On 01/16/2013 11:16 AM, bawolff wrote:
Interesesting. Could this possibly work like gsoc but aimed at experianced devs instead of newbies? For example if I (in theory) had an idea for a new feature or extension that could have a large impact on how wikimedians use mediawiki could I potentially get a grant to work on such an idea over the summer?
Looking at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IEG#ieg-applying you can see the rules / principles of the game: scope of the projects, maximum budget, selection criteria...
A software development project contributing to Wikimedia's mission and strategic priorities could theoretically fit, and in fact all of the conditions defined there could be equally applicable to software projects (feasibility, skills/experience, community involvement, sustainability after the funded period...)
In your example the parallelism with GSOC would be restricted to the S, isn't it. :) It is more similar to a contract work between a community and a freelancer. You would need to define a project and a budget. If you convince the community and you get the deal you will ave no mentor assigned and you will need to report on a regular basis to your "customers". If you fail you will fail more as a professional freelancer + recognized community member than as a GSOC student showing up for the first time.
At least this is how I personally see it. I'm just learning about this program like anybody else.