still show as derived work until sifting down again into Debian).
+
+Besides locale derivations,
+BOSS currently includes 11 packages not yet in Debian
+- a mixture of package dependencies, branding data and configuration tweaks.
+Seems most if not all can fit into Debian with a bit of restructuring work.
+
+
+[C-DAC]: <http://cdac.in/>
+  "Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)"
+
+[BOSS]: <http://bosslinux.in/>
+  "Barath Operating System Solution (BOSS)"
+
+[blend]: <https://wiki.debian.org/DebianPureBlends#Terminology>
+  "Debian Pure Blend - subset of Debian configured for a target group"
+
+
+## business...
+
+
+## small computers
+
+As some of you know,
+I always had a special interest in low-resource (yet general purpose) computers
+(partly driven by my lack of money to spend on shinier hardware),
+and since ~2009 particularly in ARM-based computers.
+
+After 4 days of meetings and discussion with C-DAC,
+- literally few minutes before departure -
+I casually mentioned my interest in small computers,
+and much to my surprise it turned out that C-DAC also works on that,
+just didn't get around to mention it yet at the Debian wiki page.
+
+C-DAC have worked for a year on tuning BOSS to work on the Vidyut laptop
+(successor to the Aakash tablet).
+All except builtin camera is allegedly working.
+
+C-DAC is also looking into Olimex boards
+- my favorites -
+possibly for use with small server setups...
+
+...but our time was up, we had to leave for our train to Pune,
+so details on that we will have to figure out through mail.
+
+
+## collaboration
+
+In the past, C-DAC have kept in touch with their users
+through BOSS-specific places like a dedicated IRC channel.
+Recent changes in management style at the development office
+have caused less attention available to that communication, however.
+
+C-DAC have politely offered their code changes upstram for years,
+but maybe "too polite":
+Maybe they have offered only polished fixes,
+being less loud about "interesting problems".
+
+I suggested, as way to improve while limiting (ideally avoiding) extra work,
+is to mentally take a step up the stream:
+Treat BOSS not as a derivative but a subset of Debian itself,
+hang out and discuss issues and ideas at debian irc channels,
+and maintain your packages directly in Debian.
+
+Only parts unfit for Debian
+- secret stuff done for India military,
+and dirty configuration hacks not yet possible within Debian Policy -
+really need to be kept away from Debian.
+
+C-DAC agreed, and Debian now has a BOSS team!
+
+Anyone interested to follow BOSS as a Debian blend,
+and perhaps even contribute with opinions and/or code,
+is quite welcome to join the newly created mailinglist
+on Debian Alioth:
+<https://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/boss-devel>.
+
+Our meetings with BOSS developers have been very pleasant.
+Even those working at the top of cloud or big data stacks
+- furthest away from our mindset of tightly "locking down" all parts as packages -
+were patient with us.
+
+Thanks in particular to Prema S and Prathibha B,
+working on packaging of BOSS for the past 5+ years,
+and both likely to enter the Debian New Maintainer Queue before long :-)