[Sugar-devel] Karma project timeline for GSoC

[Bryan Berry]

Felipe, I have some suggestions for your timeline.

It looks like you are first trying to a create a framework and then an
activity based on that framework. I think you should do the opposite.

You should first create a reference activity based on one of the simple
OLE Nepal activities in the quickest most hackish way you can. If I am
not mistaken you have not created animations, done i8n, or integrated
audio w/ js + html5 yet. You should just create something right away and
hopefully encounter lots of important problems. 

Then you should create a basic animation tool or library, i8n method,
activity template, etc. 

I fear that by designing a framework first you will prematurely optimize
for problems that may not be the most significant ones you later
encounter.

Also, a lot of people are using these same tools for similar purposes.
You should take advantage of this by periodically displaying the
reference activity and explaining the issues you are having. The whole
point of Karma is to take advantage of the wealth of open-source
expertise surrounding js + html5 and other web technologies. You need to
take advantage of that resource. 

Your current plan read like this:
Plan -> Code -> Maybe fail, maybe succeed -> publish your work

I would like it to be:
Code -> Fail -> Publish -> Code -> Fail better -> Publish -> and
finally, a workable solution

Your original timeline:

May 23 - May 29:
Developing the first Karma widget (easy animation tool)
getting familiar with Sugar/Browse code

May 30 - June 5:
Providing Karma + audio
Providing Karma + client-side i18n
Develop an activity template for Karma 

June 6 - June 12:
Providing Karma + gears support 
"Karming" some OLE Nepal activities (* need to talk with Bryan Berry)



Suggested Timeline

May 23 - June 5:
"Karming" some simple OLE nepal activity w/out fs access, dbus, i8n

June 6:
Publish a blog post w/ the karmified activity and the problems you
encountered. Include your ideas on how to solve those problems and
timeline for rest of project. This post may elicit responses w/
solutions to important problems.


June 7 - June 12
Developing the first Karma widget (easy animation tool)
getting familiar with Sugar/Browse code


June 13 - July 12:
Providing Karma + audio
Providing Karma + client-side i18n
Develop an activity template for Karma 
Change original activity to include above features

July 13:
Publish blog post that showcases updated activity. Explain problems
encountered, what works, what still doesn't.

July 15 - July 25: 
fixing bugs  
Work on gears+karma support (lucian's work may be very helpful here)

July 26 - July 31:
documenting examples
improving documentation 

August 1 - August 9: time for any eventual emergencies


Finally, one more question.  What do you have in mind for the karma
widget? "first Karma widget (easy animation tool)" 

I highly, highly recommend you avoid creating a visual programming
environment. 1) it's out of scope for a GSoC project 2) There are
already awesome visual programming environments in EToys and TurtleArt.

I recommend you focus on creating very clean animation libraries that be
used extremely easily. The real test will be if I can create animations
using your libraries :)

-- 
Bryan W. Berry
Technology Director
OLE Nepal, http://www.olenepal.org