
How Google could get thousands of open-source developers working for free - amichail

======
amichail
The idea is to use a social news site whereby developers would submit their
open-source projects and only Google employees would be able to vote although
the results would be made public.

If you are working on something that Google cares about, then you will be
encouraged to pursue it harder to increase your chances of landing a job at
Google.

~~~
Tichy
Google employees are only humans, too, you know. At least I think so... You
make it sound as if working for Google was the ultimate fulfillment for every
hacker, and that everything that somebody from Google says should be treated
as a holy prophecy.

------
dpapathanasiou
Have you heard of Summer of Code?

~~~
amichail
Yes, but that would not be getting people to work for free.

~~~
dpapathanasiou
Ok, strictly speaking, SoC is not free.

But SoC stipends are tiny, _almost_ free.

Also, remember that Google vets each proposal, so they're funding those
projects they'll be able to leverage in code, people (SoC is a great
recruiting tool), or both.

The result of SoC is not so different from what you've suggested.

~~~
jey
_Also, remember that Google vets each proposal, so they're funding those
projects they'll be able to leverage in code, people (SoC is a great
recruiting tool), or both._

False. Google only approves the Open Source projects which apply for SoC
slots, but it seems to me that any established Open Source project can get SoC
slots. It's the Open Source project's leaders who choose which of the project
proposals to actually fund, not Google.

~~~
dpapathanasiou
_It's the Open Source project's leaders who choose which of the project
proposals to actually fund, not Google._

No, it's the other way around; each code project submits a proposal to Google,
and Google decides which project to accept or not (I'm part of a user group
which submitted SoC applications this year).

The user group ("mentoring organization" in Google's terms) does have to file
an application, once, at the beginning, so that Google can verify them, but
after that, each project proposal from that user group/mentoring organization
is subject to Google's approval.

Just being an established Open Source project does _not_ mean automatic entry
to the SoC.

~~~
jey
I was part of Google SoC in 2005, and it was Miguel de Icaza of the Mono
Project who reviewed and decided to accept my application. NOT Google. Google
just gives each project a certain number of slots to fill. So at least in
2005, it was the Open Source project that picked which applicants to fill
their slots with.

How would Google be able to judge the worth and merits of each proposal to the
OS project anyway? :)

I also did _not_ mean that being an established Open Source project meant that
the project automatically gets SoC slots. But it does seem to me like
established Open Source projects can pretty easily get slots for SoC. In other
words, Google isn't too picky, nor are they only looking for contributors to
the projects that Google finds useful.

~~~
dpapathanasiou
_So at least in 2005, it was the Open Source project that picked which
applicants to fill their slots with._

My only exposure to SoC is this year, so it sounds like the process has
changed.

Currently, the "mentoring organization" has to be accepted by Google (not sure
why really), but after that, each student proposal _also_ gets scrutinized by
Google as well -- I guess it's how they keep all those new hires busy ;)

 _But it does seem to me like established Open Source projects can pretty
easily get slots for SoC._

That's probably true, though I did hear anecdotal evidence about a large
number of Apache projects not getting funded for whatever reason -- it's
surprising, since you would think that Apache in particular would be important
to them, unless they're already beyond using Apache themselves.

