Sharing Experiences – Google Summer of Code 2011

By Yudi Xue

I took part in Gephi (2) with the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2011. My work consisted of redesigning and implementing a Preview API for Gephi. The goal was to make the new API easy to learn, use and extend.

A detailed report on my work can be found on the Gephi blog. (3)

I first saw the GSoC program from Google Code blog in April, 2011. I found that Gephi was driven by a small but very active team, so I thought it was a good opportunity to get involved in open source development. At the time my research led me to focus on the software engineering side of visualization toolkits. This experience gave me a good start in understanding the problem and in devising a design proposal.

The project was engaging given the size of code base and the amount of work load. I managed to stay in touch with my mentor Dr. Christian Tominski (4) through emails and weekly Skype meetings. By the end of the program, I was able to provide a new API design and implementation for the new Preview Infrastructure to the community.

I think GSoC is a great opportunity for real-world software engineering practices and open source collaboration. I value the comments and feedbacks received from my mentor and the project administrator during the code reviews. Such experiences helped me further my development skills.

In my opinion, the key to succeed in the program is to maintain frequent communication with the mentor and project administrator (if not the same person). It is also important to conform to the community's coding style than writing one's own style.

I would encourage computer science students, of all levels, to look up the program and apply. Apply early and apply often. Although it usually involves competition, during the proposal acceptance period, experience from previous proposals always helps.

1. http://code.google.com/soc/

2. http://gephi.org

3. https://gephi.org/2011/gsoc-mid-term-new-preview-api/