User:Quaid/Summer Coding proposal clean-up notes

This page is my notes for as I went through reading proposals pre-deadline.

Some of this content may be useful for other mentors; I'll move it to a better location if that is the case.

If no mentor

• Flag that this prevents the proposal from being acceptable.
• Note this in the Talk: page.
• Note status in Summer Coding 2010 proposal tracking.

Page freeze note

Proposal deadline is passed. This page is locked.
Do not change any details on this page. If must change something, talk with the project mentor first.

I give negative marks for:

These are not items that will get a proposal rejected, but they are the items I consider when comparing either two+ proposals for the same project, or for sorting proposals into a priority for funding.

• Sloppy writing and editing. Trying not to be prejudiced against non-native English speakers, but it seems clear that if you've learned how to spell something in one location, you should be consistent. In fact, I'd prefer a consistent mispelling or grammar error over inconsistent sloppiness. It shows a lack of care about details, lack of care about the application process, and lack of respect for the people who have to read it.
• Lack of original thinking. For example, copying whole sections out of the idea page to use as answers in the proposal doesn't demonstrate that the student has considered the problem and solutions.

Consideration for Fedora and JBoss.org

• Projects should be useful for the overall project. A project that just helps an upstream and has new bits packaged in Fedora is worth less (to me) than a project that helps Fedora be better in some way. Same for JBoss.org, but I expect the attempt to fit a square peg in a round hole isn't going to happen there the way it does in Fedora.