FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani 2024-25

Students Program FOSS Clubs
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FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani 2024-25 :rocket:
At FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani, we don’t just talk about open source; we live and build it.
From interactive workshops, engaging meetups, and community-driven projects to a thriving culture of collaboration, we’re redefining the way technology is learned and shared.

Our club is more than a community—it’s a movement. A movement where ideas flourish, skills evolve, and connections are made. Whether you’re a seasoned developer, a budding tech enthusiast, or just curious about open source, there’s something here for everyone.

:bulb: What’s in it for you?

Opportunities to learn and grow through hands-on projects.
A chance to collaborate with like-minded individuals and industry experts.
Events, workshops, and hackathons designed to spark innovation.
:hammer_and_wrench: Whether you’re into coding, designing, documenting, or simply exploring open source, you’ll find a space to thrive here.

Let’s learn, build, and grow—together! The future of tech is open, accessible, and waiting for you to shape it. :earth_africa::computer::sparkles:

:link: Join us on Telegram for more

:link: Know More About Us

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FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani: Updates for the 2024-25 Tenure
The 2024-25 tenure marks a pivotal shift for FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani as we prioritize hands-on development and practical projects. Our goal is to foster growth and innovation through impactful initiatives and programs that bring the FOSS philosophy to life.

Progress So Far
October 2024: Hosted online meetups with a pseudo team to strategize the year’s roadmap.
November 2024: Recruitment drive announced, with forms open from 8th to 30th November. Core Team Recruitment Form
December 2024: Interviews officially commenced on 14th December, after the end-semester examinations. Schedule Your Interview
Building a Strong Team
The team for 2024-25 has been meticulously crafted with the guidance of experienced leaders, including:

Mrutyunjay Lodhi (Current Lead)
Subroto Banerjee (Ex Lead)
Antara Paul (Ex Design Lead)
Riyansh Jain (Ex Management Lead)
Their mentorship ensures a balance of experience and innovation, setting the stage for impactful contributions.

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Core Team Structure
Our team for this tenure has two key groups:

Core Members
Experienced individuals (2nd year or higher).
Responsible for on-ground activities, event execution, and leading initiatives.
Fresh Faces
1st-year students or members with no prior experience.
Their focus is on learning, participating in events, and building foundational skills.
To encourage engagement and learning, Fresh Faces will not handle on-ground volunteering for most events, allowing them to immerse fully in activities while Core Members ensure operational excellence.

First Full-Fledged Program: FOSS Foundation 2.0
Our first major event, FOSS Foundation 2.0, is scheduled for mid-January 2025. This program will provide participants with an immersive introduction to FOSS principles, tools, and community-driven development. It aims to:

Enhance foundational skills for new members.
Empower participants to contribute meaningfully to open-source projects.
Kickstart the year with collaborative, project-driven learning.
Looking Ahead
With a strong focus on hands-on projects, the 2024-25 tenure will emphasize practical learning and impactful contributions. From FOSS Foundation 2.0 to subsequent programs, this year promises to be a transformative journey for the club and its members.

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Looking forward to this tenure :saluting_face:
All the best Mrityunjay

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Thankyou :blush:

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FOSS Foundation 2.0: A Three-Day Open-Source Journey

The FOSS Foundation 2.0 is our first fully-fledged program for the 2024-25 tenure, designed to introduce, explore, and contribute to the world of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Spanning three days, the event will cover FOSS philosophy, Linux adoption, and hands-on contributions.

:date: Event Dates: 5th, 6th, 7th February 2025
:alarm_clock: Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

:link: Event Link
:pushpin: RSVP Here

Day 1: Understanding FOSS – Why It Matters

The first day will focus on the fundamentals of FOSS—its history, significance, and impact on the tech ecosystem. This day is all about spreading awareness and building a strong foundation.

Key Sessions:

  • Keynote Address – Dr. Bhaskar Biswas (Assistant Professor at IIIT Kalyani, Dept : Computer Science and Engineering)
  • Talk on Open Source – Bhaskar Metiya (Ex Freescape Secretary)
  • Interactive Session: Open Source & You – A dynamic discussion on how FOSS shapes technology and career paths, featuring:
    • Mrutyunjay Lodhi (FOSS Club Lead)
    • Md Zaid Faisal (Current Freescape Secretary)
    • Audience Q&A and Engagement

:memo: Daily Quiz: To keep things engaging, we’ll have a quiz at the end of the session

Day 2: Linux Fest – Getting Started with Linux

The second day is dedicated to Linux adoption—helping students take their first steps into the open-source OS world.

Key Sessions:

  • Interactive Session – Soumyadeep Ghosh (Ubuntu India)
  • Beginner-Friendly Linux Booths: Hands-on experience with different Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Linux Mint, and Fedora.
  • Exclusive Giveaways: FOSS-branded Linux Cheat Sheets to help students get started.

:memo: Daily Quiz: Test your Linux knowledge

Day 3: Hands-On Contribution – Making an Impact

The final day is all about practical contributions—getting involved in open-source projects and making real-world impact.

Key Sessions:

  • Talk on FOSS Vishal Arya (Program Director, FOSS United)
  • Workshop: Git & GitHub for Open Source – Subroto Banerjee (Ex FOSS Club Lead)

:memo: Final Quiz A chance to apply everything you’ve learned over the past three days! (and have some goodies)

This event is designed to inspire, educate, and empower students to become active contributors in the FOSS ecosystem. Stay tuned for more updates!

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FOSS FOUNDATION 2.0 - Event Recap

Day 1: Keynote & Talks

The event kicked off with an insightful keynote by Dr. Bhaskar Biswas (Professor, IIIT Kalyani), who shared his journey of fully transitioning to Linux and his experiences with FOSS. This was followed by a talk from Bhaskar Metiya (Ex- Freescape Secretary ) on the Evolution of Software Freedom and The Ruliad, touching upon Stephen Wolfram’s Theory of Everything and related concepts.

:pushpin: [Presentation Link]

Later, Mrutyunjay Lodhi (Lead, FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani) and Md. Zaid Faishal (Secretary, Freescape) spoke on What is FOSS, why we need it, and licensing.

:pushpin: PPT

The day concluded with a refreshment break, an engaging quiz session, and swag distribution for the winners.

:bulb: Attendance: ~73 participants (slightly lower than expected).

Day 2: Linux Fest

The second day focused on Linux and practical hands-on sessions. Somyadeep Ghosh(Team Ubuntu Indiaw) introduced the audience to Linux and Kernel basics, making it beginner-friendly.

:pushpin: Presentation Link

After the talk, attendees got hands-on experience installing Ubuntu, Kali Linux, and Linux Mint. Around 5-6 students successfully installed Linux distros on their laptops.

The session wrapped up with a quiz, refreshments, and swags for the winners.

:bulb: Attendance: ~82 participants.

Day 3: Git & GitHub Workshop

The final day was all about Git & GitHub. Subroto Banerjee (Lead, Kolkata FOSS City Chapter) and Bhaskar Metiya conducted an interactive workshop, where they covered SSH, local environment setup, and real-world contributions to the FOSS Club IIIT Kalyani GitHub organization.

:pushpin: Presentation Link

As always, the day ended with a quiz, refreshments, and swag giveaways.

:bulb: Attendance: ~87 participants.

Overall Event Reflection

The event was a huge success, but there were some challenges:
:white_check_mark: Strong content & engagement – great sessions and hands-on activities.
:white_check_mark: Good participation – numbers increased each day.
:warning: Scheduling conflict – the event coincided with a T&P Cell event, impacting attendance on Day 1.

Below are the pics of the event

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All the attendee count didn’t include 13 core team members

Despite minor setbacks, FOSS Foundation 2.0 was a great initiative in spreading awareness and fostering engagement in the FOSS community!

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On Linux fest day (Day 2) we also distributed Linux Cheat Sheet to help the students to get started with the Linux

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And on Day 3
We had some Git & GitHub cheat sheet remaining from previous year’s Status Code (Our College’s Hackathon) so we also distributed them for helping students to get started with git and GitHub

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