The Nepal Open Source Klub (NOSK) held a major event yesterday at the Nepal College of Information Technology (NCIT). The event featured a range of activities, including an Open Source Project Exhibition, a Coding Competition (NOSKODE), a Cybersecurity Challenge (CTF), Linux Distro Demonstrations, and expert presentations on IT, cybersecurity, and networking.
The NOSK Software Freedom Day (SFD) 2024 event kicked off with an opening ceremony attended by Er. Niranjan Khakurel, Principal of NCIT; Hempal Shrestha, co-founder of Nepal Entrepreneurs Hub and an IT consultant with over 20 years of experience; and Bijuli Prashad Rana, Director of NCIT. Shrestha delivered the keynote address, sharing his insights into the history and impact of open-source software in Nepal, particularly within government institutions.
Er. Kumar Pudashine, a cybersecurity community leader and IT governance consultant, led a session on "Securing Tomorrow: Cybersecurity Awareness and Career Insights." Pudashine, who serves as IT Security and Policy Advisor for USAID's Urja Nepal Program and is a Chief of Network and Cybersecurity at Agriculture Development Bank Limited (ADBL), provided valuable career guidance for aspiring cybersecurity professionals.
The event featured additional talks, including one from Er. Bikalpa Dhakal, a software engineer at Canonical, the organization behind Ubuntu, one of the world's most popular open-source operating systems. Dhakal shared his journey in the open-source community. Another notable speaker, Prashant Shahi, an open-source maintainer and software engineer, discussed his work on projects like SigNoz and Dgraph.
Attendees also explored various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Garuda, and Arch, at the Linux Distro Demo booths. Suraj Bhattrai, a representative of The Document Foundation, hosted an interactive session on LibreOffice, complete with giveaways.
In competitive events, 25 participants participated in NOSKODE 5.0, a programming challenge, while 30 competitors joined the Capture the Flag (CTF) cybersecurity competition. The top three winners in both contests received prizes worth 30,000 rupees.
One of the event's highlights was the Open Source Project Exhibition, the first of its kind in Nepal. More than eight Nepalese developers showcased their projects. Awards were presented in three categories: People’s Choice, Best Impacting Project, and Best Contributor.
NOSK SFD 2024 was supported by various organizations, including NCIT, Broadway Infosys, Leapfrog Technology Nepal, and MeroJob, alongside international partners such as The Document Foundation, GitHub Education, and the Campus Experts Program. The event also saw participation from student and tech communities across Nepal, such as the Kathmandu University Open Source Club (KUOSC) and Birendra Open Source Club (BOSC) in Chitwan.
The event brought together NOSK alumni, professional developers, and IT students, fostering a sense of community and collaboration in the spirit of open-source development.
