Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the got-some-time-to-spare? dept.
z4ce wrote in to say that the GNU project is hiring if you were
thinking to yourself "Self, I have too much spare time". They're looking for a sysadmin in the Boston area.
Was a Volunteer Sysadmin for FSF
by
smooge
·
· Score: 3
I was a volunteer sysadmin for about a year. I wasnt the best, and made some mistakes, but I did get to hear a LOT of email conversations.
The one thing any sysadmin will run into is a very strong NIH reaction. The system has been running by about 10 or so programmers for 20? years and they do not like anything changed from how it is.
The problem is that the way it is set up is a very distributed "mess." You have NFS from multiple servers, DNS on others, little security by mandate, and a very very cranky set of users who will be quite abusive if something doesnt work the way they expect it.
However, you will get to work with some very very intelligent people who do cool things. I just dont want people to think it is some kind of Camelot.
-- --
SJS smooge at smoogespace dot com
Re:Was a Volunteer Sysadmin for FSF
by
Jonas+�berg
·
· Score: 3
I second that. It's a great position and you'll learn a lot about free software and the GNU project by being a sysadmin. But at the same time, it's not a sysadmin job as any other. You wouldn't get full run of the systems. You'd have other volunteer sysadmins, and sometimes even users, changing configurations when things doesn't work to their liking, you'd be dealing with what appears to many people to be a strange view on security. The positive sides are that it's an interesting job, you get to experience an aura that you will never find in any other company and you'll get to read lots of amusing things lying around the disks since the mid-80'th.
It's not always a mess though. Our web server and new cvs server are relatively sane and once you've gotten a feel of how things are connected, it's almost (but just almost) logical.
If I were in Boston, I really couldn't think of a better job, but it does take a certain type of people. Working for the FSF isn't for everyone.
Do they have beer in the office on Fridays? Yeah, but it's not free.
Re: Where does GNU get their funding?
by
Jonas+�berg
·
· Score: 2
A lot of money comes from selling deluxe distributions of GNU software, t-shirts, manuals, reference cards and source code CD-ROM's but we also get some money from donations, both by individuals and by corporations.
Ignorant quest. -Where does GNU get their funding?
by
smoondog
·
· Score: 2
I don't know where gnu gets their funding, to support development. Is this all an academic thing? -- Moondog
As you're no doubt aware, that job posting is fake. I did some digging in some local newspapers and found this:
WANTED: System Administrator Must be able to recite the differences between the free software and open source movement on command. Must be fluent in C, C++, Java, sed/awk, Russian, Pascal, bash shell scripting, German, perl and Effiel. Knowledge of GNU/Herd a plus. Prefixing all linux programs with GNU (ie: GNU/Linux) a must. Thick skin to deal with irate slashdotters. A BS in CSci, or equivalent experience required. Please send salary (or bandwidth) requirements and resume to Richard Stallman, c/o The FSF.
Slashdot Mirror
I was a volunteer sysadmin for about a year. I wasnt the best, and made some mistakes, but I did get to hear a LOT of email conversations.
The one thing any sysadmin will run into is a very
strong NIH reaction. The system has been running
by about 10 or so programmers for 20? years and they do not like anything changed from how it is.
The problem is that the way it is set up is a very distributed "mess." You have NFS from multiple servers, DNS on others, little security by mandate, and a very very cranky set of users who will be quite abusive if something doesnt work the way they expect it.
However, you will get to work with some very very intelligent people who do cool things. I just dont want people to think it is some kind of Camelot.
-- SJS smooge at smoogespace dot com
Do they have beer in the office on Fridays?
Yeah, but it's not free.
A lot of money comes from selling deluxe distributions of GNU software, t-shirts, manuals, reference cards and source code CD-ROM's but we also get some money from donations, both by individuals and by corporations.
I don't know where gnu gets their funding, to support development. Is this all an academic thing?
-- Moondog
WANTED: System Administrator
Must be able to recite the differences between the free software and open source movement on command. Must be fluent in C, C++, Java, sed/awk, Russian, Pascal, bash shell scripting, German, perl and Effiel. Knowledge of GNU/Herd a plus. Prefixing all linux programs with GNU (ie: GNU/Linux) a must. Thick skin to deal with irate slashdotters. A BS in CSci, or equivalent experience required. Please send salary (or bandwidth) requirements and resume to Richard Stallman, c/o The FSF.
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