Google Summer of Code 2012 - Enyo Project Application

Describe your organization.

Enyo is an open-source project spun off from Hewlett-Packard’s webOS mobile operating system that focuses on development of a cross-platform, object-oriented JavaScript application framework. Originally developed to power the 1000+ applications created for the HP Touchpad, Enyo is now open source and being used by a growing community to develop applications not only for webOS, but also iOS, Android, Chrome, desktop browsers, and even the Windows desktop. The project is staffed by 12 full-time engineers and designers, 2 product managers, and support staff with full sponsorship from HP, as well as a growing base of community contributors. The core Enyo team is located in downtown San Francisco under the leadership of Matthew McNulty.

Why is your organization applying to participate in Google Summer of Code 2012? What do you hope to gain by participating?

The webOS operating system was built around the principle that the future of mobile application development can and should leverage open standards, in stark contrast to proprietary models developed by its competitors. Thus we feel our recent move to open source Enyo and advance it in the open with community support aligns well with our deeply held vision to build great things atop open standards. In addition to stellar engineering talent helping to advance our technology, we hope to gain voices among the next generation of developers advocating for web-first mobile application design through our participation in Google Summer of Code.

Did your organization participate in past Google Summer of Codes? If so, please summarize your involvement and the successes and challenges of your participation.

No, this is the first year we are applying.

If your organization has not previously participated in Google Summer of Code, have you applied in the past? If so, for what year(s)?

No, this is the first year we are applying.

What Open Source Initiative approved license(s) does your project use?

Enyo is released under the Apache License 2.0.

What is the URL for your Ideas page?

Google Summer of Code 2012 - Ideas Page

What is the main development mailing list for your organization?

• [email protected]
• https://groups.google.com/d/forum/enyo-development

What is the main IRC channel for your organization?

#enyojs on irc.freenode.net

Does your organization have an application template you would like to see students use? If so, please provide it now.

Google Summer of Code 2012 - Student Application

Who will be your backup organization administrator?

• Primary: Kevin Schaaf
• Backup: Gray Norton

What criteria did you use to select your mentors for this year's program? Please be as specific as possible.

Our two main criteria for selecting mentors were having a command of their domain and a personal desire to mentor junior engineers. The engineers we chose are experienced, professional engineers who work full-time on the Enyo project as HP employees. Last year these mentors had a great experience taking on a student intern (not associated with GSOC), quickly guiding him to the deep end of the pool as a bona-fide member of the team working in an area that excited him. We expect a similar productive experience for our 2012 GSoC students.

What is your plan for dealing with disappearing students?

Engineering team scrums are held bi-weekly at the SF office and via teleconference, and attendance will be expected from our GSoC students. In the first case of an unexpected absence, a warning will be sent to the student reminding them of their GSoC responsibilities. A second absence will require a one-on-one meeting with the mentor to discuss the student’s commitment to completing the project and identifying steps to avoid a failing evaluation of their GSoC project.

What is your plan for dealing with disappearing mentors?

The chosen mentors are professional engineers, employed full-time by HP to lead the Enyo project with an excellent track record of service. Our mentors value the energy and potential students can bring to the team and plan to fully integrate our GSoC students. While we have named mentors, the reality is that the entire team works very closely together, and in the unforeseen event that a mentor leaves the project, a new mentor will be chosen to provide formal guidance.

What steps will you take to encourage students to interact with your project's community before, during and after the program?

We have an active developer community forum at http://forums.enyojs.com. We would love to see prospective applicants share questions, answers, experience, JSFiddles, sample applications, or other contributions with this community. We will expect our students to be active on the forums, and to review and advise the team on community suggestions and pull requests. Our student application includes details on how they should bootstrap themselves into the project.

Are you a new organization who has a Googler or other organization to vouch for you? If so, please list their name(s) here.

While we are newly open-sourced, the core team is sponsored and employed by Hewlett-Packard and has been working on Enyo for almost 3 years.

Are you an established or larger organization who would like to vouch for a new organization applying this year? If so, please list their name(s) here.

See above.