Replaced introduction section of GSoC student application form

Aside from rewording in general, we now explicitely demand that students
contact us during the application period -- instead of just suggesting that
they will really need to do so in order to properly answer the questions, and
hoping that they take the hint... It is important that they contact us, and
there is really no reason not to demand it explicitely.

Also, introducing explicit patch requirement. (Instead of just asking for some
"exercises" through the feedback form after they submit their applications...)

Generally, we try to be much more clear about our expectations up front. This
should make our work much easier when giving feedback for the applications.
Also it should result in better applications -- and more happy students...

1 files changed, 83 insertions, 16 deletions

diff --git a/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn b/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn
index 9821f72f..92e835aa 100644
--- a/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn
+++ b/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn
@@ -8,22 +8,89 @@ Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license
 is included in the section entitled
 [[GNU_Free_Documentation_License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
 
-Some of the questions might seem quite intimidating at first. But don't
-despair. Most certainly you won't be able to answer all of them right away --
-this is intentional. The goal is *not* to prove that you already know
-everything. Rather, we want to see that you are willing to do your howework: To
-do some actual research to find the necessary answers.
-
-Most likely you won't be able to get all answers without contacting us
-directly. (On [[IRC]] or using [[mailing_lists]].) This is intentional as well.
-We want to see that you are able and willing to communicate with us, to get the
-information you need. This is also a chance for us to get to know you a bit :-)
-
-Also keep in mind that you do not need to give perfect answers when you first
-hand in your application. The application process allows us to give feedback;
-to request further input on anything that we need.
-
-With these explanations, we hope the questions don't look so scary anymore :-)
+Before we get to the actual application form, some important remarks about the
+application process -- please read them carefully.
+
+Submitting the application form is only part of the deal: we expect a few other
+things on top of that. Lacking these, the application is not complete, and we
+won't consider it.
+
+One of the things we expect is that you contact us directly as soon as possible
+(preferably even before you send the application form), on our developer
+[[mailing_lists]] and [[IRC]] channel. Don't be afraid -- we won't bite :-) IRC
+in particular allows for very informal conversations.
+
+(Note though that we are not all in the same time zone, and people generally
+don't stare at the IRC screen all the time -- it can take quite a long time
+until somebody replies: even several hours. Don't get discouraged by that: Just
+be patient and hang on, or try again later.)
+
+Contacting us as soon as possible is crucial, as regular communication is the
+single most important factor for a successful GSoC project. We need to see that
+you are able and willing to talk to us regularily. Also it allows us getting to
+know you much better than the application form alone could.
+
+You shouldn't be at a loss for reason to contact us. You ought to discuss your
+project and application with us for exmple: You will gain a much better idea
+about the project, our expectations etc. -- in short, you will be able to
+submit a better application right from the beginnig, saving both yourself and
+us some tedious roundtrips :-)
+
+Also, if you really want to get involved with the Hurd project, there are
+surely many things you will want to know :-) All in all, you should have ample
+causes to get in touch during the application period. Bonus points if you also
+participate in discussions not directly related to your project.
+
+The other thing necessary to complete your application is making a change to
+some part of the Hurd code, and submitting a patch with the change. (If you are
+not sure what that means, ask us!)
+
+This is important, as it shows that you have everything set up to start hacking
+on the project (source code, tool chain, testing environment etc.), and that
+you have all kinds of qualifications necessary to successfully finish the
+project: general programming abilities; working in the Hurd environment;
+submitting patches and reacting to feedback; finding and/or asking for any
+information you need; and so on.
+
+Don't get us wrong: We absolutely do *not* demand that you have and know all
+this up front. After all, the idea of GSoC is to *introduce* you to free
+software development in general, and to our project specifically :-) We are
+willing to help you with anything you will need to create the patch -- you just
+need to ask!
+
+We actively encourage you to contact us whenever you have any doubts. Don't be
+afraid that we will think worse of you when you ask too much. On the contrary:
+this is an occasion for you to show us that whenever there is something you
+don't know yet, you are able to learn quickly, and know how to ask for help :-)
+
+As for the kind of change we want: Ideally, it would be some real improvement
+(bug fix or new feature) in a part of the Hurd related to the specific project
+you want to work on. (This is not always possible though -- in that case, a
+useful change to some unrelated part of the Hurd would also do, or perhaps some
+not strictly useful change to the part you will be working on.)
+
+The [[project_ideas]] page has more information on this. In either case, please
+contact us, so we can discuss it, and together come up with something suitable.
+
+Note that we do not place any demands on the size of the change. Even a very
+simple modification suffices to meet the minimum requirements -- after all, the
+amount of time available for working on this before the end of the student
+selection process is quite short; and you are not obliged to do a substantial
+amount of work before you get accepted. (But if you feel more ambitious, that's
+fine of course :-) )
+
+Now to the actual questions in the application form. Please answer *all*
+questions -- we are asking them for a reason. (Whether you answer them one by
+one, or all in a larger piece of prose, is up to you.)
+
+If some of these questions look strange to you and/or you don't quite know what
+to answer, don't despair. This is not some kind of exam -- we do not expect you
+to have good answers for all of them up front. (In fact, we would be very
+surprised if anyone did...) The idea is more that you learn the answers before
+the end of the application process -- with our help. Please talk to us whenever
+you are unsure about something.
+
+And now that you are prepared to face the enemy, here we go :-)
 
 * Please describe the task of the project you want to work on, in your own
 words. Be as specific as possible. It's not sufficient to rephrase the