----BEGIN CLASS---- [12:00] #startclass [12:00] Roll call [12:00] Nagarajan [12:00] Kushal Das [12:00] kiyo [12:00] Robin Schubert [12:00] Jason Braganza [12:00] ritik [12:01] shivam [12:01] Saransh [12:02] aritra [12:02] mbuf, stage is yours :) [12:02] kushal, thanks! [12:02] A very good evening (IST) to one all, and welcome to today's session. [12:03] *and all [12:03] I am Shakthi Kannan, and a Free Software enthusiast [12:04] I would like to first hear from you all on what you have learnt in these first few days in the summer training. If you can summarize in 2-3 sentences, it will be a good starting point for your discussion. [12:05] Today, will be mostly Q&A, but, if you have any specific topics that you would like me to address, I am happy to talk on the same. [12:07] So I learnt the fundamentals of e-mail etiquette (interleaving or sometimes bottom posting). Some more eye opening realities about data and metadata phone holds, and the importance of blogging. [12:07] we have learnt about free software history, digital security, how to communicate here, watched some documentaries about aaron swartz, nothing to hide, coded bias and also last class about blogging [12:07] hi mbuf, in these days, we have learnt about fundamentals of communication, digital secutiry, blogging,etc. [12:08] kiyo, yes, writing is essential in our work, especially email; so, we bascially start with the same [12:08] If you have not revised my "Mailing List Guidelines" presentation, do go through the same at http://www.shakthimaan.com/downloads/glv/presentations/mailing-list-etiquette.pdf [12:09] kiyo, I would also emphasize reading along with writing; if you read 10x, then you will write 1x; that is the approximate ratio that you will observe [12:09] hi mbuf, I learnt about basics of communication, history of FOSS & digital security. [12:10] kiyo, my recommendation is to avoid using the phone as much as possible, but, spend more time on your computer or laptop doing productive work [12:10] kiyo, one monitoring activity that you can do is to record your "screen time" at the end of the day, and see how many hours you are "wasting" [12:10] kiyo, the numbers should go down eventually if you want to be productive at work [12:11] circuitlover, shivam good; history is important because there are many lessons that can be learnt from the same [12:11] It also gives you context on why we do things the way we work [12:13] Yes, there will be many eye-opening moments in the sessions, but, you will carry them forward in the future [12:13] Do you have any specific questions on the topics discussed so far? [12:14] I did come across one email thread on using the correct name. It is "Linux Users' Group of Durgapur" as mentioned in the web site https://dgplug.org/ [12:14] As engineers, you have to pay 'attention to detail', and every word that you write matters. [12:15] I would also encourage you to read my book on getting started to work with Free/Libre and Open Source Software, http://www.shakthimaan.com/what-to-do.html [12:15] There is a separate chapter on "Attention to Detail" [12:15] I understand we are not native speakers of the English language, but, it is the language used for communication. Hence, writing clearly and effectively are very important [12:17] There are two books that I recommend for better writing: 1. "On Writing" by Stephen King, 2. "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White [12:17] In any given day, try to allot a fixed time for reading and writing, and try to make it a habit [12:18] Also, to be added to the reading list on making better habits is 3. "Atomic Habits" by James Clear [12:18] Of course, just reading is not sufficient. You need to put them into practice. [12:19] As I (@shakthimaan) tweeted today: "A bookworm consumes books but produces only dust. A true scholar does not merely consume knowledge but also produces knowledge." ~ Sir C. V. Raman [12:19] In our case, we should produce good documentation or even better code [12:20] In the Free/Libre and Open Source Software community we do care about privacy and security a lot, and hence the topics are included in the training [12:21] They are of course an integral part of whatever we develop and work on [12:22] Can each one of you (kiyo, circuitlover ritik shivam) write in 2-3 sentences on your expectations from the training? [12:25] I aim to be able to know how to contribute to FOSS projects. So I know how things work and know much of the basics other contributors will know. [12:26] Like ability to engage with the community, learning programming languages, contributing to opensource projects, etc,. [12:26] kiyo, My suggestion is to have an action plan to actually submit a patch or change to a FOSS project of your preference [12:26] kiyo, Just knowledge is not useful; you need to know how to apply it [12:27] kiyo, so, I would rephrase the objective to learn and deliver a contribution to a project [12:27] After attending this training, i expect myself be a better writer who writes blogs regularly and i also expect myself to be a better problem solver. [12:27] I want to be able to contribute to open source projects communicate and document properly. [12:27] circuitlover, Choose a project that interests you, and then find the programming language used, and learn it [12:28] mbuf: ok sure [12:28] circuitlover, always use the right programming language to solve the right problem [12:28] As of right now, i have a strange fear of taking up problems as in open-source issues. [12:28] circuitlover, if you want to learn a new programming language that is fine; but, do choose a project where you can apply your learnt skills [12:29] circuitlover, writing toy problem solutions should not be the goal, but, aim higher, and pick a mature project that is in production to contribute towards [12:29] shivam, problem solving comes with experience, and you should keep at it [12:29] ok [12:29] shivam, writing is something that needs to be done on a daily basis; it is part of our workflow [12:30] shivam, you might need to start with smaller tasks to help boost your confidence [12:30] shivam, this will drive away any fear [12:31] shivam, the reason why Free/Libre and Open Source Software is a success is because people fail fast, and they learn and correct moving forward [12:32] shivam, you can play things safe and go the easy route, and accept the world as it is; but, CS and IT are not your domains [12:32] shivam, learning does not come if you are afraid to take risks; a well calculated one can take you places [12:33] shivam, that is the reason why Free/Libre and Open Source Software still survives, and will continue to do so [12:33] shivam, if you are afraid to try new things out, or experiment, then computer science is the wrong profession [12:33] shivam, so, work on smaller tasks to boost your confidence, and keep at it [12:34] shivam, inventors, scientists, computer architects are people who have seen multiple failures, and hence they have a strong opinion on specific designs [12:34] If they know something fails, then they will not go down the path; but, will use the knowledge to their advantage [12:35] shivam, the problem in the upbringing for most us is that we are taught only to succeed, but, are not taught what happens when things fail [12:36] shivam, learning happens only if we know things break, and we analyse why it happens; that is what makes good engineers from the newbies [12:37] I will recommend everyone to go through this presentation as well, http://www.shakthimaan.com/downloads/glv/presentations/i-want-2-do-project-tell-me-wat-2-do-white.pdf [12:38] Can each one of you tell me what are your areas or domains of interest? Or, if you have identified any project that you are keen to contribute towards? [12:39] mbuf: okay, thanks. [12:40] my area of interest is robotics [12:40] I guess I know C++ quite well so I was interested in KDE, but much of my work is moving into js and web dev so it may be best to find a project in that domain [12:40] I am interested in Blockchain and Cryptography. [12:41] Robotics(main),Algorithms, Networking. [12:41] circuitlover, so, you might want to explore FLOSS projects in robotics [12:42] circuitlover, prepare a list; it could be an operating system for robotics, or even a library that you find interesting [12:42] I am interested in the security as well as in andorid (java) domain. I am willing to contribute towards OWASP ZAP and KDE Connect. [12:42] circuitlover, think of the end goal, and write down what you need to learn to accomplish a task in your area of interest [12:43] kiyo, what is "my work"? Use FLOSS communities to work on things that interest you [12:43] mbuf: ok sure, thanks [12:43] kiyo, but, this is true even for official work; do not work on things that are of no interest or value to you [12:43] kiyo, money is important, but, that is not the only thing in life [12:44] kiyo, your frustration will only keep increasing, and one day you will just want to quit [12:44] kiyo, it will be a waste of your time and energy [12:44] ari0x, both are interesting areas, and there are quite a few technology stacks and libraries available; you should research on them and pick one to work with [12:45] annamalai, just pick one main area to work with, as the field is quite broad, and it will open up a lot of opportunities for you [12:46] As I mentioned earlier, always think of the end goal [12:46] shivam, review the security related issues for these project(s), and pick one project to work on them [12:47] The key objective for you all is to use the training to successfully complete tasks in one project. After the training, you should continue to work on the project. [12:47] There are only 24 hours in a day, and you need to learn the methodoloy of working with FLOSS projects. So, pick one and focus on the same. [12:48] We are almost nearing the 1 hour mark. Are there any specific questions on the above points that I have mentioned that you would like to ask? [12:49] mbuf: Yes, I have been focussing on Control and Simulation of Roboticsand Learning about ROS. [12:49] how to pick the project to contribute? [12:50] ROS is a open source software that helps in intercommunication between different parts of Robot. [12:50] annamalai, good [12:51] ari0x83, what is your favourite ice-cream? [12:51] butterscotch [12:52] ari0x83, how did you pick the flavour? [12:52] ! [12:52] tried alot of them and found it to be favourite :) [12:53] ari0x83, same answer applies; you pick a project that interests you; something that you are passion about working with [12:53] ari0x83, I did not ask you to choose butterscotch [12:53] next [12:53] like say, if i find my project to contribute, how could i approach it ? [12:54] circuitlover, go through my presentation for a start, http://www.shakthimaan.com/downloads/glv/presentations/i-want-2-do-project-tell-me-wat-2-do-white.pdf [12:54] ok [12:55] got it,thanks [12:56] For homework, I suggest all of you to watch this presentation, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A3Wsb7GaFc (~ 1h) [12:57] On building a career with Free and Open Source Software [12:58] Feel free to ping me in the channel if you have any specific questions. [12:58] I wish you all the very best, and we shall stay in touch. [12:59] Roll call [12:59] Robin Schubert [12:59] Aritra [12:59] ritik [12:59] annamalai [12:59] Nagarajan [13:00] kiyo [13:00] shivam soni ----END CLASS----