Copy of debian-devel-announce.
We’re happy to announce that Debian has been accepted again as one of the mentoring organizations for this year’s Google Summer of Code.
According to the timeline for this year’s program, we will only have a few days to get set up and ready. Student applications will be accepted between the 23rd of March and 4th of April, but we’re already being contacted by students interested in working with us. That means that if you want to get involved as a mentor or a student, you don’t have very long. We’re also still actively looking for more project ideas – what would you like somebody to work on? You don’t need to be able to mentor a project to propose it.
Both students and mentors will have to register on the new Melange application. Once you’ve edited your profile, you will have a ‘linkid’. Always keep it at hand. We will need it to process registrations and applications to match it with who you are.
If you’d like to mentor, you will need to ‘apply to become a mentor‘ and click on Debian in the list of orgs. Also please add yourself to the Debian wiki page and keep in touch with us (see below). Once you’ve done that, the admins will be able to approve you so you can be added into the official Debian mentors list. Please add any specific ideas that you may have, or if you have nothing specific then list the areas where you think you could mentor a student. Existing Debian developers are preferred as mentors, as that will make things easier on some fronts (e.g. sponsored package uploads, data setup on Debian-hosted machines). But that’s not a hard and fast rule.
If you’re a student hoping to work on Debian this summer in SoC, please get in contact with us (see below) to talk about project ideas, either what we already have listed or your own. It’s in everybody’s interests to work on applications as much as possible before the deadline closes to improve their chances of acceptance. Ideally we want to encourage new blood to join in and contribute, but we’ll be happy to accept high quality applications from anybody that meets Google’s eligibility requirements.
We can be contacted at:
Good luck to all involved; may all your code be merged in squeeze!
Just a quick update to let you know how the Debian bid for the Google Summer of Code is going.
We’re doing great right now. Our application is sent out, you can consult the public part here.
This year, we’re committed to doing a great Summer of Code performance, starting first by improving communication with the Debian community.
We opened a Twitter feed for you Twitter freaks: http://twitter.com/DebianGSoC. It will be updated with live information relevant to students and devs alike during the whole summer.
UPDATE: We’re now also on identi.ca : http://identi.ca/debiangsoc 
We now have 12 applications on our wiki. Come, add your ideas and discuss them on our IRC channel (#debian-soc on irc.debian.org) and mailing-list.
Packaging
Debian Installer
Blends
Bug tracking
Building infrastructure
In case you’ve been living under a rock these past years, I shouldn’t have to tell you what this is about . Well, just in case.
The Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is an international program that offers student developers stipends to write code for various open source software projects. Debian has participated since 2006, mentoring dozens of students on Debian projects.
The important part of the 2009 edition of the Google Summer of Code is going to start next week with the Organizations application period (March 9th). By that time, we should have listed a reasonable number of ideas on the dedicated wiki page.
We will try this year to improve on the performance of the previous years, starting first with more and more dedicated manpower. If you have some time to spare to help manage our Summer of Code bid this year, we can make it a much better experience for the students and for Debian.
Help is immediately needed in many areas. Some examples:
- Map out which areas in Debian could benefit from a Summer of Code project and connect the right people with the right projects ideas
- Ideas, Ideas, Ideas for Summer of Code projects
By mid-March, we will need:
- Dedicated documentation to present Debian to the prospective student
- Publicity material to promote the Summer of Code at Debian
- Ideas, Ideas, Ideas for Summer of Code projects
Further in the spring:
- Mentors, people to review proposals, do interviews
- Ideas, Ideas, Ideas for Summer of Code projects
In the summer:
- Mentoring students
- Testing and feedback for projects
- Internal communication with the community
As you can see, there is much work ahead. It’s time to pitch out your favorite pet project
Remember! The Summer of Code has become a prominent outreach forum for open source organizations. It puts a spotlight on each of them to provide a well-rounded and deep experience of open source development.
Right now, you can help with the Wiki, join us on IRC on #debian-soc on OFTC or join the mailing-list at soc-coordination on alioth.
The short “flyers-friendly” URL for the Summer of Code at Debian is : <http://wiki.debian.org/gsoc>. Publicize it!
See you this summer!
