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