[kde-edu]: Proposal for Google Summer of Code

[Nadav Vinik]

Hello

I want to participate in Google Summer of Code and therefore I want to
contribute to KDE about something that I missing.

Name: Nadav Vinik
Email Address: nadavvin at gmail.com
Freenode IRC Nick: nadavvin
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Proposal Name: Use a database to archive KDE data (especially
Parley/Wordquiz and Akregator)

Motivation for Proposal / Goal:

As a free software supporter, my dream job is to write only free
software and I think that participating in GSoC will be step in the
right direction.

Specific motivation for this proposal: I want better integration in
Linux. Each program stores its data in its own way, moving the data to
a real database which communicates in a standard way (SQL) will make it
easier to use one storage for the data, and different software will be
only the interface for it.

Implementation Details:

There are big advantages to using a database for storing data like a more
standard way to use the data in other programs and better reliability.

I want to focus on two sets of programs:

Kwordquiz/Parley: the vocabulary data is stored in regular files, which
make it harder to maintain very large number of words. A database will
help to more easily add words, and split tests to smaller tests (like
such that contain ten words each in them) and better randomize between
all the words and not only inside a single file.

Akregator: I used it until its file-system-based database storage got
corrupted from some reason, and it couldn't restore it. A real database
ensures better reliability.

I plan to use a generic database abstraction layer to enable use of
different types of databases as long that they communicate with SQL. I
will check what the implementation that KDE uses and will use it.

Kwordquiz/Parley: also add an interface to handle data from
the database in a smarter way, like quick-add words, get N random words and
more...

Akregator: only add the database archive engine. If it isn't enough
for the project I want to add RSS full export, for a good way to move
the data to any other RSS readers

I will also handle other software if you think that it isn't enough.

Tentative Timeline:
I don't have good timeline, but I believe I can do it in less than a month, I
can only say that I can do as much as I can and obligate to do it no more
than a month.

Do you have other obligations from late May to early August (school,
work, etc.):
Although I have work, GSoC is much more important to me. Therefore, if
necessary, I would take a month break from work or quit my job, if such a
break would not be possible.

About Me:
I have programmer in PHP and C# in the past. I have 5 years of programming
work experience as programmer and I'm studying Computer Science in the Open
University of Israel.

I know the code of Parley and Kwordquiz well since I fixed some bugs
in them. One can say this made me a KDE programmer (sorry that I haven't had
time to contribute but I will have much more free time soon.).

I hope that you accept me.

Sincerely yours,

    Nadav