Gsoc2010Advice

Google Summer of Code 2010 Advice

This page has some general advice for people thinking about applying for Summer of Code with Mixxx in 2010.

How Do I Contact Mixxx?

You are more than welcome to contact us before submitting your application, we will be happy to advise on most aspects of the process. Getting in touch first is especially recommended if you are planning to apply to work on an original idea, rather than one of our suggestions from the ideas page.

So if you'd like to discuss your application, your ideas or just introduce yourself, then feel free to get in touch in one of the following ways:

1. Send an email to our public developers' mailing list: mixxx-devel
2. Contact any of our mentors directly via email:
   1. Adam Davison (adamd -A-T- mixxx.org)
   2. Albert Santoni (alberts -A-T- mixxx.org)
   3. RJ Ryan (rryan -A-T- mixxx.org)
3. Hop on our IRC channel (#mixxx on Freenode) and see if our mentors are around (adam_d, asantoni, rryan). We encourage idling in our IRC channel to get acquainted with the wider Mixxx community as well.

What Would Working On Mixxx Be Like?

The Mixxx development environment is cooperative and relatively informal. Our community is small but unusually diverse. Working on Mixxx you would have an opportunity to interact with a unique mixture of programmers, artists and DJs. Mixxx as a piece of software also offers some unique challenges, we are both cross-platform and (soft) real-time and support a huge range of MIDI and audio hardware devices. Students with Mixxx will have an opportunity to learn advanced skills like low-latency programming and cross-platform application deployment which will look great on your resumé.

We also very much value the contributions students make. Because Mixxx is relatively small, students' work often makes a large impact. During and after your Summer of Code project you will have the opportunity to put your work in the hands of real DJs and hear how they've used it. Past students have had a lot of fun working on Mixxx and learned a lot at the same time. If you want challenging problems, freedom to develop your ideas, interesting people and an all-round brilliant Summer, then apply to work on Mixxx.

Am I Experienced Enough?

This is a common question asked by prospective students, the answer is generally: "Yes". The Mixxx Summer of Code team value intelligence and enthusiasm above specific knowledge of the libraries or algorithms we use. We have found in the past that an interested and motivated student who is willing to learn is more valuable than anything else.

We also value general software design and development experience above specific knowledge of a library or API. For example, if you've never used Qt before but have done lots of Java and Gtk+ UI development then you should make sure you let us know about it in your application.

Of course if you do have direct experience with the tools we use, you should definitely tell us about that too. The main external tools we rely on are Qt, scons, portaudio and bzr.

How Do I Write A Great Application?

Firstly, think about your choice of project carefully, you're going to be doing it for a couple of months, so it's important that you choose something you're going to enjoy. Once you've made your mind up:

1. Make sure you've thought about the project and understand what it entails
2. Don't be afraid to come up with original solutions to the problem
3. Don't be afraid to give us lots of detail about how you would approach the project
   1. Things like UI mockups are very much encouraged where appropriate
4. Consider how much time you need for each part of the project

Overall, your application should make us believe that you are capable of completing the project and delivering the functionality to our users. If you aren't sure about anything, get in touch with us, we're happy to advise you.

Some other (entirely optional) things you might consider doing:

1. Why not introduce yourself on the mailing list? Even just to say hello, your name and what you're applying to work on
2. If you don't have Mixxx already, download it, play around with it for a while, let us know what you like or don't like
3. For lots of bonus points, check out the source and compile it, play around with the code a little
   1. Be sure to write about what you did in your application
   2. If you can't get it to compile, it's probably our fault not yours, don't be embarrased to ask for help
4. As mentioned in the contact section above, hang around on IRC at freenode.net #mixxx
5. Sign up for the forums

We look forward to your application :) - The Mixxx Development Team