Introduction to HUST OpenAtom Open Source Club

Why We Started the Club

The HUST OpenAtom Open Source Club is an active community dedicated to promoting open-source culture and contributing outstanding open-source software. We believe deeply in the importance of open-source culture and in the power of a shared open-source mission to make us stronger and more influential. With this conviction, we devote substantial human and material resources to contributing to open-source operating-system communities, guiding faculty and students to participate in open-source activities, and making our own contributions to these communities.

We follow the open-source spirit of openness, sharing, collaboration, and contribution. Guided by this philosophy, we advance open-source initiatives both within and beyond the university. By continuously upgrading members’ skills and capabilities—through code development, testing, bug fixing, documentation writing, and more—we give back to the community. Our current focus areas include the general Linux kernel and domestic Linux distributions (such as openEuler, OpenAnolis, openKylin, and Deepin, etc) as well as IoT operating systems (like LiteOS, RT-Thread, AliOS Things, and TencentOS Tiny, etc). We are steadily expanding the scope of our contributions and increasing our impact and value.
Our club is composed of like-minded teachers and students from diverse academic backgrounds who share a strong interest and enthusiasm for open-source culture. We maintain a spirit of mutual learning and collaboration, encouraging all members to share knowledge and experience to ensure the club’s sustainable development. Within the club, members support one another, improve their skills, and, together, contribute more to the community.
We regularly organize seminars and roundtable discussions to share research findings, solve problems, and strengthen mutual understanding and trust. We welcome all students interested in open-source culture and eager to contribute. Here, you’ll access cutting-edge open-source technologies, connect with like-minded peers, and forge your own path in open source.

Establishment and Inauguration

The HUST OpenAtom Open Source Club was officially inaugurated on June 18, 2023, at the Wuhan National Cybersecurity Center for education and innovation.

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Organizational Structure and Operating Model

The club’s structure is shown below:

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Daily operations are managed by four departments: Publicity Department, Editorial Department, Technical Department, and General Office. A brief introduction to each:

Publicity & Editorial Departments: Responsible for promoting the club’s activities and writing event posts.
Technical Department: The core force, divided into seven SIGs (Special Interest Groups):
- HUST Mirror SIG: Maintains documentation, develops features, and manages servers for the open-source mirror site, providing stable and user-friendly download services.
- RustSBI SIG: Develops the RustSBI open-source bootloader for RISC-V platforms, delivering secure and high-performance firmware solutions.
- Dojo SIG: The club’s education team, maintaining an on-campus pwn (Pokémon) learning platform aimed at sparking students’ interest in pwn. Their motto: “pwn is key in your life.”
- Linux Kernel SIG: Focuses on Linux kernel security and documentation contributions—learning kernel security, providing security support, and writing/maintaining related kernel documents.
- RT-Thread SIG: Contributes to the open-source IoT community, provides Q&A and training guidance, and pays special attention to vulnerability detection and fixing to foster a healthy community and improve project security.
- HCTT SIG: The club’s translation team, translating Linux-related technical articles, news, and essays from leading international media.
- OpenHarmony SIG: Dedicated to learning and advancing the OpenHarmony open-source OS through technical exchanges, project collaboration, and community events, jointly driving the open-source ecosystem and exploring technological frontiers.
General Office: Composed of faculty members who guide daily activities and manage the club’s finances.

Star Projects & Signature Activities

Star Projects

HUST Mirror[1]
HUST’s open-source mirror site
Mirror CLI[2]
One-command tool to switch mirrors; supports Ubuntu, Debian, Deepin, PyPI, and more
RustSBI[3]
Secure boot-loader project for domestic RISC-V architecture
Linux Kernel Insights[4]
Sharing insights into Linux kernel internals to help readers understand the Linux kernel and other low-level topics
HCTT Translation Team[5]
HCTT (HUST OpenAtom Club Translation Team) is the club’s translation group.
pwn.hust.college Educational Platform[6]
A fun, Pokémon-themed educational platform for student groups to learn and practice core concepts of cyberspace security.
University Ranking for Linux Kernel Contributions[7]
Ranks universities by Linux kernel contributions based on university domains to encourage more open-source contributions to the Linux kernel.

Signature Events

Open-Source Workshops
Open-Source Workshops are on-site events where participants learn and submit contributions. Experienced project maintainers set tasks and provide guidance, so even newcomers without prior programming experience can complete them. Hardware required for tasks is provided on site; once a task is finished, invited maintainers review and merge Pull Requests on the spot. The club currently hosts long-running RustSBI Workshops, Fuzzing Theory & Tools Workshops, and HCTT Workshops.
Open-source OS Training Camps Series
Jointly initiated with Tsinghua University, the 2024 Autumn-Winter Open-source OS Training Camps for the Wuhan area focuses on OS kernel development. To spark enthusiasm for Rust programming and OS knowledge, the club organized eight online info sessions synchronized with offline learning events.
WHLUG Offline Salon Series
In collaboration with the Deepin community, the club has held multiple WHLUG offline salons, providing a platform to share Linux related technologies and open-source development ideas.

Other Highlights

19th China Linux Kernel Developer Conference (CLK)
Club advisors organized CLK 2024, wrote promotional posts, and hosted forum activities. CLK promotes the spirit of “freedom, collaboration, and innovation,” aiming to advance Linux kernel development and foster mutual exchange.
2024 CCF China Open-Source Conference: Trusted Open-Source Ecosystem Forum
The club hosted the Trusted Open-Source Ecosystem Forum at the 2024 CCF China Open-Source Conference, focusing on open-source vulnerability governance, software supply chain security, and open-source community governance.
2024 OpenAtom Developer Conference: University Open-Source Developer Training Forum
Hosted by Club advisor Mu Dongliang, the forum invited guests from communities, enterprises, and other universities to explore how to guide more university teachers and students into open-source development and how open-source projects and practice can enhance students’ practical skills and innovative thinking.