On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 3:23 PM, Charles R Harris <charlesr.har...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 1:11 PM, <josef.p...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Charles R Harris >> <charlesr.har...@gmail.com> wrote: >> > Hi All, >> > >> > I don't feel that numpy/scipy did as well in GSOC 2009 as it could >> > have. I >> > think this was mostly due to lack of preparation on our part, we weren't >> > ready when the students started showing up on the lists. So I would like >> > to >> > put together a selection of suitable projects and corresponding mentors >> > that >> > we could put on the wiki somewhere and advertise. Just to start things >> > off, >> > here are two things that come to mind. >> > >> > Python 3k transition. I think it is time to start looking at this >> > seriously. >> > Best of breed special functions in cython. These could be part of a >> > separate >> > numpy extras package where code is restricted to C, Cython, and Python. >> > >> > Thoughts? >> >> for scipy: more stats, gsoc2009 went very well. >> > > Yes, it seems so. I had the impression that planning for that project was > undertaken pretty early on with the involvement of Skipper. What exactly > *was* the history of that project and what can we learn from it? >
Short(-ish) version of some general thoughts from my end: GSoC was brought to my attention as a fruitful endeavor (and it definitely was!). There was a list of potential topics posted on SciPy SoC mentoring page, and I just kind of went through all of them to see where the most value-add would be (both ways from me to the SciPy project and from the SciPy project to my studies/work). So that list of topics was the main driving force, and I'm glad we're starting to push for ideas now (I have a few ideas of my own motivated mostly by needs of stats/statistical modeling, but I need some more time to think). However, we obviously should be open to new ideas from students coming to the project. Another thing is the importance of the application process. The thing that pushed me was reading about other successful applicants for SoC in general (there is a lot of really good advice and write-ups out there). It is a very competitive program, so your proposal needs to be very, very well thought out. That includes drafts of proposals with feedback from the community and mentors well before the official application process even starts, so the earlier that's taken care of, the better. Beyond that, students should know what's expected of them coming into the program (what development tools they need to be familiar with, numpy/scipy standards, familiarization with the code base), and what's expected of the end product (high quality code, test driven development, etc.). I also can't stress enough how helpful it was to have Alan and Josef as mentors, as well as the availability to use the MLs for more general questions. Obviously, the level of engagement of the mentor is going to depend on the project and the student, but I for one couldn't have learned as much as I did nor gotten as far as we did without their help. If these comments are seen as helpful, I can try to work on some more detailed ones/links to detailed ones, as I think this would be beneficial to establish as something to look forward to. The availability of this program (Thank you, Google) allows significant strides in development to be made each summer and that should not be overlooked (I don't think it is). Cheers, Skipper _______________________________________________ NumPy-Discussion mailing list NumPy-Discussion@scipy.org http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/numpy-discussion
