Requesting Projects in the Global Education & Learning Community (GELC)

Welcome to GELC on java.net. This is a community of developers and education leaders that are dedicated to improving education and academic research through open source and open standards. The community supports almost any type of project from tools to help teachers to software used to run universities. We also support many academic research ventures from university projects and individual students.

Table of Contents

Why Host at Java.Net?

First, java.net is free (more on that later). The only requirement is that the project is distributed under an approved open source license and be rooted in a Java technology. We also have many tools to help your project succeed:

1. CVS Repository – We use a standard CVS to store and version code and web pages.
2. Document & File Storage – This is a capability similar to a web-based FTP. This allows you to upload and download documents and large binaries.
3. Bugzilla-based Issue Tracker – This is a great tool for tracking bugs and assigning work to developers.
4. Email List Groups – List groups let you communicated to a large number of people. In addition, the system logs the messages in a searchable repository.
5. Online Forums – Forums are like email, except they are more easily browsable on the web. Forums can act like a knowledge repository, capturing conversations and documenting solutions.
6. Wiki – A Wiki is a web-based documentation system that allows several people to add and modify data over time. Wiki has become a new standard for documenting many subjects, including software design. Think of the Wiki as your project’s shared notepad. There are many Wikies on java.net that can provide supporting information to your project.
7. Blogging and RSS Feeds – There is also a community of writers on java.net that are always talking about something new. Blogs can be searched or you can use RSS to see the latest blogs. The blogs are also posted as they relate to each community. In addition, each community filters the news to be relative to the community so the you get what is interesting to your area.
8. The java.net Community – The most useful part of java.net and the GELC community is that there are thousands of developers and hundreds of thousands of files and documents to help your project. Since the focus is on Java, finding an expert on some aspect of Java is just a few clicks away.
9. Support From O’Reilly, Collabnet, and Sun – Finally, this is a commercial venture at its roots. That means professional support from the companies involved.

Joining java.net

Joining is simple. Just go to this link: https://www.dev.java.net/servlets/Join and fill in the simple form to create your ID. You will be emailed to confirm that the email you provided is really yours. Becoming a member is the only way to create projects and to use the service in java.net. The process is very unobtrusive and your privacy will not be violated.

Types of Projects

There are two types of project: Linked and a normal project. Linked Projects - Linked projects are for projects that are hosted on other sites. Use linked projects when you just need help to promote your ‘open source’ software that is hosted by your company, on Source Forge or other open source host. Project – Hosted projects at java.net are the norm here.

Request a Project on java.net

Typically projects begin with one or more people. Some will grow into larger projects with many participants and several sub-projects associated to them, all in accordance with the java.net Guiding Principles. Each project has a project owner (the original requestor of the project) who monitors the project and allows users to join the project by granting them roles and permissions. Owners can be added by the primary owner. Request a Project on java.net

Starting a project is a simple process that begins by becoming a java.net member and requesting to start a project, and ends with an email notification once the project is set up. Approval of all new projects is conditional upon meeting requirements for valid projects as outlined in the java.net Guiding Principles, as determined by the Community Manager.

Typically projects begin with only a few people. Some will grow into larger projects with many participants and several sub-projects associated to them, all in accordance with the java.net Guiding Principles. Each project has a project owner who monitors the project and allows users to join the project by granting them roles and permissions.

If you have an existing web site, project, or community please consider linking to java.net.

Starting a New Project

1. Become a java.net member (http://www.dev.java.net/servlets/Join).
2. Review the Project Approval Requirements (http://java.net/project_requirements.csp ).
3. Complete the two Project Request forms. Start here: http://java.net/request_project_form.csp NOTE: There are two pages that must be filled in. Some information is repeated (like the project description) and must be completed on both pages. The reason for this is that there is info required by Sun and O’Reilly in order to properly list the project.
4. The Community Manager will review your request and contact you soon. This can take a few days. However, you can work on your project and even save files via cvs while your project is being reviewed.

Managing your project

Requesting a Linked Project

If you have already developed a mature web site or project with a solid infrastructure, and want added visibility to your vibrant community, you may simply choose to link your site to java.net.

Linking to java.net requires your site to be in accordance with the Guiding Principles of java.net and that you place a member button on your home page which will link back to java.net.

As a linked member of java.net, you will be placed in our member Directory giving you added visibility in the Java community. 1. Become a member of java.net (http://www.dev.java.net/servlets/Join). 2. Fill out the Link Web Form (http://java.net/linking_form.csp) which provides us with basic information about your community. 3. Download the member button (http://today.java.net/today/javanet_button.csp) and place it in on your homepage. 4. Send an e-mail to projectupdate@admin.dev.java.net when the member button is posted on your project’s home page. 5. We will add you to the member Directory and notify you when you are linked.

After Your Project is Created

Now you may want to create a custom home page (index.html)* for your Project (connect to cvs, login with your java.net user ID and password and then checkout everything for the module which will be your project name (if your project name is “foo” your project is hosted at foo.dev.java.net, then the module is “foo”. Make sure you edit your project and enable checkbox for index.html once you've created your homepage.

Check out the project start-up kit: https://java-net.dev.java.net/ProjectPages.html

Also, go to the Help Wanted page to recruit members for your project: http://community.java.net/help_wanted/

Make sure you are in our people wiki. It's a great place to learn about members and to tell the community about yourself. http://wiki.java.net/bin/view/People/WebHome

Robert Stephenson and I are here to help. Please let us know what you need.

Note that I am placing you into the incubator project first until you get up to speed. Let me know what sub project you would like to be hosted in and I'll switch it there. Moving sub-projects does not affect your data so you can feel free to do anything you want in your project. CVS & File System

As for your data, the system has two areas: cvs and 'Documents & Files'. The cvs system holds the web pages and your project code. The instructions for the cvs can be found at: https://YOUR-PROJECT.dev.java.net/source/browse/YOUR-PROJECT/ Example: https://jxta-remote-desktop.dev.java.net/source/browse/jxta-remote-desktop/

Note that this is also the page where you can browse your cvs from the web. The web pages start in the www directory of the cvs tree.

The process for moving existing files is simple but can be tricky. I would check out your current code, remove all the cvs directories and files, and then add/commit the tree to the new cvs. If you need more specific help, let me know.

The 'Documents & Files' are is a simple FTP-like facility which has no version control, but allows you to lock files and to status them for a simple workflow. Use this area for code releases and key documents. Also use this area for any large binaries that do not need to be version controlled. You can find your documents and files page at: https://YOUR-PROJECT.dev.java.net/servlets/ProjectDocumentList Example: https://jxta-remote-desktop.dev.java.net/servlets/ProjectDocumentList

java.net Guiding Principles

java.net is a place where people interested in the creative use of Java[tm] technology come to discuss issues, share code and techniques, and work to improve the entire Java technology-based ecology. The Community consists of many smaller self-governing sub-communities where people and organizations with similar interests can collaborate however they choose, provided they respect the java.net Guiding Principles. Individuals and communities may join java.net only if they agree to these principles.

The following are the initial java.net guiding principles:

• Maintain Compatibility: Each member and project is dedicated to the philosophy of the Java platform, which states that a common, compatible platform across a variety of hardware and software operating environments is essential for innovation. The value proposition, Write Once, Run Anywhere, is at the heart of this philosophy.
• Maintain Focus: Each member and project is dedicated to the open and principled discussion of the direction, nature, and use of Java technologies, consistent with the overarching goals and principles of the Java language.
• Freedom of Speech: To the extent it does not injure others and is consistent with these guiding principles, any content is welcome in the community.
• Equal Rights and Opportunities: All community projects and members - whether companies, organizations, or individuals - are treated equally.
• Equal Participation: All who embrace these guiding principles are welcome to join the community.
• Fair Processes: Community activities treat all community members and projects fairly and without discrimination.
• Recombination: Wherever possible, all contributions of source code, intellectual property, and copyrighted materials should be made available for others to build upon and share.

Understanding Why Sun, O'Reilly, & Collabnet are hosting java.net

Why is Sun offering this service for free? The answer is not straight forward, but it is simple. By allowing developers to use free services, innovation and productivity increase.

Innovation requires hardware, tools, and consulting services eventually to run in large-scale implementations. Such work also promotes further adoption of Java technology that also leads to further markets for Sun to enter.

There is nothing wrong with an act of gift to those that use it. In society, in fact it is wired into our brains, we exchange gifts. Thus if Sun gives a developer the gift of a community and developer resources, that developer is likely to return that gift in the form of purchasing Sun products, services and consulting.

The second way that Sun gains is the adoption and reinforced used of Java technology. This is simply a matter of inertia. If you create or participate in an open source project, you are not just enforcing your java skills, you are making them the primary skill and thus your primary choice for future projects.

I believe that a lot of this has been occurring since Java was created. The difference with java.net is that we are building a much larger community with many more resources available in a single place. This is unlike individual open source projects or communities like Source Forge that have a community of developers, but not a cohesive community of Java developers. In addition O’Reilly helps to manage the training, news and information of the site to give it a professional polish.

The Organization of java.net

Communities also have sub-communities. At java.net we range from games to enterprise, to education. There are so many and hard to list them all. I am part of several of these communities, but I concentrate on GELC as a community manager. I am also a board member and individual contributor of jxta.org, a federated java.net community. Each community and federated community helps to concentrate like-minded individuals. This helps to also concentrate the flow of information.

Within GELC, we further divide the community into specific areas. Again, this helps individuals locate those with similar goals and find projects that meet their needs. High School teachers are not interested in the software used to run a university, so we cater to these separately.

We also have a mix of Sun, private individuals, O’Reilly, and Collabnet people that are managing different aspects of the infrastructure and community management. We are moving toward a model where most positions are elected. Primarily this is done to ensure that we are a real community and not a Sun or O’Reilly managed site. Community leaders are found everywhere, not just at the core companies. However there will probably always be those that need to work for java.net full time. This is a large site and some communities require a lot of work to keep running smoothly. Management by Collabnet as an example requires a team to manage the software and servers for our core services.

A Vision for java.net

by Richard P. Gabriel Ph.D. MFA

Computer Scientist, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

The goal of java.net is to stimulate the expansion of a diverse resource portfolio of Java[tm] technology by building a web-based community where developers, educators, researchers, business people, users, consultants, methodologists, managers, and others interested in the Java platform language can come to learn, teach, converse, and collaborate. Such a portfolio would include frameworks, libraries, applications, courses, books, methodologies, papers, research reports and data, articles, sample code, tutorials, and well-educated and talented developers.

java.net is made up of individuals and new, existing, or spontaneous ad hoc communities. It is a place for peers with common problems to come together to solve them collaboratively. For example: educators can collaborate to develop courses; companies sharing infrastructure can work together to improve it; business people can discuss the shape of the market; and researchers working on related topics can pool their resources.

An existing community that is related to Java technology may join via federation, thereby remaining essentially as they are with linkages between themselves and java.net, including news feeds and cross-postings. Other communities may build their community places using infrastructure available from java.net. Such places can be communities of interest or full-fledged open source projects. Spontaneous communities can spring up using wikis, mail lists, discussion groups, and blogs.

In short, java.net is a community tied together by a common thread: the desire to move forward using Java technology.

Why the need for java.net?

As Java technology moves into the mainstream and the work within industries and domains becomes more specialized, developers, researchers, educators, and business people can become insulated, thereby robbing themselves of opportunities for unexpected collaboration and innovation. And though there are collections of resources and assistance, as well as open source projects, and excellent tools, they are all scattered.

Work needs to be done as Java technology is built out and applications are written. java.net was created to keep the momentum going and building, to provide a single place to collaborate and interact, and to bring these scattered individuals, groups, organizations, companies, and many projects together, much as great cities are a source of creative energy by bringing together diversity in close proximity.

Why would such a community succeed?

Every place great with creativity is a confluence of smaller communities of interest and practice whose proximity serves as triggers for further creation. Renaissance Florence was great not because there were only painters there, but because there were also sculptors, goldsmiths, poets, writers, clerics, architects, builders, and an expectation of great creation. Today in places like San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and San Diego, there is tremendous diversity of thought, artists, technologists, chefs, theaters, and workshops. This is why companies and individuals flock to those places; that's why it's invigorating to be a part of them.

A recent study on the transformation of work includes this quote about creativity and places like this:

Creative people . . . cluster in places that are centers of creativity and also where they like to live. From classical Athens and Rome, to the Florence of the Medici and Elizabethan London, to Greenwich Village and the San Francisco Bay Area, creativity has always gravitated to specific locations. As the great urbanist Jane Jacobs pointed out a long time ago, successful places are multidimensional and diverse - they don't just cater to a single industry or a single demographic group; they are full of stimulation and creative interplay. - The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida

Stimulating a technological community is not a matter of more and better resources, though those are necessary. Invigoration is not a question of things but of people and attitudes--invigoration is a matter of the feeling of optimism, of being part of an energetic community, of creating new things, of being part of something important.

In building a place where people and communities working with the Java technology language can gather, we are hoping to bring together ideas and people who would otherwise rarely meet. By creating a place where projects can be worked on, we are hoping to create a context where helping and sharing can take place. And by making the experience of the place paramount, we are hoping that enthusiasm and a positive attitude toward Java technology can grow and persist. From these things a tremendous market for Java technology language products can blossom.

In a context like this, the communities will do what they do best: Create a wide-ranging portfolio of resources. In doing this they would be mimicking the great cities in history, which were not simply confluences of diverse and creative people, but also sources of rich culture, galleries, books, workshops, teachers, students, cafés, restaurants, cuisines, architectural styles, and building methods. A great city is creative only if things are created there.

java.net -- a source for collaboration on Java technology

At the foundation of java.net is an open source hosting infrastructure--a collection of tools that open source projects need to be successful. java.net itself is not primarily an open source site, but open source people and projects are exemplars of the guiding principles of java.net.

The most important technological part of java.net is the community-support infrastructure, which includes mail lists, identities and personalities, reputation, weblogs, and wikis. These support communities, whose activities may include working on artifacts center on interaction, discussion, reading, and experiencing.

Mechanisms for interaction and discussion are the heart of java.net

Mail lists and discussion groups can serve a lively collection of people—a small community—who share common interests they enjoy discussing. When paired with a document or a code repository, these simple mechanisms can help a community share artifacts and work on them—with just these, one can form a small, ad hoc, open-artifact community.

Identity and personality are mechanisms for developing a persona or a person one would like to be. At java.net, people can establish their identitiy as it relates to Java technology.

Reputation is merit that accumulates over time as one moves toward being a respected elder. In an open source community, it is the merit one accumulates by making good contributions and commenting wisely. On e-auction sites, it is the reputation one gains by acting as a good buyer or seller.

A weblog or blog is a type of online diary or journal. Weblogs enable people without much web experience to create, format, and post diary-like entries with ease. Some weblogs point to articles or other blogs elsewhere on the web, often with comments.

A wiki is a collaborative web site that enables web documents to be authored collectively using a simple markup scheme and without the content being reviewed prior to its acceptance. The resulting collaborative hypertext document is typically produced by a community of interest.

With this collection of tools, combined with a community host, and entertaining human guides, java.net will be a place where a diverse population of communities and individuals can meet to discuss common interests, work on common projects, find new ways to work, develop tools and informal libraries, find commonalities, work on innovations, help each other solve problems, and generally find enjoyment among peers and people of like minds.

java.net is an open, equal opportunity place

A company, open source project, university, research group, individual, user group, hobbyist group, or other organization can join java.net and start their own community of interest and open source project, or they can federate into java.net and join the conversations through syndication and other community infrastructure. java.net communities, whether federated or native, have full access to each other, and cross pollination is encouraged.

java.net encourages its member communities and individuals to be open and collaborative. By interacting with others, a community can gather more and better feedback, uncover synergies, expand itself, and spread the adoption of its values.

To foster the organic growth of java.net, its initial governance is based on a set of principles and aon small set of simple mechanisms. As java.net matures, the members of java.net can adjust the governance to fit its own needs.

The convergence of communities and individuals is the funnel or gate for the ultimate goal of java.net, which is to create a fabric of resources in the form of code, documents, courses, expertise, conversations, and markets. java.net is the gathering place where all these things will be created and collected, forming the foundation for even further innovation in the use of Java technology.

-- DanielBrookshier - 30 Aug 2004