open IT

Hi all!

We have arranged Open IT - a 3-day work-shop for II year students. The II Year students only have a basic understanding of C language. Hence the workshop mainly aims at introducing students to the various trends in software field and explaining the importance of Open Source. We will also educate them with major Sun's Open Source Technologies.

More details here: http://blogs.sun.com/jaysblog/entry/open_it_3_day_workshop

Cheers!

Cheers to Netbeans!

Hi all!

It's the 10th birthday of our very own IDE!






And on behalf of the SRKNEC SunClub members - "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NETBEANS" !!!

At the SunClub, all of us have been using Netbeans to develop code in Java, be it for desktops, mobiles or even SunSPOTs. But we are always concerned with how can Netbeans help us further?

So, i have a wonderful announcement to make - Netbeans will be used to teach the introductory Java course at our college!

I have talked with our HOD and he has approved the induction of Netbeans in our curriculum. From the next semester, Java course will be taught to 4th sem students using Netbeans IDE and not the obsolete textpad.

This is one more area (education) where we are using Netbeans.
Cheers to Netbeans,
Long Live OpenSource!

-Vasusen Patil,
President,
SRKNEC SunClub.

SIRAP Project Video - Mobile Connection

Hi!

Here's the video of a fascinating part of our 'SunSPOT Initiated Resilient Application Package (SIRAP)':



Please Watch, Learn, Rate, Comment and Share.
Enjoy!

- Vasusen

Workshop - CFF and Netbeans Plugin Development

Hi!
We could finally manage time to have another workshop yesterday (what with all the never-ending sessionals & practicals going on!) The seminar was primarily held to introduce all the Sun Club members to the Code For Freedom (CFF) contest (Yes, it's back you sleepy-heads!!) It was heartening to see that a few (3) Second-years were also present for the first time!

At the start, I announced the CFF contest and all its details. We formed a strategy to go about it. In that effect, it has been decided that I (Vasusen) will be the 'Idea Bank', and all participants from our Sun Club should share their ideas or get new ones (if they don't have any!) from me (You are free to mail me!).

Later, Jay announced our very own SRKNEC - Blogging Contest! for the SRKNEC - SunClub members. I will post its details here shortly (Hold your breath and please don't die till then...). He also demonstrated - 'how-to-access-free courses-using-SAI' (SAI -> Sun Academic Initiative, for all those who were sleeping at the inaugural). Using the SAI password, our club members can access free online video lectures and notes to prepare for the grueling SCJP exam (If you yet don't know what it is, then God [or google] help you!)

In the end, Jay explained the basic architecture of Netbeans and its modular approach. This was followed by an interactive session where the students built a Google Toolbar Plugin for Netbeans!

I apologize to all the students for the hurried proceedings towards the end. I also assure you that it was due to reasons beyond our control (orders from HOD!). We would try to avoid such time clashes in the future!

It is hoped that we would have many (quality) CFF contributions from the 3rd years this time (as they have exams starting later).

Best of Luck!

-Vasusen
President,
SRKNEC - SunClub

Open Source Hut 2 (Updates)!!

Hi!
It has been a month since we celebrated our 'Open Source Hut' at Polaris. I am overjoyed to inform you that our event has received the due global recognition and support from people at Sun, open source enthusiasts, and our own club members.
In the meantime we compiled a video of the three day event and posted it on the internet. Jay had sent this video to people at Sun Microsystems. This video was featured on the official site of Netbeans as an inspiration to celebrate Software Freedom Day (20th Sept. - and in case you are wondering why we didn't celebrate SFD, let me remind you that our college decided to have internal exams for all branches on that [un]eventful day!). The lastest news is that Sun has put this video up on the Sun Developer's Network video channel - click here to view it.



I hope that the video and its success provides us the necessary push to brace ourselves for more events to come.

-Vasusen,
President,
SRKNEC - SunClub

OPEN SOURCE HUT !!

I use this blog entry to formally announce our 'Open Source Hut' (an exhibition-cum-workshop on open source ) to be a success. During the course of last two days, we had 220+ entries for the 'SRKNEC - SunClub'. Most of these were from "Linux-fearing" (non-computer science) background! And I am glad that we could allay their fears by giving first-hand experience of Open Solaris, Ubuntu and other opensource systems. Also, the more than 300 CDs (OpenSolaris, Netbeans+OpenOffice, Ubuntu ) that we distributed freely helped a lot in changing students' general perceptions about OpenSource software.

This event was a first major victory for our SunClub; and with Sun around, hotter stuff is bound to come up.

Fasten your seat-belts, the joy-ride has just begun!

- Vasusen,
President,
SRKNEC - SunClub

Begun...the SUN CLUB has!

I am elated to inform you that the SRKNEC - Sun Club was formally inaugurated on Saturday, August 30, 2008. Though we had started registering members about 15 days back, an official launch was due.

It was a simple function presided over by our dear H.O.D, Prof. M.B. Chandak. At the start he announced that Jay Mahadeokar is the Sun Campus Ambassador and I (Vasusen Patil) would be the president of the SRKNEC - Sun Club.

Shift Happens + Open Source:

Firstly Jay explained - Shift Happens (some of slides were taken from presentation by Karl Fisch). This took the students by surprise and set the tone for things to come...

Next, Jay explained why we need to change our outlook and also consider giving importance to things that are outside the curriculum (OpenSource being the 'it' thing!!) The significance of the Participation Age was also highlighted.

Then the opensource model was explained, and various open source technologies from Sun were introduced namely : Netbeans, Opensolaris, Java, SunSPOT, GlassFish, MySQL, OpenSparc, OpenOffice...

Students were asked questions and were rewarded with chocolates, CDs and DVDs for correct answers!

Introduction to SAI and plans of Sun Club:

I then took over and introduced the SAI(Sun Academic Initiative), its benefits and also discussed some of the plans for the SRKNEC Sun Club. Later, I also gave a short talk on Software Freedom Day and our plans to make it a grand event.

Conclusion:

Students seemed really interested and though only about a 10th of the total college population was present, I think, it was a good start!!

The important thing is that we have begun!

Cheers!

Workshop on Mobile Applications using Netbeans.

Hi.

We had conducted a workshop on introduction to Netbeans on 20th July. In continuation to that we successfully conducted a workshop on Building mobile Applications using Netbeans.(The gap was due to exams). Here are the details of the workshop:

Date - 29 / 7 / 2008.
Students Present - 37.
Time - 10 AM to 12-30 PM.



Conducted by: 1. Jay Mahadeokar, Sun Campus Ambassador.
2. Vasusen Patil, President, SRKNEC Sun Club.

Summary:

At the start of the workshop, basic introduction was given to Netbeans and the difference between J2ME, J2EE and J2SE was explained.

Then the basic architecture of J2ME was explained along with the difference between CLDC and CDC. The various classes and tools available on the palette were also introduced.

Then a small application using Netbeans Mobility pack was interactively built by students. All the options avaiilable were explained along with the source code and the Visual Mobile builder tools.

A small homework is also given.

Next we will be conducting a seminar on Introduction to Open Source and Sun Club at SRKNEC Auditorium on Saturday 23rd August. Students from all branches are invited.

See you there!!

Cheers!

-Jay Mahadeokar,
Sun Campus Ambassador,
SRKNEC, Nagpur, India.

Event Update

Hello.

This is to inform all III Year students that we will be conducting a workshop on Sun SPOTs and Mobile Apps on 19 th Aug from 10 AM to 1 PM at LAB - I CS Department.

Your presence is appreciated.

We will also be conducting a seminar on Introduction to Open Source at the SRKNEC Auditorium on 23rd Aug 2008 from 12-30 to 2-30 PM.

This seminar is open for all branches and also I Year students are welcome. The seminar will formally introduce the SRKNEC SUN Club to the college and it will be followed by a short talk on Open Source Technologies and why they are so important. We will also be enlisting the advantages that and opportunities that a student will get as a Sun Club member.

Cheers!

-Jay Mahadeokar
SUN Campus Ambassaor,
SRKNEC, Nagpur, India.

Opensolaris and NetBeans DVDs available at Department Library.

Hello.

Please note that I have kept NetBeans and OpenSolaris DVDs at our department library and anyone interested can issue the same.
The Netbeans DVD contains NetBeans IDE 6.0 and all resources that will help you getting started with NetBeans includeing some demos and tutorials.
OpenSolaris developer edition is a 2DVD pack which has all 5 Opensolaris distros. It also has video lectures that will introduce you to all important features including D-Trace, ZFS, Clusters, Zones etc.
Please try out the stuff and if you like it you can take a set for yourself from me!

Thanks!

-Jay Mahadeokar
Sun Campus Ambassador, SRKNEC.

Google Group for SRKNEC SUN Club.

We now have the SRKNEC SUN Club "google group"- one of the major steps in the direction of mobilizing the activities - up and running! The group group will have all the necessary pages and discussion forum where all the important announcements and updates will be made. It will also serve as a platform for all of you to voice in your opinions, suggestions and any demands you may wish from the Club.

So I would encourage everyone interested to join the group and participate. SUN will also be keeping an eye on the group and any contributions made will be highly appreciated. Besides, group members will have additional benefits like:

1. Discounts while appearing for SUN Java and OpenSolaris Certification Exams.
2. Hands - On projects that Sun will offer for the clubs.
3. Exposure to latest Open Source Technologies via Tech -Demos, Seminars, Workshops!


To join the club, please visit - SRKNEC SUN Club.

- Regards,
Jay Mahadeokar,
Sun Campus Ambassador,
SRKNEC, Nagpur,India.

Open Source Initiative Proposal for SRNKEC - FY09

The SRKNEC SUN Club has had a great start with the NetBeans Workshop being a hit with III Year Students (I hope I am right - III Yearites!). After the Induction Program, I thought that we need a well defined plan as to what we need to to during the course of the year.

So, I thought of writing a formal proposal to our H.O.D on activities that could be carried out to start the Open Source Initiative at SRKNEC! This would serve as a rough draft of what can be done during the year. I have proposed many ideas which other Campus Ambassadors may like to implement.

The good news is - The Complete Proposal has been approved by our H.O.D, CSE Department and I have been given license to implement the plans.

I have attached the document here: Proposal.doc. Please go through it if interested. Any suggestions and improvement measures are welcome!!!!


May Sun Always Shine on SRKNEC!


-Regards
Jay Mahadeokar,
Sun Campus Ambassador,
SRKNEC, Nagpur,
India.

Campus Ambassador Induction Program - Bangalore.

I had been to the Campus Ambassador Induction Program that took place at Bangalore from July 27 - 29th as the representative for the Nagpur University. It was attended by 40 Campus Ambassadors all around India. We were introduced to all the mind-blowing Open Source technologies namely - NetBeans, OpenSolaris, MySQL among others. Along with the interesting technical sessions, and in-depth analysis of SUN Open Source Agenda and the CA program, we were also subjected to some really cool latest technologies and trends at SUN. The visit to the SUN data Center at DivyaShree Chambers was the icing on the cake!

Prominent personalities like Gary Serda graced the occasion and Ganesh Sir as well as the CA Program coordinators and tech leads ensured that we were smoothly inducted into this Sun-ny Affair! The program was smashing hit and everyone not only enjoyed it but also took home rich experience and knowledge.

Netbeans Workshop-2 delayed!!

I am extremely pained to inform all of you that the 2nd 'Netbeans Workshop', that was supposed to be conducted tomorrow ( sunday 27/07/2008 ), has been delayed due to power-cuts in the afternoon.

It becomes difficult to bear an extended seminar without working air-conditioners, and I would not want ruin students' "precious Sunday evening" by taking the seminar in the evening.

I hope to soon be able to find a viable date to conduct the seminar. Until then, I would prefer all the students to keep experimenting with the IDE at home.

Thanks for your support and understanding!!

Announcement - Sun Campus Ambassador.

Hello.

This is to formally announce that I (Jay Mahadeokar) have been chosen to be the new Sun Campus Ambassador for SRKNEC. I will take over the reigns from Siddharth Vadera - our First Sun Campus Ambassador.

Sun Microsystems has organized a 3 - day Induction Program for all campus ambassadors chosen from all over India. It is scheduled to be held on 27 - 29th July 2008.

I would like to consider this as an opportunity (rather than responsibility) to give my best. Mr Vasusen Patil (IV Year CSE) will be assisting me through all the activities. I hope I can give full justice to this role and all my teachers and colleagues will help and contribute so that we can take the Sun - SRKNEC relationship to a new level.

May Sun always shine on SRKNEC!

Thanks.

NetBeans Workshop for III year Students

Me and Vasusen Patil (IV Year CSE) conducted a 5 hour workshop on NetBeans for III Year students of CS on Sunday - 20-7-08. Sumit Roy (IV Year CSE) provided valuable support.

The workshop was attended by 46 students and got a great response. Here is a brief account of the workshop:
Started at 11 AM.

Introduction:
In the introductory speech overall scenario of the Software industry highlighting the three main players - Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and Google, what technologies do they provide and support. We mainly wanted to convey that there are various technologies available to carry out any task, importance must be given on building the basic concepts. Various questions were answered.

Quick Overview of java:
They had java in the last Semester. So we asked basic questions just to brush up the basics. (20 Chocolates were on offer for correct answers). The session was an interactive one and lived up the atmosphere.

Introduction to NetBeans IDE:
A basic overview of the NetBeans IDE was given. All students practically were asked to work around the IDE on their respective PC. The Major components like Projects, Files tab and all menus available were explained in brief.

Display of features using console based application:
A simple console based java application was taught. Following NetBeans features were highlighted:
1. Syntax highlighting.
2. Code folding.
3. Intelliscense(Automatic code completionusing ctrl+space)
4. Short Keys.
5. Debugging faciilities.
6. Exception Handling mechanism.
7. Refactoring.
And some more.....


It was almost 1:30 and then 1/2 hour break was provided.

Windows Based Application.
Next a windows based application was taught and all students created it interactively. How to create classes, Frames etc were told.

The application simply took two variables in text-boxes and displayed addition in third text-box when add button was clicked. How the code is automatically generated and what other options are available on the pallete was explained. The program control flow through the application was also discussed.
Introduction to Mobile Development.
A small hello world Mobile application was taught. The basic features provided by the IDE for mobile development were provided.

Conclusion:
At the end the opportunities that Sun Microsystems offers to students in terms of contests were told. The open source stance was highlighted and its advantages were highly appreciated. A small assignment was also given.

The response was unexpectedly overwhelming. We plan to conduct PART - B of the workshop next Sunday where the students will be introduced to NetBeans plug-in development , how online projects are carried out using CVS/SVN and other features.

Sunny days at SRKNEC!

Shri Ramdeobaba Kamla Nehru Engineering College, Nagpur, India has associated with Sun MicroSystems for the past year and a lot of activities and events have unfolded since then. The last year saw Siddharth Vadera, become the first Sun Campus Ambessador at S.R.K.N.E.C, Mr Rohan Ranade Sun MS, Banglore grace the campus and give a three-day long seminar on java - netbeans and other Sun - related technologies and we also saw students actively participating in various Sun organized events (Code for Freedom, Blogging Contests and more).

To make a long story short, Sun Microsystems has influenced many students in SRKNEC and as a result many active project and research is going on on various Sun Technologies - NetBeans, Opensolaris and Sun SPOT being at the forefront.

Me (Jay Mahadeokar) and Vasusen Patil (both IV Year, Computer Science) will make use of this blog-site as a platform to share the various activities and research work being undertaken at SRKNEC with the community.

Let the Sun always shine on SRKNEC!