FOSS Club - Government College of Engineering, Erode

bharath_kumar · 11 July 2026 11:09

Hello from FOSS GCEE!

Hello everyone!

We’re excited to introduce FOSS GCEE, the official FOSS United Club at Government College of Engineering, Erode, Tamil Nadu.

FOSS GCEE is a student-led community dedicated to promoting Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and the principles of the Digital Commons. Our goal is to create an inclusive space where students can learn, collaborate, build real-world projects, and contribute to the open-source ecosystem.

We believe that learning is best done by building together, sharing knowledge openly, and giving back to the community. Whether you’re a beginner exploring Linux for the first time or someone already contributing to open source, there’s a place for you here.

We’re looking forward to learning from the FOSS United community, collaborating with other clubs across the country, and sharing our journey as we grow.

Connect with us

Happy hacking!

— Team FOSS GCEE

bharath_kumar · 24 July 2026 16:32

FOSS GCEE Installation Ceremony 2026–2027

1. Organizer

Name: Bharath Kumar P
Club: FOSS GCEE – Free and Open Source Software Club, Government College of Engineering, Erode

2. Event

Event Name: FOSS GCEE Installation Ceremony 2026–2027
Type: Knowledge Session

3. Event Summary

The FOSS GCEE Installation Ceremony marked the official launch of the Free and Open Source Software Club at Government College of Engineering, Erode. The event introduced students to the club’s vision, mission, committee members, roadmap, and the philosophy of Free and Open Source Software. Students were also introduced to Linux, Git, and various opportunities available through the open-source ecosystem, followed by an overview of the club’s upcoming workshops, hackathons, contribution programs, and community activities.

4. Speakers

Dr. A. Saradha — Principal, GCE Erode
Delivered the Presidential Address, formally inaugurated FOSS GCEE, and encouraged students to embrace open-source learning and innovation.

Dr. I. Bhuvaneshwarri — Head, Dept. of Information Technology
Delivered the Welcome Address, highlighting the role of FOSS GCEE in promoting collaboration and innovation.

Bharath Kumar P — President, FOSS GCEE
Shared the story behind FOSS GCEE, presented the club’s vision, mission, committee, and roadmap, and introduced Linux, Git, and open-source opportunities.

Slides: About the Club

Vikash V — Vice President, FOSS GCEE
Introduced Free and Open Source Software, explained software freedom and its benefits, and encouraged students to contribute to open-source projects.

Slides: Building an Open Source Culture

Dr. R. Anurekha — Staff Coordinator, FOSS GCEE
Delivered the Vote of Thanks, expressing gratitude to management, faculty, guests, and students.

5. Were the speakers provided by FOSS United?

No. The speakers were members of the FOSS GCEE founding team, along with addresses from the Principal and the HOD of IT. That said, the club itself was established with guidance and mentorship from the FOSS United community — especially Siddharth Shivkumar, whose advice played a big role in shaping FOSS GCEE.

6. Mode of Event

In-person

7. Event Photos

Full photo album

8. Attendance

Approximately 50 participants attended the inaugural ceremony, with 104 students registered for the event.

9. What Went Well

My meme-filled presentation got the whole seminar hall laughing, and we received a lot of positive feedback about the event overall. Attendees were genuinely engaging throughout. I also spoke about the Tamil Nadu Open Source Software Conf (2026) and IndiaFOSS 2026, which drew keen interest from the audience — a few of my juniors even showed up as a result.

10. What Could Be Improved

This was mine and my team’s very first event, so there was a learning curve. Based on the feedback, I ended up rushing my speech at nearly 2x pace.

11. Open Source Tools Used

Arch Linux (daily driver — I use Arch, btw)
LibreOffice — for letters and documentation
Inkscape — for logo design
Next.js + Supabase — powering the club website

12. Challenges Using These Tools

No challenges with the tools themselves, but students from ECE and EEE found it harder to follow along with examples in LibreOffice/OpenOffice and Linux concepts, since it wasn’t familiar territory for them.

13. Crowd Favorite Tool

Not applicable — this event was a basic introductory session, so no specific tool was explained in depth.

14. Community Contributions

Nothing from the event itself, but there are ongoing contributions from our members here: Open Source Projects | FOSSGCEE

15. Potential Mentors / Future Speakers

Not directly at this event, but I’ve met people through other FOSS United events and TOSSConf who expressed interest in speaking at future events. I also identified a junior from CS(DS) and one from IT who I think could be a good fit to help carry the club forward.

16. Expenses

Yes, we spent money on the event. Breakdown:

Printing stickers and invitations
Petrol for procuring event supplies

We were quoted ₹500 per student for a separate item but did not go ahead with the purchase, since we can’t collect money from students — the college/government keeps close watch on monetary activities on campus.

17. Anything Else to Note

We would really appreciate some financial support for T-shirts. Students are willing to contribute money themselves, but the institute doesn’t allow us to collect funds from them, since monetary activities on campus are closely monitored by the government.

bharath_kumar · 4 August 2026 06:10

FOSS GCEE — Post Event Report

Git and Version Control Systems (VCS) Workshop

This report summarizes the Git & Version Control Systems (VCS) Workshop organized by FOSS GCEE for second-year students at Government College of Engineering, Erode. The event was one of our first large-scale hands-on workshops focused on introducing students to modern open-source development workflows.

What is your name?

Bharath Kumar P

What’s your Club’s name?

FOSS GCEE
Free and Open Source Software Club, Government College of Engineering, Erode

Event Type

Hands-on Workshop

Explain the event briefly

The Git and VCS Workshop was organized to introduce second-year students to Version Control Systems, Git, GitHub, and Codeberg. Since most participants had never used version control before, the workshop focused on building a strong foundation through hands-on exercises.

Students learned how to initialize repositories, create commits, work with branches, and push code to remote repositories.

Beyond Git, we also introduced students to OpenStreetMap (OSM), mapping parties, and beginner-friendly open-source projects built on open data, encouraging them to explore multiple ways of contributing to the FOSS ecosystem.

Speaker Details

The workshop was conducted by members of FOSS GCEE.

Bharath Kumar P — President, FOSS GCEE, Open Source Contributor
Premkumar P — Technical Team Lead, FOSS GCEE, Full Stack AI Engineer
Vikash V — Vice President, FOSS GCEE, ML Engineer

Together, we introduced students to Version Control Systems, Git, GitHub, Codeberg, collaborative development workflows, and opportunities to contribute to open-source communities.

Presentation Slides

Open Source Flourished. So Did Its Dependence on Proprietary Infrastructure — Governance, Git Hosting, and the Future of FOSS Infrastructure

Git & GitHub Bootcamp

Was the speaker provided by FOSS United?

No

Mode of the event

In-person

Recording

Not Applicable.

Event Photos

Attendance

RSVP List: View RSVP Submissions (CSV)

RSVPs: 89
Actual Attendance: 100+
Departments: B.Tech Information Technology & B.E. Computer Science & Design
On-Duty (OD): Provided

What went well?

The workshop received an excellent response, with 100+ participants attending.

Since this was the first exposure to Git and Version Control Systems for many students, the session was highly interactive and engaging.

Around 10 FOSS GCEE volunteers actively assisted participants throughout the hands-on exercises, helping troubleshoot issues and ensuring that everyone completed the workshop successfully.

Students also showed genuine interest in OpenStreetMap (OSM), mapping parties, and community-driven open-data projects, realizing that contributing to open source isn’t limited to writing code.

What could be improved?

Since most attendees were complete beginners, future workshops should dedicate more time to Git fundamentals before introducing advanced concepts.

Topics such as Docker, containers, and self-hosting were unfamiliar to many students and would be better suited as dedicated follow-up workshops.

The presentation also felt slightly rushed, so future sessions will include additional hands-on practice and longer Q&A sessions.

Another challenge was the audio setup. We had to borrow equipment from another department, and the microphone quality was inconsistent. Purchasing a dedicated microphone for the club would significantly improve future events.

Open Source tools used

Git
Codeberg
Linux
LibreOffice Impress

Challenges while using the tools

There were no major technical issues with the tools themselves.

The primary challenge was that many participants were using Git and Git hosting platforms for the first time, requiring additional one-on-one guidance throughout the workshop.

Thanks to the support of our volunteers, every participant was able to complete the exercises successfully.

Crowd Favorite

Codeberg was the crowd favorite.

Many students were surprised to learn that community-governed Git hosting platforms exist and were interested in exploring alternatives to GitHub. This also sparked discussions around FOSS governance, decentralization, and digital sovereignty.

Contributions made during the event

No direct upstream open-source contributions were made during the workshop.

The objective was to onboard students to Git, Version Control Systems, GitHub, and Codeberg, preparing them to contribute to open-source projects in future workshops and community events.

Future mentors or speakers

Yes.

Sree Balaji and Afridh Kareem showed genuine enthusiasm for Linux and open-source software.

They actively participated in discussions after the workshop, asked thoughtful questions, and expressed interest in installing Linux and becoming involved in future FOSS activities.

We believe they have the potential to become active contributors and future community leaders.

Expenses

Item	Amount
Battery replacement for borrowed microphone (ECE Department Audio System)	₹45
Total	₹45

Looking Ahead

This workshop reinforced the importance of conducting beginner-friendly onboarding sessions before introducing advanced FOSS technologies.

Having around 10 volunteers made a significant difference in managing a hands-on workshop with 100+ participants.

Future events will focus on:

Docker & Containers
Linux Installation Fest
Self-hosting with Forgejo
OpenStreetMap Mapping Parties
Beginner-friendly Open Source Contributions

We also plan to purchase a dedicated microphone and basic event equipment to improve the overall experience and make future events completely self-sufficient.

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, and helped make this workshop a success!

bharath_kumar · 1 September 2026 04:39

Linux Installation Fest — Event Report

What is your name?

Bharath Kumar P.

What’s your Club’s name?

FOSS GCEE

Event name

Linux Installation Fest

Event type - Knowledge session or hands-on

Hands-on Technical Event

Explain the event briefly

The Linux Installation Fest was a half-day technical event organized by FOSS GCEE to introduce students to Linux, operating systems, open-source technologies, and the practical process of setting up Linux on their systems.

The event began with an overview of operating systems and their role in computing, followed by a practical Linux installation demonstration. Students were also introduced to basic Linux commands and terminal usage.

A few students proceeded to install Linux directly on their own machines during the event. They actively interacted with the organizers, asking questions about installation, system setup, partitioning, boot configuration, and other aspects of getting started with Linux.

The main objective was to provide students with practical exposure to Linux and help them take their first steps towards using open-source software.

Speaker Details

Dr. R. Anurekha

Role: Faculty Advisor, FOSS GCEE

Session: Overview of Operating Systems

Dr. R. Anurekha, who handles the Operating Systems course for the department, gave students an overview of what an operating system is, its purpose, and its role in managing computer hardware and software resources.

Mr. P. Bharath Kumar

Role: President, FOSS GCEE

Session: Linux Installation Demonstration

He demonstrated the Linux installation process and explained the steps involved in preparing a system, booting the installation media, setting up the installation, and getting Linux running on a machine.

He also interacted with students who were installing Linux on their own systems and helped answer questions regarding installation and system setup.

Mr. V. Vikash

Role: Vice President, FOSS GCEE

Session: Basic Linux Commands

He introduced students to basic Linux commands and terminal usage, covering common operations such as navigating directories, managing files, and performing basic tasks through the command line.

Was the speaker provided to you by FOSS United?

No. The resource persons were members of FOSS GCEE and the Faculty Advisor.

Mode of the event

In-person

If Digital or Hybrid, share the livestream/recording link

Not applicable.

Event Photos

Event Materials

Presentation

The presentation used during the Linux Installation Fest is available here:

Linux Installation Fest — Presentation PDF

How many people attended your event?

53 students

What went well at the meetup?

The event worked well because it combined a short introduction to operating systems with practical Linux installation and interaction.

The FOSS GCEE team handled event planning, promotion, registration, venue preparation, technical setup, and coordination.

A few students actually installed Linux on their machines during the event rather than only watching the demonstration. They were actively involved and asked several questions regarding installation, system setup, partitioning, boot configuration, and getting started with the new operating system.

The organizers were able to directly assist students with their questions and help them understand the process. This made the event more interactive and practical than a purely lecture-based session.

What could be improved?

The event could have benefited from more time dedicated to hands-on installation and troubleshooting.

For future editions, we would like to:

Allocate more time for students to install Linux themselves.
Have dedicated volunteers at individual installation stations.
Prepare a hardware and compatibility checklist beforehand.
Cover common installation and boot-related issues in more detail.
Include a post-installation setup session.
Give participants a short guide containing the basic Linux commands covered during the event.
Introduce students to Git, GitHub, and making their first open-source contribution.

What open source tools did you use at your event?

The primary open-source technology used during the event was Linux.

The event also covered:

Linux distributions
Linux terminal
Basic Linux command-line utilities
Open-source operating systems

Were there any challenges in using those tools?

The main challenges were related to differences between participants’ laptops and their existing system configurations.

Students had different hardware, storage layouts, firmware settings, and boot configurations. This meant that the Linux installation process was not exactly the same for every machine.

Some students also had questions regarding system setup and installation configuration. The organizers assisted them individually and helped them understand the appropriate steps for their systems.

Was one of those tools a crowd favorite?

Linux itself was the main point of interest.

Students were particularly interested in actually installing Linux on their own machines and understanding what changes when moving from their existing operating system to a Linux environment.

The terminal and basic Linux commands also generated interest among participants who were new to Linux.

Link us to the contributions that your community members made at the event, if any?

No specific upstream open-source contributions were made during the event.

The focus was on Linux installation, basic Linux usage, and introducing students to the open-source ecosystem.

Did you find anybody at the event a good fit to be a mentor or speaker for future events?

Yes.

The FOSS GCEE core team members who conducted the sessions demonstrated their ability to explain technical concepts and assist students with practical problems.

The students who actively participated, installed Linux on their machines, and asked questions also showed strong interest in Linux and open source. Some of these students could potentially become future volunteers and contributors to FOSS GCEE activities.

The team can also conduct future sessions on Linux, Git, GitHub, open-source contribution, system administration, and developer tools.

Did you spend any money on the event?

No significant expenses were incurred for the event.

The seminar hall, basic infrastructure, audio-visual equipment, and other required facilities were provided by Government College of Engineering, Erode.

Promotion, registration, technical preparation, and event coordination were handled by the FOSS GCEE team.

Anything else you would want to note down for later?

The Linux Installation Fest gave students an opportunity to move from simply hearing about Linux to actually setting it up and using it.

Although only a few students installed Linux directly during the event, their active participation and questions made the hands-on portion particularly valuable. It also helped the organizing team understand the kinds of issues beginners face when moving to Linux.

For future events, FOSS GCEE plans to expand the hands-on format and provide more structured support for students installing and exploring Linux for the first time.

The event is a starting point towards building a stronger Linux and open-source culture at Government College of Engineering, Erode.