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==[http://cs.senecac.on.ca/index.php?outline=OSD600 Subject Description]==
This course introduces students to the technological, social, and pragmatic aspects of developing open source software through direct involvement in the Eclipse WTP and OpenOffice.org projectsMozilla project. Students will learn to use the tools, techniques, and strategies of open source developers. This is a project-based programming course. The Eclipse WTP and OpenOffice.org projects have Mozilla project has been chosen as examples of an example open source projects project because of their its maturity, breadth and depth of technology, and strong community.
==Course Outcomes==
* Use the tools of open source development, for example: distributed revision control; documentation tools; automated build and test systems; debuggers; source code utilities; tracking systems; on-line resources, etc.
* Work with a pre-existing large source code base
* Write software that integrates and interacts with the Eclipse WTP or OpenOfficeexisting open source systems (e.g.org code, Firefox). For example: add-ons; bug fixes; new features; etc.* Work collaboratively with fellow students and members of the Eclipse WTP or OpenOffice.org communitiesMozilla community.
==Major Project==
This is a project course, and the majority of each student’s mark will come from work done on a real development project. The primary goal of this project is to get students involved in the OpenOffice.org/Eclipse WTP Mozilla development community and codebase. Through this experience students will learn about the processes, tools, and practices involved in developing software as part of a large open source community.
===Philosophy===
Many of the practices inherent in open source development will seem to go against the structures often set in place for similar course work. For example, students are typically forbidden to collaborate with peers, to copy from the web, etc. However, these rules must be re-evaluated in the context of proper and pragmatic open source development practices.
First, consider the typical rules around cheating and plagiarism. In this assignment, students are encouraged to work within the set of best practices natural to open source development. Open source developers do not write from scratch what already exists and is freely available for use. Students should be thinking in terms or of code reuse. It is acceptable for students to use code from other open source projects, so long as the license is amenable to the use.
Second, consider the typical restrictions on peer-collaboration. In this project students are encouraged to work together, to help one another, to look at each other's code, etc. Open source collaboration is about leveraging the collective knowledge of a community to help solve the problems of the individual.
Third, consider the sharp dividing line between student projects in most programming courses. For the most part, students are evaluated on their ability to do a particular project or to solve a particular problem on their own. The outcome is measured against peer outcomes. However, in this course students are not in competition with their peers; rather, they are all working on one large project (i.e., Eclipse WTP or OpenOffice.orgMozilla) with many sub-projects within it. As a result, there is no clean line to divide one student’s work from another, or even student work from that of the open source community. This means that collaboration between students and even other members of the open source community is acceptable practice.
To summarize, students should:
===Details===
* Each student must specialize in either OpenOffice.org or Eclipse WTP and pick a project from the list of proposed projects, or have another project idea approved by the instructor. Projects have been created in consultation with the Mozilla community.
* Students are strongly encouraged to work individually, and only in rare circumstances will partnerships be allowed.
* Create a project page based on the [[Sample Project|'Sample Project' template]]. If someone has already created a page for a project you want to work on, speak to that person to see if you can join him/her. If s/he says yes, add your name to the Project Leader(s) section; otherwise pick another project and become a Contributor instead (see below).
* Become a Contributor to one or more other projects. This is something that will just happen as you interact on IRC or in class. As people need help, you can choose to get involved with things. You are encouraged to use the [[Contrib Opportunities]] page to list and find things you can do. For example: helping to debug something, doing research into a problem, writing some tricky code. Over time your list of contributions to other peoples’ projects should grow. Keep track of this in your personal page.
* Keep your project page on the wiki updated. Add technical information to the Project Details section as you get a better understanding of the problem, and keep track of your project status in the Project News section. You should be updating this page at least once per week.
* Update your blog at least once and hopefully twice a week. Remember that the more you write, the easier it will be to get help from other people: it is easier for people to understand your question with supporting documentation on the web.
* Update your personal page on the wiki with permanent information, such as a list of your contributions to various projects.
Detailed grading information will be discussed later in the term.
* '''60%''' - [[Winter 2009 DPS909 and OSD600 Major Project|Project]] Deliverables (e.g., code, documents), marked in terms of quality, quantity, etc. Your project will be marked at three milestone releases, the number and values being:** 5% - Initial Project Plan (Due Week of Sept 28)** 15% - 0.1 Release (Due Week of Oct 19)** 15% - 0.2 Release(Due Week of Nov 16)** 3025% - 0.3 Release(Due Week of Dec 7)
* '''20%''' - Project Wiki Page and Blog. You will be marked on your project and personal page's quality, depth of explanation, frequency of update, etc.
* '''20%''' - Contributions to other projects. You will be marked on the quantity and quality of your contributions to other groups.
==Resources==
* [[Winter DPS909 and OSD600 Fall 2009 Open Source StudentsWeekly Schedule|Weekly Schedule]]* [[Project List]]* [[Contrib Opportunities]]* [[Potential ProjectsFall 2009 Open Source Students]]
* [http://zenit.senecac.on.ca/~chris.tyler/planet/ Open Source@Seneca Planet]
* [http://education.mozilla.org/planet Mozilla Education Planet]
==Examples==
