{"id":6,"date":"2022-04-01T03:40:04","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T03:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/?p=6"},"modified":"2022-04-12T23:38:18","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T23:38:18","slug":"from-windows-only-user-to-linux-kernel-programmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/2022\/04\/01\/from-windows-only-user-to-linux-kernel-programmer\/","title":{"rendered":"From Windows-only user to Linux kernel programmer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"the
Source: https:\/\/www.techreviewer.co.uk\/r-i-p-windows-xp-say-hi-to-lubuntu\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Until 2014, I was a Windows user who liked the idea of Linux but believed that it was too complicated for me to install and use. I didn’t consider myself a programmer or particularly tech-savvy. Today, I contributed my fourth clean-up patch to the Linux kernel. Additionally, I am less than three months away from graduating with a BS in Computer Science, and I am very confident in my technical abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding my passion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My first degree was a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. After I graduated, I began a doctoral program in Chemical Engineering at the University of California at Davis. I dropped out after the first quarter when I realized what I had suspected during my undergraduate degree: that I was not very passionate about the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then embarked on a search for my “passion”. I tried many different things that didn’t quite work out. Then, I decided to try web development and Android app development. I took some courses on Udemy and checked out programming books from the library. When I started learning to program, it immediately clicked. Somehow I just knew that Computer Science was that long sought-after “passion”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embracing Linux<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, I met my current partner, who convinced me that Linux was awesome and installed Ubuntu on my six-year-old Dell laptop. I eventually learned how to install Linux on my own (and bought a new computer!). Ironically, at UT, I had dated a Linux-obsessed Computer Science major, who may have offered to do this but should have been more pushy about it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I learned more about programming and Linux, I wanted to contribute to open source projects, but I was having trouble getting started. I would read through the documentation for open source projects but then feel too intimidated to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, I was looking at the New contributors task list<\/strong> for a Wikimedia<\/a> project, and I noticed that someone had posted a comment asking if a particular task could be used for Outreachy. I hadn’t heard of that before. When I looked into it, I realized that it was the perfect opportunity for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outreachy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outreachy<\/a> is an internship program in which interns work on open source and open science projects. Outreachy seeks to increase diversity in open source communities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outreachy provides internships to people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation in the technical industry where they are living.<\/p>https:\/\/www.outreachy.org\/<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The internship is remote and lasts three months. Interns work 30 hours per week and are paid a $7,000 stipend. Interns also work with a mentor. Unlike most internships, applicants aren’t required to be enrolled in school. So, I could do it after I graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contributing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I applied, and my initial application was approved! Now I am in the contribution period, in which applicants make contributions to one or more projects. I was immediately drawn to the Linux kernel projects. The set up was a bit extensive and included building the kernel from source, but it was much more approachable than trying to do it on my own. Even if I am not selected for an internship, I will be grateful that I was able to participate in the contribution period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Until 2014, I was a Windows user who liked the idea of Linux but believed that it was too complicated for me to install and use. I didn’t consider myself a programmer or particularly tech-savvy. Today, I contributed my fourth … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12377,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,7,8,9],"tags":[6,3,5,4],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","category-linux","category-open-source","category-outreachy","tag-life","tag-linux","tag-open-source","tag-outreachy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/usageoptions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}