GSoC

Learn about our experience with Gentoo.

While the application time for the GSoC is over, we are still welcoming new comers!

The Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a program made by Google for student developpers to get paid to write open source code.

• OfflineIMAP organization
• Project ideas 2016
  • Synchronization of mails
    • Difficulty level:
    • Required skills:
    • Would be a plus while not strictly required:
  • Implement a fresh new legacy-compatible OfflineIMAP software with imapfw
    • Difficulty level:
    • Required skills:
    • Would be a plus while not strictly required:
  • Create a partial IMAP library
    • Difficulty level:
    • Required skills:
• Mentoring approach
  • Why you should trust Nicolas
  • What we’ll mostly expect from you
• Helpers

OfflineIMAP organization

OfflineIMAP organization is born years ago to support the development of the OfflineIMAP software. OfflineIMAP is a python program included in all major open source distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, RedHat, Slackware, Gentoo, Archlinux, etc). Since some months, the imapfw project was started to become the next generation tool with a new approach and extended features.

Project ideas 2016

There are various features that can be written. Here are some ideas but your own proposals for imapfw are welcome.

Tip: Share your ideas (if any) and talk with us! (sooner is better)

Synchronization of mails

Enable syncing of mails between a local Maildir and a remote server. This includes starting a new 3-way merge engine, implement a Maildir driver, finishing high-level support of IMAP on top of the imaplib3 library and create a new backend for the cache.

Difficulty level:

medium

Required skills:

• Python
• Git
• Read and understand RFCs
• Not be afraid to write something new ,-p

Would be a plus while not strictly required:

• Basic notions of the IMAP protocol

Implement a fresh new legacy-compatible OfflineIMAP software with imapfw

With all backends (drivers) implemented, write a fresh new offlineimap command. This requires supporting the OfflineIMAP’s configuration file and its local cache (sqlite3).

Difficulty level:

medium

Required skills:

• Python
• Git
• Read and understand RFCs
• Not be afraid to write something new ,-p

Would be a plus while not strictly required:

• Basic notions of the IMAP protocol

Create a partial IMAP library

Start a new IMAP library designed to imapfw’s high-level objects. It aims at being KISS and low constrained. Full IMAP support is not expected, only a subset of the available commands.

Difficulty level:

hard

Required skills:

• Python
• Git
• Read and understand RFCs
• Good notions of the IMAP protocol

Mentoring approach

Note: The following statements are intentionally general. If you’re already used to open source, some to most of them might be irrevelant. We highly encourage you to early expose your own expectations for this GSoC.

As mentors, our goal is to make your GSoC project successful. By successful, we mean:

• your project should be a good experience: ideally, you’ll end the summer with the desire to be involved in this (or any other) open source project;
• know/learn how to efficiently work with open source communities;
• know/learn that code is not everything: tools and relationships matter;
• know/learn how to talk with code;
• know/learn how to get your code merged into the official code because it’s most rewarding to know your work is accepted and actually used by others;
• know/learn how to get the correct technical ressources and knowledges;
• earn technical knowledges or how to request help while embarrased: nobody knows everything;
• you’ll make mistakes, everybody do, that’s not the end;
• become self-sufficient: you should end the course understanding how to make a kick-ass start-up in almost any open source project: what communities expect towards to new-comers (open source can be brutal);
• …and yes, we aim your GSoC project at being tagged “success“.

Why you should trust Nicolas

• Good experience with various open sources communities, for years.
• Started by tracking how things gets done, then sent patches and contributed, finally became a maintainer years ago.
• Made big mistakes.
• Applying common open source expectations.
• Keeping fun!
• Open minded. ,-)
• Teaching experience.
• Confidenciality of all our private exchanges.
• Intend to reply to each request. The response might not always be what you expect but you won’t be left at the side.

What we’ll mostly expect from you

• Mistakes. Did we already say you’ll make mistakes? :-)
• Keep alive :-D
• Show you’re still alive
• Do your home-work
• Eat food
• Ask very very weird questions ,-)
• Sleep

Helpers

Interrested? Want to know more? Read our helpers.