GSOC 2015

Welcome to GSoC 2015[edit]

This page will aim to be a general informational page for students, mentors and others interested in Joomla's Google Summer of Code Program.

What is GSoC?[edit]

Google Summer of Code is a program run by Google for college students interested in contributing to FOSS projects. Visit the Google Melange site to learn more.

Information For Students[edit]

CMS or Framework?[edit]

Joomla is a community of developers that are currently working on three projects: the Joomla CMS, The Joomla Issue Tracker and the Joomla Framework. The CMS is the very popular and well known FOSS content management system. The Framework existed within the CMS as a tightly coupled set of utility packages and classes. Eventually developers decided they wanted to work with just those utilities and write new applications not coupled to the CMS. The Joomla Issue Tracker is the first Application built on top of the new Joomla Framework and is currently nearing it's first stable release.

The project now supports all three of these initiatives, as does Google Summer of Code. On our ideas list you will find projects related to the CMS, the Issue Tracker and the Framework.

Project Timeline[edit]

For a Joomla GSoC student, there are two timelines that a student must be aware of as they are developing their project plan. The first is Google's own timeline. But, because the Joomla CMS has it's own specified release cycle, there is also a strong need to be aware of the Joomla release cycle.

To assist in planning a project timeline we have compiled a suggested list of dates and deadlines for students. This includes requirements for all GSoC projects. Please submit a timeline that includes these key deadlines with your project proposal. It is not essential that you follow the same dates listed on the sample timeline, however you must include the milestones and an expected / planned deadline for each milestone.

If you would prefer to subscribe to the Joomla GSoC 2015 Google Calendar, you may do so here:

Joomla GSoC 2015 Google Calendar

NOTE: The above timeline will be updated as more information becomes available, so you may want to subscribe to the calendar using the above +Google Calendar button.

Project Proposal[edit]

It is essential for students wishing to be considered for Joomla's GSoC program that they complete and submit a full project proposal. There are some key essential elements we expect to see in the proposal:

Full Project Description
- A proposal should detail the project in its entirety. This includes the general goals of the project, the problem the project tries to solve or feature that it adds.
Highly Detailed
- Proposals should be as detailed as possible. This includes being specific with aspects like potential file structures, php class designs with inheritances and even sample use cases.
Sample Joomla Code
- Students should know how to write code for Joomla. This requires some practice. Ideally a student will have written a sample module, component, or plugin on the Joomla CMS, maybe even helped squash some bugs for the Joomla CMS. The sample code will have proper code style and structure and demonstrate an understanding of Joomla's APIs and functions.
Detailed Timeline with Milestones
- Students should take the time to plan their project in stages, this includes key milestones like discovery, planning, execution, and documentation. The nature of the project will detail sub-tasks or sub-milestones that consist of detailing each part of the project. In addition to this, if the student has information about their personal schedule such as university tests, vacations, or periods where they will be unavailable these dates and times should be noted as well.
Blog Posts
- Each student is required to write and publish three (3) blog posts on the Joomla Community Magazine. The topics of each blog post can be decided by the student, but a general recommendation would be:
  - Introduction to Student & Project
  - Midterm Project Update
  - Final Project Update

A full proposal in detail from Diana Neculai is available here. This proposal was submitted and accepted in GSoC 2012:

http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/proposal/review/google/gsoc2012/dianaprajescu/5629499534213120