{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Atul Chitnis | image = Atul chitnis foss.jpg | birth_date = {{Birth date |df=yes|1962|02|20}} | birth_place = Berlin, Germany | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2013|06|3|1962|02|20}} | citizenship = Indian | known_for = FOSS.IN | occupation = Consulting, writer, Public Speaker | spouse = Shubha | children = Geetanjali | website = {{URL|AtulChitnis.net}} }}

'''Atul Chitnis''' (20 February 1962&nbsp;– 3 June 2013) was an Indo-German consulting technologist. He was one of the organizers of FOSS.IN<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article845424.ece |title=More Join the Chorus for Free Software |first=Vasudha |last=Venugopal |date=24 October 2010 |publisher=The Hindu |location=Chennai}}</ref> (formerly '''Linux Bangalore'''), which was one of Asia's free and open source software (FOSS) conferences.

==Career== In 1989, Chitnis set up a Bulletin Board System (BBS) called CiX<ref>[http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/library/COUNTRIES/BBSCULTURES/INDIA/ The BBS Documentary Library]</ref> which provided an entry point for many users to online communities.<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/search/2002/aug/21net1.htm Rediff Guide to the Net: Features: The Way We Were]</ref><ref>[http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/search/showarticle.asp?artid=101682 The Future of Media?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202094235/http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/search/showarticle.asp?artid=101682 |date=2 February 2009 }}</ref> He was the author of a PCQuest magazine column – COMversations.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}} Chitnis gave talks on data communication in Indian industry, the Internet and intranets.{{citation needed|date=January 2012}} As a Consulting Editor for PCQuest,<ref name="pcquest">{{cite news|title=Remembering Atul Chitnis|url=http://www.dqindia.com/dataquest/news/189512/remembering-atul-chitnis|newspaper=PCQuest|date=3 June 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619093309/http://www.dqindia.com/dataquest/news/189512/remembering-atul-chitnis|archivedate=19 June 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> he worked on the PCQuest Linux Initiative.

Working as a volunteer in the FOSS community such as the Bangalore Linux User Group, and through seminars and articles, he encouraged use of FOSS technologies. Chitnis was one of the organizers of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130513102009/http://linux-bangalore.org/2004/ Linux Bangalore] series of FOSS community driven conferences. FOSS.IN is said to have been one of Asia's largest annual FOSS events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1218648.php/Bangalore_readies_for_one_of_worlds_largest_FOSS_events |title=Monsters and Critics |accessdate=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106042301/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/india/article_1218648.php/Bangalore_readies_for_one_of_worlds_largest_FOSS_events |archivedate=6 November 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2005/105112915.asp |title=CIOL: Free world event FOSS.IN/2005 opens in Bangalore |accessdate=10 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202093242/http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2005/105112915.asp |archivedate=2 February 2009 }}</ref> Atul also served as one of the members of the faculty committee at the National Resource Centre For Free/Open Source Software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nrcfoss.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=2 |title=NRCFOSS Faculty Committee Meeting |accessdate=30 April 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804052944/http://www.nrcfoss.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=2 |archivedate=4 August 2007 }}</ref> He often spoke at various fora on FOSS technology and adoption. {{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

==Death== Atul Chitnis was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2012.<ref name=DNAdeath>{{cite news|first=Akansha |last=Pandey|title=Atul Chitnis's death moves people|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/1843121/report-atul-chitnis-s-death-moves-people|newspaper=DNA|date=3 June 2013}}</ref> He died on 3 June 2013.<ref name=NBWDeath>{{cite news|title=R.I.P Atul Chitnis : The Man Who Changed the Open Source World|url=http://www.nextbigwhat.com/atul-chitnis-297/|newspaper=NextBigWhat}}</ref><ref name=NDTVdeath>{{cite news|title=Shine on, You Crazy Diamond: Atul Chitnis (1962–2013)|url=http://gadgets.ndtv.com/others/news/shine-on-you-crazy-diamond-atul-chitnis-1962-2013-374678|newspaper=NDTV|date=3 June 2013}}</ref><ref name=cioldeath>{{cite news|title=Open Source guru Atul Chitnis, 51, no more|url=http://www.ciol.com/ciol/news/189508/open-source-guru-atul-chitnis-51|newspaper=[CIOL]|date=3 June 2013}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Atul Chitnis}} *[http://atulchitnis.net Chitnis' personal website]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chitnis, Atul}} Category:1962 births Category:2013 deaths Category:Place of death missing Category:Indian technology writers Category:Marathi people Category:People from Berlin Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer in India Category:Writers from Bengaluru