Say hello to the actual
Liquid Galaxy mentors team for GSoC 2024
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- April 2:
Google has closed the GSoC platform for proposal presentation, so we started the contributor selection process. Stay tuned for May 1, when Google will announce the chosen ones, and good luck to everybody who has presented a proposal, and thank you for being an active part of this galactic community :)
. 7.000+ views on our main and unique GSoC 2024 post (this one)
- Project Presentation Day
This year wanna-be GSoC contributors will have to make a presentation of their proposal in a 3 minutes slot.
Start to prepare your GOOGLE slides, 3 maximum plus 1 for your name, and have your script ready for April 15, 16:00 CET. --Google Slides edited for clarity--
It’s a must to attend, if not prepare your own video with your face and shared slides and sent it to our gmail before April 13.
When you have your slides ready send an email to our Gmail and request for the Meet for the presentation, which will be in an unknown order for you, so you have to attend all the stream.
GSoC Google platform
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- Goal: to create small open-sourced applications in Flutter for the Liquid Galaxy
The applications will run on tablets only, targeting Android 13, API LEVEL 33.
The working application should demo a simple use case accessing a LLM and/or AI voice API,and interacting with the Liquid Galaxy screens, sending the coordinates, text or whatever is the return of your query, or listening in the tablet the received sound. -edited for clarity-
- Participants: the contest is open to all Liquid Galaxy contributors
- Dates: The last day to send us all the materials is April 18, no excuses there.
- App: You have to send us a Google Drive folder with the following contents:
. Documentation in Google Docs
. A link to your GitHub project.
. Video: recorded in HD, horizontally, with you introducing yourself, presenting the app functionalities, showing the app, and showing the virtual liquid galaxy accepting commands from your app.
. Apk compiled targeting minimum Android 13 (API 33).
- Jury: will have Google Developer Experts in Flutter and Liquid Galaxy project mentors.
- Awards:
1st:
100 $ in cash (through Paypal)
Xtorm mobile accessory (50$)
2nd:
Xtorm mobile accessory (50$)
1, 2 and 3: Big swag pack, with shirts and stickers of Flutter, Flutter Lleida, Liquid Galaxy and more.
Everybody sending an app that works and follows rules: a certificate of participation.
And of course awareness for final selection on GSoC !!! That will be days aways.
- Mentions: All participants releasing a functional application will receive a certificate of participation, will be mentioned on our site, and social networks, and have another opportunity to present their project in a special Liquid Galaxy streaming that will be held on April 23, 2024, 16:00 CET.
- Promotional events: the projects will be shown at several Google Developers events across Spain and maybe Europe. Google will also be informed.
- Disclaimer: We do reserve the right to modify or improve or make final decisions on the winner selection.
Remember, this contest is to motivate you to code, learn and help others, and be near selection to the GSoC 2024.
Liquid Galaxy 7th Community Meeting
- 34 Interviews are on the way, 10 have been completed by the mentor team!
- Lack or excess of content in the proposals
- Excess: proposals have to be focused, on the original idea, please do not copy paste code and extend the proposal to be 25+ pages. Do not copy code from the internet of from AI, as the mentors will be interviewing for your abilities in the end and they are not looking for code that is copied from somewhere else.
- Lack: To stand out, proposals need to focus on their objective. Unfortunately, some proposals include a lot of text and code, but lack the crucial data and visuals that are essential for effectively conveying the proposal's goal and significance.
- Lack: Mockups on both and Liquid Galaxy are of utmost importance. You will be evaluated based on the quality of the user experience on the tablet and the effectiveness of the visualization on the Ig. This aspect constitutes around 75% of the project, data can be around 25%.
Issues with some proposals
- Project name is very important, please follow the naming conventions Liquid Galaxy has asked you to make, as they are dealing with many documents and can get lost.
- GSoC platforms does not allow commenting, so please allow your Google Docs for commenting so that mentors are able to comment.
- Andreu will be invited to the meets with the mentors as he has to keep track of who is interviewing when. This does not mean that he will be there as it is the mentor's time to get to know you.
- Once you have submitted your proposal to the GSoC platform, it will undergo an internal review process and will soon reach the mentor interview stage. Don’t send multiple emails saying you have finished the proposal. Just wait for an email from your respective mentor.
AI Issues:
Liquid Galaxy is not an AI project, but rather a visualization project.
AI model fine-tuning is not feasible within the GSoC Timeline, considering the time constraints.
Can do this now before contributors are declared or in the Community Bounding Period.
The goal of the contributors has to have nice KML presentations on the LG rig, next to a great Flutter UX including database and logic core, running on Android 13 tablets.
Project Typologies
Using Open Source models, running on local AI server or in the cloud
Model has to be Gemma from Google
Others can be used like Bark, for voice, must be Open source
Using closed source models, on the cloud
Model has to be Gemini by Google.
Being accessed by the API or via Google cloud console.
The API key is used only in the development phase and not when deployed.
Groq (not Grok)
Used for fastest inference of Gemma model
Price is the cheapest and is the fastest LPU for use currently.
It has a free limit of 20 requests/min currently.
The LG AI Server:
CPU: Intel Xeon E3 1271 v3 (4C/8T - max freq 4GHz)
GPU: Nvidia 1080
RAM MEMORY: 16GB DDR3
DISK CAPACITY: 1TB
LINUX DISTRO: Rocky Linux (version 9.2)
Refer to some of the sessions conducted by the mentors and some fellow contributors for reference.
Pre-prompting
We are able to engineer a prompt to send data to the model before or next to the prompts sent it in by the user, to make it behave more like how we want it to behave.
For example, if a user talks about a place they want to navigate to, we can ask the LLM models ask for the KML file so we can navigate to the place without the user explicitly asking for the code.
Pre-made prompts library:
All AI projects must incorporate a library containing at least 20 pre-created and tested prompts. These prompts should be similar to demos, allowing users to select one and have the system execute the desired task effortlessly.
Short prompts: never allow the user to enter more than a dozen words, our objectives are visual, not textual.
Voice:
This year, voice is going to be a vital element in projects, and incorporating it is top priority
Open source model Bark by Mentor Vedant Singh can be used or other cloud-based and paid options are available.
Deepgram, Elevenlabs, VAPI, Zerobot, etc.
Bark Model:
Bark model is developed by Suno-AI, it is a text-to-audio AI model that simplifies the conversion of text into audio. With a text message sent to the API endpoint, you can generate the audio as a response.
Mentor Vedant has dockerized the API which is available on DockerHub, which is more natural than the default tts package on Flutter.
KML Issues
Coding KML on the flutter application:
Code can be written in Java/Kotilin and called in the Flutter application to show custom visualisations and the KML content in the Google Maps.
Can have all the coordinates in the GeoJson format
3D issues on Google Map:
Google maps is flattened version of Google Earth, Mentor Yash displayed code for showing the trajectories in 3D.https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android-sdk/advanced-markers/add-marker
https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/polyline-simple
Google Maps
How to have a seamless interaction between Google Earth via Google Maps!
Google Earth has an elevation level, but Google Maps does not have this.
A Google employee has calculated the meters/px code (can be found on StackOverflow) that converts this for a smooth translation.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/google-maps-js-api-v3/hDRO4oHVSeM
Ideal Proposal
Should be simple (but not too simple), straightforward and to the point, only focusing on the project.
LG does not want too many code snippets, such as connecting to the LG or sending API requests.
The project overview should have:
A brief project description
List of features or highlights of the app
Each feature should be described from the user's perspective
Very brief technical description of how contributors will achieve the feature from a dev's perspective
While technical details are important, it's essential to avoid overwhelming complexity and including irrelevant code snippets. We believe that excessive code is often used to increase the page count of the proposal rather than provide valuable insights.
A concise 15-page proposal that accurately describes the project and its development, rather than a lengthy 30-page proposal with excessive code snippets.
Prioritizing quality over quantity is essential.
Quality >> quantity. Always!
Think of it as you are pitching the project to a non-technical client for 70% of the content, and the remaining 30% should be on the technical details regarding the techs and how you will achieve your goals.
UI/UX can be considered a feature as well, use the UI layouts to describe the app flor wfrom the user's perspective.
Technical details aren't bad, but limit them. Do not copy paste code without describing them. Describe the project as you are trying to sell it.
Structure the proposal sequentially, use bullet points rather than plain paragraphs.
Linked Technologies: Briefly mention the technologies you plan to use, their purpose, and where you intend to implement them in your project.
Timeline: Follow a regular 12-week timeline for the coding period, excluding the community bonding period.
Finetuning is not a priority!
Proposal Defence Day:
Wanna be GSoC contributors will have to make a presentation for 3 minutes slot.
Start making and sending the slides to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com they should be maximum of 3 slides.
#BuildwithAI & Flutter KISS contest :
Deadline to send the material is April 18.
Build simple KISS apps that query a Google LLM, such as Gemma or Gemini and paints back some answers on the LG rig.
Prizes:
1st:
100 $ in cash (through Paypal)
Xtorm mobile accessory (50$)
2nd:
Xtorm mobile accessory (50$)
1, 2 and 3: Big swag pack, with shirts and stickers of Flutter, Flutter Lleida, Liquid Galaxy and more.
Everybody sending an app that works and follows rules: a certificate of participation.
Awareness for final selection on GSoC !!!
Liquid Galaxy 6th Community Meeting
Do not copy code from others! Mentors will ask questions in the interviews and they will know if you can code or not.
Do not write big chunks of code! The maximum amount of pages required for the proposal is 10 pages. Be more descriptive about your idea.
Please allow your proposals to open for comments! Mentors will not be able to leave feedback and help! These instructions are all on the website, so please read everything as all the required information is on there.
Dual mode is expected in the application, make sure that the app has to be able to run standalone, so integration with Google Maps is required.
For task 4, please email liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com, selecting 5 projects you are interested in. The team will review their internal sheet to determine which ones have too many people already working on it and the team will let you know to switch to a different project with fewer people and a project that better suits your tech stacks and interests.
After presenting your proposal, you’ll have to wait for a mentor’s interview.
Interview Goals:
A mentor may contact you by email where you will need to CC them, asking for available dates.
The interview will be of 3 minutes to expose your project details and the calendar. A note will be taken of the soft skills, such as being polite, following the rules, and accomplishing calendars.
Please do not reach out directly to mentors! Contributors must have a clear mental roadmap of how they will be achieving the objectives of the project.
At this moment, we are asking many wanna-be-contributors to offer to help contributors, by doing streamings, updating documentation, etc.
Some contributors having AI projects give too much time for the area of training data, it is vital but focus on other things such as visualisations etc.
For AI projects, your proposals should not take fine-tuning your models, as it is only a small part of your project. Proposals that have too much information regarding this will be discarded.
For your applications it will be:
- FIFO preliminary order
- Prereqs
- Collaboration on Discord
- Extra activities
- Proposal(s)
- Future collaboration: Google wants contributors to stay with their organizations to stay after the program.
- Negative points can also be
The team is searching for contributors who want to dive into the LG discord and take all the problems and solutions found into a document.
- This will be incorporated as soon as the LG Wiki is launched.
There are special presentations where the team is looking for people who can present for:
- AI
- Flutter
- UX/UI Design
The presentation will be of 3 slides maximum and will be conducted in 3-minute slots. It’s a must to attend, but if not then you must send the video to the gmail before 13th April.
- Until March 18: Wanna-e-contributors will be required to finish the 4 prereq tasks, which involve crafting their proposals and continuing to contribute to the community.
- From March 19 - April 2, contributors will be required to submit their proposals through the program website.
- April 2 to April 23: The LG team will review all submitted GSoC contributor proposals. They will rank them in a large sheet based on activities, tasks, and behaviour.
- April 24 to April 29, Google will assign them N slots for the year.
- May 1, Google will announce accepted GSoC 2024 contributors.
- May 1- May 26: Community bonding period
- May 26: Deadline to notify of inactive contributors to be removed from the program.
- May 27: Coding begins
Questions:
1.How to make sure that the timeline written in the proposal will went well for GSoC? - Rofayda Bassem
A) The timeline has to make sense for the tasks. The main focus will be on how the bigger tasks are subdivided into smaller tasks, also how the time is allocated for the tasks.
2. Should we have the proposal already written by now? - Pablo Asenjo
A) It is important to send the proposals to the team as soon as possible so that the team has enough time to comment and have a chance to interview you. If you submit too late, the team will not have time to view your proposals to potentially interview.
3.Are the three maximum slides only for content or will they need to include any mockups or diagrams we want to display as well on the proposal defense day? - Aritra Biswas
A) It will be maximum of 3 minutes and up to 3 slides where the team will ask us time is up when 3 minutes are up.
4. Can you give us examples about the code snippets should be put inside the proposal ? I wanna get an intuition about the code you are interested in. - Peter Atef
A) The code should be based on the proposal. So stuff such as how can you connect to LG, and the general outline on the code of how the project will be built.
Mentor Alfredo will have a stream to teach how to integrate Flutter applications using Google Gemini, so don't miss it!
5th Community Meeting at the Liquid Galaxy project
Agenda
Build with Al Gemini and Gemma
The Al years
Our Al server
Flutter integration
Our Al projects
Q&A
Thanks to Ryan and Manas for taking the notes
ting Started AI Year
Google's Gemini via API or Google Cloud Console APIs, upon location
Google's Gemma open model running local in our Docker based LG Al server
Other open LLM, running local in our Docker based LG Al server
Google Technologies
Gemma (Open-source model for local AI server)
Gemini (For cloud based inference)
AI Server Specifications:
CPU: Intel Xeon E3 1271 v3 (4C/8T - max freq 4GHz)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970
RAM MEMORY: 16GB DDR3
DISK CAPACITY: 1TB
LINUX DISTRO: Rocky Linux (version 9.2)
Integrating Al Models with your Android Apps
(by mentor Vedant Singh)
General Steps To integrate an AI model in your project
Finding an appropriate AI model to your use case
Ask questions to the community and go through documentations
Vedant Experience trying using text to speech
Tried the model out, locally: https://github.com/suno-ai/bark
Had issues with the format of the audio used
Created a Flask API for the model
Making a docker file specifying the exact versions of the softwares used
Uploaded a docker container with the model and the API to DockerHub.
What is Docker?
Explaining compatibility with mobile devices
Completed documentation for the Flask API, so it can act as reference for new contributors.
Main Points
Gemini API, it is paid, and it works on the cloud.
Gemma, an open-source model having two versions one having 2b parameters and 7b models.
Go through datasets from Hugging Face and finetune the LLM for the specific use case.
Make sure that the model runs locally in the AI server in Lleida. Compare the specifications of the AI Server and the one you use to test the model.
Build an API for the model, and it is to be run locally so no need for hosting.
Dockerize the model with API and push the container to DockerHub.
For running the model on the GPU, NVIDIA Container Toolkit has to be installed in Docker.
Step 1 :
Search for open-source AI models from the hugging face Open-LLM Leaderboard https://huggingface.co/spaces/HuggingFaceH4/open_Ilm_leaderboard
Step 2:
Adjust the model, tune it with a dataset that meets the needs
Refine the output
Increase accuracy
Make the agent suitable for the personalized needs of your application
Adjust the model to consume less resources
Step 3:
Make sure it runs locally. Not only on your computer, but the Al Server in the Lleida Lab. (final demonstration there)
Compare your hardware with LG LAB server`s hardware.
The OS being used is Rocky Linux 9.2 .
Note: Any changes in the configuration of the Al server will be informed to you if your project involves its use
Step 4:
Build an API for it, it is going to be running locally so focus on a local-only API
For building an API, Flask, FastAPl, Django REST, Starlette or any one you like.
Your networking should be solid, your server should be accessible in the subnet, keep tabs on which port you are opening it for.
Step 5: Dockerize your agent and API and push it to DockerHub.
Keep in mind that when Docker comes into the picture, networking also becomes a bit complex, the port/subnet on which APl is running in the Dockerized container might not be the same as the Al Server.
Also, although your model might use GPU while running locally on your computer, that might not be the case when it is Dockerized in a container, so take care of that. NVIDIA Container Toolkit necessary to use GPU inside the Docker.
Ask me for help if that happens, I will be available to help you.
Introduction to Google’s LLM Gemini model: (by Siddharth Mudgil)
Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) are advanced AI models that can process and generate content across multiple modalities such as text, images, audio, and video.
Gemini is a family of multimodal large language models developed by Google. It consists of three models Gemini Ultra, Gemini Pro, and Gemini Nano. It was announced on December 6, 2023, as a competitor to OpenAI's GPT-4.
Gemini has three different versions:
Gemini Nano stands out as the most lightweight and efficient option. Specifically designed for mobile devices, it operates directly on these devices, providing a seamless and optimized user experience.
Gemini Pro: Middle tier model, and is currently powering Google Bard and is more capable than GPT-3.5 in 6 different benchmarks.
The Gemini Ultra model, which is the top-tier model, is a Large Language Model (LLM) that surpasses GPT-4 in all categories.
Using Gemini model:
Enhanced productivity: Streamline workflows, overcome creative blocks, and access information
More Personalized experiences: Tailored recommendations and support based on individual needs and preferences.
Easy Access of knowledge: Make complex information more accessible and understandable for everyone.
Broader societal impact: Potential applications in various fields like education, healthcare, and scientific research.
Build a Flutter app with Gemini: (by mentor Victor Carreras)
The Google Al Dart SDK enables developers to use Google's state-of-the-art generative AI models in their apps. Some of the use cases are:
Generate text from text-only input
Generate text from text-and-images input (multimodal)
Build multi-turn conversations (chat) |
Get a Google AI Studio API Key (VPN if not available in your region)
Generate text from text-only input
Use the gemini-pro model and the generateContent function to produce text output when the prompt input consists just of text:
Generate text from text-and-image input (multimodal)
Gemini provides a multimodal model (gemini-pro-vision), so you can input both text and images.
When the prompt input includes both text and images, use the gemini-pro-vision model with the generateContent method to generate text output:
Build multi-turn conversations (chat)
For creating a multi-turn conversation (like chat), you should utilize the gemini-pro model. Initialize the chat by employing the startChat() function. After that, you can use the sendMessage() function to send a fresh user message. This will also incorporate the message and the response into the chat history.
Use streaming for faster interactions
To enhance interaction speed, you can use streaming to process partial results. This allows you to receive responses as they are generated, rather than waiting for the completion of the entire generation process, which is the default behavior.
In this example, the method is utilized to showcase streaming capabilities. This method generates text based on a combination of text and image input prompts.
4th Community Meeting at the Liquid Galaxy project
Notes by Pablo and Ryan , thanks
Agenda
Joining the community
How the application process works
GSOC 2024 upcoming dates
Internal selection process
Liquid Galaxy way
Our preferred tech stack
Github in 2024 GSOC projects
Reverse thinking for real in 2024
Proposals how to
Sample of mentor project presentations:
Oscar's AIS liquid galaxy
Q&A
Getting Started with the Community
To join the Liquid Galaxy community and receive updates:
Email: Use the team email liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com, not personal addresses.
Discord: Direct message admin "andreu" with your full name, email, skills, and interests.
Make sure to join our Discord server if you want to get started with Liquid Galaxy! This will include introducing yourself in the server and DMing Andreu with your email, first+last name, tech stack, and interests, so Andreu can add you to the list of interested contributors and give you further instructions on how to get started.
Please make sure that Liquid Galaxy is an open-source community, please always try to keep the conversations in the public server so everyone can help contribute and ask/answer any questions that may exist.
Google Developers Event Platform
Liquid Galaxy will send notifications and reminders about upcoming events through the GDG platform, to make sure you never miss any events such as live streams for community sessions and workshops by industry experts. It is better if you come to lots of events to show your willingness to participate in the community! If you are interested, remember to RSVP to the events via the link you receive through email!
Upcoming streamings Live streaming
There are two upcoming live streaming events on Google events platform:
Live streaming and Q&A on how to install a Liquid Galaxy virtual rig in 2024 by Mahinour on March 5th.
Build with AI, Google training series discussing using models in projects and reviewing past and new projects for the year. This event is on March 5th as well.
Attending and RSVPing for these events is encouraged, as it can be helpful when selecting contributors for future opportunities.
GSOC 2024 Upcoming Dates:
Before March 18th:Students work on 4 pre-requisites, including proposals and community contributions.
March 19th - April 2nd: Students must submit proposals through the program website.
April 2nd - 23rd:Proposals are reviewed and ranked based on various factors, such as proposals and contribution to the community.
April 24th - 29th: Google decides on the number of accepted projects. Based on this number, LG will be
May 1st: Accepted projects are announced.
May 1st - 26th:Community Bonding Period for accepted students. GSoC 2024 developers will get the chance to meet the other developers and get to know each other better.
May 26th:Deadline to confirm participation, otherwise the student is removed.
May 27th:Coding period begins!
Reaching GSOC 2024
To be selected for Google Summer of Code (GSO) 2024, you should:
Actively contribute to the community by participating in the Discord server, helping others.
Complete the 4 required tasks in the specified order.
Review project ideas.
Prepare and submit a strong proposal.
Attend community events (streams, meetings).
Remember, hard work and dedication are key to achieving your goal!
For Internals
Key points of Google's internship program:
50% technical skills, 50% soft skills: They value both technical proficiency and the ability to collaborate and help others.
Open-source contribution: They encourage interns to contribute to open-source projects.
Long-term commitment: They seek interns interested in becoming future mentors and contributors, not just summer income.
The Liquid Galaxy Way
- Unlike other organizations, LG is not issue-based, meaning you do not need to create PRs to fix anything on existing projects. Rather, try to communicate actively with the admins and
mentors to find tasks you can contribute to. Communication is key.
Writing the Proposal
- Make sure to check out mentor Yash's video on how to write a good proposal.
- The master proposal document template can be found here.
- Some good things to include are:
1) UML diagrams
2) Worklogs
3) Roadmap
4) Timeline
LG Rig Setup
Explanation of LG Real Setup
Explanation of where bubbles and Logos must be:
All Logos must pass through supervision before implementing them
Why Flutter?
Main reasons why
Can create a very nice UI for the applications we create.
Has good features such as hot reload, which makes developing in it fast and provides a good experience.
Animations: infinite multiple combinations of animations.
Provides stateful and stateless widgets, which provides the way to provide animations and good visualizations.
Liquid Galaxy way
Key points:
Storage preference: Store all code and data on a tablet. Avoid using paid cloud services (except for AI apps, with admin approval).
Open source philosophy: Code reusability is encouraged. Existing implementations of Liquid Galaxy functionalities in Flutter, Kotlin, and Java should be utilized to avoid duplicating efforts.
GitHub
The Liquid Galaxy project is moving all its code repositories, including those for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2024, to their "Liquid Galaxy LAB GitHub."
For GSoC 2024, contributors will need to request project creation through the Liquid Galaxy LAB Discord server. The project will be created and assigned the appropriate permissions, and contributors can fork it to their own GitHub after completion if desired.
Reverse Thinking in 2024
The document emphasizes the importance of prioritizing data visualization in project proposals for 2024.
Here are the key takeaways:
- Focus on visualization: Don't spend too much time on data preprocessing, prioritize creating impressive data visualizations using KMLs (Keyhole Markup Language) and visuals like images and HTML bubbles.
- Mockups are crucial: Showcase your ability to visualize data through well-made mockups in your proposals. Without strong visuals, your proposal might not be considered.
- Go beyond basics: Don't limit yourself to basic point and polygon visualizations. Explore using colors, animations, and 3D elements in your KMLs to effectively display information.
Mentor Oscar’s Visualization Project
Questions:
AMIT KUMAR: How many maximum number of projects we can choose?
- Three Projects Max
AMIT KUMAR: Can we get a proposal from the past as an example?
- As we do not want people to copy past proposals, no past proposals will be released. You are able to ask mentors for help and feedback throughout, however.
Mohammed Yasin Zuhayr: Iis it possible to balance GSOC as well as college/uni?
-100% compatible, you will definitely do it,
-You will be a little bit stressed. Make sure to be able to complete the project, otherwise you are out.
Pablo Asenjo: What's the average number of interns per year LG have had, ever since LG entered the GSoC Program?
- In the last years, LG has had between 10-12. There are some orgs that have bigger projects (20-30).
Manas: Should the first proposal be 100% complete when sending it now or partially filled is also alright?
- You may share the document as soon as you created it, but will receive feedback once it is filled out.
God Damn: Do we have to submit task 4 before March 10?
- Please submit everything by March 10. This is because the mentors and admins at LG will require time to review everything. Because of this, there is a good chance that your application will not be reviewed if you submit everything much later, even if you do end up finishing everything.
Aritra Biswas: If we want to discuss the specifics of a proposal idea, whom would you suggest to contact?
-Firstly put it on the public Discord, then you will have a private mentor assigned.
choose
how many maximum number of proje
What to do now to apply for GSoC at the Liquid Galaxy project?
be aware of the GSoC official calendar, and also ours, included anywhere here.
read carefully and do ASAP the GSoC pre selection tasks
read the documentation available for task 1
see the many videos in this post from other contributors on their first task as guidelines
ask for help and comment whatever you want with other peers at our Discord, be polite and respectful in communications, and use the right channel.
read the whole project ideas document, and start thinking about what project can be of your interest.
We’ll not be able to answer everyone’s questions if do not follow the pre-selection tasks in order, so start with 0, send an email, and wait for the approval and green light for the next task.
Please, always contact liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com with any questions, but first read this whole post. Do not use Discord for communications with the project, as whatever you ask for may be answered by different admins or mentors.
Artificial Intelligence focus:
2023 was the AI year, and as the mainstream market demands, 2024 and the coming years will still be a very hot topic. At the Liquid Galaxy community, we’ve been using AI for years to obtain data to be shown on Google Earth for our projects, using TensorFlow and more. Last year we made some specific advances incorporating an Artificial Intelligence server inside our rig LAN, managing with dockers the different projects, implementing local models for different functionalities, and having artificial voices in our system. Also last year we incorporated Google’s Mediapipe-based project Gameface to be able to control the Liquid Galaxy just with your face!
This year also we’ll allow the use of Cloud-based services, like Google’s models Gemini and Palm2 under his Google Cloud console APIs. Those models are advancing so fast that 2024 will make a jump for everyone’s life.
Everyone will have to connect their app and model to their own Google Cloud console, Liquid Galaxy project can’t pay for this service, so: be careful when using proprietary API keys on code. With this in mind, we have reinforced our mentor team with several new Google Developer Experts in Cloud, Machine Learning, and Flutter for better UX.
cts we can ch
Project Ideas for GSoC 2024 at the Liquid Galaxy project have been published.
This year we'll have all the ideas on a Google Doc, this way we'll update as needed easily and maintain a better navigability. As noted, this is not a final document, instead is a work in progress, where mentors will continue adding his project ideas, and modifying existing ones if needed. So check it suddenly. We'll announce if there are big changes.
Click here for project Ideas for GSoC 2024 document
The Liquid Galaxy project has applied for GSoC 2024
And here are some preliminary statistics
- 18 projects/apps developed by contributors for the community on the autumn-winter period.
- 700 members on our Discord channel
- Of those, around 60 are working hard to get recognition.
- 3500+ views of this unique GSoC 2024 post
- Developed 10 streamings and live presentations to train and inform contributors on GSoC 2024 and our project, including 5 countries, and 10 universities.
Steps to be pre-selected for our project
till March 18
Before the GSoC portal opens for contributors to register their proposals, we have to pre-select contributors with enough knowledge and willingness to contribute with us. For this, we have developed a few tasks that in total, and under normal circumstances, will not take more than a few days of work.
PLEASE: read carefully and ask in our Discord in the Q&A channel about any doubt, but first read well all of this. We’ll not answer due to work pressure, questions that are clearly explained here.
AI use notice
We’ll not allow any of the proposal writing or the coding in our projects to be made only with an AGI code tool like Copilot ChatGPT, or any other. We want our contributors to have real knowledge and learn, and this is the way: coding by yourself.
Surely some GSoC contributors are likely to use AI extensively when writing their proposals this year. Think that we’ll never select any intern without personal interviews and specific tests, and will never select a GSoC contributor based solely on their proposal.
We will not condone this behavior and if detected will mean an automatic rejection or expulsion, at any moment of the GSoC steps.
All contributors that want to present a proposal and be recognized as possible GSoC interns, have to develop all the following tasks BEFORE March 10, for us to have time to review and rank internally. If you arrive late... run!
And always before:
Join our new Discord channel, a must for all general communications,
with this link: https://discord.gg/peGA5K8tJU
Remember to be polite and respectful in your communications, avoiding
non-inclusive comments and terms.
As a community next to Google technologies, communities, and being open-source based, the Liquid Galaxy projects adhere to the Code of Conduct of the Google Open Source office, please read it and follow.
View the latest community streamings for general information, because here you'll find answers to common questions well explained and with Q&A: Thanks to our amazing Google Developer Experts team and mentors for their contributions on those.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQrAU9E07A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6C2ZGrjkDg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLBqqQlPLYc
and all the training sessions
https://www.liquidgalaxy.eu/2023/09/google-summer-of-code-2024-unique-post.html#Trainings
Each step requires a OK from our side to continue to the next one. We'll not review any entry in other order, also any that has not accomplish all the 4 tasks.
Task 0: create a folder on your Google Drive for these tasks
Make directories for each entry, put all the needed contents in each folder, naming it with the task number and your name. After completing the task send the link to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com with a shared Google Drive folder, with open-to-anybody link permissions as mentors will need access to it.
Task 1: Build your own Liquid Galaxy with 4 virtual machines,
Be careful with the RAM requirements to run such a system, you’ll need at least 8GB of RAM, better than 16 for a more accurate experience.
The rig has to be 3 machines, and the fourth is for an Android tablet virtual machine (people usually run Bluestacks for this), as most of our apps run the core and UX on a Flutter or Android app.
Execute to test the system FOUR of our available applications on our Play Store account and show how these work in your virtual LG environment.
Documentation is available on the newly updated LG installation manuals (both real and virtual)
developed by older contributors and updated by mentor Alejandro Illán (Thanks)
English Spanish and the nice tutorial on setting up an LG virtual by wanna-be contributor Soham Jaiswal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdUuDHo6lU
Look also at the similar many 2023 contributors' videos already published in Youtube
Send proof of this task to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com with a shared Google Drive folder, with open-to-anybody link permissions as mentors will need access to it. Have this folder ready for all the processes, and make directories for each entry.
Inside has to be a 3-minute maximum video, recorded horizontally in full HD, showing your face talking and the screen recorded from the camera, not screen captured, with a 4 VMs LG running. Please name the video with your name and GSoC2024. We’ll not accept Youtube videos.
Drop too a DM to admins in our Discord saying the video is ready, and possibly it will be published here.
After the video is approved
Task 2: Code and send the same way a simple Flutter app.
The app has to have 4 buttons and our logo. Each button has to launch these functions to the LG for real:
reboot the lg (with a warning before)
move the lg to your home city
make an orbit upon arrival to your city
print an HTML bubble on the right screen of a 3 LG screen with the city name and your name in big letters.
EDITED: the app, as any app for Liquid Galaxy, has to have a settings screen, to be able to be connected when we test it.
Make a video for demoing and this time explain the code with the IDE behind it, and the virtual rig and tablet interface shown in action, show your face too. (edited for clarity)
We need a link to the drive with the video, the GitHub url where you posted the code, and the apk ready to be installed, target minimum Android 11, and coded for a tablet, NEVER for a smartphone screen.
After the app is approved
Task 3: Prepare 3 entries for the upcoming Liquid Galaxy WIKI.
Each entry has to have the clearest definition of what the entry is, and what part of the Liquid Galaxy handles, it can be UX side (functions on the apps in Flutter or JAVA) or the rig side (all the things related to the Liquid Galaxy cluster and his network, including the AI server and the Dockers we use).
Please write with clarity for others to understand, and quote code in the right way.
Add graphics if needed, and remember to store the images in the same folder independently.
All the entries have to be on the same Google Doc (edited for clarity).
TIP: it's better that you send us a previous email with what 3 contents you want to create for the wiki, as many other contributors may have chosen the same.
Each entry has to be a minimum of half a page, as you have to explain the aforementioned parts and the code or instructions involved.
You’ll be credited if the entry is published, and also you can be invited to write other ones if the ones you choose have been already written many times.
Send proof of this task to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com with the link of the shared Google Drive folder, with open-to-anybody link permissions as mentors will need access to it. Have this folder ready for all the processes.
Please name the doc with your name and GSoC2024. We’ll not accept pdfs or .docx
Drop too a DM to admins in our Discord saying the doc is ready.
Task 4: Prepare your GSoC 2024 proposal
First review mentor Yash video about How to write a good proposal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8maFrJbp1c
Make a copy in your GSoC folder of our master document and create your own proposal on a Google Doc following these guidelines.
Send us your proposal link open for comments, to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com.
And as always, route all your general queries to Discord, or personal ones by our email
liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com.
Read carefully the guidelines for contributor's projects:
All the projects will have to be able to run with or without a Liquid Galaxy rig.
If a rig is available the user will set up the connexion through the standard menu, connect,
and then send info with the different options in the app.
But if the user has no connectivity, or is away from an LG rig, have to have the opportunity to
use all the functionalities of the app inside the Android APP with Google Maps or Earth embedded.
In the case, that the user has an LG the movements over the tablet on the map have to be replicated simultaneously on the LG rig.
Take a look at these two apps that do this particularly well:
RAS, by Karine Pistili on project Dronecoria.
Volcano Track, by Yash Raj.
Flutter TIP: we’ll rate better Dart/Flutter-based proposals, as we’re focused on using this language and method.
And remember to post all questions in the main Questions and Answer channel at our Discord
Applications from the KISS contents are starting to populate our Github, with the help of mentor Vedant, in charge of the Github now.
Play Store uploads will start in a few weeks after the apps pass the testing and contributors create the needed graphic and text content.
>
Final 2024 GSoC's calendar (from Google's own site)
January 22 - 18:00 UTC
Mentoring organizations can begin submitting applications to Google
February 6 - 18:00 UTC
Mentoring organization application deadline
February 6 - 20
Google program administrators review organization applications
February 21 - 18:00 UTC
List of accepted mentoring organizations published
February 22 - March 18
Potential GSoC contributors discuss application ideas with mentoring organizations
March 18 - 18:00 UTC
GSoC contributor application period begins
April 2 - 18:00 UTC
GSoC contributor application deadline
April 24 - 18:00 UTC
GSoC contributor proposal rankings due from Org Admins
May 1 - 18:00 UTCA
Accepted GSoC contributor projects announced
May 1 - 26
Community Bonding Period | GSoC contributors get to know mentors, read documentation, get up to speed to begin working on their projects
May 27
Coding officially begins!
July 8 - 18:00 UTC
Mentors and GSoC contributors can begin submitting midterm evaluations
July 12 - 18:00 UTC
Midterm evaluation deadline (standard coding period)
July 12 - August 19
Work Period | GSoC contributors work on their project with guidance from Mentors
August 19 - 26 - 18:00 UTC
Final week: GSoC contributors submit their final work product and their final mentor evaluation (standard coding period)
August 26 - September 2 - 18:00 UTC
Mentors submit final GSoC contributor evaluations (standard coding period)
September 3
Initial results of Google Summer of Code 2024 announced
Google has just announced: (as of Jan 5, 2024)
"We are very excited to get started on this 20th year of Google Summer of Code!
Organization applications open in a few weeks, January 22 - February 6
Team WIKI is progressing on the development
congratulations and thanks for the effort for Sidharth Mudgil, Dev Gadani, and mentor Vedant.
The III Community Meetup notes and video
24 December 2023 Projects and GSOC Briefing : Liquid Galaxy Sunday
Mentors :
Yash Raj Bharti
Vedant Singh
Andreu Ibanez
Communications
Email : Get on to the list by contacting Andreu with your full name and tech stack.
Discord : Post on the right channels for tracking progress smoothly. Stick to the assigned channels to maintain decorum.
All the events for Liquid Galaxy will be held using the Google Developers Group. Join the community to join the events.
Streamings:
Experts to help you with flutter, machine learning and more interesting stuff
_________________________________________________________________________
PROJECTS
Laser slides to flutter :
20 people are already working on it
Simple copy applications received
Require high quality UI/UX for a new app
All applications for a 10 inch tablet not for smartphone apps, since LG works with tablets.
Novel and working solutions required
Animations:
Slide transitions
Item list
Rotation, fade, Scaled, Slide transition, ….
The best 7 flutter transitions
Further algorithmic/conceptual developments may be added to the GSOC ideas list.
Simply CMS
Download from play store and create a kiss app
Liquid Galaxy Control
Smaller pieces of the controller on separate apps
Web based KISS app
Scroll text application
Project Wiki
At capacity
Only team project, usually individual
Flutter Leida blogger template
Create a blogger template for the group. Blogger is a CMS
_________________________________________________________________________
Liquid Galaxy General Rules
The org is not an issue based repository. Lg does not require PRs on existing projects. Lg is a project/task based organisation and not an issue based organisation.
Communication is key. Always help other contributors with their doubts on discord.
The code and data are preferred to store on a tablet. No paid cloud services are to be used.
Code reusability : reuse publicly available code for LG functionality
Idea Validation : Inform the mentors first and then starting prototyping apps
Enhancing Projects : again ask the mentors first
Why Flutter?
Beginner Friendly
Cross Platform Development : Android, IOS and Web
Hot Reload feature : instead of waiting for gradle build
Componentization handles scalability well
Custom Widgets : easily add customisable widgets
More Flexible than Java and XML syntaxes
Do not stick to vanilla interfaces create amazing animations using Flutter widgets
GSOC 2024 : Nothing is guaranteed
Work hard and get achievements, the following points will help boost your profile for GSOC
Willing to work with us with the winter tasks , contributing to the discord, and assistance to the streamings and meets
Work on the 3 pre required tasks for all future contributors. Mid January 2023. Usually installation, developing flutter apps and project proposals.
Read the project ideas . mid january 2023.
Prepare your proposal and share it with us when ready, master proposal.
Continue using discord and assistance in the streamings and meets.
_________________________________________________________________________
GSoC 2024 Official Announcement (NOV 9, 2023)
Google Summer of Code (GSoC) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with our upcoming 2024 program. Over the past 19 years we have welcomed over 19,000 new contributors to open source through the program under the guidance of 19,000+ mentors from over 800 open source organizations in a wide range of fields.
We are honored and thrilled to keep GSoC’s mission of bringing new contributors into open source communities alive for 20 years. Open source communities thrive when they have new contributors with fresh, exciting ideas and the renewed energy they bring to these communities. Mentorship is a vital way to keep these new contributors coming into the open source ecosystem where they can see collaboration at its finest from their community members all across the world, all with different backgrounds and skills working towards a common goal.
With just over a week left in the 2023 program, we have had one of our most enthusiastic groups of GSoC contributors with 841 GSoC contributors completing their projects with 159 open source organizations. There are 68 GSoC contributors wrapping up their projects. A GSoC 2023 wrap up blog post will be coming late this month with stats and quotes from our contributors and mentors.
Our contributors and mentors have given us invaluable feedback and we are making one adjustment around project time commitment/project scope. For the 2024 program, there will be three options for project scope: medium at ~175 hours, large at ~350 hours and a new size: small at ~90 hours. The idea is to remove the barrier of available time that many potential contributors have and open the program to people who want to learn about open source development but can’t dedicate all or even half of their summer to the program.
As a reminder, GSoC 2024 is open to students and to beginners in open source software development that are over the age of 18 at time of registration.
Flutter Lleida presentation
On dec 12 2023 we held the GDG Lleida local party, and we introduced there the new Flutter Lleida group. We also show off the Laser Slides application and give away some Flutter swag.
We're waiting for your Laser Slides app converted to Flutter to show it off !!!
Master proposal document for GSoC 2024
Copy to your drive this Google doc file, rename it as:
"namesurname-projectname-GSoC2024"
Modify the whole text and insert your proposal, share it with liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com with comments open.
For tips and training see the video from mentor Yash about the art of writing good proposals.
Post a DM to admin andreu on our Discord to say you've presented a proposal.
New
Presentación program de becas GSoC en el Devfest del GDG Cloud Madrid
New Github rules for the Liquid Galaxy projects.
Mentor Vedant will take the rule of Liquid Galaxy LAB Github maintainer since December 2023, with the help of senior mentor Victor Carreras, mobile lead development expert.
Among new rules and tools that we'll be communicating, since February 2024 all the projects for the Liquid Galaxy, being under GSoC or not, will be hosted in our Liquid Galaxy LAB Github,
The way will be asking for the creation of the project to mentor Vedant through our Discord. The project will be created and given the right roles to the contributor.
Autumn-Winter task allocation for contributors
As said in our past 2nd community meetup, there are a few tasks to develop from now till February, when GSoC tasks will start.
The people who develop these tasks will have more opportunities to be considered for a GSoC intern, next to the other tasks we'll explain in February.
0- Designs for Liquid Galaxy and Flutter Lleida
Are you good at design? We're looking for contributor creations for some areas:
The idea is to have a nice video intro for our upcoming Flutter-related training and meetings.
1- Flutter interest group
We need a team of volunteers to organize this new group in the LG community where we'll be doing some specific activities and projects, with “weekly” presentations and workshops.
To begin create a shared with me Google docs, and start to pour ideas, activities will start soon with the training already published and more coming ones.
2- "KISS" Flutter app development
To earn “points” on the community and awareness to the mentor’s team, start to develop little and simple apps in Flutter for the Liquid Galaxy.
Take a look at the different apps we have in our Github, mainly for controlling or creating content, and do small and beautiful widget-based apps like
You don't know what KISS means ?? Google it
Very simple Liquid Galaxy CMS
We want to extract functionalities from Simple CMS and Simple CMS ES creating smaller applications.
Liquid Galaxy Control Tool
We want smaller pieces of the controller on separate apps. Choose your own.
Gameface controller for LG
Based on Sidharth code, we need a smaller app that works with GameFace (Mediapipe API) to control the LG with only your face.
Scroll text application
This has to be a Chromium-based application, not Google Earth.
Something easy just to present texts static and scrolling horizontally and vertical, color changes and a few other improvements you can add.
3- Liquid Galaxy project New WIKI
---- PROJECT at capacity, contributors Sidharth, Arin, Atharva, and Dev are working on this already, choose another project to work on, please
We need to create a new Wiki-style tool with up-to-date information about our project.
. Main functions and code samples
. All info we can pour on
This requires a team of contributors, for the creation of the platform, the capture of the information, and later update.
Announcing the
Based on the apps that some contributors have started to develop, read previous new with "Autumn-Winter task allocation for contributors", all of those enter in the contest,
, we're announcing a contest under our new Flutter group, soon to be fully public:
- Participants: the contest is open to all Liquid Galaxy contributors
- Dates: The last day to send us all the materials is January 15, no excuses there. Period has been postponed !
- App: You have to send us a Google Drive folder open with all permissions with the following contents:
. Documentation in Google Docs
. Video: recorded in HD, horizontally, with you introducing yourself, presenting the app functionalities, showing the app, and showing the virtual liquid galaxy accepting commands from your app and Beyond too
. Apk compiled targeting minimum Android 11 (API 30).
- Jury: will have Google Developer Experts in Flutter and Liquid Galaxy project mentors.
- Award:
1st, 2nd, and 3d: Package of Flutter and Google swag and certificate
- Mentions: All participants releasing a functional application will receive a certificate of participation, will be mentioned on our site, and social networks, and have another opportunity to present their project in a special Liquid Galaxy streaming that will be held on Jan 18, 2024, 17:00 CET.
- Promotional events: the projects will be shown at several Google Developers events across Spain and maybe Europe. Google will also be informed.
- Disclaimer: We do reserve the right to modify or improve or make final decisions on the winner selection.
Remember, this contest is to motivate you to code, learn and help others, and be near selection to the GSoC 2024.
- Contact: forward your inquiries and final code to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com
and everyone else
by our beloved Google Developer Experts and mentors.
Presentations from mentors and contributors around the world
Our long term contributor Emilie Ma, now at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, is holding an event to introduce the local students to the GSoC and the Liquid Galaxy project. Info on his web site:
Mentor Vedant hold an event in Pune, India:
The Meet will be recorded as usual and posted here later.
Meeting notes by Emilie and Gozie (thank you)
14 Nov 2023 | community meet lg
GSoC 2024 organisations have not been accepted yet
LG will know if we've been accepted in February 2024
GSoC 2024 will include a 'small' project scope of 90 hours over 12+ weeks (in addition to the 175 and 350 hour project scopes)
For those who are working or interning elsewhere, lowers barrier for those who didn't previously have an opportunity to do GSoC
LG community agenda:
Work done this fall will help earn credibility and increase our chances to be accepted to GSoC 2024
Several trainings will be taking places — please register on the events platform / YT
GitHub, UX, writing a GSoC proposal etc.
Starting project proposal preparation
GitHub maintenance
Organizing Liquid Galaxy GitHub
Forking new projects and previous GSoC projects
Starting a Flutter interest group as many contributors are interested + we have a close relationship with Flutter devrel team
Subgroup within the larger Liquid Galaxy community
Open to anyone with any skill level, but focuses specifically on Flutter content
Looking for a team to brainstorm activities and share docs with Andreu
There's an existing wiki, but it's not updated
Needs to be searchable and at zero cost
Should hold LG architecture, the main functions with code samples (e.g. connecting tablet to the LG)
Looking for a team to create the platform, capture and collect information, and format work
Q: Is this a web-based project?
A: will be, since it has to be public. We don't know what engine to use, part of the project work is to determine what's best.
Flutter KISS apps
To earn brownie points in the LG community and have a better chance to get into GSoC next year, build simple and useful apps that interact with the LG
e.g. a simple LG CMS with four buttons, simple tool to relaunch and reset LG, scrolling letters across the screens of the Liquid Galaxy
Contact Andreu on Discord with ideas first before beginning to code
Project proposals
Attend Yash's stream on how to write a good project proposal and review demo day videos
Base your proposal from the template on the GSoC 2024 post
Write at most 2 proposals, but keep them simple and share them with the mentor team
Send with commenting enabled to liquidgalaxylab@gmail.com and post in #gsoc2024
Don't expect a yes/no answer or feedback right away
Usually we work on these proposals around the end of December
Mentor summit
200 GSoC mentors around the world
Fun chocolate table!
Q&A
Q: Can we contribute to GSoC 2023 projects?
A: Complicated — most projects will not be maintained long term because contributors usually don't stay with LG for a long term. Adding more functionality or recreating a project is something scoped for another GSoC. If you want to continue another project, we'll have to recreate it. Focus on contributing to base LG tools (e.g. Liquid Galaxy controller, LGxEDU) or on building small KISS apps.
Q: When do we have to start working on the project? Before or after submitting a proposal?
A: No one, right now, has a GSoC project. You can start thinking about the idea now and writing a proposal. If you want to work on something, work on the community side projects (e.g. LG Wiki, Flutter interest group). No one knows if you'll be doing GSoC next year, so there's no use in working on the project ahead of time, unless you want to do a project outside of GSoC, which is typically a special case only for longer-term students.
Q: I don't have a lot of backend experience, what should I do?
A: There are many small mini-projects that you can build to improve your skills. We're very early right now, so it's not a must right now — continue to develop your skills as we go. Also, backends are a very vague word. Most LG apps have a very limited backend, typically just communicating with LG with SSH. The tablet apps are usually able to run everything we need.
Video
Video will be available later. In the meantime register for the event at
Read and register at
Talk: at Devfest Barcelona, October 28 2023, by GDG Barcelona.
Andreu Ibanez will be presenting the GSoC program and the Liquid Galaxy project.
Andreu Ibanez will be presenting the GSoC program and the Liquid Galaxy project from Silicon Valley, where he was visiting and attending the GSoC world summit.
