Other projects under the umbrella ?
by Heiko W.Rupp
Hi,
dunno if this is the ML, Yaakov was talking about on irc yesterday.
I want to reiterate again that we need to find a way to invite / incorporate other projects
in the umbrella that are technically not a direct Fedora upstream or JBoss.org project
like e.g. rhq-project.org which is (partially) hosted at Fedorahosted, but which fall under
the umbrella because of the sponsoring organization.
So rhq-project.org wants to participate under the Fedora umbrella this year.
Some initial project ideas are here: http://support.rhq-project.org/display/RHQ/Ideas (some
of them not big enough for GSoC though)
Heiko
14 years, 1 month
Thoughts and Goals
by Patrick W. Barnes
Over the last five years, the GSoC program has evolved quite a bit, and the
Fedora Project has continued to adapt to the changes and to improve our own
practices at the same time. The people leading the program have changed on
both sides, the web resources have changed, the size of the program has
changed... it has been a fun journey.
When JBoss.org wanted to participate in the GSoC program, Google said they
would have to participate with the Fedora Project since both are run by the
same commercial entity (Red Hat). This forced us into a tough brand collusion
situation. While the two projects are almost completely independent of one
another, we have been forced to engage on common ground and work together
under a name we cannot represent.
Each year since I took up leadership of Fedora's participation in 2006, I have
tried to improve our resources for students and mentors bit by bit. Since
JBoss.org joined with the Fedora Project for the GSoC, this has been even more
of a challenge, and even more worthwhile.
In setting up new resources, writing new materials, working with Google and
engaging in various other activities in support of Fedora and JBoss.org's
summer coding ventures, I have tried to keep a few key goals in mind:
* Avoiding absolute connection to Google's program
I want the resources we set up to be generic enough that they can be used for
other summer development programs, not just Google's program, and not
necessarily just for programming.
* Remaining open to JBoss.org and other Red Hat-sponsored FOSS projects
It is unfortunate that Google insists on the brand collusion, but it is also
an opportunity. I want to make all Red Hat-sponsored FOSS projects, even
beyond Fedora and JBoss.org, to feel welcome participating.
* Avoiding brand collusion
We are forced into some brand collusion by Google, but we can keep the damage
to a minimum. I have tried to make the nature of the connection to Red Hat
absolutely clear. Our efforts are not directly sponsored by Red Hat, we do not
act or speak on behalf of Red Hat, and while we support programs that are
directly connected to Red Hat, this summer coding team has no official affiliation
with Red Hat.
* Working to the mutual benefit of all involved
If at any point this program becomes more harm than good to any of its
participants, I would rather kill it than let it cause trouble. We have a
wonderful opportunity to bring fresh blood into the FOSS community at large,
with the potential to retain strong talent in the Fedora Project, JBoss.org
and any other participating FOSS project. This is also a great exercise for
the involved mentors and administrators. The only real cost to mentors and
students is time. I want to keep it that way.
* Engaging students for long-term participation in FOSS
I would much rather introduce someone new to FOSS and endear our ways to them
than pad the wallet of an experienced contributor. That is the purpose of the
GSoC, and of my participation. If anyone gets a job or finds a way to profit
from their participation, that is awesome, but it is not the driving goal.
I have been the program administrator for the last few years mostly because I
was first to step up to the plate and push it forward. Karsten Wade has been a
great help in coordinating activities and making things happen that are
outside of my abilities. Bob McWhirter was instrumental in allowing JBoss.org
to participate with the Fedora Project. Yaakov Nemoy has been a valuable aid
in taking our participation toward the next level. I appreciate the
involvement of all of our past mentors and administrators, and if anyone wants
to step up and make this program better, do not wait for my permission.
I am happy to continue in my role as an organization administrator, but I
welcome all of the help I can get to make this program the best it can be.
Thank you all.
That is all I have for now.
--
Patrick W. Barnes
patrick(a)patrickwbarnes.com
http://patrickwbarnes.com/
LinkedIn:
http://linkedin.com/in/patrickwbarnes
All messages cryptographically signed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenPGP
--
14 years, 1 month
