Summer of Code 2010

After a one-year break, the XMPP Standards Foundation is applying to participate in the Google Summer of Code for 2010. We're using this page, the JDEV discussion list, and the [xmpp:jdev@conference.jabber.org?join jdev chatroom] to talk about potential Summer of Code ideas. Also free free to chat with developers working on particular XMPP clients, servers, and libraries.

= Introduction = XMPP is the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, an XML wire protocol for real-time communication that emerged from the Jabber open-source community. Our community is not a traditional open-source project because it is not focused on a single codebase. Instead, our community is centered around open standards and open protocols. However, even though there are closed-source implementations of XMPP, we still have a strong commitment to open code and there are many free and open-source projects in our community.

We have participated in the Summer of Code since its inception and have learned many lessons, among them:
 * We try to choose half a dozen excellent projects and really focus on them.
 * It is difficult to choose excellent projects, so the more helpful information you can provide, the better.
 * We also try to choose excellent mentors and match students with mentors.
 * We expect regular reporting (via blog) and weekly or bi-weekly meetings.
 * We take the Summer of Code very seriously and we expect our students to treat it like a full-time job.

This page lists some potential project ideas that students can work on. This is similar to a "Request for Proposal" process for your summer job. The mentors and other project members have defined these RFPs as a way to help structure the summer work. Many of these projects are are relevant to our overall community roadmap. A select team of longtime XMPP developers and former mentors will review all the student proposals and "interview" many of the students so that we can make the best possible choices.

If you have any questions about the XSF's involvement with the Google Summer of Code, please contact Mike Taylor via email or (preferably) IM.

Thanks for your interest, and good luck!

=How to Apply= Application instructions are available at the main GSoC site -- see here.

Here is what you should include:
 * Some details about you (what code languages you like, what programming courses you've taken, etc.)
 * Results of your preliminary research into the protocols and codebases you might work on
 * Your ideas about how to approach the project, including an outline of what work you think is required, a rough timeline of the work, etc.
 * Possible problems you think you may face

In general, we consider your GSoC project to be a summer job, so try to provide detailed information that will enable us to decide if you deserve to earn $4500. Our project ideas are like "RFPs" -- your application is your proposal to get the job. Please treat it seriously. Thanks!