My Open Source Engineering Journey: From Novice to Contributor

Introduction: A Leap of Faith

When I signed up for the Y23 Open Source Engineering course at KL University, I knew I’d be venturing into unfamiliar territory. My only real exposure to “open source” was hearing peers talk about Linux distros and GitHub projects. What lay ahead was a rigorous, hands-on immersion—from Day 1 late-night installation woes to Day final seeing my stickers plastered on classmates’ laptops. This blog captures that journey: the philosophy that reshaped my mindset, the technologies that powered my growth, the community that lifted me, and the personal triumphs that transformed me from a wide-eyed beginner into a confident contributor.

Embracing the FOSS Philosophy

At its core, open source is more than free code. It’s a set of values—transparency, collaboration, empowerment, and shared ownership. Under Dr. K. Sripath Roy Koganti’s mentorship, we:

Unpacked licenses (MIT, GPL, Apache), ultimately choosing MIT for its balance of freedom and simplicity.
Debated ethics: Who benefits when code is open? How do we ensure inclusivity?
Practiced community etiquette: bug reports, respectful code reviews, and clear documentation.

This philosophical foundation turned every technical hurdle into an opportunity to exercise those values: persisting not just for myself, but for anyone who might build on my work.

Testing Five Distros: A Deep Dive into Linux

We were challenged to install and explore five Linux distributions:

Distribution	Focus	Key Takeaway
Ubuntu	Beginner-friendly, community hub	Reliable package management with `apt`
Fedora	Cutting-edge, upstream integration	Fast access to new software releases
Kali Linux	Pen-testing toolkit	Hands-on cybersecurity tools
Arch Linux ARM	Minimalist, DIY configuration	Mastery of system internals
Elementary OS	Polished UI, user experience	Importance of design in developer tools

After partitioning errors, bootloader conflicts, and countless terminal commands, I documented my comparative findings in our Distro Testing Wiki. This exercise taught me that every distro is a lens on open source’s flexibility—and that persistence unlocks mastery.

Version Control & My First Pull Request

Git felt like a labyrinth at first: commits, branches, merges, reverts. Interactive tutorials—Oh My Git! and Learn Git Branching—made complex workflows approachable. My contributions included:

Fixing typos and clarifying instructions in the course assignments repo via a pull request on code.swecha.
Raising issues (4 total) to improve documentation and fix broken links.
Merging two PRs of my own, celebrating that green “Merged” badge.

These early wins cemented my confidence and introduced me to

communal code ownership.

Licensing & Repository Management

For my side-project, FSAD-KLJobPortal, a Java Spring Boot + React job portal, I:

Added an MIT license in the repo (LICENSE).
Acknowledged contributors in the README (README.md).
Hosted the code on GitHub: github.com/Leo-Stephen.

This taught me that clear licensing and contributor recognition aren’t just formalities—they build trust and encourage future collaborators

Self-Hosting Hedgedoc: Owning Your Data

To deepen my sysadmin chops, I self-hosted Hedgedoc, a real-time collaborative Markdown editor. Key steps:

Provisioning an Ubuntu server on AWS.
Configuring Nginx reverse proxy, PostgreSQL backend, and SSL via Let’s Encrypt.
Hardening security: firewall rules (UFW), fail2ban, and regular backups.

Sharing my walkthrough on LinkedIn not only helped peers but solidified my understanding of production-grade deployments.

Localization with Weblate

To make open source inclusive, I contributed 19 translations via Weblate, ensuring software spoke to Telugu-speakers:

Translating UI strings with cultural context.
Reviewing peers’ translations for consistency.
Coordinating merges and resolving conflicts.

This work highlighted how even small text fixes can vastly improve accessibility for non-English users.

Engaging with Google Summer of Code

The prospect of GSoC drove me to:

Research organizations (e.g., HumanAI, JSON Schema).
Draft a proposal for documentation enhancements.
Interact twice over video calls and Slack with potential mentors.

Though acceptance is pending, the process sharpened my technical writing, proposal structuring, and cross-cultural collaboration skills.

Challenges Faced & Lessons Learned

Challenge	Solution / Growth
Ubuntu installation errors	Deep dives into logs; patience with BIOS settings
Navigating large codebases	Starting small; reading contributor guides thoroughly
Resolving Git merge conflicts	Practicing on dummy repos; peer code reviews
Configuring production servers	Incremental testing; leveraging community forums

Each roadblock reinforced resilience, self-directed learning, and the power of reaching out when stuck

My Toolbox: Technologies & Platforms

Operating Systems: Ubuntu, Fedora, Kali, Arch ARM, Elementary OS
Version Control: Git, GitHub, GitLab
Self-Hosting: Nginx, PostgreSQL, UFW, Let’s Encrypt, Docker
Collaboration: Hedgedoc, Pidgin (IRC), Slack
Localization: Weblate
Project Management: Issues, Wikis, Pull Requests on Code.Swecha

Reflections & Takeaways

Community Is Core: From IRC chats to merge request feedback, the open source community is welcoming and resourceful.
Fail Early, Learn Fast: Each misstep—failed installs, broken builds—became a lesson in troubleshooting.
Documentation Matters: Clear READMEs and inline comments accelerate others’ contributions.
Philosophy Fuels Practice: Understanding why open source exists made how I code more purposeful.

Looking Ahead

This course culminated on April 17, 2025, with a celebratory group photo—our laptops adorned with FOSS stickers and bright smiles. Yet, the end of class is merely the start of my open source story. Next steps:

Finalizing my GSoC proposal and engaging with mentors.
Building new features in FSAD-KLJobPortal and inviting community contributions.
Exploring DevOps tools (Docker, Kubernetes) to enhance my deployment workflows.
Continuing translations, documentation, and low-barrier tasks to support emerging FOSS projects.

A Heartfelt Thank You

To Dr. K. Sripath Roy Koganti, whose passion ignited ours; to my classmates for late-night debugging marathons; and to the global open source community for being a beacon of knowledge—your guidance and camaraderie made this journey unforgettable.

If you’re curious about open source, take the plunge. Start with a small typo fix, join a local wiki, or spin up a personal server. The community awaits, and every contribution—no matter how modest—propels us all forward.