Google Code-in - urgent assistance required

[Paul Johnson]

[ See this post in glorious HTML at
http://blogs.perl.org/users/paul_johnson/2011/10/more-about-gci-2011.html ]

The Google Code-in 2011 (GCI - http://wiki.enlightenedperl.org/gci2011)
will be starting shortly.  This is the programme under which students
aged between 13 and 17 years are encouraged to get involved in open
source projects.  The Perl Foundation would like Perl to be a part of
this programme, bringing both short and long-term benefits to Perl and
the students alike.

Many of you will have seen my previous post
(http://blogs.perl.org/users/paul_johnson/2011/10/gci-2011.html) asking
the Perl community for help in creating tasks for students.  A few of
you have subsequently added tasks to the ideas page
(http://wiki.enlightenedperl.org/gci2011/gci2011/ideas).  For this we
are extremely grateful.  Some of you may well be planning to add some
tasks.  We'll also be very grateful for these tasks.

It's almost time to submit our application.  But for our application to
be successful we really need to add more tasks.  So I'm renewing my
appeal for your help.

We need help from all sorts of people.  From developers, from designers,
from technical writers, from managers, from marketers, from QA people
and testers, from architects, from trainers, from user interface
specialists and from anyone who can speak more than one language.  And
if you're reading this and don't fit into any of those categories then
you undoubtedly have other talents and we probably need you even more.

We need you to visit the ideas page
(http://wiki.enlightenedperl.org/gci2011/gci2011/ideas) and read about
the sort of tasks we need.  Then create a login and add a task.  If you
can't or don't want to create a login, please mail your task to me at
paul at pjcj.net

Here are some suggestions for tasks:

 - Develop a new feature.
 - Port to a new operating system.
 - Fix a bug.  (Go and check your RT queue.)
 - Add tests for a feature.
 - Add tests to improve coverage.  (Take a look at cpancover
   http://pjcj.sytes.net/cpancover/ )
 - Add to or improve documentation.
 - Write a tutorial.
 - Make a tutorial video.
 - Make a promotional video.
 - Add internationalisation (I18N) to a module.
 - Translate documentation, tutorials or web sites.
 - Investigate API changes.
 - Research new ideas. algorithms or libraries.
 - Compare and contrast modules.

But feel free to let your imagination run wild.  Any task that a young
student could perform that would be beneficial to the project is fair
game.

In addition, if you really cannot think of a task to add, but you would
be willing to act as a mentor please add your name to the ideas page
(http://wiki.enlightenedperl.org/gci2011/gci2011/ideas) and note any
areas in which you would be willing to mentor.  In particular we are in
need of mentors who would be able to assist with translation tasks, so
if you speak more than one language please add your name and note which
languages you speak.  We also need mentors who would be happy to work
with students on bugs in modules where the author is unable to do so.
But we're very happy to accept all volunteers.  So please either add a
task or sign up as a mentor.  (Or both.)

But this is getting very urgent.  Our application needs to be on Tuesday
so please don't delay and sign up today!

Thank you very much for your assistance.  I trust that with your help
this year's GCI will be even more successful than last year's.

-- 
Paul Johnson - paul at pjcj.net
http://www.pjcj.net