Re: GNU participation in GSoC 2012

[Micah Cowan]

On 03/05/2012 11:52 PM, Janek Warchoł wrote:
> Did i understand correctly that LilyPond can try applying
> individually, and if on March 16 we won't be listed in accepted
> projects, you'd "add us to your umbrella" (list our projects on your
> Ideas List, etc) THIS year?

This has been standard practice for some groups.

Provided that GNU applies and is accepted at GSoC, there is no
contingency as to what other groups might fall under the GNU umbrella.
So often GNU projects will apply separately, and then if they are
refused, they still move forward, with GNU as the umbrella org.

The GSoC admins specifically look at things such as whether a project
could reasonably fall under an umbrella org, among other things. My gut
feeling based on past years is that LilyPond is unlikely to be accepted
as a separate org - but there is zero harm in trying (other than the
time it takes to apply), and definite advantages if you were accepted
(such as getting guaranteed slots - GNU has to divvy them out, and
manage dual-acceptance conflicts, and invariably people are unhappy with
some aspect of how both are done - and it is possible that the number of
slots won't match the number of projects). So yes: apply, see what the
result is, and if LilyPond doesn't make the cut as its own org, it will
be welcomed under the GNU umbrella org (again, assuming GNU itself makes
the cut, though there's enough precedence for that to feel at least some
degree of confidence ;) ).

-mjc