[pypy-dev] Ideas for Student Proposal.

[holger krekel]

Hi Fabrizio! 

On Mon, Jun 19, 2006 at 18:28 +0200, Fabrizio Milo wrote:
> I am an Italian student who will participate in the euro-pypy-sprint.

cool.  btw, did you already send a note to pypy-sprint at codespeak.net?  
please also state your timeframe and interests there (redundantly). 

> Looking for a good idea for a proposal, I saw
> https://codespeak.net/issue/pypy-dev/ and many issues are interesting.
> 
> like:
> - https://codespeak.net/issue/pypy-dev/issue87
> - https://codespeak.net/issue/pypy-dev/issue111
> 
> ( or/ and )
> - https://codespeak.net/issue/pypy-dev/issue205
> - https://codespeak.net/issue/pypy-dev/issue224
> 
> The common subject here is "Improving test machinery".

Yes, however, issue224 is more about adding tests for pypy 
stackless functionality (needed _this_ week :) while the other three 
are about actually improving the underlying test mechanisms mostly 
and thus belong to py.test/py library and not primarily to PyPy
(although both are involved). 
 
> What do you think, can issue87 + issue111 be a good base for a proposal?
> Is it required to produce some proof-of-concept?

I'd suggest that you draft at least the contents of issue87, 
issue111 (and bits of/integration with issue205) into a proposal 
under your proposed headline working title. 
You may bounce it to me or to py-dev at codespeak.net (the 
py lib / py.test developer mailing list) if you have further
questions.  I guess the already known sub tasks would be "adding doctest support" 
and "refined error reporting" for py.test ensuring suitability for 
PyPy testing purposes (including integrating/helping with 
Issue205 - the pypy-c test runs).  PyPy adds quite some 
custom functionality on top of py.test and it is sometimes
a challenge to design things flexibly enough for it. 

> Are there other ideas in the community not listed in that page?

Related to testing there is the issue of distributing tests 
across many machines (using py.execnet as an ad-hoc networking 
mechanism if you ask me).  I see this as a rather separate
topic from the other three, though.  But there is nothing
keeping you from adding another proposal after
you finished your first :) 

> I am a good programmer ( I am a the end of a Computer Science Master
> course in Rome )
> so don't let me escape from helping this wonderful project :)

We will do our best :) 

Summary: it's best if you look around some more, ask questions 
and draft a proposal and let me or better py-dev review it. 

cheers, 

    holger