Last semester I founded the AG Open Source at our university. We are organizing workshops and hackathons in cooperation with open source projects/ companies. Our students should learn more about open source development and how to contribute. The difference to the Friedrich-Alexander-University and their professorship in open source development is that we want to learn the real practice by professionals.
After 3 months we had a reputation. The AG Open Source should be open for other faculties, too. EFI (electronic – fine mechanics – information technology) has been interested for our events. So students in Computer Science and Electronics are receiving basic courses in Linux and using git. In addition, we create a program which is different every semester. Last semester we had topics like security and the ownCloud hackathon. This semester our focus is on monitoring and docker.
I am the Lead of the AG Open Source. I am educating other students in the student council for different positions in the AG. We need an additional lead. So I have one student as a Junior Lead who is being taught in organization, email writing and publishing by me. Two other students want to become Linux Trainers. They have to know all about the cooperation with other AGs in the student council and their processes, too.
Last semester I was the Linux Trainer in all Linux workshops. One (advanced) student supported me with running through the lines and looking for different students. Other students in my semester are interested for this job this semester, too. Last week we received the request for a Linux course for advanced Linux users parallel to the Linux course for beginners. So I am teaching one student to pick up my course for beginners. Next semester we’ll use 2 rooms for this event. I’m planning the course for Advanced Linux Users.
Since this week we are responsible for a new task at our university: Linux
support for students
A EFI student stood in the door of our student council for Computer Science and said: „I’m not from this faculty, but I need Linux support by the AG Open Source. Nobody else can help me. I was in the data center. They want to support only Windows. I can’t find anybody at our faculty, too.“
The data center has reconfigured eduroam. That’s the Wifi for students and professors. We need additional entries for Linux systems and a new certificate now. I configured his Wifi and I know: I have to educate Linux Supporters for our AG. On our internal homepage openSUSE and Android are listed as supported operating systems (Linux) by the data center, but our Sysadmins don’t know what to do there. All students are coming to the student council for Computer Science now, because they are receiving Linux workshops by us.
Our AG Open Source is growing, but our responsibilities are growing, too!