[dundee] Google Summer of Code 2007

[Gordon Dunlop]

Hi All,

The Google Summer of Code 2007 this year comprises of 900 projects with 
$4.5 million in funding for students that have Linux developers as their 
mentors (this is increasing annually). The aim is for more code to be 
written, more open source developers to be created and for applications 
to be improved. These students
are  interested in general programming but are not necessarily familiar 
in Linux systems and applications. Here is the website:

http://code.google.com/soc 
<http://code.google.com/soc>
I am interested in two particular projects connected to my dissertation:;

http://code.google.com/soc/oscar/appinfo.html?csaid=4354EDC5B8B185CB

http://code.google.com/soc/oscar/appinfo.html?csaid=36449C2B004357C4

I wonder if any of the other projects interest anyone.  My thinking is 
that whilst the overall goals are noble, the money is a drop in the 
ocean for Google and more money should be allocated for students. 
Instead of $2500 per project it should be  $5000, I do not like to see 
students used as cheap labour (my opinion only) as I have seen in my 
research experience that students can be used for the donkey work for a 
mere pittance. An interesting story, whilst I was doing the Systems 
Modelling module at Abertay that was dealing with Object Orientation , I 
came across UMBRELLO in the KDE developers tools that gave 9 different 
ways to do it rather than the three ways that were taught. This 
programme intrigued me as I was getting my head round the concepts, I 
thought this would be a good training programme for students, but it was 
only available within KDE. I am more of a systems guy rather than a 
programmer but hey this would link up a lot of things. UMBRELLO was 
languishing in the doldrums until an honour's student from Stirling 
University used in it his dissertation and took up maintenance of the 
programme and was inserted into the KDE developer's tools. The name of 
the student is Jonathan Riddle so when he asked for volunteers for the 
KDE conference I responded, that is probably why the University of 
Strathclyde uses the KDE desktop so students can use the UMBRELLO Object 
Orientation programme.

This is probably the first email that I have got the email formatting 
right (my Achilles heel).

Finally the truth about Microsoft Surface:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

Gordon