Working at SDSLabs (6)

SDSLabs will be having recruitments the coming January. We welcome promising developers and designers. This post is a continuation of the series of blog posts( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ) that we have written over the years to tell people about the culture and the working here at SDSLabs.

About

SDSLabs is a student group that works on many software projects. They are mainly web-based but as such there is no restriction. We have developed many applications for the IIT-R intranet. Lately, we have also launched a few of them on the Internet which have got a pretty good global response. We also manage the activities of SDS (Software Development Section) which is an open proficiency for all.

Learning Experience

Being a member of SDSLabs is a journey involving a tremendous amount of learning. I was initially introduced to various technologies like PHP, Javascript, AJAX, NodeJS, Python, MVC, git, etc. Even though we may have launched mostly web applications, I got to learn about many different things regarding Linux, networking, server management, security, etc. We have some of the brightest and most helpful people of IIT-R working at SDSLabs. Every visit to lab has provided me with knowledge about new concepts or some information regarding upcoming technologies.

Even though I am a part of many other campus groups, I can say that SDSLabs has been an immense source of knowledge and played an integral part in shaping my life here at IIT-R.

The most important thing in lab is that the source code is open to everyone and you are free to work on any project of your interest. Also, unlike other groups you can start working on major projects directly from your first year.

My Work

Erdős

A few weeks after my recruitment in lab I was asked to add some minor feature in Erdős. Abhishek Das was my mentor. Working under him and on his code was a great experience for me. I was introduced to proper MVC Architecture. This was the first time I had ever worked on someone else’s code. Erdős’s code is perhaps one of the best written code I have seen in lab. I learnt how to properly document my code and structure it alongwith some common coding guidelines.

Backdoor

By the end of my first year I was given the task to develop Backdoor into a proper application. The existing code was quite haphazardly written. It was pretty much disorganized. After pondering over a bit I decided to rewrite the backend completely. Abhishek Kandoi helped in laying down the foundation for the application. With constant help from Ravi Kishore Rachuri I rewrote Backdoor during the summer break. Although a little late, we were able to launch it at the end of October. I got to know many things about dynamic web applications starting from the initial setup to the final deployment stage. Apart from that I learnt more and more about security.

JEE Ranklist

As part of the custom(laid by Abhay Rana, aka nemo), SDSLabs released the JEE Advanced 2014 Namewise Rank List. I helped in getting the ranks, parsing the results and in developing the final website.

Culture in Lab

The culture in lab is pretty awesome. You can enter/leave lab anytime during day or night. There is a lot of interaction within the group resulting in a strong bond between the members. Even the alumni remain in contact with us through mails and slack(our internal group chat). We have chapos “regulary” at Olive, Hometel and Dominoes! We also go for an annual trip. Apart from the fun that we have we cling to our motto:

iDream. iCode. iInnovate.

Our goal is to turn dreams to reality through our projects.

Activities

We hold regular lectures and meetings regarding web technologies and Linux. We also organize hackathons like Syntax Error to promote development within campus. We hold competitions on CodeVillage, Erdős and Backdoor regulary.

We also participate in various competitions. A team from SDSLabs has been winning the Deloitte Collegiate Cyber Threat competition consecutively for the past 3 years at a national level. Last year a team from lab qualified for Microsoft Code.Fun.Do held within campus and went further to win the nationals! We were also the runners up in Angel Hacks International Series, Delhi edition. Twelve members of our section have cleared the prestigious Google Summer of Code program.

Recruitment

We have our recruitments in January. Visit here for more details. Some points worth noting:

1. If you are thinking of applying just for a high package in your future please turn back.
2. We are more interested in people willing to learn rather than somebody who just happens to know more.
3. Your branch is irrevelant to us. Currently we have just 15 members in CS whereas 36 non CS members.