[Printing-architecture] Google Summer of Code 2008 -- Finalization of the application of the Linux Foundation

Mon Mar 10 11:28:37 PDT 2008

Hi,

tomorrow I will submit the application for the participation of the 
Linux Foundation as mentoring organization to Google. To finalize the 
application I ask everyone to review the ideas list

https://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Google_Summer_of_Code

and the application form (below you can see the questions and what we 
intend to fill in). Please answer this mail with your ideas, proposals, 
and corrections and/or edit the ideas list which is a Wiki page.

We will also discuss the application on the phone today (Tuesday morning 
  in Japan). See the separate e-mail.

Also anyone volunteering as mentor is welcome, see especially the "TBD"s 
in the ideas list. Please tell your Google user name/GMail address if 
you want to mentor, and naturally for which student projects you want to 
mentor (if it is not in the ideas list, add it).

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

    Till

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APPLICATION FORM
================

About Your Organization
-----------------------

1. What is your Organization's Name?

The Linux Foundation

2. What is your Organization's Homepage?

http://www.linux-foundation.org/

3. Describe your organization.

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering 
the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the LF sponsors the work of Linux 
creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source 
companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation 
promotes,  protects and  standardizes Linux by providing unified 
resources and services needed for open source to successfully compete 
with closed platforms.

The open source model has transformed software development by providing 
faster demand-side learning, higher quality, better security, shorter 
development cycles, and lower prices than closed platform development 
models.

For Linux to remain open and attain the greatest ubiquity possible, 
important services must be provided, including legal protection, 
standardization, promotion and collaboration. The Linux Foundation has 
been founded to help close the gap between open source and proprietary 
platforms, while sustaining the openness, freedom of choice and 
technical superiority inherent in open source software.

The Linux Foundation does not build Linux, nor does it compete with 
existing Linux companies. Rather it fosters the growth of Linux by 
focusing on the following areas:

* Protecting Linux by sponsoring key Linux developers and providing 
legal services
It’s vitally important that Linux creator Linus Torvalds and other key 
kernel developers remain independent. The Linux Foundation sponsors them 
so they can work full time on improving Linux. The Linux Foundation also 
manages the Linux trademark and offers developers legal intellectual 
property protection through such initiatives as the Open Source as Prior 
Art project, the Patent Commons Project, and sponsorship of the Linux 
Legal Defense Fund.

* Standardizing Linux and improving it as a platform for software 
development
A platform is only as strong as the applications that support it. The 
Linux Foundation offers application developers standardization services 
and support that make Linux an attractive target for their development 
efforts. These include the Linux Standard Base (LSB) and the Linux 
Developer Network. All major Linux distributions comply with the LSB.

* Providing a neutral forum for Collaboration and Promotion
The Linux Foundation serves as a neutral spokesperson to advance the 
interests of Linux and respond with authority to competitors’ attacks. 
It also fosters innovation by hosting collaboration events among the 
Linux technical community, application developers, industry and end 
users to solve pressing issues facing the Linux ecosystem in such areas 
as desktop interfaces, accessibility, printing, application packaging, 
and many others.

4. Why is your organization applying to participate in GSoC 2008? What 
do you hope to gain by participating?

We want to get complete implementations of OpenPrinting API modules into 
the common Linux distributions in order to add them to the Linux 
Standard Base (LSB) in one of the upcoming releases. We also want to get 
things implemented which we have worked out in the last Printing Summits.

We want to get the developer and user tools for the LSB improved, with a 
focus on printing, so that the LSB gets more adopted by ISVs and 
hardware vendors.

We hope to help students become new contributors to the kernel project 
and in the process give them better understanding of Linux kernel 
internals and how the development process works.

5. Did your organization participate in previous GSoC years? If so, 
please summarize your involvement and the successes and failures of your 
student projects. (optional)

No, we did not participate.

6. If your organization has not previously participated in GSoC, have 
you applied in the past? If so, for what year(s)? (optional)

No, this is our first application.

7. What license does your project use?

All the work produced by the Linux Foundation is free software according 
to the OSI definitions, but there is no requirement for a specific 
license. The licenses are selected depending on what is most suitable 
for each individual project.

*LSB: mostly GPL, some tools Artistic
*PAPI: CDDL
*JTAPI: MIT
*CUPS filters: GPL
*Foomatic (including web software): GPL
*Kernel: GPL

8. URL for your ideas page

https://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Google_Summer_of_Code

9. What is the main development mailing list for your organization?

LSB: lsb-discuss Mailing List,
http://lists.linux-foundation.org/mailman/listinfo/lsb-discuss

OpenPrinting: printing-architecture Mailing List,
http://lists.linux-foundation.org/mailman/listinfo/printing-architecture

Kernel: http://kernelnewbies.org/MailingList

10. Where is the main IRC channel for your organization?

For LSB work: irc://irc.freestandards.org/#lsb is being used.

For Kernel work: http://kernelnewbies.org/IRC

OpenPrinting is not using IRC currently.

11. Does your organization have an application template you would like 
to see students use? If so, please provide it now. (optional)

12. Who will be your backup organization administrator? Please enter 
their Google Account address. We will email them to confirm, your 
organization will not become active until they respond. (optional)

jeff.licquia at gmail.com

About Your Mentors
------------------

1. What criteria did you use to select these individuals as mentors? 
Please be as specific as possible.

We selected the principal editors/developers of the Linux Foundation 
working groups or free software project where the proposed student 
projects are part of. Very important is also that the mentors are coding 
on things similar to what the student is supposed to do and that they 
are not only designers or managers.

2. Who will your mentors be? Please enter their Google Account address 
separated by commas. If your organization is accepted we will email each 
mentor to invite them to take part. (optional)

till.kamppeter at gmail.com, HinTak.Leung at gmail.com, 
josef.spillner at googlemail.com, riddell at gmail.com, penberg at gmail.com

About The Program
-----------------

1. What is your plan for dealing with disappearing students?

We will transition their work-in-progress to a caretaker (i.e., the 
appropriate mentor)

2. What is your plan for dealing with disappearing mentors?

We will transition their mentor role to another active member of 
appropriate Linux Foundation working group

3. What steps will you take to encourage students to interact with your 
project's community before, during and after the program?

We hold several conferences and meetings throughout the year: Linux 
Foundation Collaboration Summit, Linux Foundation Japan Symposium, LSB 
Face-to-Face, OpenPrinting Summit, Desktop Architects Meeting, ... We 
will attend other Linux professional conferences and shows as time and 
funding permits.

4. What will you do to ensure that your accepted students stick with the 
project after GSoC concludes?

Try to involve the students in ongoing activities of the Linux 
Foundation (invite them to upcoming conferences, get them being part of 
a working group of the Linux Foundation, let them mentor other students 
in next year's Google Summer of Code).