[vtk-developers] Attracting next generation of developers

[Will Schroeder]

A few more random thoughts:

+ Documentation: If we wanted to be really ambitious we would rewrite the
VTK Textbook and User's Guide. Whatever we do, I'd like to see at least one
"book" that is designed for interactivity from the ground up. An active
publication that supports interactive book inserts where you can change
view, parameters, etc.

+ Some of the most widely reused bits of VTK are "data" used to test or
build examples. I've seen the cow, blade, combustor, etc. in technical
papers, etc. We could build on this by gathering even more data and
creating software/mini-apps around it. Even creating a series of reference
benchmarks, etc.

W


On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 8:51 PM, Will Schroeder <will.schroeder at kitware.com>
wrote:

> Good stuff. Here are some random thoughts (besides some of the great stuff
> that's been mentioned before):
>
> + Provide potential community members an exciting purpose and/or a
> challenge. (See a list of crazy suggestions below.) I.e., paint a vision
> and get people excited due to social impact or technical challenge.
>
> + Define ways to contribute beyond just technical (i.e., lay out clear
> contribution paths), and recognize the community for these contributions.
>
> + Create "conferences" with invited speakers that get VTK developers and
> even application developers mixing together. Hold these at cool places with
> fun speakers and activities. The conferences could even have fun hackathon
> competitions addressing particular challenges / data.
>
> + Orgs like Kitware could invest some $ into awards, challenges,
> internships, etc. that are VTK-centric.
>
> + Here are crazy ideas for developing purposes/challenges: These need to
> capture the imagination and get people's creative juices flowing. These
> mini projects might be as simple as a single class/algorithm, or a complex
> as a subsystem. Maybe even consider something akin to ITK Applications
> which are satellite projects to leverage VTK infrastructure to do cool
> stuff. Lay out the challenges and recruit volunteers...if they are exciting
> enough it might attract talent and enthusiasm.
>
> -- Team with a data producer/application domain (like digital pathology,
> dermatolgy, environmental studies, microscopy, weather, sensor systems,
> etc.) and put together simple VTK-based tools for visualizing their data.
> These data could be associated with non-profits and/or research and
> represent significant social challenges. (I.e., help build a data-driven
> community with VTK playing a key role).
>
> -- Pick a technical challenge, like visualizing connectomics data, and
> with the help of the community use VTK as the core engine to build a simple
> application. The application might even be written in newer
> languages/environments (e.g., client-side). Other challenges might include
> mobile apps, etc.
>
> There's lots more but this is already long and crazy enough :-)
> W
>
>
> --
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 4:35 PM, Berk Geveci <berk.geveci at kitware.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Moved this discussion to a new thread.
>>
>> Berk,
>>
>> I think we need to reach out to potential developers. Especially those
>> outside of Kitware(and their paying customers) and the long term VTK
>> developers outside Kitware. Those communities can adapt to anything.
>> We need to focus on is how can we can attract new developers. In the
>> past, new processes were adopted and adapted by Kitware, their
>> customers and hard core VTK developers with very little input from the
>> broader community of potential developers.
>>
>> ITK is going through the same issues but addressing the issues not
>> through process change. They are looking at outreach and better
>> documentation of the current process. Matt McCormick at Kitware has
>> been leading this effort.
>>
>> I think there are lots of non-process improvements possible. But I
>> don't have a silver bullet for attracting new developers. Perhaps VTK
>> is too old school for today's developers. Stuck with an old
>> architecture, old graphics architecture, old and complex languages. I
>> honestly don't know what the root causes are. If we only include the
>> old-timers in theses discussion then we will not attract a younger set
>> of devleopers.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> William J. Schroeder, PhD
> Kitware, Inc.
> 28 Corporate Drive
> Clifton Park, NY 12065
> will.schroeder at kitware.com
> http://www.kitware.com
> (518) 881-4902
>



-- 
William J. Schroeder, PhD
Kitware, Inc.
28 Corporate Drive
Clifton Park, NY 12065
will.schroeder at kitware.com
http://www.kitware.com
(518) 881-4902
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