I recently attended the TOSS Conference 2025 held at St. Joseph College, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable learning experiences for me. It was a two-day event filled with technical sessions, fun interactions, and real-world exposure.
On the first day, one of the speakers introduced us to Debian, a popular open-source operating system. He explained how Debian is known for its stability, security, and the freedom it offers to users and developers. It was my first time hearing about Debian, and I found it very interesting. After that, we went to another hall our institute sir handled the session on Computer Networks, where we learned about subnetting, IPv4 breakdown, the OSI and TCP/IP models, DNS, and even about Jellyfin, an open-source media server. His explanation was very clear and easy to understand, even though the topic was quite technical.
After lunch, we moved to another venue, where the energy was super high. A very enthusiastic speaker introduced us to the programming language Clojure and asked a very simple yet powerful question “What is programming?” He explained that programming is basically communication with the computer. He gave practical, funny, and clear examples like giving instructions to a robot to make tea, which helped us understand that programming is all about logical thinking and step-by-step problem-solving. His session really changed the way I look at programming.
On the second day, we got the chance to do something even more exciting we set up our own stall on LibreOffice as part of the open-source exhibition. There were many other stalls as well, but this was special for me because I was actively involved. We explained about LibreOffice to students and working professionals, and answered all their questions. It gave me confidence and real-life exposure. We also made it fun by conducting a small quiz game we wrote questions on paper, folded them, and placed them in a bowl. Visitors picked a paper and answered the question. One of our main questions was, “What does open source mean to you?” and the answers we got were thoughtful and engaging.
After lunch, we all gathered back in the hall where the organizers gave closing thanks and wrapped up the event. Over the two days, I not only learned a lot of new things, but also got to interact with professionals, clarify doubts, and improve my knowledge. It was an experience that made me feel proud, more confident, and inspired to learn more about technology.
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