Thanks for considering the Nmap project! We hope you join us! But be aware that the competition is fierce. Here are some tips (inspired by the Drupal list) to improve your odds in the application. While these are written for the Nmap project, they are general enough to apply to all SoC applications.
Sell your idea. Describe your idea in detail. What is its
ultimate goal? What components will it have? What benefits does it
have for Nmap and its community? How do you plan to achieve completion
of your project? If a specification already exists, what will you do
that will go above and beyond expectations?
Sell yourself. Get across your enthusiasm for the
project. Tell us what makes you stand out from the rest of the
crowd. Talk about your past experiences, what makes you tick. Why are
you interested in open source software, and Nmap in particular? What
interests do you have, and how do these interests relate to the
project for which you're applying?
Get feedback on your idea from the community. You can
discuss your idea on
the Nmap-dev list.
Don't be afraid
to ask the community for help; we want you to succeed just as much as
you do!
Don't over-commit yourself. Working on your Nmap project
should be your primary activity from May 21 through August 20. If you
already have a full time job, full time class schedule, or a long (3
weeks or more) vacation planned for that timeframe, you probably won't
have time to participate in Nmap SoC.
Write your proposal carefully. English skills matter for
most of our projects, as you will need to write documentation for your
code. This proposal is a chance to show off your clear and concise
writing skills. You don't need to be a literary genius, and many
(perhaps most) of our previous winners aren't native English
speakers. But do try to spell-check your application and review it a
few times for readability before hitting the "submit" button.
Google is accepting applications from April 22 through May 3
(see timeline).
Read our ideas page and
general Nmap SoC requirements.
Subscribe to the
Nmap SoC and
nmap-dev
mailing lists; SoC is for SoC program discussion and nmap-dev is for
project ideas.
Apply here.
For help, see the
student section of the GSoC User's Guide.
Please use
the
application template from our organization page.
Good luck!
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