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41<h1>My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</h1>
42<p>by <a href="https://bndl.org"><b>bandali</b></a>
43on December 18, 2020 <small>(also
44in <a href="fsf-internship-beyond.txt">plain text</a>)</small></p>
45
46<p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
47sysadmin blog:<br/>
48<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond">My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</a></p>
49
50<p>Hello! I'm
51<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Amin Bandali</a>,
52and this is my second blog post on the FSF sysadmin blog, concluding
53my internship with the FSF tech team this year.</p>
54
55<p>Throughout my internship with the tech team, I have worked mainly
56on sysadmin tasks related to setting up and/or managing FSF's
57GNU/Linux servers. Perhaps most significantly, I set up an instance
58of the <a href="https://sourcehut.org">Sourcehut</a> forge software to
59help
60<a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/FSF_2020_forge_evaluation">evaluate</a>
61it as a candidate for the upcoming
62<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">FSF forge project</a>.
63I documented the installation and setup process of Sourcehut's various
64components in the form of a literate GNU Emacs Org-mode file, where
65source blocks are interspersed with comments and prose explaining
66them. One can then progressively evaluate and execute the source
67blocks, and optionally have their results stored back in the Org file
68itself to help with documentation/demonstration.</p>
69
70<p>I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the
71server running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a
72volunteer after the end of my internship. This will hopefully be
73beneficial to the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters
74who do webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing
75and using gnu.org's pages. Notably, changes included upgrading the
76server to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
77improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages. Additionally,
78there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
79tech team in the near future.</p>
80
81<p>During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety
82of new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and
83tools. This included building and installing a complex piece of
84software like Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the
85way, using Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well
86as learning more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF
87and GNU's array of mail servers.</p>
88
89<p>In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
90that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
91myself. I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
92as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
93balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
94However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
95that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
96studies on a two-month deadline. I told the tech team about the
97issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
98without affecting my internship. I am beyond thankful to the tech
99team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
100flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
101thesis and wrapping up my master's studies. I managed to successfully
102wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
103afterwards.</p>
104
105<p>However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship
106is no exception. I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF
107tech team -- Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael -- for welcoming me to
108the team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my many questions,
109and helping me learn more. It has been an honour and a wonderful
110experience for me all around working with you all and seeing the
111energy and passion with which you take on the work and
112responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
113developer. While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
114also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
115my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
116to get to know and appreciate the important work you do.</p>
117
118<p>This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
119the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
120happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
121learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
122transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
123Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
124of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
125freedoms and privacy of its users.</p>
126
127<p>I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
128opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
129away so many valuable lessons and great memories.</p>
130
131<p class="box">Interested in interning for the Free Software
132Foundation? The application period for spring 2021 internships is
133currently open. Please see
134<a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships</a>
135for more details and information on how to apply!</p>
136
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