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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Google Summer of Code 2012
From:       Teo Mrnjavac <teo () kde ! org>
Date:       2012-03-26 17:24:33
Message-ID: CADSm7i7kP0FCewzmVhcptXjHPi3HKDTU0feZFaaijwZDCqzANQ () mail ! gmail ! com
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On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 18:49, Jo=E3o Paquim <jonhypaquim@hotmail.com> wrot=
e:
>> From: teo@kde.org
>> Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:13:01 +0200
>> Subject: Re: Google Summer of Code 2012
>> To: kde-devel@kde.org; jonhypaquim@hotmail.com
>
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 00:28, Jo=E3o Paquim <jonhypaquim@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > Hey everyone,
>> >
>> > My name is Jo=E3o Paquim, and I'm working on my application for GSOC 2=
012.
>> > I could use some tips from you guys, I'm having some difficulty choosi=
ng
>> > something to work on, I've spent some time looking at the Ideas list,
>> > but I
>> > can't help but feel a little lost. There are many things that would
>> > interest
>> > me, but I would need some guidance in preparing the application.=A0 How
>> > many
>> > people regularly have their GSOC applications rejected?
>> >
>> > Here's what it currently looks like, I've filled in whatever I could:
>> > "
>> > Name:
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 Jo=E3o Paquim
>> >
>> >
>> > Email Address:
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 main: jonhypaquim@hotmail.com
>> > =A0=A0=A0 secondary: jonhypaquim@gmail.com
>> >
>> >
>> > Freenode IRC Nick:
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 JPaquim
>> >
>> > IM Service and Username:
>> >
>> >
>> > Location (City, Country and/or Time Zone):
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 Lisbon, Portugal (GMT)
>> >
>> >
>> > Proposal Title:
>> >
>> >
>> > Motivation for Proposal / Goal:
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I've wanted to get involved with an open-source project for =
some
>> > time,
>> > but always found making the move a bit too mind-perplexing.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 GSOC makes this a lot easier, making the whole thing more
>> > comfortable
>> > when it comes to contacting the organizations, besides providing
>> > financial
>> > incentive.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I want to know what it feels like to be a part of a large pr=
oject,
>> > and
>> > take my software development skills to the real world.
>> >
>> >
>> > Implementation Details:
>> >
>> >
>> > Tentative Timeline (in weekly intervals until 2 weeks after the end of
>> > GSoC):
>> >
>> > .
>> > Do you have other obligations from late May to early August (school,
>> > work,
>> > vacation, etc.)? Please note
>> > that we expect the Summer of Code to be a full-time, 40-hr a week
>> > occupation. It is important to be clear
>> > and upfront about other commitments that you may have during that time.
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I'll have classes until 25/05, 6 tests from 2/06 until 15/06=
, and
>> > recovery exams from 23/06 until 29/06.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I'll try to avoid the recovery exams, and even with all the =
tests,
>> > I'll
>> > still be pretty available during June.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I have no obligations during July or August, however.
>> >
>> >
>> > About Me (let us know who you are!):
>> >
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I'm a first year Aerospace Engineering student at IST, and I=
've been
>> > interested in programming for a couple of years now.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I started out learning Python. I learned basic programming c=
oncepts,
>> > but
>> > stopped for some time, I can't really recall why.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 A year ago, I decided to try out Linux. I started with Ubunt=
u,
>> > jumped
>> > around between the different flavors and other distros based on it:
>> > =A0=A0=A0 Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Mint, among others. I resumed my Python le=
arning,
>> > learning a bit of PyQt, and after some time decided to tackle C.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 During my first semester at the University, I had a class on
>> > programming
>> > (with C).
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I worked on a project (a game using the Allegro library) and
>> > finished
>> > the class with a grade of 19 (out of 20).
>> > =A0=A0=A0 On my free time, I learned C++, a bit of Common Lisp and Pro=
log, and
>> > some Bash scripting.
>> > =A0=A0=A0 I'm really kind of addicted to programming and the variety of
>> > languages
>> > out there ;)
>> > =A0=A0=A0 Nowadays, I'm using Arch Linux with KDE 4.8 as my main OS, I=
 have
>> > been
>> > learning Qt for a couple of months and the KDE libs, git and x86
>> > assembly
>> > for about a week.
>> > "
>>
>>
>> Hello Jo=E3o,
>>
>> Thanks for contacting us.
>> GSoC is a very competitive program, I don't have the exact numbers at
>> hand but the spots are limited so I expect that more than half of the
>> proposals aren't accepted. For those KDE hosts the Summer of KDE, a
>> program similar to GSoC where KDE provides a mentor to a student, the
>> only difference is that the student doesn't get paid.
>> In my experience, for a GSoC project to work the student needs to be
>> strongly motivated for his/her project. I suggest you take another
>> look at the ideas page - I can't choose a project for you ;) Once you
>> pick an idea, if you need guidance it's best to write to the mailing
>> list of the project that would mentor your idea.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> --
>> Teo
>
> Hey Teo,
>
> First of all, thank you very much for the answer.
> So do you think I have a shot at getting a spot? Or are the other
> participants way ahead of me in terms of skills? Should I look for another
> GSoC project to apply to? Can I apply to multiple organizations? Do you
> reject proposals based on what sort of thing?
>
> My problem isn't lack of motivation, rather lack of orientation. The
> application template has such things as "Implementation Details" and
> "Tentative Timeline", which I have a hard time filling in right now, as I
> lack the predictive capability (mostly because I've never done this befor=
e)
> and in terms of implementation, I have no idea what to say...

Hello,

I can't tell you how much of a shot you have, I don't think it's
appropriate nor possible to judge someone a priori like this. You can
apply to multiple organizations (you can find this kind of information
in the GSoC FAQ). We get a number of proposals and a limited number of
slots: based on the number of slots some proposals make the cut and
some don't. It depends on the quality of the proposal, every student
prepares a proposal to convince us he or she is the best person for a
certain job. See [1] for information on how to make a good proposal.

If you feel you don't have the necessary skills to prepare a detailed
proposal with implementation plans and a detailed timeline, it might
be that GSoC is not the right program for you this year. Still, KDE
might have something to offer you outside of GSoC, such as Summer of
KDE, which is somewhat less ambitious and you still get a mentor.

[1] http://teom.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/how-to-write-a-kick-ass-proposal-f=
or-google-summer-of-code/

Cheers,
-- =

Teo

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