The 2009 edition of the Google Summer of Code projects has been announced. We appreciate Google's continued support of free software and for funding numerous open source projects, and will apply certainly for this years edition. It will be the fifth edition of this open source event, and when accepted we will have been part equal times...we are really looking forward to welcome another group of contributors with fresh ideas.
Joomla! is an international award-winning open source content management system (CMS) deployed worldwide with more than 8 million downloads in the last 2 years. If you participate with Joomla!, your work will have a positive impact on people all around the world. If you enjoy developing applications and you want to work with experienced developers using emerging technologies, consider to join in to the Google Summer Of Code for Joomla!
Joomla! version 1.5, released last year, provides developers with an object-oriented, pattern based API that follows best practices and is organized into well-structured and logical framework packages. It uses an MVC design pattern for components, which gives developers a great platform for rapid application development and prototyping. Developers can hook into nearly any part of the application stack using Joomla!'s newly reworked events system, implemented according to the observer design pattern. Judging from the community participation since the 1.5 release, developers have been pleased with this new technology foundation for Joomla! They have written over 4,500 extensions for Joomla!, which are available on the Joomla! Extensions Directory (JED).
Work on Joomla! version 1.6 is well underway and expected to be available later in 2009. This major upgrade contains many important new features. SoC participants will have the opportunity to help with this important Joomla! version. Work on Joomla! 1.6 could be just one of the goals, we really would like to see other areas of innovation getting worked on also.
Read this if you are interested in participating Joomla!as mentor or student.
Want to get started? Here's how:
- Make certain you are eligible to participate.
- Read the Student and Mentor Guidelines document.
- Read Google's Summer of Code Advice for Students, FAQ and Knowledge Base.
- If you are looking for project ideas, check out Summer of Code 2009 Project Ideas.
- Get to know us! Feel free to share your project proposals and get our feedback before submitting to Google.
- You are welcome on the Summer of Code 2009 mailinglist if you want to ask questions, discuss or provide ideas.
Inspired, but no idea for a project?
If you are inspired (or just interested) to join in with the Joomla! project and you don't have an idea yet, you can consider the Summer of Code 2009 Project Ideas page to get some inspiration. Also, looking at prior year's proposals will give you an idea of the types of projects that have been approved in the past. These include the Summer of Code 2005 project summary, the Summer of Code 2006 project summary, the Summer of Code 2007 project summary, and the Summer of Code 2008 project blog.
If you have an idea, but are not certain if it is good enough, feel free to post it into the Google Summer of Code 2009 mail list. This list is public and open to everyone who wants to participate. If you have a good idea, but are worried that it will be used by someone else when you post it, you can also contact this year's Google Summer of Code administrators Mark Dexter or Akarawuth Tamrareang (Krit).
Do you want to be a mentor?
Another great way to participate is to become a mentor. Get ready to learn, meet a new and interesting friend, and have fun. Mentoring for the Google Summer of Code project has proven to be a rewarding experience. It's not only a good way to share your knowledge and experience, but it is also an excellent way to get more involved with the Joomla! Project and to get to know other Joomla! developers.
For more information, read Want to be a Mentor? Start reading here! in the Joomla! forums and Google's Advice for mentors. Feel free to ask questions in the Google Group about participation.