Welcome new Contributors! | Important information for GSoC 2023 (bookmark this email)

[Joseph P. De Veaugh-Geiss]

Welcome, new Contributors! We are thrilled to have you working with KDE 
in GSoC 2023. Congratulations on having your proposal accepted!

In this email we will help guide you through 5 steps for a successful 
project. There is no tl;dr because all Contributors should read all the 
way through this text to make sure GSoC goes as smoothly as possible. 
Please bookmark this email so you can refer back to it later when needed.

The five steps to a successful project are:

  1. Subscribing To Various *Communication Channels* (KDE Mailing Lists, 
Matrix Rooms)
  2. Getting A *Developer Account*
  3. Keeping *Status Reports* Up-To-Date During GSoC
  4. *Blogging* Progress Updates With Planet KDE
  5. Understanding *Expectations For Communication* During GSoC

Each of the above is important and should not be seen as optional. Read 
through the information here carefully. We want success for you and the 
mentors and this information will help us all achieve our goals!

If you have an administration issue, you may write to us directly, but 
please read through this email before doing so: kde-soc-management [at] 
kde.org

_1. Communication Channels_

This is the first topic for a reason: it enables good communication 
across Contributors and teams, which is critical for success. The last 
topic is what we expect for communication during GSoC. Communication is 
so important it both starts and ends this email!

For the duration of GSoC, it is necessary to sign up to a few mailing 
lists (kde-soc, your team's list, kde-devel, kde-community, etc.) and a 
Matrix room (#kde-soc:kde.org).

Mailing lists are an old technology, but they are very useful when 
communicating with multiple teams. Most KDE lists are used for 
well-defined discussions. For GSoC, the most critical ones are the 
*kde-soc* list and *your team's list* (if they have one) -- see below 
for more information. When subscribing to these lists, make sure "Digest 
Mode" is *disabled* so you receive single posts in real time. For all 
other mailing lists, you can enable "Digest Mode" to get posts bundled 
together (usually one per day but possibly more on busy lists).

The most important mailing list is "*kde-soc*". This is where KDE 
contacts Contributors to programs like GSoC (FYI it is also used for 
Season of KDE, or SoK). While GSoC is ongoing, you must stay subscribed 
to the list so we can address all Contributors at one time. This is the 
official channel of communication between KDE and GSoc Contributors!

     https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-soc

Another important mailing list, if the team has one, is to subscribe to 
*your own team's mailing list*. Ask the project mentors about a team 
mailing list which you should subscribe to.

Yet another list very important for KDE developers, now including you, 
is the list "*kde-devel*". This is where KDE developers discuss 
development of KDE applications. The kde-devel list is for /all/ 
developers contributing to KDE. This is your opportunity to discuss with 
the wider KDE developer community.

    https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-devel

You will also need to join the *kde-community* mailing list, which is a 
place for non-technical information and discussions which are relevant 
to the KDE community as a whole. Non-technical work and community 
discussions are as important to KDE as software engineering!

   https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-community

Finally, we strongly recommend registering for Akademy. Akademy is a 
week-long event when the KDE community comes together to exchange 
information about what is happening at KDE. This year Akademy will take 
place 15-21 July online and in Thessaloniki, Greece. It will be 
informative and, as always, great fun!

   https://akademy.kde.org/2023/

Beyond mailing lists, Matrix is also used at KDE to chat in real-time. 
Using your preferred Matrix client -- consider trying out KDE's NeoChat 
:) [1] -- sign up to the *#kde-soc:kde.org* room for GSoC Contributors 
and mentors (again, the room is also used for Season of KDE):

   https://webchat.kde.org/#/room/#kde-soc:kde.org.

Your team may also have a Matrix room they use. Ask your mentors about this!

Although Matrix is very useful for quick and ephemeral communication, 
never forget: the "*kde-soc*" mailing list is the official channel of 
communication between KDE and GSoc Contributors!

A list of additional Free Software communication and collaboration tools 
used at KDE (such as BigBlueButton and NextCloud) can be found here:

   https://community.kde.org/Welcome_to_KDE#Get_involved

Talk to the team about their preferred communication channels and 
collaboration tools, and use them!

_2. Developer Account_

By now you should have your developer account set up so that you can 
commit to your team's codebase and review the commits of your fellow 
developers.

If you do not have a developer account, ask at the kde-soc [at] kde.org 
mailing list for help.

_3. Status Reports_

We have created a wiki page for Status Reports. You can copy the content 
from the template there and use it to write your own report over the 
course of GSoC. *Keep these reports up-to-date during GSoC.* Upon 
completion of GSoC the full report will be the final link to send to Google.

    https://community.kde.org/GSoC/2023/StatusReports

_4. Blogging With Planet KDE_

Don't forget to add your blog to Planet KDE (https://planet.kde.org/) if 
you have not yet done so. Planet KDE is an aggregator that collects blog 
posts from people who contribute to KDE. Here you will share your 
progress updates with the community. Posting frequently is important. 
The community is eager to learn about your exciting work, and successful 
Free Software projects keep the community engaged.

   https://invent.kde.org/websites/planet-kde-org/

Here is an example MR for adding a blog to Planet KDE:

 
https://invent.kde.org/websites/planet-kde-org/-/merge_requests/115/diffs.

_5. Expectations For Communication_

Communication is critical for success in GSoC and beyond. Please read 
carefully and ask if you have questions!

Use the kde-soc mailing list to ask one another questions, keeping in 
mind that most subscribers are fellow students, although some 
administrators, mentors, and former students in GSoC and SoK are 
subscribed as well. Although many issues will be discussed directly with 
your project's team and KDE members over public channels (e.g., GitLab), 
questions that your fellow GSoC Contributors can answer are very welcome 
here!

KDE's reason for participating in Google Summer of Code is not to get 
code from you. Instead, our goal is new KDE Developers! This is why we 
require frequent communication from you, each of you, with your team and 
your mentor(s).

Like with any Free Software project developed in the open, KDE 
contributors notice who asks questions, and who is helpful to their 
fellow students. Asking questions can be scary, but it also shows 
engagement with a project and an eagerness to learn, two qualities that 
will take you far in GSoC and in life.

Private communication is OK if you are passing along truly private 
information, such as your private contact information. Otherwise, it is 
important that all communication be public. Open development is 
fundamental to a healthy project, and like many Free Software projects 
we at KDE develop software completely in the open.

Remember, this is not a competition. We are all in this together, and 
helping one another is what KDE is all about. We are a community who 
makes software. We welcome each of you into this diverse and growing 
group of software engineers, artists, writers, translators and creators, 
and more!

The KDE Code of Conduct offers some guidance to ensure KDE participants 
can cooperate effectively in a positive and inspiring atmosphere, and to 
explain how together we can strengthen and support each other. Please 
read it here:

   https://kde.org/code-of-conduct/

Feel free to respond to this email at kde-soc with questions and 
requests for clarification.

All the best and welcome to the community!

Joseph (on behalf of the KDE GSoC administration team)

[1] NeoChat (Matrix client): https://apps.kde.org/neochat/

-- 
Joseph P. De Veaugh-Geiss
KDE Internal Communications & KDE Eco Community Manager
OpenPGP: 8FC5 4178 DC44 AD55 08E7 DF57 453E 5746 59A6 C06F
Matrix: @joseph:kde.org

Generally available Monday-Thursday from 10-16h CET/CEST. Outside of 
these times it may take a little longer for me to respond.

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