[Mailman-Developers] GSoC 2014 : Proposal for the Mailman CLI project

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Just to follow up quickly (I've got problems I need to deal with
elsewhere over the next couple days).

Abhilash Raj writes:

Hey, thanks for jumping in, maxking!

 > Hi Rajeev,
 > 
 > Congratulations! We look forward to a great summer with you.

Definitely!

 >> I would like to thank the Mailman community and mentors for
 >> their extensive > support during my application process,

You're very welcome.

 >> Also I have a few questions as part of the community bonding
 >> process.
 >>
 >> 1.Is the project to be developed as an independent project or as a
 >> part/branch of the Mailman Core repository
 > 
 > That is supposed to be an implementation detail of your
 > proposal. What do you think would be the best?

I agree with Abhilash.  You make a proposal, we'll criticize it
(contructively; "criticism" is not necessarily negative, just as with
literary critics we may give a positive review -- you should know when
you're doing things right).

 >> 2.If it is an Independent project, Is it OK to use the >
 >> git+gitorious/savannah or should I stick to bzr+launchpad? I have
 >> used git extensively,naturally more comfortable with git.
 >> However, I can pick up bzr if necessary.

 > Even if it is an independent project we strongly encourage you to
 > use bzr, as integration and code review might become a problem in
 > later stages of your project( I am speaking from personal
 > experience). Learning bzr and launchpad is not at all difficult if
 > you know git.

The CLI won't be *that* independent.  It really needs to be on
Launchpad.

Note: It may be possible to use git-bzr to fetch and push from
Launchpad.

 >> 3.Is it necessary for me to hangout in the IRC?If yes, when?
 > 
 > It is not *necessary* for you to hangout on IRC. You just need to
 > keep your mentors updated about what are you doing all the time. If
 > you prefer email, I don't think that would be a problem. Your only
 > responsibility is to deliver the project you proposed on time.

It's generally a good idea to have interaction (brainstorming) when
working on design.  I can generally be available on IRC from about
01:00 UTC to 15:00 UTC.  As Abhilash knows :-) I can often be
convinced to stay around until about 17:00 UTC.  yaseppochi @ freenode

 >> 4.Can I start coding right away?
 > 
 > You can, but first be sure you know what you want to code. Your
 > proposal does have a detailed description on working of the tool,
 > however there is little mention about the details of implementation
 > and design. It would be best if you first consult with your mentors
 > and decide on something so that you don't waste time writing code
 > that is not needed.

Read Fred Brooks' /The Mythical Man-Month/, especially the essay
"Build One to Throw Away".  Then think about whether you really
believe him. :-)

Regards and looking forward to working with you!

Steve