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diff --git a/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn b/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn deleted file mode 100644 index ba339dc9..00000000 --- a/community/gsoc/student_application_form.mdwn +++ /dev/null @@ -1,211 +0,0 @@ -[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]] - -[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable -id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this -document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or -any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant -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]]."]]"""]] - -Before we get to the actual application form, some important remarks about the -application process -- please read them carefully. - -First of all, please give your application a useful title. In many cases, you -can simply copy it from the project ideas list. Some ideas -- like language -bindings for example -- are rather broad, and require an additional specifier. -(e.g. "Python Bindings") - -If you are proposing a project not on the ideas list, you have to find a useful -title yourself of course -- but surely this isn't hard, if you were able to -come up with your own project idea :-) - -Submitting the application form is only part of the deal: we expect a few other -things on top of that, as explained below. This is important, so please take -it seriously -- without these things, 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 regularly. Also, we get to -know you much better this way than what the application form alone would allow us to. - -You shouldn't be at a loss for reasons to contact us. You ought to discuss your -project and application with us for example -- 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 beginning, saving both yourself and -us some tedious round trips :-) - -Also, if you really want to get involved with the Hurd project, there are -surely many things you will want to know -- after all, it's a fascinating -project, with a fascinating architecture etc., right? :-) - -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 implementing that 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 your -project: general programming skills; 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 -eager 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 supply your contact information here: full name, email address, IRC -nick, Jabber ID, phone number, etc. -- anything we might need to recognize you -and to keep in touch. - -* Introduce yourself: who are you, where are you from, what do you do, how did -you get here... Don't write a long essay here -- just a bunch of basic facts -you think we should know, so we get some idea whom we are talking to :-) - -* 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 -description from the project ideas page -- show us that you actually understand -what this task involves! Read the available documentation (and possibly code) -if necessary. And don't hesitate to ask us if you have any doubts :-) - -* Give a preliminary schedule for your work. The exact dates will obviously be -only guesses; but try to be specific about all the individual steps you will -have to do to complete the task. - -Note: By the end of the summer session, the code is expected to be in a state -ready to be merged to mainline. Experience shows that adding the "final -touches" necessary for that, tends to take up quite a lot of time -- there are -always some bugs here and there, some misunderstandings about how things are -supposed to work, build system issues, missing documentation, forgotten bits, -and so on. Thus, the schedule should assume that a larger part of the main -implementation work will be done by midterm! - -Also note that by the beginning of the summer session, you need to be able to -work on the task at more or less full speed -- meaning that you need to get -familiar with the code, think through the design (and discuss it with us) etc. -already in the interim period *before* the summer session. - -* What things will you have to learn to be able to complete the project? What -do you already know? - -In case you wonder what this question is getting at: Again, we want you to show -us that you really understand what kind of work the task involves. As always, -we encourage you to ask us for pointers if you are not sure how to go about -this :-) - -* Why did you choose this project idea? What do you consider most appealing -about it? - -* Please describe your previous programming experience in detail. What -languages do you use? How long have you been programming, and how much? What -kind of programs have you written? What kind of programming (and related) work -are you enjoying most? - -* Have you been involved in any free software ("Open Source") projects yet? -Which projects, how long, and in what way have you been involved? Have you been -active in the Hurd project/Hurd community before? - -* Please briefly describe the Hurd, including the goals, architecture etc. -Also, what makes you interested in the Hurd? Why do you want to work on it? -What is your vision of it's future development? - -We ask this because we want to make sure that people working on the Hurd do -understand what it is all about. You will probably need to read some -documentation -- as always, you are encouraged to ask for pointers, and -generally to talk to us about it :-) - -* Are you subscribed to the bug-hurd@gnu.org mailing list? (See -http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-hurd ) - -Hint: This is mostly a rhetoric question. If you haven't subscribed yet, now -would be a good time to do it! You will need it to communicate with us during -the application process. - -* Do you have a permanent internet connection, especially during the time of -the summer session? Are you able and willing to hang out on the Hurd IRC -channel regularly? (As in: Running the IRC client more or less permanently and -checking for activity now and then.) If it turns out that your mentor lives in -a different time zone, could you shift your day/night rhythm to better match -that of your mentor and other Hurd developers? - -Hint: Hanging out on the channel regularly during the application process -would be a good start :-) - -* When does your university term end, when are your exams, and when does the -next term begin? - -We need to know up front whether there are any overlaps with the GSoC time -frame (especially the summer session), so we can make a plan how to deal with -it properly. - -* How much time do you intend to spend on your GSoC project per day/week during -the summer months? - -Note that according to the GSoC FAQ, the project is meant to be "your major -occupation during the summer". In other words, you should treat it more or less -as a normal full-time job. - -* What other major activities will you engage in during the summer? (Moving -apartments, longer vacations, other obligations, etc.) If any, how do you -intend to make sure you will be able to dedicate sufficient time to your -project nevertheless? - -Please be open about this, and also mention things you are not yet sure about. -We can be flexible about time arrangements; but we absolutely need to know about any -possible obstacles up front. Surprises on that score are not acceptable. - -* How do you intend to make sure that your code will keep on being maintained -and supported properly after the end of the GSoC program? - -* Anything else you want to add to your application? |