GSoC 2017: application open, deadline = February 9, 2017

Hi,

The Google Summer of Code 2017 program is launched (https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/).

Last year, Pranit Bauva worked on porting "git bisect" from shell to C, mentored by Christian and Lars (I didn't follow closely, but essentially many preparatory steps, cleanups and tests were merged in master, and patches starting the real port are still queued in pu). The org admins were Peff and I.

The application deadline is February 9, 2017, i.e. a bit more than 2 weeks from now. So, we should decide quickly whether or not to participate, and if so work on the application.

On my side, I've been struggling to find some time budget to allocate to Git since last year and I couldn't even keep up with discussions on this list :-(. Last summer, I thought that being an org co-admin would help, but it didn't. So, as much as possible, I'd like to avoid being an org admin this year. It's not a lot of work (much, much less than being a mentor!), but if I manage to get some time to work for Git, I'd rather do that on coding and reviewing this year.

So, a bunch of unanswered questions:

* Does the git.git community want to participate in GSoC this year?
  Actually, I have mixed feelings about this: I do like GSoC, but it
  seems we lack reviewer time more than coder time, and GSoC does not
  make it better. OTOH, a GSoC participant is a potential reviewer in
  the long run ...

* Does the libgit2 community want to participate in GSoC? If so, we
  should clarify the application process. Last year, I wrote (too late):

  > It's essentially too late to change this for this year, but next
  > time we should discuss earlier about how we want to organize this
  > git.git/libgit2 thing. For example, I think it would make little sense
  > to have a git.git microproject and then apply for a libgit2 project
  > since we have very different ways of interacting. And honestly, right
  > now the application is really git.git-centric so I don't think it
  > attracts students towards libgit2. So, if you want to attract more
  > students, we should work on that.

If the answer to one of the above question is yes, then:

* Who's willing to mentor? and to admin?

* We need to write the application, i.e. essentially polish and update
  the text here: https://git.github.io/SoC-2016-Org-Application/ and
  update the list of project ideas and microprojects :
  https://git.github.io/SoC-2017-Ideas/
  https://git.github.io/SoC-2016-Microprojects/

Cheers,

Hi Matthieu,

On Mon, 23 Jan 2017, Matthieu Moy wrote:

As in the years before, I am willing to mentor.

Ciao, Johannes

On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 at 12:28 PM, Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:

I am also willing to mentor.

Thanks!

On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 04:02:02PM +0100, Matthieu Moy wrote:

I did co-admin last year and the year before, but I made Matthieu do all the work. :)

I do not mind doing the administrative stuff. But the real work is in polishing up the ideas list and microprojects page. So I think the first step, if people are interested in GSoC, is not just to say "yes, let's do it", but to actually flesh out these pages:

That can be done incrementally by people who care (especially mentors) over the next week or so, and doesn't require any real admin coordination. If it happens and the result looks good, then the application process is pretty straightforward.

If it doesn't, then we probably ought not to participate in GSoC.

-Peff

PS If we do participate, we should consider Outreachy as well, which can
   expand our base of possible applicants. Though note that ones who are
   not eligible for GSoC would need to be funded by us. Last year GitHub
   offered to cover the stipend for an Outreachy intern for Git. If
   there's interest I can see if that offer can be extended for this
   year.

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

OK, it seems the last message did not raise a lot of enthousiasm (unless I missed some off-list discussion at Git-Merge?).

The application deadline is tomorrow. I think it's time to admit that we won't participate this year, unless someone steps in really soon.

If we don't participate, I'll add a disclaimer at the top of the SoC-related pages on git.github.io to make sure students don't waste time preparing an application.

On Wed, Feb 08, 2017 at 03:54:25PM +0100, Matthieu Moy wrote:

Nope, there was no discussion that I'm aware of.

Yes, I'd agree with that.

Outreachy folks asked if we were interested in participating, but I think it has roughly the same pre-requisite lists for ideas and microprojects.

Good idea.

-Peff

On Wed, Feb 8, 2017 at 3:54 PM, Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> wrote:

I think having 2 possible mentors or co-mentors still shows some enthousiasm even if I agree it's unfortunate there is not more enthousiasm.

Someone steps in to do what exactly?

I just had a look and the microproject and idea pages for this year are ok. They are not great sure, but not much worse than the previous years. What should probably be done is to remove project ideas where is no "possible mentor" listed. But I am reluctant to do that as I don't know what Dscho would be ok to mentor.

Also please note that you sent this email just the day before the deadline. I know that you sent a previous email three weeks ago, but people easily forget this kind of deadline when they are not often reminded. (And there is a school vacation is France right now so I am having a vacation in Alps with unfortunately quite bad Internet access.)

Please submit our application like this.

Thanks, Christian.

Christian Couder <christian.couder@gmail.com> writes:

A non-quoted but yet important part of my initial email was:

| So, as much as possible, I'd like to avoid being an org admin this
| year. It's not a lot of work (much, much less than being a mentor!),
| but if I manage to get some time to work for Git, I'd rather do that
| on coding and reviewing this year.

and for now, no one stepped in to admin.

Other non-negligible sources of work are reviewing microprojects and applications. Having a few more messages in this thread would have been a good hint that we had volunteers to do that.

First we need an admin. Then as you said a bit of janitoring work on the web pages.

On 9 February 2017 at 15:45, Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> wrote:

I would like to point everyone to this reply from Jeff King on the original post: [1] (In case this was lost in the midst of other emails) It sounds like Jeff King is okay with taking up the "admin" role.

    I do not mind doing the administrative stuff.  But the real work is in
    polishing up the ideas list and microprojects page. So I think the first
    step, if people are interested in GSoC, is not just to say "yes, let's
    do it", but to actually flesh out these pages:

[1]: https://public-inbox.org/git/20170125204504.ebw2sa4uokfwwfnt@sigill.intra.peff.net/

On Thu, Feb 9, 2017 at 11:28 AM, Siddharth Kannan <kannan.siddharth12@gmail.com> wrote:

Yeah it was also my impression based on the above that Peff would be ok to take up the admin role.

Now if he doesn't want for some reason to take it, then I am ok with us not applying, but again it would have been better to be clearer about that before the eve of the deadline.

On Thu, Feb 9, 2017 at 11:15 AM, Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> wrote:

Well Peff wrote in reply to your email:

So I thought Peff would be ok to be the admin (do "the administrative stuff").

I don't think emails in this thread is what really counts. I worked on the Idea page starting some months ago, and as I wrote I reviewed it again and found it not too bad.

About the janitoring part, as I previously said I am reluctant to do that as I don't know what Dscho would be ok to mentor. And I also think it's not absolutely necessary to do it before applying as an org.

If you just want Peff or someone else to apply, then please just say it and hopefully Peff will do it and be the admin.

Christian Couder <christian.couder@gmail.com> writes:

There are several things the admins need to do:

1) "administrative stuff" about money with Conservancy (aka SFC). As I
   understand it, really not much to do since Google and Conservancy
   work directly with each other for most stuff.

2) Filling-in the application, i.e. essentially copy-past from the
   website.
 
3) Then, make sure things that must happen do happen (reviewing
   applications, start online or offline discussions when needed, ...).

Last year Peff did 1) and I did most of 2+3). My understanding of Peff's reply was "OK to continue doing 1)".

I think you (Christian) could do 2+3). It's much, much less work than being a mentor. Honnestly I felt like I did nothing and then Peff said I did all the work :o). I can help, but as I said I'm really short in time budget and I'd like to spend it more on coding+reviewing.

OK, so giving up now seems unfair to you indeed.

I created a Git organization and invited you + Peff as admins. I'll start cut-and-pasting to show my good faith ;-).

Right.

Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> writes:

I created this page based on last year's:

https://git.github.io/SoC-2017-Org-Application/

I filled-in the "org profile". "Org application" is still TODO.

Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> writes:

PS: I didn't hear from the libgit2 folks, so I think it's reasonable to
consider that we don't apply for them.

On Thu, Feb 9, 2017 at 1:22 PM, Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> wrote:

Great thanks! I accepted the invite.

I copy pasted the Org application from last year, so I think we are good.

Hi Christian,

On Thu, 9 Feb 2017, Christian Couder wrote:

I am okay to mentor (except anything that touches submodules).

Ciao, Johannes

On Thu, Feb 9, 2017 at 1:38 PM, Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:

I am okay to mentor anything (preferrably submodules).

Thanks, Stefan

Hey everyone,

On Thu, Jan 26, 2017 at 2:15 AM, Jeff King <peff@peff.net> wrote:

I will help with adding more ideas to the microprojects list. But since I am not quite familiar with the whole code base, I will need some help with verifying those whether they are in the scope or not. I am not sure whether I would be able to help with actual project ideas but I will try. I will do it within a week or so.

Regards, Pranit Bauva

On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 10:02 PM, Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> wrote:

Probably too late for GSoc 2017, but another idea for microproject (or microprojects) is make use of dir-iterator.h more. For recursive directory walking, this would make the code easier to read and potentially avoid too deep recursion. There are three or four of them, I think.

Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com> writes:

Throw it on the microproject idea page anyway, as it is likely that the leftover bits will be migrated to the page created for the next year and that way we won't forget.