Elia Videtta

Contact information

• Your Name: Elia Videtta

• Email Address: e.videtta@warwick.ac.uk

• IRC nickname: Videt
• Launchpad ID: Elia Videtta
• Skype username: elia.videtta
• Webpage/blog:
• College-University: University of Warwick, UK
• Major: Computer Science

Project

• Project Name: Nautilus copy improvements

• Project Description: This project is focused on improving the current cut and copy system in Nautilus. At the moment, if an error happens during copying, it will hold up the other files in a mass copy and will not resolve itself quickly. The aims of this project are to make the copy system more passive so that all errors are reported before the copy begins and also to provide some way for the end user to resolve errors so that they can copy all files as necessary with the minimum of fuss.

• If you would be willing and able to do other projects instead, which ones?

  • Backup system or

  • Theme manager

• Why did you like this idea? I liked this idea because this is an annoyance that exists in all the operating systems I use and I would like to be the one to put it right in Ubuntu, the operating system I use the most.

• Please describe a tentative project architecture or an approach to it: To approach the project, I first of all propose removing the default copy dialog and replacing it with a status bar to be located in the bottom-right hand corner of a Nautilus window. This status bar will serve as a clickable icon which will bring up the original Nautilus copy dialog in order to cancel current copy process. This process will be persistent, meaning that the end user can navigate into other directories and still have the original copy process continuing. Furthermore, a user can select one or more files to copy whilst a copy process is ongoing, and those files will be added to the end of the copy queue and the copy process for those files will begin once the original copy processes have finished. Items in the copy queue can all have different source and destination locations. Another feature of the improved copying system will be the ability to resolve certain types of copy error before they arise in the copying process allowing for a more automated copy process. A message dialog will pop up explaining what sort of error has occurred. This dialog box will have a resolve button which allows mistakes to be resolved quickly. Errors which can be resolved include:

  • Different file name conventions on different file systems - The system will suggest a file name appropriate for the new file system but will also the end user to choose their own name, if desired. Differences can be resolved between NTFS, FAT32 and EXT.
  • Filename conflicts - If a file with the same name already exists, the end user can choose to overwrite, cancel or rename the file before copying.
  • Not enough space - If there is not enough space, a dialog box will appear that allows the user to select which files they wish to be copied over to the location, or to change location. There will be a functionality to select those files from smallest to biggest which will fit on the disk.

• Give us details about the milestones for this project The milestones for this project are as follows:

  • Stage 1 - Error handling
    • For this stage of the project, as much error handling as possible will be moved to the start of the copying process. This will include handling name errors, file system name formats and out-of-space messages.
  • Stage 2 - Independent process
    • This stage focuses on making the Nautilus copy process independent and allowing the current copy process to be displayed in the task bar and will allow the user to browse through different directories whilst the process is ongoing.

• Why will your proposal benefit Ubuntu? This will benefit Ubuntu since it will make the copy process a non-interactive process which handles more errors at the beginning and so end-users won't need to watch a long copy process.

Open Source

• Please describe any previous Open Source development experience None so far.

• Why are you interested in Open Source? I am interested because I use mostly open source software daily (Linux, Firefox etc). I agree with the philosophy of open source and wish to give something back to the community.

Availability

• How long will the project take? When can you begin? I envisage the project taking about a couple of months to complete. I can begin ASAP (although I have to consider my university exams).

• How much time do you expect to dedicate to this project? (weekly) I expect to contribute to the project daily, so about 30 - 40 hours a week.

• Where will you based during the summer? At home (United Kingdom).

• Do you have any commitments for the summer? (holidays/work/summer courses) None.

• Please designate a back up student (in case you need to withdraw your application)

Other

• Have you ever participated in a previous GSoC? (describe your project) No.

• Have you applied for any other 2010 Summer of Code projects? If yes, which ones?

• Why did you apply for the Google Summer of Code ? I applied to Google Summer of Code because I wanted to get some major programming experience of the summer.

• Why did you choose Ubuntu as a mentoring organisation? I chose Ubuntu because I am a big fan of Ubuntu and, as stated before, I want to give something back to the project.

• Why do you want to participate and why should Ubuntu choose you? I want to participate not just because I am interested in open source but also because I wish to apply some of the concepts that I have learnt in my university course so far. I feel like I could contribute a lot to the project if I am chosen.