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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 18 December 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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