Summer Coding 2010 proposal - Misc Features for Ailurus

Project name
Misc Features for Ailurus

Reference
These features are all proposed by myself, based on Ailurus project: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Summer_Coding_2010_ideas_-_Customizable_application_installer

Description
Ailurus is an application which makes GNU/Linux distributions easier to use. It helps new users of GNU/Linux to install and configure software easily, and learn some useful Linux skills and so on.

Ailurus is a good software for newbies of GNU/Linux and also a good platform for developers. So I propose to add some new features to in and enhance some of the existing features.

What I will do:
 * Study Linux Component:
 * Linux Commandline Study: list the typical examples of most command, we can also crawl some wonderful commands from http://www.commandlinefu.com/
 * Linux System Study: Provide the basic knowledge of user's specific distribution, such as fedora, ubuntu and so on.Besides there's also a test system for these knowledge.
 * Put the existing features into a separate window.
 * Better "About Ailurus": add animation effect just like "About Gimp"
 * "System Settings" enhancement: specific font adjustment, login as root and so on

Python is the main developing language.

Timeline

 * Week 1: half a week for surveying and designing; in next half week, communicate with mentor and determine the detail scheme.
 * Week 2: implement the "Study Linux Component" feature.
 * Week 3: implement the "Better 'About Ailurus' " feature and " 'System Settings' enhancement " feature, and meanwhile invite other developers or users to test and find bugs.
 * Week 4: half a week for final testing and fixing bug, the other half for writing documents and project submission

In fact, designing, testing and writing documents goes simultaneously with writing codes. The timeline just shows the thing I'm mainly focused on during that period.

Convincing
As a senior student majoring in Computer Science of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, I've written a lot of codes, such as a simple compiler, DBMS, a Duplicate Document Detection system which has been used by business site http://zhaoren.me/ and SJTU LT-lab. Besides, I've used Linux as my developing environment for about 2 years and used python as one of my main programing languages. I have passion and eagerly hope to participate in the Open Source development.

Me and the community

 * 1) If your project is successfully completed, what will its impact be on the Fedora community?
 * 2) * My answer:
 * 3) *# Ailurus is a good software, but somehow weak in some points, especially the "Study Linux" component. So after this project, users will benefit from the "Study Linux" component of Ailurus and easier to learn more Linux skills. Besides, this project will make Ailurus enhanced and more functionally friendly to the users.
 * 4) * Mentor's answer:
 * 5) *# In my opinion, to tell others how to fish, is more important than to give others fish. This student aims at improving "Study Linux" component. His work is very useful. All Fedora users will take benefit from his work.
 * 6) * Fedora community's answer:
 * 7) What will you do if you get stuck on your project and your mentor isn't around?
 * 8) * First, search on the web and have a knowledge of what the problem is.
 * 9) * If I still get stuck, ask for help on IRC directly.
 * 10) * If still unsolved, ask for help on the related mailing list.
 * 11) * At last I'll talk with my mentor through Email and put my problem at on http://stackoverflow.com/ or http://www.linuxquestions.org/ and so on.
 * 12) In addition to the required blogging minimum of twice per week, how do you propose to keep the community informed of your progress and any problems or questions you might have over the course of the project?
 * 13) * I will be On IRC regularly, and also send the progress to mail-list and mentor.

Miscellaneous
We want to make sure that you are prepared before the project starts
 * 1) Can you set up an appropriate development environment?
 * 2) *Yes, of course. Already done
 * 3) Have you met your proposed mentor and members of the associated community?
 * 4) *Yes.
 * 5) What is your t-shirt size?
 * L

Comments
Use the Talk:Summer Coding 2010 student proposal application to actually make comment, which then appear here on the main proposal page. You can use this link to make a new comment].