Re: Ideas for Google Summer of Code 2012

[Christophe Fergeau <cfergeau gmail com>]

Hey everyone!

GNOME has been officially accepted by Google as a mentoring
organization for GSoC 2012, which means some students will be paid by
Google during the summer to help us improve GNOME :) The student
applications will start coming in on March 26th and the deadline for
applications is on April 6th (a bit less than 3 weeks from now).

In the mean time, here are a few things you should do if you want to
mentor some students during the summer:
* add yourself as a potential mentor for GNOME on the GSoC website (
http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/homepage/google/gsoc2012 )
* add GSoC ideas for students to https://live.gnome.org/SummerOfCode2012/Ideas
* build a list of simple bug/features the applying students can try to
fix (we require students to contribute a bugfix or a small feature to
the project they are applying for)
* guide students who would like to work with you during the summer

For this last part, I generally tell students that the first steps
toward an application are to try to think about what they want to work
on (the idea list can be helpful here), and that the first steps
toward a successful application is to manage to build the project they
want to hack on, and that they should start looking into fixing simple
bugs.
Then interacting with the student, and telling him/her to start
thinking about what they will put in their application (especially the
project schedule) is always a good thing :)

If you have more questions about all of this, feel free to follow up
on soc-mentors-list, or to ask on IRC. You can find us on #soc.

Cheers,

Christophe

2012/2/26 Christophe Fergeau <cfergeau gmail com>:
> Hiya GNOME lovers!
>
> It's that time of the year again: Google's Summer of Code is
> approaching. We are in the midst of preparing it all [1] but we need
> your help by submitting great project ideas. Student proposals will
> start to roll in on March 26, but we'd like to make sure there are
> plenty of projects from them to choose from and have mentors ready to
> volunteer their time. Bonus point if you add ideas this week as it
> makes it easier for us to write the Summer of Code application for
> GNOME.
>
> So what should you do? Please visit [2] and enter your project ideas
> under the "Ideas" section.  A committee will be formed up
> later to triage the ideas prior to the opening of the proposal period.
>
> If you would like to volunteer your time to mentor but don't have a
> project idea, surf over and claim one.  Mentoring is an awesome way to
> get more involved with the community and introduce someone to it.
>
> If you would like to throw your hat in the ring for the triaging or
> selection committees and other GSoC related tasks, pop on over to
> #soc-admin, join the soc-mentors-list and let one of the
> administrators for the program know you want to be involved in making
> GNOME rock.
>
> This year's administrators team hasn't been formed yet, so if you want
> to be part of it, by all means, volunteer!
>
> Cheers,
>  The GNOME Google Summer of Code Administrators
>
> [1] http://live.gnome.org/SummerOfCode2012
> [2] http://live.gnome.org/SummerOfCode2012/Ideas