<html> <head> <style></style></head> <body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'> Hey everyone, My name is João Paquim, and I'm working on my application for GSOC 2012. I could use some tips from you guys, I'm having some difficulty choosing something to work on, I've spent some time looking at the Ideas list, but I can't help but feel a little lost. There are many things that would interest me, but I would need some guidance in preparing the application. How many people regularly have their GSoC applications rejected? Anyway, here's my preliminary application, please give me your insight on it ;) Also, what's a JID? " About Me: My name is João Paquim, I'm 18 years old and I live in Lisbon, Portugal. I'm a first year Aerospace Engineering student at IST, and I've been interested in programming for a couple of years now. I started out learning Python. I learned basic programming concepts, but stopped for some time, I can't really recall why. A year ago, I decided to try out Linux. I started with Ubuntu, jumped around between the different flavors and other distros based on it: Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Mint, among others. I resumed my Python learning, learning a bit of PyQt, and after some time decided to tackle C. During my first semester at the University, I had a class on programming (with C). I worked on a project (a game using the Allegro library) and finished the class with a grade of 19 (out of 20). On my free time, I learned C++, a bit of Common Lisp and Prolog, and some Bash scripting. I'm really kind of addicted to programming and the variety of languages out there ;) Nowadays, I'm using Arch Linux with KDE 4.8 as my main OS, I have been learning Qt for a couple of months and the KDE libs, git and x86 assembly for a couple of weeks. I haven't participated in GSoC before, and the only experience I've had working with a group has been the aforementioned project for the Programming class. Abstract: Contact details: main: jonhypaquim@hotmail.com secondary: jonhypaquim@gmail.com Schedule/Commitments: I'll have classes until 25/05, 6 tests from 2/06 until 15/06, and recovery exams from 23/06 until 29/06. I'll try to avoid the recovery exams, and even with all the tests, I'll still be pretty available during June. I have no obligations during July or August, however. In terms of schedule, I prefer to work in the afternoon and evening, to facilitate contact with people in the US (because of timezones). I also have no problem with working in the weekends, although I may occasionally be unable to do so. Description: Why: I've wanted to get involved with an open-source project for some time, but always found making the move a bit too mind-perplexing. GSOC makes this a lot easier, making the whole thing more comfortable when it comes to contacting the organizations, besides providing financial incentive. I want to know what it feels like to be a part of a large project, and take my software development skills to the real world. Research: Approach: Difficulties: Contacts: " </div></body> </html>