Re: [boost] [gsoc]

Subject: Re: [boost] [gsoc]
From: Simonson, Lucanus J (lucanus.j.simonson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2012-03-24 20:02:27

From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden] [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Paul A. Bristow

> I think one area where we are failing is to get them really finished - and reviewed.  
> This is partly because it is difficult (nay impossible) to stop people biting off more than they can chew in the really very limited time available.  
> It might be better to use GSoC to finished existing projects, especially those that have been reviewed and accepted but need final polishing, testing and documenting? 
>(The latter might well be done by someone who didn't write the original stuff - and thus 'knows too much').  
>This obviously needs the active support of the original author, but if he doesn't have time, then this should be welcome.

You have valid points, but these are separate, I think, from what Google is looking for.  These relate to what we want to get out of GSOC.  Having mentored one successful GSOC project and one failure I have to disagree with you.  From my perspective we shouldn't focus on code, we should focus on people.  Rather than completed libraries we should be focused on getting active community members out of the GSOC program.  From that perspective, biting off more than they can chew during the summer is actually a good thing.  If a GSOC student stops at the end of the summer and we never hear from them again it hardly matters whether they finished the project or not, because they aren't going to be maintaining the code.  To a certain extent, I think that our odds of turning a GSOC student into an active boost community member are higher the more ambitious the scope of the proposal.  The students who are motivated to work on the project for its own sake are the ones who will remain active after the end of the summer.

Regards,
Luke