The timeline for GSoc is actually quite tight:
- March 3: Mentoring organizations can begin submitting applications to Google
- March 12: Mentoring organization application deadline
- March 13-17: Google program administrators review organization applications
- March 17: List of accepted mentoring organizations is announced
- Interim Period: Would-be student participants discuss application ideas with mentoring organizations
- March 24: Student application period opens
- March 31: Student application deadline 5:00 PM PDT/00:00 UTC April 1, 2008
- Interim Period: Mentoring organizations review and rank student proposals
- April 11: All mentors must be signed up and all student proposals matched with a mentor
- April 14: accepted student proposals are announced
- Community Bonding Period: students get to know mentors, read documentation, get up to speed to begin working on their projects
- May 26: Students begin coding for their GSoC projects, Google begins issuing initial student payments
- Interim Period: Mentors give students a helping hand and guidance on their projects
- July 7: Mentors and students can begin submitting mid-term evaluations
- July 14: Mid-term evaluations deadline, Google begins issuing mid-term student payments
- Interim Period: Mentors give students a helping hand and guidance on their projects
- August 11: Suggested 'pencils down' date. Take a week to scrub code, write tests, improve documentation, etc.
- August 18: Firm 'pencils down' date. Mentors, students and organization administrators can begin submitting final evaluations to Google
- September 1: Final evaluation deadline, Google begins issuing student and mentoring organization payments
- September 3: Students can begin submitting required code samples to Google
- October or November, details TBD: Mentor Summit at Google: Representatives from each successfully participating organization are invited to Google to greet, collaborate and code. Mission for the weekend: make the program even better, have fun and make new friends