My name is Jonathan Hurlock I'm 21 and currently studying for a bachelors of science in computer science with honors at the University of Wales, Swansea (http://www.swan.ac.uk). I'm currently in my 2nd year of a 3 year undergraduate course. I've been a member of the Joomla! community since mid September 2005, very soon after the creation of Joomla! I was also a member of the Mambo community. I have created several websites using Joomla! and mambo. Some which have one awards
. If I'm not fiddling with a website, I'm normally just studying or spending time with friends and family i enjoy traveling and have lived in several countries through my life including England, Wales, USA, Thailand and Bahrain.This is a proposed project for a Google Summer of Code Joomla! Project.I am very keen to try and help improve Joomla!. Even if i don't get a place on the summer of code team, I would very much like to try and work on a Joomla! based project to help improve Joomla!. Also if anyone has any comments about this proposal such as this isn't really what we are looking for, or maybe if you changed this or that, it would be much appreciated if you could contact me, best probably to PM me. I am very keen to try and get accepted to work on a Joomla! Summer of Code Project and this was just and idea that i had. If this is not want is wanted I was wondering if some of the mentors could possibly message me with some ideas or inspiration for ideas of what i could add to Joomla!.
Through out my degree i have learn to program using Java, C, Prolog, Haskell, SQL and Maude. But in my spare time i have taught my self (X)HTML, CSS, some JavaScript, and am currently increasing my knowledge of PHP and LaTeX/TeX. I have experience using EMC2 Documentum (http://www.documentum.com) through a summer job, and was probably my first introduction to content management systems which spurred by interest into content management systems. Working with Joomla! over the last few years has really be a pleasure, as the community seem really nice and friendly giving help and advise when ever needed. I have tried to help where i can as well. I have looked and edited some of the Joomla code for sites, to tailor it more specifically to the clients needs.
I would like to improve the current Messaging component which is accessible in the backend of a Joomla! Installation. I would like to expand the message component. So that it has a bigger purpose, allowing it to be more like a mail-client. Allowing it to features such as:
[1] Being able to send messages to multiple recipients and user groups (e.g. editors/administrators etc.)
[2] Search for users by username/name/surname etc. when choosing who to send messages to
[3] Send and receive attachments with messages.
[4] Be able to have a view of all messages like as seen in normal mail client programs.
[5] Be able to have folders where messages can be arranged e.g. a inbox 'folder' and sent items 'folder' etc.
[6] Be able to preform searches on mail items, by content, by sender / subject etc.
[7] Possibly be able to send e-mails to people outside of Joomla! site
[8] And possibly allowing a Java based Joomla mailing application which allows you to send and receive messages via the application just like SITEman/DOCman/BLOGman(http://www.joomlatools.org/) does for adding editing content. As this will allow members of a specific Joomla! site to communicate via a desktop application.
The first 6 of the tasks that i have listed above would be my milestones, and the other two would be an extra if i had time
. I think that the first six seem to be very realistic tasks, and if i seem to have excess time on my hands i would very much like to work on task 8 and seven, but first of all i would have to get the previous tasks working. The upgrade will require me to use XHTML, PHP, SQL as well as CSS.I think by improving communication with in a web team you can only improve the product! Ive been working with Xtreme Radio (http:///www.xtremeradio.org/) for the last 2 years, and if we ever want to discuss anything about the site or changes for the site, we have e-mail different members of the society there is no advanced inbuilt messaging service. I think that the message component could do with a nice upgrade, and should be a rather nice project to work on, i don't know if it would be appropriate for a Google SoC project but i would like to propose this as a project for SoC and if someone is willing to help mentor me through the project it would be great! If it is not appropriate I would be very happy to take suggestions ideas on to what would be appropriate.
By entering Google SoC I want to learn how to increase my knowledge and experience of PHP and MySQL. As well as learning how to work as part of an international team on such a large project, producing a product for all kinds of people around the world whilst hopefully enjoying myself. More specifically it will help me increase my knowledge of Joomla! which is always a good thing
as Joomla seems to grow from strength to strength.Any response to this would be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading this,
Jonathan Hurlock
