BUILDING OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION Jose Cedeno Justin Gallardo

What you will hear in this talk Online communities How to build and maintain an open source community in higher education What challenges college students face when trying to join OSS projects How we are trying to address some of these problems through Beaversource

Online communities

How to build and maintain an open source community in higher education

What challenges college students face when trying to join OSS projects

How we are trying to address some of these problems through Beaversource

What you won't hear in this talk Lots of talk about Facebook, Twitter, Winko and other social networks A magic solution that will work for all communities Only a bunch of statistics or technical paper talk

Lots of talk about Facebook, Twitter, Winko and other social networks

A magic solution that will work for all communities

Only a bunch of statistics or technical paper talk

College students get a degree, but most do not possess the skills to successfully join an open source project The problem:

Challenges That Students Face Most likely lack the following basic OSS development skills: Code repository knowledge Code review knowledge Open Source style documentation Dealing and working with large repository Filing good bug reports Collaborating online with other OSS peers RTFM

Most likely lack the following basic OSS development skills:

Code repository knowledge

Code review knowledge

Open Source style documentation

Dealing and working with large repository

Filing good bug reports

Collaborating online with other OSS peers

RTFM

Collaboration within OSU At the time that the OSS problem of college students was being worked on at OSU, other people within OSU had similar problems. Departments around OSU wanted an easy way to share code and make it publicly available for other developers at OSU

At the time that the OSS problem of college students was being worked on at OSU, other people within OSU had similar problems.

Departments around OSU wanted an easy way to share code and make it publicly available for other developers at OSU

Our Solution An open source code hosting solution that also combines some of the common social networking features. Make it easy for people to find each other and projects they might be interested Create a safe haven where students do not feel intimidated by feedback.

An open source code hosting solution that also combines some of the common social networking features.

Make it easy for people to find each other and projects they might be interested

Create a safe haven where students do not feel intimidated by feedback.

Our Solution

Features Offered by Other Sites We looked at SourceForge, GitHub, Apache Incubator, and Google Code. They had the features below in common: SCM Wiki Finding people and other projects Forums Mailing lists Bug Tracker

We looked at SourceForge, GitHub, Apache Incubator, and Google Code. They had the features below in common:

SCM

Wiki

Finding people and other projects

Forums

Mailing lists

Bug Tracker

Sandbox Concept We want to provide a sandbox area where students interested in OSS can play around in a supportive environment while learning As a CS freshman advances in his or her degree, they start building a portfolio. The various projects that they have worked on are easily available online

We want to provide a sandbox area where students interested in OSS can play around in a supportive environment while learning

As a CS freshman advances in his or her degree, they start building a portfolio. The various projects that they have worked on are easily available online

What is Beaversource? http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu An open source program that combines Elgg’s social networking features with Trac’s project management tools A collaboration project between College of Engineering, Central Web Services, University Housing and Dining and Network Engineering at Oregon State University Funding for the project was also provided by an NSF grant

An open source program that combines Elgg’s social networking features with Trac’s project management tools

A collaboration project between College of Engineering, Central Web Services, University Housing and Dining and Network Engineering at Oregon State University

Funding for the project was also provided by an NSF grant

Trac This is a project management written for developers by developers using Python. The features it provides are: Bug tracking Wiki SCM Browsing code online Statistics

This is a project management written for developers by developers using Python.

The features it provides are:

Bug tracking

Wiki

SCM

Browsing code online

Statistics

Bug Tracker

Browsing Code

Wiki

Project Statistics

Trac Technical Details Runs on Python Postgres backend Multi-project support Automated project creation and management Subversion Using 0.10.x right now, looking to upgrade to 0.11.x

Runs on Python

Postgres backend

Multi-project support

Automated project creation and management

Subversion

Using 0.10.x right now, looking to upgrade to 0.11.x

Current Limitations We do not have true multi-project support in Trac Lack of aggregation Tickets Changesets Statistics A new set of users is created when a new project is created We are running an old version of Trac

We do not have true multi-project support in Trac

Lack of aggregation

Tickets

Changesets

Statistics

A new set of users is created when a new project is created

We are running an old version of Trac

Why is the social side important? Makes it easy for students to find each other People not aware of CS can use the social site and find out more about CS Projects can communicate with users, have discussions and a more user friendly frontend The profile page of a student becomes their portfolio after a few years We can boost student support using things like Karma

Makes it easy for students to find each other

People not aware of CS can use the social site and find out more about CS

Projects can communicate with users, have discussions and a more user friendly frontend

The profile page of a student becomes their portfolio after a few years

We can boost student support using things like Karma

Elgg One of the few open source social networking sites that we can use as a framework. It provides us with the features below Friends Project Profiles Forums

One of the few open source social networking sites that we can use as a framework.

It provides us with the features below

Friends

Project Profiles

Forums

Promoting Projects

User Profile

Browsing Friends

Project Profile

Forums

Marketplace

Tag Cloud

Elgg Technical Details Runs on PHP5 Supports MySQL database (we’re using postgres) It provides basic level file caching We are in the process of upgrading from 0.9.x to 1.5

Runs on PHP5

Supports MySQL database (we’re using postgres)

It provides basic level file caching

We are in the process of upgrading from 0.9.x to 1.5

Current Limitations We are running an old version of Elgg which gives us many limitations Limited functionality for forums Limited functionality for project profiles Communities cannot have page Not very polished code or API

We are running an old version of Elgg which gives us many limitations

Limited functionality for forums

Limited functionality for project profiles

Communities cannot have page

Not very polished code or API

Results so far 500+ users 50+ projects Lower level classes are using Beaversource Students are giving us plenty of feedback in the form of bug tickets :)

500+ users

50+ projects

Lower level classes are using Beaversource

Students are giving us plenty of feedback in the form of bug tickets :)

Giving back to the Community We have provided patches for Elgg in the past As we find bugs, we file them in Elgg’s bug tracker We are providing a patch to Elgg1.5 to support postgres databases We idle and participate in #elgg

We have provided patches for Elgg in the past

As we find bugs, we file them in Elgg’s bug tracker

We are providing a patch to Elgg1.5 to support postgres databases

We idle and participate in #elgg

Future Plans We are in the process of moving hosts. Beaversource will be hosted by the OSL We are upgrading to Elgg1.5 which will give us better support for user profiles and communities We will be doing a homepage redesign and fixing more UI problems Improve documentation Track website traffic better

We are in the process of moving hosts. Beaversource will be hosted by the OSL

We are upgrading to Elgg1.5 which will give us better support for user profiles and communities

We will be doing a homepage redesign and fixing more UI problems

Improve documentation

Track website traffic better

More OSS at OSU OSWALD Small device with embedded Linux where students can write and test apps http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu/social/cspfl OSEL Help promote open source in classes, organizes events and newsletters http://osel.oregonstate.edu

OSWALD

Small device with embedded Linux where students can write and test apps

http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu/social/cspfl

OSEL

Help promote open source in classes, organizes events and newsletters

http://osel.oregonstate.edu

More OSS at OSU CWS Deploys many websites and tools for the university using open source programs http://oregonstate.edu/cws OSL Provides hosting for popular open source projects while providing great work experience to students http://osuosl.org

CWS

Deploys many websites and tools for the university using open source programs

http://oregonstate.edu/cws

OSL

Provides hosting for popular open source projects while providing great work experience to students

http://osuosl.org

Conclusion

Questions? Jose Cedeno [email_address] http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu/social/cedenoj Justin Gallardo [email_address] http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu/social/gallardj

Jose Cedeno

[email_address]

http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu/social/cedenoj

Justin Gallardo

[email_address]

http://beaversource.oregonstate.edu/social/gallardj

Educator Point of view You have to make it easy for the teacher Documentation and instructions are a must We are not trying to replace the existing tools that the teachers have

You have to make it easy for the teacher

Documentation and instructions are a must

We are not trying to replace the existing tools that the teachers have

Why not just use Facebook? We wanted to integrate the social aspect with the coding Launchpad and Ubuntu are also trying to combine the social and coding aspect We are not trying to compete with facebook

We wanted to integrate the social aspect with the coding

Launchpad and Ubuntu are also trying to combine the social and coding aspect

We are not trying to compete with facebook

Are we taking students from OSS? Short Answer: No We want to be just a starting point for them As their project grows and they require a more robust infrastructure they may choose to move on to SourceForge or GoogleCode

Short Answer: No

We want to be just a starting point for them

As their project grows and they require a more robust infrastructure they may choose to move on to SourceForge or GoogleCode

Why not use git? Trac comes with built-in support for SVN Git does not have as robust or user friendly GUI programs for Windows People can use git-svn

Trac comes with built-in support for SVN

Git does not have as robust or user friendly GUI programs for Windows

People can use git-svn