Well, who would have imagined that we'd get 20 projects? That's just fantastic. Thanks to all the mentors who helped out with the evaluating, and congratulations to all of the students. We look forward to working with you this summer.
This mail has some important information that you need for getting started, so please read it carefully. Before I to the serious business, though, take a moment and help promote GSoC and Drupal:
http://digg.com/software/Google_Summer_of_Code_projects_Drupal_s_20
First steps
Google has been generous with the schedule this year. According to their schedule, coding (and payments) are to start on May 28th. That gives you plenty of time to make sure you have everything you need to succeed, and that all infrastructure issues, both with Drupal and with Google, get resolved.
Here are some things that you need to achieve in the time before May 28th:
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Get a Drupal.org user account. If your name isn't hyperlinked on this post, it means we don't know which Drupal.org user account is yours. Please inform us. http://drupal.org/node/135602
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Get a CVS account. The code that you produce during SoC 2007 will ultimately reside in cvs.drupal.org, and you need to get yourself an account if you don't already have one:
http://drupal.org/node/59 -
Meet your mentors and discuss your project. Please investigate which means of communication your mentors prefer. Communication is a crucial element of success, and you are encouraged to use mail, IRC, the SoC 2007 group, Skype, the devel list, and any other resources that are available to make sure that the lines of communication between you and your mentor are well established and open for the duration of the summer.
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Refine the scope of your project. Discuss with your mentors whether they feel the scope of the project described in your applications is realistic and clear. If there are ambiguities, try to iron them out. We're looking for clearly stated deliverables that you feel confident you can produce by the end of the summer. A concise summary of your deliverables can be posted to the SoC 2007 group on groups.drupal.org. These will be the deliverables that we'll be using at the end of the summer when we evaluate your results.
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Post weekly updates to the SoC 2007 group. We require a weekly update post to this group starting May 28th and continuing until your project is finished. This is not because we want to give you assignments and things to do, but rather because it is the only way Angie and I can maintain an overview of how the projects are progressing. It is also a great way to publicize your work and get as many people involved as possible. Use the SoC 2007 group as a tool to help you achieve your goals. Ask questions. Find people to help you test. Discuss design decisions. Post mockups. Be creative.
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In most, if not all cases, you will create a new Drupal project to contain your work. Please discuss this with your mentors to help make this decision. All modules and themes are projects. If your work is something other than a module or a theme, make sure to discuss the issue with your mentor.