GSoC/2016/Introduction for Students (Meeting)
From SMC Wiki
This is the log of the IRC meeting that was held on March 10 for students to get started.
*** Users on #smc-project: puneet_ jerin kaakku suraj spechide asdofindia gem
arushi malayaleecoder m_ @stultus Apollyon anushbmx noteness
Irumbu_Moideen sagarhani jp-logger manu-chroma grambot bsc wm-bot4
santhosh_ @jishnu7 santhosh @ChanServ
<stultus> shall we begin?
<spechide> ok [20:29]
<stultus> hope everyone is here
<malayaleecoder> I am in :) [20:30]
<jerin> present.
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#smc-project
<suraj> yes
<stultus> jishnu7, asdofindia bsc Irumbu_Moideen
<stultus> bsc, please take a log [20:31]
<jerin> is nkn__ not attending?
<stultus> jerin, this is just a general meeting for students [20:32]
<jerin> stultus, okay.
<stultus> ok. so
<stultus> I suppose everyone is applying for the gsoc for the first time
[20:33]
<suraj> yes
<spechide> yes
<malayaleecoder> yes
<jerin> yes.
<arushi> Yes.
* asdofindia 's first GSoC too [20:34]
<stultus> the main purpose of GSoC is to spread opensource culture among
students [20:35]
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[20:36]
<stultus> So we are expecting the students to be passionate about a few things
[20:37]
<stultus> 1. Technology (obviously)
<stultus> 2. The FOSS philosophy
<stultus> 3. The Community
* tachyons reading [20:38]
<stultus> mainly this should be the main motivational factor for participating
<stultus> the stipend google gives is an added advantage. but please don't
apply just for the money. If money is the motivation you should try
to get a freelance project instead [20:39]
<asdofindia> About 2 & 3, many students might be new to open source
development. So I wouldn't call it a hard requirement.
<stultus> I'm not saying that the students should be already familiar with 2 &
3 [20:40]
<asdofindia> But, the hopes that Google has and we have is definitely about
cultivating that passion.
<stultus> as an organization this is our 4th time in gsoc [20:42]
<puneet_> yes
<stultus> most of our past gsoc participants are currently very active in our
community [20:43]
<stultus> some of them are possible mentors
<stultus> and they are contributing code/effort whenever they get time.
[20:44]
<stultus> so during gsoc, we are looking for more community members
<stultus> So I hope everyone is already (mentally) part of the community
[20:45]
<spechide> yes
<puneet_> Yes
<arushi_> yes! [20:46]
<stultus> This is our main expectation for GSoC
<malayaleecoder> Sure is
<tachyons> +1
<stultus> Now lets move to the process
<puneet_> ok [20:47]
<stultus> students can propose(officially) their projects from 15th onwards
<spechide> ok
<stultus> projects can either be one selected from the proposed ideas (
http://wiki.smc.org.in/GSoC/2016/Project_ideas ) [20:48]
<stultus> or something that the student proposes (which is not listed in the
ideas page)
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#smc-project [20:50]
<stultus> if you are proposing a new project, it should be our organizations
domain(indic language computing in our case). or something that a
community member can mentor
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channel #smc-project [20:51]
<stultus> once we have the proposals in hand, we will evaluate those proposals
<stultus> the criteria for evaluation will be different for different projects
<stultus> but mainly, we will be looking for the following points [20:52]
<stultus> 1. is the student technically capable to complete the project?
<stultus> 2. is s/he showing the community spirit? [20:54]
<stultus> 3. is s/he able to communicate properly to the community(mentor) wrt
the project (implementations,hurdles,new ideas etc) [20:55]
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<stultus> 1. will be clear from the proposals and other code-level
interactions (small bug-fixes, and other communications)
[20:56]
<stultus> after the evaluation, we will be shortlisting the candidates.
<stultus> and we will prioritize the projects. (I'll tell you why) [20:57]
<stultus> and after this process we will request the number of slots to google
[20:58]
<stultus> ie if we find 5 proposals as good enough. we will ask for 5 slots
<stultus> but it is upto google to allot the slots [20:59]
<stultus> they will have a pre-fixed budget and all, and based on that,
they'll allocate the slots.
<stultus> if we request for 5 slots, we will get <=5 slots. and if the slots
are < 5 [21:00]
<stultus> we will select the students based on the priority list
<stultus> ^ hope this is clear to everyone [21:01]
<stultus> any doubts ?
<puneet_> no
<malayaleecoder> All fine
<spechide> What bug-fixes should I do to prove myself to the community?
[21:02]
<stultus> spechide, I'll come to that point
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<spechide> ok
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<stultus> Before that, lets see what we are expecting from a student
<suraj> FIne
<spechide> ok
<puneet_> Yes.I want to work in android project, indic-keyboard. What all
fixes sould be done?
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<stultus> 1. while communicating with the community (either through irc or the
mailing list), you should follow the basic etiquette [21:04]
<stultus> this will be a good read on that -
http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html [21:05]
<asdofindia> spechide, puneet_ . Keep in mind that figuring out which bugs are
important, which bugs are fixable all by oneself also proves a
point.
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<stultus> Please don't expect spoon feeding from us. It is completely fine to
ask for help. but that should be your last option. [21:07]
<spechide> sorry
<stultus> when you are stuck, use a search engine to find if a solution is
already available for your problem
<puneet_> sorry
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<stultus> you don't have to apologize now, we know that most of you are new to
this kind of a community culture [21:08]
<stultus> so I suggest reading the above document (the link that I pasted
above)
<stultus> and after trying everything (searching online, searching through the
mailing list archives) if you are still stuck, feel free to ask in
irc or the mailing list [21:09]
<stultus> someone will help you. [21:10]
<stultus> also this is one place where you can show the community spirit.
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<asdofindia> talking about community culture. Imagine it is Gandhi Jayanthi
and some people are cleaning up a road in your place. You just go
in there, see what's happening, and help in whatever ways you
can. [21:11]
<stultus> If you see someone asking for help, and if you know how to help, you
should jump in and help them
<tachyons> please provide link for irc log , so that latecomer can catch up
the discussion here :-)
<stultus> tachyons, will do [21:12]
<stultus> for example,
<stultus> you might have spent hours to get the codebase running. and after
that when you see someone complaining about some errors that block
them from running the code, [21:13]
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<stultus> you know how you passed that hurdle, so you should help them
<stultus> this is how a community works. according to the hacker culture, no
problem should be solved twice, so share your knowledge with others,
help them when they are stuck, this is how we progress [21:14]
<asdofindia> (IIIT people can sit together in their labs!)
<stultus> that reminds me of this --
http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html [21:15]
<stultus> try to read this when you get time :)
<jerin> hehe
<arushi_> :P :P
<puneet_> ok :D [21:16]
<spechide> ok ;)
<stultus> one more thing you should keep in mind is that
<stultus> all of us have our dayjob and other responsibilities. we all are
volunteering here in our free time (or the time that we find
specifically for this purpose) [21:17]
<suraj> I'm not from IIIT :
<stultus> so if you don't see any response from a mentor, chances are high
that person might be busy with something else
<stultus> so please give them some time to respond. and if he is not
responding even after a considerable amount of time, it is
completely fine to remind him [21:18]
<stultus> but please respect their time and schedule [21:19]
<stultus> also please don't send personal mails to the mentors.
<stultus> all of our mentors are there in the student mailing list. if you
send mails to that list the respective mentor will see it.
<asdofindia> info: #smc-project and #silpa are both logged and monitored by
most of the mentors. So, everyone is reading your questions.
[21:20]
<stultus> they might have created filters to handle the mails to avoid
distraction. so if they get 50 mails per day from wannabe gsoc
aspirants, they will be in trouble [21:21]
<stultus> so please use the mailing list.
<stultus> there is one more advantage in using the mailing list
<tachyons> Also it will make things more transparent .
<stultus> ^ yes [21:22]
<stultus> and more than one student will have the same doubts. if we discuss
those in the mailing list, other can benefit from that too
<stultus> that is also part of the community culture
<stultus> any doubts ? [21:23]
<malayaleecoder> No
<spechide> no
<SREENADH> understood :) [21:24]
<puneet_> if we need to ask about a particular project, should we ask on their
respective irc channel?
<imA4c> :)
<stultus> puneet_, if it is a general question, you should ask in the mailing
list
<puneet_> ok [21:25]
<stultus> puneet_, if it is an urgent thing , you should use both mailing list
and the irc
<stultus> puneet_, if it is a small thing (if you are stuck while compiling
etc) you can ask in irc
<stultus> and for libindic related purposes use #silpa channel [21:26]
<stultus> and for varnam related purposes use #varnamproject channel
<stultus> for all other purposes use this channel
<asdofindia> IRC = good for quick one-line communication. Email = good for
long, thoughtful communication. As you participate, it becomes
intuitive which channel is good for what.
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#smc-project [21:28]
<stultus> and please don't initiate one-to-one chat in the irc without asking
first. [21:29]
<stultus> start by reading the documentation and the code of the project that
you are interested to contribute [21:30]
<stultus> then try to get it running in your local machine, if the
documentation is out of date, you'll understand that during this
process.
<stultus> if that is the case, contribute by updating the documentation
(README/install instructions etc.) [21:31]
<stultus> then check the issue list.
<stultus> and try to fix the existing issues.
<stultus> selecting the issues are totally upto you. that will depend on your
skillset and your interest [21:32]
<stultus> but please check with the developer before trying to fix
them. because,sometimes the issues list might be outdated
[21:33]
<stultus> I think I already explained how to be in touch with the mentors and
the community [21:34]
<stultus> there are 4 mailing list that might interest you.
<stultus> 1. smc-discuss - the main smc mailing list (there will be
conversations in malayalam in this mailing list )
<stultus> 2. silpa-discuss - for libindic [21:35]
<stultus> 3. maling list of varnamproject
<stultus> 4. students mailing list - for gsoc and other mentoring purposes
<stultus> you can find the links from the smc website and gsoc page in the
wiki [21:36]
<stultus> ok?
<puneet_> yes
<stultus> these are the main things I wanted to convey.
<stultus> hope I was able to communicate those well.
<SREENADH> yeah :) [21:37]
<stultus> please ask any questions if you have. (and feel free to answer the
questions that you know :D )
<malayaleecoder> Ok
<spechide> ok
<Apollyon> hello, wasn't there in the beginning so I just read the chat and
now I am caught up
* stultus is going out to buy food. so will be afk for a few minutes
<malayaleecoder> stultus, log of the channels ? [21:38]
<asdofindia> I'll post the log as soon as the meeting is officially over
<Apollyon> @stultus thanks for the briefing
<malayaleecoder> Alright :)
<asdofindia> and the meeting is over if there are no questions.
<Apollyon> okay :D
<asdofindia> so, any questions?
<stultus> here is the logs - http://paste.debian.net/413919/
<Apollyon> I have a couple of doubts
<stultus> log*
<stultus> asdofindia, please send the link to the lists [21:39]
<stultus> asdofindia, and handle the doubts :D
* stultus is afk
<asdofindia> Apollyon? [21:40]
<Apollyon> Is it possible to know priorities ? I have heard that some other
orgs are giving priorities and I am new to this org and that is why
I am asking
<asdofindia> I was wondering why nobody asked that.
<suraj> I had the same doubt :) [21:41]
<Apollyon> Completely understand if you guys are no reveling them
<asdofindia> We will hold a meeting of mentors and see if we can come out with
a list of priority *before* the student application window.
<Apollyon> Oh it would be great if you guys do :D [21:42]
<Apollyon> would help us in making a better proposal ourselves
<asdofindia> But it would be wise to choose a project that suits you best
rather than choose the top priority. [21:43]
<bsc> Try to participate in a project that you feel you can do. Not the one
that have "high" priority.
<grambot> �05stultus�: Priorities
<Apollyon> true.
* jerin is wondering what grambot is.
<grambot> �05stultus�: 1. If student A's seems to be more capable than
student B - his project will get more priority [21:44]
<asdofindia> Also, we might have to change the priority based on the strength
of application.
<grambot> �05stultus�: ^ that
<spechide> What is grambot? *curious*
<asdofindia> grambot is a bot that communicates telepathically with people who
are afk [21:45]
<suraj> What if multiple students are interested in the same project?...
<grambot> �05stultus�: I think this is already explained in the process
session [21:46]
<spechide> asdofindia: how does grambot work? can you share the source code?
"if it open and consumable to the general public" [21:47]
<asdofindia> yes. whoever is best for a project will get that project.
<Apollyon> Also, How many seats are you expecting this year ? [21:48]
<asdofindia> we weren't selected last year. Google decides the number of
seats, ultimately. [21:49]
<SREENADH> Hi, I went through the project ideas listed and would like to know
regarding the projects under unconfirmed mentor section as am
interested in one of it :)
<Apollyon> Yeah I noticed. That was why I asked if there was some kind of
estimate that you guys are given [21:50]
<grambot> �05stultus�: We will confirm the mentors within a day or two
[21:51]
<asdofindia> you can see the details of past years at
http://wiki.smc.org.in/GSoC and we had 5 projects last time.
<asdofindia> So, around that number is a reasonable expectation.
<grambot> �05stultus�: But feel free to discuss the idea in the mailing list
<grambot> �05stultus�: That reminds me to link this years pages in that page
[21:52]
<Apollyon> Okay nice [21:55]
<Apollyon> 5 seems like a good number
<asdofindia> SREENADH: be assured you will find a mentor if you are serious
about any of those ideas.
<stultus> Also, keep in mind that, you can work on the project even if you are
not selected for GSoC [21:56]
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<stultus> and the mentors will be happy to help everyone
<SREENADH> Actually that idea is my major project for my BTech course and is
successful wrt project completion. would love to contribute more :)
[21:57]
<SREENADH> glad to hear that :)
<stultus> and I think the most difficult idea among the listed one is the
spellchecker. [21:58]
<Apollyon> these projects do seem intersting and will definitely continue
contributing even if I am not selected for the program :)
<stultus> I'm not telling this to demotivate anyone. but that idea is there
from 2013 onwards
<asdofindia> SREENADH: wonderful! Shall read more details in the list. [21:59]
<stultus> ie we were not impressed on any of the proposals on that idea from
2013 onwards.
<stultus> so there will be enough details about that idea in the mailing list
archives
<stultus> also check the previous proposals (it will be there in the wiki)
[22:00]
<stultus> ^ if you are planning to take that idea
<asdofindia> To paraphrase a British PM, "when the project gets tough, only
the tough coders get going"
...a happy conversation followed.
