0.11.10

This is the list of things I'd like to see in the October OpenHatch release.

There are two sections: The basically can't live without it items are the ones that are most crucial that we ship during October. The non-urgent ones would be amazing, but if we don't get to them in October, we'll deal.

We can change this document!

= Basically can't live without it =

Volunteer opportunity finder remains stable
As of 2011-10-03, there are 0 bugs more stale than two days. This is good news.

We need to watch it day by day to make sure that bugs successfully refresh themselves. If they don't, then I (Asheesh) can identify the problems and fix them.

Owner: Asheesh

Requirements list for the OpenHatch front page
We keep meaning to clean up the front page; we set goals like, "Integrate events with the front page."

Let's step back a moment and make a list of the things we want people to be able to find when they hit the front page. Once we have that list, we can go through the front page and make sure those items are easy to find.

Owner: ?


 * What the heck is this OpenHatch thing about, anyway? Why are people who are looking at our website here?

Campus Events plan, published
Recently on the Events mailing list, Asheesh said he wanted to run more on-campus events to teach students how to get involved with free software. In addition, he said he'd organize an online version of the event before the on-campus ones start.

Let's publish a timeline of when this will happen. That way, we can "show our work" and people can easy see the planned timeline.

Read more about the on-campus events here:


 * 
 * 
 * 

Owner: Asheesh

Buildhelper lets you edit via a textarea
A new, under-publicized feature of the project pages (e.g. https://openhatch.org/+projects/OpenHatch ) is the "buildhelper," a set of steps a new contributor would take that sets up a usable build environment.

Read more about the buildhelper here:


 * Try one:
 * Blog post:

Right now, we have a working (and simple) frontend and backend for the buildhelper. However, there is no way to edit a buildhelper document except from the Django admin interface.

I think we should:


 * Write code that converts the models to a text-based representation that looks like MediaWiki markup
 * Provide a textarea that lets people edit this MediaWiki markup
 * On save, render that markup into HTML, and then parse the HTML into buildhelper step objects for the database

Owner: ?

Provide a list of upcoming events on the front page of OpenHatch
OpenHatch is actively pursuing events. I think we should:


 * Create a tab on the front page that lists upcoming events
 * Link to information from the front page about why events are exciting

Owner: Asheesh, unless someone else wants it.

Skills needed: Django templates, plus CSS and a willingness to modify our templates and to accept feedback.

Initial implementation of handler for people who've clicked "I want to help"
Right now, when visitors to OpenHatch click a button on a project page indicating they want to help, we add them to a list. We have repeatedly received feedback that project maintainers want the ability to manage this as a queue.

(Recently, we've used the short-hand "IWH handler" to describe this -- "I Want to Help" handler.)

More info:


 * Mockup and conversation:
 * Related bugs:

Owner: ?

Skills needed: Familiarity (or willingness to learn) Django

Finish Missions Pedagogy page
Asheesh started a page that is a teaching-style guide for how to write a training mission. I think it should get finished:


 * More info: Missions pedagogy
 * Discussion (with no replies yet):

Owner: Asheesh (unless someone else wants it, in which case feel free!)

Skills needed: Willingness to think carefully about clarity in teaching.

= Non-urgent but important =

Project page reorganization
When you visit a project page within OpenHatch (e.g. https://openhatch.org/+projects/OpenHatch ) it is unclear which parts are ts are for new contributors, and which parts are for current maintainers.

In September, we began to discuss some UI changes to improve this.


 * More info:

Owner: ?

Skills needed: Django templates, plus small bits of Python, plus an ability to think critically about web layout.

Stop using embedded copy of patch parsing library
As described at, we have a copy of patch.py in our source code.

We should move it out so that it is a dependency, and make sure our tests pass.

Design a frame that provides context for OpenHatch users who visit bugs on other bug trackers
When you click out of the volunteer opportunity finder onto a bug, the bug tracker can be confusing.

We should make a mockup and discuss it.

More info:

Owner: ?

Skills needed:


 * Willingness to think critically about what information could improve newbies' experience on bug trackers

IRC training mission
One essential skill for many people, in terms of participating in open source projects, is being able to chat on IRC. Let's have a training mission for it.

More info:


 * Bug:
 * Discussion of possible plot:

Owner: Alex Ose said he aims to work on this

Skills needed: Solid understanding of IRC, and willingness to take feedback on the content of the training mission.