[Gimp-developer] An appeal for insight into the development of GIMP

[Martin Schönberger <maschonber gmail com>]

Dear developers of GIMP!

I am a student of Software Engineering at the Vienna University of
Technology and currently writing my master thesis on project management
and the development methods used in open source projects. In my research
I analyzed open source development and compared it with elements found
in various proprietary approaches, both agile and well-defined.

But to provide balanced and up-to-date results my work relies on first-
hand information and expert opinion, for which I need your help. GIMP
matches my criteria regarding size, activity and available information
and I would be glad to include it in my case study.

I am looking for an interview partner with good insight into the project
structure and a solid overview of all stages of development, ideally a
member of the core team with long-term dedication to the project.

The interview would take about 20 minutes on Skype (or a similar phone-
based tool). If you prefer a written chat, that can be arranged as well.
My daily schedule is flexible, so whatever time suits you best should
work for me.

The subject areas I would like to cover in the interview are GIMP's:

* Development flow and release cycles
* Social structures, responsibilities and decision making
* Code structure and architectural considerations
* Special conditions caused by the open source environment

I realize your time might be scarce, but if you decide to contribute to
this case study your help shall be all the more appreciated. Once
finished I will gladly share my results and any new insights gained on
the topic with you.

Kind regards,

Martin Schönberger
(maschonber gmail com)