Re: Aw: Re: Call for Debian projects and mentors in Google Summer of Code 2026

Johannes Schauer Marin Rodrigues <[email protected]> Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:27:16 +0100

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.project
Message-ID	<176506363675.713870.1751410695345182962@localhost>

Quoting Steffen Möller (2025-12-06 14:14:52)
> > I object to the participation. As much as it might help Debian, we urgently
> > need to stop helping Google to play a part in everything.
> It helps Debian to attract new hands, it helps Google with recruiting, and it
> is an enormous opportunity for students from all over the world to make new
> experiences. I wish there would be more programs like that with Debian
> contributing -
> https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/SOCIS_The_ESA_Summer_of_Code_in_Space
> comes to mind, suggestions?
> 
> I definitely want more of this, not less. And by more companies than Google,
> yes, but other larger companies are to blame here that are not doing it, not
> Google.

In an ideal world, it would not be up to profit-driven mega-corporations to
decide whether or not, who, where and when people can enjoy the privilege of
spending a summer on helping out with a FOSS project.

I agree that Google does not give the money away out of the goodness of their
hearts but as a way to wash their image. On one hand it pains me to see Debian
play a part in this but on the other hand, pragmatically speaking, it is a
unique opportunity for some. Disclaimer: I was both a student and a mentor in
the past.

In 2016, Doctors Without Borders rejected a donation of pneumonia vaccines from
Pfizer to protest that the company was keeping vaccine prices artificially high
and instead of reducing the prices for all it pretends to be generous with a
donation. Google could do *a lot* for FOSS if it would play nice with the huge
software stack it maintains. Instead, Android is getting more and more closed
down but to assure us how nice to FOSS they are we get a "generous" GSoC
donation once a year. Should we not also protest Google's treatment of FOSS by
rejecting their "donation" of GSoC money? Should we not instead urge them to
either become a good FOSS citizen or otherwise STFU when it wants to pretend
that it is through its dirty GSoC money?

On the other hand, practically speaking, I have no answer for what we would do
without corporate donations for DebConfs for example...

Thanks!

cheers, josch

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