GSoC: Towards wrap-up!

[Jeffrey Warren]

Hi, everyone!

We're getting towards the end of the summer (don't panic!) and I wanted to get folks thinking about how they'll wrap things up. Some of you are right on schedule and some are a bit behind, but I think we'll all be able to get most if not all of our projects to completion if we pitch in and work hard these coming weeks. 

I wanted to ask folks to start re-assessing what's left of their projects, and what they can finish up in the remaining time. But rather than considering any unfinished pieces "missing", please take them as an opportunity to invite others into your projects, by turning them into well-documented issues on your project repositories. 

If you offer enough context, we should be able to recruit people to take up the remaining tasks, and whether or not you continue work after the summer ends, folks will be able to carry your work forward. This may mean writing a first-timers-only issue, for example. 

You've all become leaders in this community through your work, your collaboration, and your major contribution to the platforms we use at Public Lab. Take a look at this page for some ideas on how you can ensure your projects live on: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/projects/4

Finally, please begin to consider how other people (who program) will use your work. Will they understand how to install it? How to adapt it to their own uses? Will they have trouble setting it up, or be confused at how things are named or organized? What can you do to make it easier for others to pick up your work and use it? A good demo? More clear documentation or examples?

One great way to know if your work is readable is to ask one another to read it over and provide feedback. 

Thanks everybody -- I'll be a bit offline this coming week but please look to your other mentors and to one another in tackling these questions. And I'll chip in if there's something urgent! 

Best,

Jeff