Brainstorm ML and Ubuntu's own summer of code?

[Caroline Ford]

2008/4/24 Nicolas Deschildre <ndeschildre at gmail.com>:

>
>  I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce an idea that I
>  see as a natural follow-up to the Brainstorm website: an event similar
>  to the Google Summer of Code, that would be launched every development
>  cycle. Basically the concept would be similar to GSoC except that the
>  motivation factor would not be money but the fact that the
>  contribution would be included in Ubuntu's next version (granted it is
>  completed on time). The event would cover Ubuntu "extensions", and
>  involves coding, but also packaging, documentation, i18n, .... A
>  proposed schedule would be: selection of tasks at the UDS, one month
>  for the "pupils" selection process, and the time remaining before
>  feature freeze to complete the tasks. Finally, to make potential
>  contributors benefit from it, the "pupils" would be asked to put
>  online a "report" where they would explain how they worked.
>  That's a rough idea yet that I'd like to discuss at the FOSScamp if
>  people are interested. Please comment :)

Leslie Hawthorn offers every year to give Google swag to students who
didn't get a funded place, but still managed to complete their project
anyway. She says she has *never* given any away.

It is apparently normal for unselected students to offer to contribute
anyway, but then not to do. My organisation has had several offers of
help from students we didn't have places for, we encourage them all to
contribute but it is normal that they don't.

I don't think people will take part in an unfunded Gsoc style
programme. If you call it summer of code people will expect payment.
Also many students have to work over the summer.

Caroline