Google Summer of Code

What is it?

The [[[Summer of Code 2007|2007]] and 2008.

Should Google decide to run the program again in 2009, we plan to apply for participation again.

Project Ideas

This is a list of ideas for projects that we feel would add useful functionality to Geeklog (to be implemented in possible future incarnations of the Google Summer of Code):

For Geeklog

• Plugin repository
• Test framework
• SWOT (Spam: Web of Trust)
• Spam-X plugin overhaul
• Webservices revisited
• Support for PostgreSQL
• Core Notification Service
• Add Social Networking Features
• Cross Site Alerting and Publication API
• Google Translation API
• Implement Open Web Analytics
• Implement a theme based on the YUI CSS Foundation Libraries

There are also some leftover ideas (not fully fleshed out) from previous years.

For AptitudeCMS (formerly Geeklog 2)

• Taxonomy and Tagging Plugin
• Continuous Builds
• Workflow Plugin
• Mapping Plugin
• Geeklog2 Syndication API
• Geeklog2 Anti-Spam "Solution"
• Media Plugin
• Social Plugin using Google's OpenSocial

Notes for Students

First of all, please note that Summer of Code 2009 has not started yet and that participating projects have not been selected yet. While Geeklog will apply to take part again in the Summer of Code, there is no guarantee that we will be selected!

Recommended reading

Google provides an extensive FAQ on the Summer of Code homepage. There's also a very informative Advice for Students page. We recommend reading those first.

Required skills

Students interested in any of the above projects should have reasonable experience with PHP and some basic SQL knowledge. Being able to set up your own LAMP server (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) would probably help but isn't a prerequisite.

Geeklog uses Mercurial for revision control (aka version control aka source code management). Students should have a basic grasp of revision control - we can help you with the specifics of Using Mercurial.

Background information

Geeklog is an umbrella for two related but distinct CMS:

• Geeklog (current version: 1.5.1) is the software you may have seen running websites such as Groklaw.
• AptitudeCMS (formerly Geeklog 2) is a "next generation" CMS and has been rewritten from the ground up. There are no released versions of AptitudeCMS yet.

Geeklog was started back in the year 2000 and its code is still mostly procedural and it uses its own (thin) database abstraction layer. AptitudeCMS, on the other hand, is fully object oriented and uses technologies such as MVC and design patterns.

Further Reading

• The Summer of Code topic on geeklog.net provides coverage of our previous participation in the Google Summer of Code.