Developers/Projects
This section tries to help you answer the question "Where should I start?" The OLPC is a huge project with thousands of people working on it, either directly, or on projects which feed into it. Since you are reading this document, we'll assume you want to work directly on the OLPC project, rather than on one of the projects that feed into it.
Most new developers are probably wanting to work on an Activity (a stand-alone application) for deployment to end-users (normally children). We are always, however, looking for help on the core systems (e.g. Sugar, DataStore, Bitfrost, School Server), particularly from advanced Python coders and people interested in doing documentation and translation.
Existing Projects
Software projects describes the currently active projects that may need help. Note that the list there is maintained by the project owners, so while we say "active", some of the projects may be hanging in limbo. If you attempt to contact the owner and they do not respond or indicate they are no longer working on the project, speak up on the Devel list and we will attempt to figure out how to move the project forward.
If you are looking for a mature project to join, the various Activities already available on/for the XO may need help. While Software projects includes many projects that have barely started, Activities are the projects which already have public (child) facing releases. Bug fixing, testing, documentation, translations and the like are always highly sought-after contributions in these mature projects.
New Projects
If you are looking to start your own project, there are lots of as-yet-unmet requests to be filled. Or maybe you already have an idea of what you want to do. Either way, read this section for a discussion of how to integrate your project into the OLPC project.
Recording the Idea
If you have a great idea for a new project, please add it to the Software ideas page so that it is not lost. Consider adding contact information so that people can contact you to ask questions about the idea.
Try to keep the entry to a line or two. If you need more space, create a new wiki page to describe the idea in detail. If you intend to work on the project yourself, this can become the homepage for your project eventually.
By recording the idea before you begin work, we can ensure that a great idea isn't lost because "life got in the way".
Finding an Idea
The obvious result of recording a great new project idea on the Software ideas page is that if you are looking for a new project idea, there are lots of them.
If you find an idea on the software ideas page, remember that lots of other people have probably read that page and may also be intending to work on that project. Be sure to advertise your intention to work on the project loudly so that you can flush anyone working on it silently out of the woodwork.
If the requirements are not clear, consider contacting the person who posted the request to get more information about what they were intending. Even if the requirements seem clear, consider contacting the person. Even if you wrote the requirements, consider discussing the requirements in public so that you can get input and feedback on what/how/whether the project should or could be done.
Path to Release
There are some basic steps you should take to start your new project and get it to the point where children are using it on their laptops:
- Announce your project before you even start work
- So that people know what you are working on and can potentially help you out
- In case someone else is already working on a similar project
- Add your project to Software projects
- Add your contact information so that potential collaborators can reach you
- Homepage (e.g. a page on the wiki with a full description of the project)
- Set up a Source Code Repository, Bug Tracker and the like
- The Developers Program can provide Project hosting for OLPC-compatible projects
- You can find other free hosting services such as SourceForge, Savanah and LaunchPad if you prefer
- Be sure you have a public bug tracker available somewhere, think millions of users, there will be bug reports!
- Code
- Remember to use source control, lost work sucks
- Distribute your source code under the GPL, LGPL or MIT license
- Test your application in an official image (preferably on a physical laptop) before publishing broadly
- People will often test new code on their OLPC-XO if you don't have one
- When ready to face real users (children) add your activity to the Activities page to allow for easy download and installation