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[~bandali/bndl.org] / fsf-internship / fsf-internship-beyond.txt
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7b376474 1My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond
d3adcff4 2-----------------------------------------------
7b376474
AB
3
4 Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's sysadmin
5 blog:
6 https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond
7
8Hello! I'm Amin Bandali, and this is my second blog post on the FSF
9sysadmin blog, concluding my internship with the FSF tech team this
10year.
11
12Throughout my internship with the tech team, I have worked mainly on
13sysadmin tasks related to setting up and/or managing FSF's GNU/Linux
14servers. Perhaps most significantly, I set up an instance of the
15Sourcehut[1] forge software to help evaluate[2] it as a candidate
16for the upcoming FSF forge project[3]. I documented the installation
17and setup process of Sourcehut's various components in the form of a
18literate GNU Emacs Org-mode file, where source blocks are interspersed
19with comments and prose explaining them. One can then progressively
20evaluate and execute the source blocks, and optionally have their
21results stored back in the Org file itself to help with
22documentation/demonstration.
23
24[1] https://sourcehut.org
25[2] https://libreplanet.org/wiki/FSF_2020_forge_evaluation
26[3] https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration
27
28I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the server
29running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a volunteer
30after the end of my internship. This will hopefully be beneficial to
31the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters who do
32webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing and
33using gnu.org's pages. Notably, changes included upgrading the server
34to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
35improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages. Additionally,
36there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
37tech team in the near future.
38
39During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety of
40new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and tools.
41This included building and installing a complex piece of software like
42Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the way, using
43Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well as learning
44more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF and GNU's
45array of mail servers.
46
47In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
48that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
49myself. I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
50as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
51balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
52However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
53that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
54studies on a two-month deadline. I told the tech team about the
55issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
56without affecting my internship. I am beyond thankful to the tech
57team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
58flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
59thesis and wrapping up my master's studies. I managed to successfully
60wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
61afterwards.
62
63However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship is
64no exception. I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF tech
65team -- Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael -- for welcoming me to the
66team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my many questions, and
67helping me learn more. It has been an honour and a wonderful
68experience for me all around working with you all and seeing the
69energy and passion with which you take on the work and
70responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
71developer. While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
72also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
73my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
74to get to know and appreciate the important work you do.
75
76This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
77the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
78happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
79learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
80transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
81Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
82of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
83freedoms and privacy of its users.
84
85This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
86the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
87happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
88learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
89transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
90Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
91of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
92freedoms and privacy of its users.
93
94I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
95opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
96away so many valuable lessons and great memories.
97
98 Interested in interning for the Free Software Foundation?
99 The application period for spring 2021 internships is currently
100 open. Please see https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships for
101 more details and information on how to apply!
102
103
104 -*-
105
106Copyright (c) 2020 bandali
107
108Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
109are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
110notice and this notice are preserved. This file is offered as-is,
111without any warranty.
112
212ec2e6 113published: 2020-12-18
56af22d0 114this file: https://bndl.org/fsf-internship/fsf-internship-beyond.txt