Hello everyone,
While we will be making a formal announcement with more details later this year, we wanted to let all would-be student participants in Google Summer of Code 2009 know that we will be holding the program once again this year. If you are interested in participating, it's a great idea to begin investigating FOSS projects you would enjoy contributing to *now*.
Not sure where to get started? No time like the present to subscribe to project mailing lists, hang out in project IRC channels or in their forums, check out some source code and start investigating how things work. We have universally heard from our mentors that their most successful students are those who got involved with the project early. You'll look great to your would-be mentors if you ask them smart questions. Major bonus points if you submit a patch or two. Going through your first code reviews with a new Open Source project is a rite of passage in FOSS development and it's a great way to show that you are engaged with the project. Remember, your mentors want to learn more about both your strengths and weaknesses, so don't be afraid to make mistakes. They happen to the best of us.
If you're trying to decide which projects may be right for you or would like to hear some advice from past participants, check out our Advice for Students page: http://code.google.com/p/google-summer-of-code/wiki/AdviceforStudents
We'll be letting folks know more details at the upcoming FOSDEM conference, so until then stay tuned for more details. Please bear in mind, though, that not all organizations that participated in GSoC 2008 will be returning for 2009. Take time now to explore your interests and scratch your own itch - that is what Open Source is all about!
Cheers, LH
-- Leslie Hawthorn Program Manager - Open Source Google Inc.
http://code.google.com/opensource/
I blog here:
http://google-opensource.blogspot.com - http://www.hawthornlandings.org