Mar 11, 2023

FOSS Meet Conducted at NITC

National Institute of Technology Calicut hosted FOSSMeet'23, one of Kerala's largest events dedicated to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), during February 2023. After a three-year hiatus, the institute's FOSS Cell and CSE Association, in partnership with Nilenso, FOSS United and the Free Software Foundation brought back the event. FOSSMeet'23 featured 14 speakers from all over India over the course of three days and conducted three workshops aimed at providing participants with a glimpse into the world of FOSS. Dr. V Sasi Kumar, Director of the Free Software Foundation of India, graced the occasion as a Keynote Speaker. The event saw many interactive sessions with professionals, including Dr. Deepika's talk emphasizing the integration of FOSS into systems and Mr. Gopikrishna's presentation on the use of AI to solve regional problems. Meanwhile, Mr. Andrew Bastin and Mr. Prasad Khake shared the journey of Hoppscotch and Paperd.ink, respectively, sparking the interest of budding enthusiasts who wanted a glimpse into the industry. The hands-on workshops on Rust, NeST, and Self Hosting gave students an insight into the practical aspects of FOSS. This edition of FOSSMeet witnessed an enthusiastic participation of over 130 people, comprising of students and working professionals. The event brought together individuals from diverse backgrounds, all with a common interest in FOSS, fostering a vibrant atmosphere of learning and exploration. A community-driven competition named place.git was also hosted, allowing participants to learn the basics of git while creating impressive logos and art in the process. FOSSMeet'23 was a resounding success, achieving its goal of spreading the knowledge and benefits of FOSS to a broader audience. The event hopes to continue reaching new heights in the coming years.