[Python-Dev] Summer of Code: call for ideas and mentors

["Martin v. Löwis"]

Google Summer of Code is coming up again, and we will again
be participating. Arc Riley will setup infrastructure later
today, and we need to start thinking about possible projects.

Traditionally, people (students and other projects) have been willing
to give the Python Core the highest attention in SoC, as improvements
to Python will help the whole community. Also traditionally, there has
been a shortage of project ideas and mentors for Python Core. My guess
is that the project shortage stems from the assumption that many of the
projects are so tricky that you can't give them to a newcomer. I found
this view both confirmed and rebutted in the past - it all depends on
which students we can attract.

The shortage of mentors is probably more inherent, and reflects the
shortage of volunteers for other tasks. As a long-time mentor, I'd
like to encourage all of you to consider mentoring this year. GSoC/PSF
will have a strict rule "one student per mentor", co-mentorship
is encouraged.

Feel free to discuss Python-Core-GSoC here or on the GSoC mailing
list(s) (soon to appear).

One last cautioning: recently, people started proposing that admin
tasks be done in GSoC. While that indeed may help python-dev most,
they called it summer of *code* deliberately - so the project idea
should be about programming (the hope being, of course, that the
students stay in the project, or at least in open source, when the
summer is over. some do, some don't.).

Regards,
Martin