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  21 <h1>My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</h1>
  22 <p>by <a href="https://bndl.org"><b>bandali</b></a>
  23 on December 18, 2020 <small>(also
  24 in <a href="fsf-internship-beyond.txt">plain text</a>)</small></p>
  25
  26 <p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
  27 sysadmin blog:<br />
  28 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond">My
  29 internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</a></p>
  30
  31 <p>Hello!  I'm
  32 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Amin
  33 Bandali</a>, and this is my second blog post on the FSF sysadmin blog,
  34 concluding my internship with the FSF tech team this year.</p>
  35
  36 <p>Throughout my internship with the tech team, I have worked mainly
  37 on sysadmin tasks related to setting up and/or managing FSF's
  38 GNU/Linux servers.  Perhaps most significantly, I set up an instance
  39 of the <a href="https://sourcehut.org">Sourcehut</a> forge software to
  40 help
  41 <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/FSF_2020_forge_evaluation">evaluate</a>
  42 it as a candidate for the upcoming
  43 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">FSF
  44 forge project</a>.  I documented the installation and setup process of
  45 Sourcehut's various components in the form of a literate GNU Emacs
  46 Org-mode file, where source blocks are interspersed with comments and
  47 prose explaining them.  One can then progressively evaluate and
  48 execute the source blocks, and optionally have their results stored
  49 back in the Org file itself to help with
  50 documentation/demonstration.</p>
  51
  52 <p>I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the
  53 server running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a
  54 volunteer after the end of my internship.  This will hopefully be
  55 beneficial to the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters
  56 who do webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing
  57 and using gnu.org's pages.  Notably, changes included upgrading the
  58 server to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
  59 improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages.  Additionally,
  60 there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
  61 tech team in the near future.</p>
  62
  63 <p>During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety
  64 of new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and
  65 tools.  This included building and installing a complex piece of
  66 software like Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the
  67 way, using Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well
  68 as learning more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF
  69 and GNU's array of mail servers.</p>
  70
  71 <p>In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
  72 that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
  73 myself.  I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
  74 as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
  75 balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
  76 However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
  77 that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
  78 studies on a two-month deadline.  I told the tech team about the
  79 issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
  80 without affecting my internship.  I am beyond thankful to the tech
  81 team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
  82 flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
  83 thesis and wrapping up my master's studies.  I managed to successfully
  84 wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
  85 afterwards.</p>
  86
  87 <p>However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship
  88 is no exception.  I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF
  89 tech team &mdash; Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael &mdash; for
  90 welcoming me to the team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my
  91 many questions, and helping me learn more.  It has been an honour and
  92 a wonderful experience for me all around working with you all and
  93 seeing the energy and passion with which you take on the work and
  94 responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
  95 developer.  While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
  96 also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
  97 my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
  98 to get to know and appreciate the important work you do.</p>
  99
 100 <p>This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
 101 the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
 102 happily to continue working with you as a volunteer.  The things I
 103 learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
 104 transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
 105 Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
 106 of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
 107 freedoms and privacy of its users.</p>
 108
 109 <p>I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
 110 opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
 111 away so many valuable lessons and great memories.</p>
 112
 113 <p class="box">Interested in interning for the Free Software
 114 Foundation?  The application period for spring 2021 internships is
 115 currently open.  Please see
 116 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships</a>
 117 for more details and information on how to apply!</p>
 118
 119 <hr />
 120 <p id="copy">Copyright &copy; 2020 bandali</p>
 121 <p id="license">Copying and distribution of this file, with or without
 122 modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the
 123 copyright notice and this notice are preserved.  This file is offered
 124 as-is, without any warranty.</p>
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