GSoC/2016/Introduction for Students (Meeting)

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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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    #smc-project
<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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    seconds
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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.