Plone is a CMS that based on Python and uses an object-based storage (ZODB). It comes with enterprise-ready features and has a strong emphasis on workflow and security. It is also a fully open source (GPL2) project, with no single company driving it, but a whole ecosystem of smaller firms and independent developers around the world.
Plone is suitable for a wide variety of entities, from the largest of corporations and government agencies with very high security requirements and universities with tens of thousands of users to small nonprofit organizations and businesses.
In the 17 years since its first release, Plone has evolved into a mature solution, with emphasis on code quality and tests. But Plone is also forward-looking. Over the last years the front-end has received a complete overhaul to use more modern javascript techniques. Theming is cleanly implemented using just HTML/CSS and an XML ruleset. Development of a complete RESTful API has allowed the creation of completely uncoupled front-end applications using the latest of JavaScript technologies.
Plone is a community-oriented organization. Members of the Plone community may be found across the globe. They are usually friendly, and possess a deep knowledge of all issues of Content Management. Rights to the intellectual property of Plone are owned by the Plone Foundation, a registered nonprofit Foundation that exists to promote and protect Plone.
- Twitter: Students, please follow these steps to propose a project for the Plone Foundation.
Begin by Introducing yourself in our forum. Plone is global, so replies might take some time. Try to be patient. Please do not use IRC or Gitter for this step.
Download and install Plone and make a simple website. You can read our documentation to learn how Plone works, and how to contribute.
Finally, you'll need to find an issue suitable for newcomers in our issue tracker and try to fix it so you can get to know our code base. Ask questions in our forum, or IRC or Gitter
Read our GSoC ideas list and pick one you’re interested in, or come up with your own idea. Discuss this idea with the us in our forum. Get input from the us on the appropriate scope and direction for your project.
Once you've got a solid idea of what you want to do, it's time to write your proposal. Any successful proposal must answer the following questions:
- What are you studying and where?
- What is the most interesting software project you've worked on while in school?
- Have you ever contributed to an open source project? How? (bug reports and documentation count too)
- Have you used Plone before? What for?
- Have you spoken to anyone in the Plone community about your project?
- What is your project idea? (please be as detailed as possible)
- Why do you want to do this project?
- Do you have any other commitments during the summer of code period (i.e. between June and August)?