Working Environment

The OSC uses several platforms that support collaboration, communication, file sharing, and project management.

If you are not already familiar with the following programs and platforms, the OSC offers many self paced tutorials: OSC Tutorials.

For an overview of all technologies used at the OSC, see the Technology Overview.

R and RStudio

R is the primary programming language used for many OSC projects, particularly for data analysis, reproducible research, and the development of training materials. RStudio is the integrated development environment (IDE) that we use to write, run, and manage most of our R code.

Click here for self-paced tutorials on R

Quarto

Quarto is an open-source scientific and technical publishing system used extensively at the OSC. We use Quarto to create and maintain the OSC website, develop instructional materials for the Train-the-Trainer program, and produce other reports, tutorials, and documentation.

Click here for self-paced tutorials on Quarto

TipShould I learn how to do everything in Quarto?

No. There are many, many things you can learn to do with Quarto. But, specifically for non-technical HiWis, focus on the Computations and Authoring parts of the tutorials.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage platform used for storing, organizing, sharing, and collaboratively editing files.

Because many OSC documents, spreadsheets, and other resources are stored in Google Drive, it is important to maintain a well-organized folder structure.

Click here to go to the OSC Google Drive

Initial Setup

When starting at the OSC, you should:

  1. Create a dedicated folder in your own Google Drive for OSC-related work.
  2. For each OSC folder shared with you, create a shortcut inside this folder.
TipCreating Shortcuts in Google Drive

Click the three dots or right-click on the folder → hover over Organize → select Add shortcut → choose your OSC folder.

Important OSC Folders

Folder Description
Onboarding Hiwis Contains onboarding documents and tasks for new student assistants.
Templates Contains frequently used templates, including designs, email drafts, social media drafts, website drafts, and consent forms.
Credentials Contains sensitive information such as passwords, certificates, and access credentials. This folder is not publicly shared.

Google Docs

Google Docs is a web-based word processing platform that allows multiple users to collaboratively create and edit documents in real time.

Google Docs are frequently used at the OSC for:

  • Drafting news items and website content
  • Drafting social media posts
  • Taking meeting notes and creating agendas
  • Maintaining central documents for events
  • Collaborative editing and reviewing
TipDraft in Google Docs First

Even when creating content for the website (e.g., a news item), it is usually easier to collaboratively draft and revise the content in a Google Doc first, and only later transfer it to a Quarto document.

Creating New Google Docs

All new Google Docs should be created in the following folder:

When creating a document:

  1. Set the sharing permissions to Anyone with the link can comment.
  2. Add the OSC team (Malika and assistants) as editors.
  3. Transfer ownership of the document to Malika.

This ensures that documents remain accessible within the OSC and stay within the shared workspace.

Document Organization

Whenever you create a new document, make sure to share the document link in the following places:

  • At the top of the relevant section in the ToDo document.
  • In the task table.
  • In the appropriate Google Drive folder.

GitHub

GitHub is a platform for version control and collaborative software development. It allows users to store, manage, track, and collaboratively edit code and other project files.

The OSC uses GitHub for collaborative work on:

  • The OSC website
  • Train-the-Trainer materials
  • OSC tutorials
  • Documentation
  • Other collaborative projects

Detailed instructions on using GitHub at the OSC can be found here:

LRZ Sync and Share

LRZ Sync and Share is a secure cloud storage and file-sharing service provided by the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ).

It is primarily used for storing and sharing sensitive files.

Examples include:

  • Job application documents
  • Letters of support for grant applications
  • Financial records
  • Other confidential documents
ImportantSensitive Information

Sensitive documents should generally be stored in LRZ Sync and Share rather than Google Drive whenever confidentiality or data protection is required.

LRZ GitLab

LRZ GitLab is occasionally used for projects involving private repositories.

Unlike GitHub, GitLab repositories may contain materials that should not be publicly accessible.

Specific instructions regarding GitLab usage will be provided on a project-by-project basis.

More information about the use and purpose of GitLab can be found here:

Pretix and formR

Pretix is an open-source event management and registration platform, while formR is a web-based framework for creating surveys and longitudinal studies. At the OSC, these platforms are primarily used for event registration, participant management, and collecting pre- and post-event information such as applications and feedback.

For more on how the OSC uses these platforms, see:

ReallyGoodEmails

ReallyGoodEmails (formally known as BeeFree) is an online drag-and-drop email editor used by the OSC to design and prepare newsletters for distribution.

Detailed instructions for creating and managing OSC newsletters can be found here:

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