WMF announces our Google Summer of Code 2010 projects

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Once again in 2010, Wikimedia Foundation is participating in Google Summer of Code.  I’m happy to announce that we’ve selected six students to participate this summer:

  • Extension management platform
    StudentJeroen De Dauw
    Mentor: Brion Vibber
    Goal: Creating an awesome extension management platform for MediaWiki, facilitating the installation, updating, removal and configuration of extensions. (student application)
  • Improve metadata support
    StudentBrian Wolff
    Mentor: Chad Horohoe
    Goal: Improve metadata support for uploaded media in mediawiki by displaying embedded IPTC and XMP metadata (student application)
  • General RDF export/import in Semantic MediaWiki
    Student: Samuel Lampa
    Mentor: Denny Vrandecic
    Goal: Extend the import/export functionality of Semantic MediaWiki (SMW) to allow also full, general RDF import. (student application)
  • Javascript overhaul of Semantic MediaWiki
    StudentSanyam Goyal
    Mentor: Yaron Koren
    Goal: Improve and extend the Javascript for Semantic MediaWiki and some of its spinoff extensions, most notably Semantic Forms – this would include transferring over much of the Javascript to use the jQuery library, which is now becoming a MediaWiki standard. (student application)
  • Wikisource Legal Tool
    StudentStephen LaPorte
    Mentor: Ariel Glenn
    Goal: Creating a tool to format judicial decisions, legal scholarship, and statutes for Wikisource. (student application)
  • Reasonably efficient interwiki template transclusion
    StudentPeter Potrowl
    Mentor: Roan Kattouw
    Goal: The aim is to allow MediaWiki users to insert (transclude) templates from a wiki to another on WikiMedia Foundation (WMF) wikis (Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, etc.). (student application)

We had an exceptional set of really great proposals this year, and an engaged mentor group helping with the selection process. It was both wonderful to have so many choices, and really sad that we couldn’t pick them all, but in the end, we had to narrow the list down. Our six slots represent 100% growth from previous years’ Summer of Code engagements and that’s a pretty exciting stretch.
To the students that weren’t selected: do know that we were inspired by the quality level of all of the proposals, and we had to turn down some really exceptional proposals. Please don’t be discouraged, and do consider us next year!
To the students selected: congratulations! Welcome aboard! We really look forward to working with you to make sure you are successful and have a great time in the process.
To everyone volunteering as a mentor who helped with the selection process: thank you for your effort and dedication! There was a lot to sort through, but I think we can all feel great that we have a group of very capable students on the case this year thanks to your work.
More detailed info available here.
Towards the Fun!

Archive notice: This is an archived post from blog.wikimedia.org, which operated under different editorial and content guidelines than Diff.

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They look great, especially the second and fifth. The first will be great but of course the impact will be for other MediaWiki users, not Wikimedia. Good job to Slaporte & Bawolff for picking projects that will have a significant impact in Wikimedia land. I don’t know if that is a factor in picking projects to mentor, but it is great because the work will have a much bigger impact, and likely more eyeballs and user feedback too. I’m not sure about the other students, but it also pleases me a lot to see Bawolff be supported in the transition… Read more »

pfctdayelise : Good job to Slaporte & Bawolff for picking projects that will have a significant impact in Wikimedia land. I don’t know if that is a factor in picking projects to mentor, but it is great because the work will have a much bigger impact, and likely more eyeballs and user feedback too. I did get the impression that the group discussing these proposals preferred projects that result in code that can be deployed on Wikimedia, I sure do. On the other hand, we don’t totally not care about what we don’t use, and especially awesome but non-Wikimedia-affecting projects… Read more »

I sure do. On the other hand, we don’t totally not care about what we don’t use, and especially awesome but non-Wikimedia-affecting projects like Jeroen’s are deserving of a GSoC slot IMO.