GSoC 2019 [Collect build statistics]

[Mojca Miklavec]

Dear Arjunt

On Tue, 26 Mar 2019 at 07:34, Arjun Salyan wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> Using the valuable information and suggestions by all of you here at MacPorts, especially the potential mentors, I have come up with the first draft of my proposal for GSoC 2019.
> Link to Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/198Ivygxb2NJQz_sqzDrbDPVEYZ5Ye5Yw0LV6Bt2QmG4/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you very much. I'll keep providing some smaller details inline
(I didn't finish reviewing yet), but here are some major points.

What I would like to see in the application is mainly the following:

- Database design (you have quite a bit of that already; details would
be discussed inline)

- A plan to add an external API, so that someone else could build an
equivalent UI, for example in React/Vue.js (no need to write that UI
yourself, unless you do that instead of using jinja templating) or use
the information from the port command ("port HowManyPeopleInstalled
wget", "port IsItBrokenOnMyOs qt5" :); again no need to implement
anything in the port command, just allow some easy future use of data

- Specification of that API (which calls would be supported, with examples)

- A more elaborate plan about how you plan to handle updates / keep
the database up-to-date. Sure, we can trigger certain actions from the
buildbot, but those various "actions" need to be implemented. Keeping
the app up to date in a safe and reliable way is a very important part
of the project, and requires collecting data from various sources.
"Look for the most efficient ways to keep the PortIndex and Build
History up-to-date" should be already attempted now.

- "Screenshots" of various (all?) pages of the planned app. I don't
literally mean screenshots; it could be hand-drawn sketches, it could
be a paint sketch, it could be static HTML, it could be added as
static content to your demo app, which you would later replace with
dynamic page, ... No carefully crafted visual piece of art, just
"boxes" or fake/sample content with titles. It would serve as a list
of templates that you would fill in during the summer. Some of that
info is included in sample charts, some in the "Reporting" paragraph,
two pages are already present in your demo app, but something like a
full picture that you would attach to the contract of your client
before starting a big project after brainstorming together, so that
you both know where exactly the project is heading :)

- If you want to collect some useful statistics from users, it's
really important to enable submissions as early as possible (I would
say before the first evaluation), so that you have some data to work
with when creating different views etc.

I'll provide more feedback about statistics later.

Other less important suggestions:
- Be more bold and put more stuff under extensions goals.

Does your new semester already start at end of July?

Mojca