Guidelines for Boosting Long-Lasting FLOSS Contributors

" summary

Practical guidelines for mentoring students into sustained FLOSS contributors by running a 15‑week course that reproduces a Debian‑style onboarding path: training in Linux kernel patch submission, contributing to GNU/Linux tooling, learning Debian packaging, and making a final contribution to a chosen FLOSS project. The approach uses in‑person workshops, experienced mentors, and close monitoring to simulate a small community with faster, tailored feedback, and aims to build Git/web/email contribution workflows, communication skills, and confidence to move beyond one‑off commits.

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