The OpenAlchemy Project is the opensourced version of Alchemy – the user interface used on the Amida Simputer.

Everytime I have shown the Simputer to people abroad, the first thing people have commented on was the interface, and have asked if it was possible to make the code available.

Now Alchemy has been opensourced, and the code is out there, under the GPL. Several people have started actively working on it, including some well known names outside India. There is a lot of work to be done, and if you ever wanted to get involved with a FOSS project, this would be a good way to start. And since the port going on is to the OpenEmbedded platform, you would actually be involved with both projects.

If you are interested in contributing to the project (especially if you are a student), go over to http://openalchemy.org, join the mailing list (you will find some familiar people there already), read through the archives, find out what needs doing – and go for it!