Google Summer of Code - 2009 Edition
ArgoEclipse has participated successfully in three Google Summers of Code and we're hoping to participate again this year (but we're not accepted yet -- see the schedule below).
Participation is a great way to not only learn about open source projects and how they are run, but also to learn the skills necessary for distributed, collaborative software development in any environment -- commercial, public, non-profit, or open source.
You should check out Google's main Summer of Code page at http://code.google.com/soc/ if you haven't done so already to get an overview of what the program is and how it works.
Project Ideas
Choosing a good focus for your project is important both for the success of your application and the success of your summer's project. Check the ProjectIdeas page for a description of some of the things that we'd like to see done, but remember that this isn't an exclusive list. If you've got a good idea that you're passionate about, feel free to propose it. We love good ideas even if they weren't ours.
Schedule
Here's a brief outline of the summer's schedule. The application window is March 23-April 3, but don't wait until then to start your preparation.
February 8 |
Program announcement |
March 18 |
List of accepted organizations announced |
March 23 |
Student application period opens. |
April 3 |
Student application deadline. |
April 20 |
Accepted student proposals announced |
May 23 |
Students begin coding for their GSoC projects |
July 6-13 |
Mid-term evaluations |
August 17 |
Project completion |
August 24 |
Final evaluation deadline |
See the full timeline at http://socghop.appspot.com/document/show/program/google/gsoc2009/faqs#timeline
Application Process
Applications are judged on a combination of the applicant's strength and suitability and the project's strength and suitability. Please use the following template for your application.
Name
Please provide your full name.
Contact Info (Email / WWW / Blog / ...)
Where can we contact you? Please include an email address that you check regularly. If you've got a personal web page or blog which has useful information about you that you'd like to share, please include that too.
Project Synopsis
A short description of what your proposal is.
Project Details
A more detailed description. Why is it good for our users? Why is it exciting for you? [If you just cut and paste from our ideas page, we're just going to think you're lazy and lacking in imagination. Make this description your own. Convince us it'll be great.]
Project Schedule & Deliverables
How long will the project take? When can you begin work? Include an estimated timeline of the project with mini-milestones and associated deliverables. Please also note any time that you will be unavailable to work during the project period due to vacation, exams, or other commitments. This is just a rough outline and can be changed later, but should show that you've thought about amount and ordering of the work in more than a cursory level of detail.
Bio
Who are you, what are you studying (and where), and what activities do you enjoy? What software development experience do you have (open source, commercial, university, personal)? What experience do you have with Java and the Eclipse PDE? Have you contributed to any other open source projects? What experience do you have which is relevant to the project you are proposing?