diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'community/gsoc/organization_application.mdwn')
| -rw-r--r-- | community/gsoc/organization_application.mdwn | 210 |
1 files changed, 210 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/community/gsoc/organization_application.mdwn b/community/gsoc/organization_application.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..ca844fff --- /dev/null +++ b/community/gsoc/organization_application.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,210 @@ +[[meta copyright="Copyright © 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]] + +[[meta license="""[[toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[toggleable +id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this +document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant +Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license +is included in the section entitled +[[GNU_Free_Documentation_License|/fdl]]."]]"""]] + +* What is your Organization's Name? + +GNU Hurd + +* What is your Organization's Homepage? + +http://hurd.gnu.org + +* Describe your organization. + +The Hurd project is a loose community of people sharing a common interest in +developing the Hurd kernel, which is the official kernel of the [GNU operating +system](http://gnu.org). + +When the Hurd was originally started in 1990, it was the last missing major +component for a complete GNU system. Today Linux and other free kernels are +available to fill this gap, and the combination of GNU and Linux (often +[incorrectly](http://www.gnu.org/gnu/why-gnu-linux.html) called just "Linux") +is in wide use. However, the Hurd is still interesting due to its unique +design, better fitting the GNU philosophy than traditional monolithic kernels +like Linux. + +The GNU GPL guarantees that all users of software published under this license +get the legal permission to adapt the software they are using according to +their wishes, and also get the source code and other tools necessary to put +this permission to use. However, in traditional operating systems, the kernel +and related low-level system software are protected from normal users, and +cannot be easily modified; only the system administrator has power over these. + +The Hurd offers special mechanisms that allow any user to change almost all of +the system functionality he uses, without affecting the rest of the system, and +thus easily (at runtime) and without any special permissions. + +This ability to run subenvironments more or less independant from the rest of +the system, can be classified as a very sophisticated [lightweight +virtualization](http://tri-ceps.blogspot.com/2007/10/advanced-lightweight-virtualization.html) +approach. + +To offer these possibilities, the Hurd uses a true multiserver microkernel +architecture. That makes it quite unique: The Hurd is the only general-purpose +multiserver microkernel system in development today that is nearly ready for +everyday use, and offering almost perfect UNIX compatibility. (More than half +of the packages in the Debian repository are available for the Hurd.) All other +existing true microkernel systems are either research projects not nearly +complete enough for actual use, or limited to embedded systems and other +special purposes, or both. + +Marcus Brinkmann and Neal Walfield from the Hurd project are working at the +bleeding edge of microkernel operating system research. They have been in +contact with the most distinguished researchers in that field from the +[L4](http://l4hq.org/) and +[EROS](http://www.eros-os.org/eros.html)/[Coyotos](http://www.coyotos.org/) +microkernel operating system groups, and have written a couple of [research +papers](http://walfield.org/). + +* Why is your organization applying to participate in GSoC 2008? What do you +hope to gain by participating? + +For one, it is a way to make progress with tasks that require an amount of +focused work, that is hard to do for volunteers working in their spare time +only. + +Also it is a good possibility to get valuable input from new people, as well as +spreading technical and other knowledge about the Hurd among actual and +potential contributors. More generally, participation should help raising +awareness among people who might know about the existence of the Hurd, but +otherwise having very little idea what the project is all about, and how its +progress is. + +Last but not least, we hope the participation will have a positive effect on +our community -- new impulses, increased communication etc. + +* Did your organization participate in previous GSoC years? If so, please +summarize your involvement and the successes and failures of your student +projects. + +We did not participate as an organisation on our own so far. In 2006 and 2007, +we participated under the umbrella of the GNU project, getting one slot each +year. + +The 2006 participation was mostly a failure. After some intitial work +(available in CVS), the student disappeared -- moving to another country and +other personal issues from what we heard. + +The 2007 participation was a considerable success. The student was very bright +and dedicated. We got some code, as well as a lot of ideas, which we continued +discussing after the end of GSoC, and he intends to put into code as well in +the future. + +We decided to participate as an own organisation this year, as we believe that +will give us much better possibilities to find and select good students. + +* If your organization has not previously participated in GSoC, have you +applied in the past? If so, for what year(s)? + +We didn't apply as as organisation so far. + +* What license does your project use? + +Most of the code in the Hurd servers and the Hurd-specific glibc parts is +licensed GPLv2 or later; it might move to GPLv3 soon. Some components (mostly +the TCP/IP stack and parts of the ext2fs driver) are based on Linux code and +thus GPLv2 only. + +The microkernel (gnumach) is covered by the three-clause BSD license. (And some +minor variations of same...) + +* URL for your ideas page + +[[project_ideas]] + +* What is the main development mailing list for your organization? + +bug-hurd@gnu.org, see http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-hurd + +* Where is the main IRC channel for your organization? + +\#hurd on freenode.net + +* Does your organization have an application template you would like to see +students use? If so, please provide it now. + +[[student_application_form]] + +* 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. + +bddebian at gmail + +* What criteria did you use to select these individuals as mentors? Please be +as specific as possible. + +The most important criterium is that the person is involved in the project for +some time, knowing the ways; so he can actually instruct the student; and if +there are tough technical questions he can't answer himself, he knows whom to +ask. + +It's also important that the mentors are reliable and helpful, so the students +won't be left on their own with any problems they face. + +* 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. + +antrik at gmx.net, benasselstine at gmail, samuel.thibault at ens-lyon.org, +glguida at gmail, neal, marcus, ... + +* What is your plan for dealing with disappearing students? + +The plan is mostly to avoid that happening in the first place. For that, we +will be particularily careful with the selection of the students: Making sure +that they have no other obligations during that time; that they are motivated +enough; that they actually have the necessary skills to complete the task; that +they fit in our community. + +Also, we will make sure that we are constantly in contact with the students -- +asking about progress, discussing technical issues, etc. -- so we can act in +time if things go wrong. + +If a student disappears in spite of that, there is little we can do. Of course +we will try to contact him and find out what the problem is; whether the +project can perhaps be scaled down, or at least wrapped up to bring it in a +state where it is useful even if not finished. + +We will also try to limit damage by insisting that students regularily check in +their work, so that we get partial results at least if someone disappears. + +* What is your plan for dealing with disappearing mentors? + +As our mentors all have been with the project for some time, the risk of them +disappearing is not too big. If one of them disappears nevertheless, it's not a +problem for us: We have enough mentors, and someone else will take over. + +We will encourage the students to keep discussions public as much as possible, +keeping private conversations with the mentors to a minimum, so the transition +should go smoothly. + +* What steps will you take to encourage students to interact with your +project's community before, during and after the program? + +As part of the application process, we will ask students to answer very +specific questions about our organisation and the project they chose, which +they won't be able to answer without contacting us and discussing details +already during the application phase. This way we make sure we only get +studends able and willing to communicate with us. + +During the program, we will be asking the students actively about the work they +do, problems they face, decisions they take etc. + +After the program we will continue discussing the projects, and ask the +students to take part in these discussions. + +* What will you do to ensure that your accepted students stick with the project +after GSoC concludes? + +We will try to invite all participating students to a conference afterwards, +where we will discuss the projects, as well as other Hurd-related topics. We +hope this will motivate them to follow up on the work they have done during the +program, and generally help keeping them involved. |