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